Choosing your Erasmus destination and why choose Ireland

Travelling is one of those activities that can be done in so many different ways – from relaxing, to adventuring through mountains and jungles, to enjoying the gastronomy of places, to admiring the art. There are many types of holidays that suit everybody’s tastes and this is why it is probably one of the most popular activities and hobbies. Travelling also opens our minds, making us more aware of what is happening outside our comfort zone. We learn how to communicate with other people, how to learn, how to find our way around and how to take care of ourselves in general.

This is why the European Union decided to create the Erasmus programme – an EU programme done for students and youth in order to support them experiencing the study abroad. Of course, this is for European countries, therefore if you’re coming from outside Europe, click here in order to find out more about this programme. Also, there are other exchange programmes done between Europe and United States, Europe and Australia etc. The beauty of nowadays is that we have freedom of travel and students can get the chance of experiencing another style of teaching while also travelling and enjoying themselves.

I went through the Erasmus programme as well and in this blog I would like to talk about how I chose my destination and most importantly, talk about Ireland as a study abroad destination.

Choosing a destination for Erasmus might feel like one of the biggest decisions of your life… but just so far! [Spoiler alert: you are going to have to make waaay bigger decisions!] But indeed, it is an important decision that took me quite a bit of research as well.

How did I choose my destination?

I started with writing down all the options that I had. I could choose between some destinations in France, Spain, South America or Canada as my degree was in International Languages, focusing on Spanish and French. Preferring Spanish, I ruled out France and Canada which already brought the list to half of its original size. Then, I thought if I wanted to go as far as South America – it was a huge opportunity but was pretty attached to home at that point and I had loads of plans of travelling around Europe already so therefore I said that I would give a pass to South America. Then, the hard part started, as I had probably 8 cities in Spain to choose from.

Although I had way less destinations than originally, now it was the time for me to look in depth of what I was looking for.

My biggest advice is to use an Excel spreadsheet! It made my life so much easier.

So, a few of the categories that I considered when I did my beautiful Excel:

• Beach is a must - in the end I chose Spain so I might as well take advantage of a nice beach
• Weather weather weather!
• The city must have an airport and direct flights from Dublin - I would have hated to change between buses
• The place needed to have a rich history and culture - I really wanted to have a full experience
• University ranking - in the end I had to consider that attending one of the best universities in Spain would have made me look better when looking for a job

Then, after hours of coming up with pros and cons for each of the cities and constantly comparing them, the winner was *drums*

VALENCIA.

I won’t be talking about how amazing the life in Valencia was because the city is overly known for its amazing Erasmus life and great university. The city was absolutely full of foreign students.

I would like to talk about Ireland as an Erasmus destination because although you can walk on the Dublin streets and listen to multiple languages, as exchange students I still believe Ireland does not strive as much as other destinations.

It is true that Spain and Italy are the favourite destinations due to their amazing cuisine, weather and friendly, Latin people. I am Latin as well, I can totally understand the attraction. Spain did feel like home, it brought me closer to Romania (my country) in that year more than Ireland has ever done it in almost 8 years that I spent here. Yet, I would still consider Ireland home and that is because of its particular charm. A charm that I would like other people to discover it as well.

Why would you come to spend a year/ semester abroad in Ireland?

• Dublin is an extremely vibrant city – the city became home for so many nationalities in the past recent years, due to major companies coming in the country but also because of immigration. You will definitely find someone to talk to, about anything that you are interested in. The city is bustling at any time of the day or night. Everyone likes to have fun!
• If you are passioned about medieval history, this is your place! – Ireland has a rich history that left behind a lot of gorgeous castles, some in ruins while others remained very well preserved.
• If you are into trekking and natural sightseeing, Ireland beats so many other places in natural beauties – Ireland appears probably in any Top on any blog when it comes to nature. .
• Irish people are lovely – One word that the Irish love using is ‘lovely’. Probably everyone that I talked about, non-Irish, considers them very outgoing and much warmer than the British. They’re great craic! (You don’t know what that means? Come here and you will find out)
• Irish music is so fun, it might sound annoying but when you’re in a pub with a pint it surely makes you want to jump up and dance with the crowd
• Irish universities are ranked really well worldwide – Just check the worldwide rank here

You can find more reasons here.

One of the best things being an Erasmus/exchange student is the fact that most of the times the grade does not matter as long as you pass your modules (you should still study!!) but that allows students to be less stressed about college during that year/semester and enjoy the beauties of the new country they are in.

Asking around I found out that there are many trips done by colleges, depending on where you’re going:

• pub crawls (having one drink in multiple pubs – in the end Ireland has a pub culture that you must experience at least once)
• trips to Dublin if you went to a university outside the capital
• trips to Kilkenny (the prettiest medieval town of the country)
• trips to Belfast and the Titanic Museum and/or The Giant’s Causeways – or perhaps a Game of Thrones tour (if you’re a fan, the famous series took many shoots on the island for the beautiful landscapes presented throughout the seasons)
• trips to Bray and/or Howth – two gorgeous little towns outside Dublin where hiking is available
• surfing trips - at the end of the day you're going to be on a windy island

Yet, if you search there are so many more things to visit! Ireland takes pride in its gorgeous islands (eg. Achill Island) and cliffs (Cliffs of Moher) but there are other hidden jewels within the country that many don’t even know about. I found a recent article posted by Lonely Planet, so please read it because those places seem absolutely amazing! Below I mention some other places that I discovered in a road trip I did a few months ago:

• Stairway to Heaven – a gorgeous walk that might challenge you quite a bit if you don’t do trekking very often
• The Marble Arch Caves – right beside the Stairway to Heaven, you will visit probably the most beautiful caves of the island and heads up! There is going to be a little boat ride involved (just don’t try to go during winter because it’s closed)
• Slieve League Cliffs – higher than the famous Cliffs of Moher, I personally found them more gorgeous as well! Also, if you like sheep, you will surely be surrounded by them if you walk all the way up
• Glenveagh National Park - beautiful place, with long but not very tiring walk-trails. This place combines nature with history
• Ards Forest Park – one of my favourite spots in Ireland, this place has different types of walks, from beginners to more advanced (one can walk through a forest, sand dunes and the beach)
• Grianan of Aileach – older than Newgrange, this little place is hidden away and unknown to most of the people. It’s a short visit that leaves you with goose bumps when you realise how old that place is.
• Malin Head – the northest point of the island

Ireland is a beautiful, welcoming country that perhaps does not have the best weather but that would surely suit the lovers of nature and history!

Go in Erasmus and choose Ireland as your destination if you believe what it has to offer would suit you!