Country Hopping with Kinley

Kinley spent spring semester in The Hague, The Netherlands & her summer at an internship in Galway, Ireland. This photo was her first photo taken while in Europe!

"I truly had the best time for the six months I was abroad. I know that doing two study abroad programs back to back isn't for everyone, but it changed my life for the better!"

Scroll through Kinley's page to see some of her highlights. There are some videos attached along the way too!

Kinley visited Carnival in Maastricht which is at the beginning of February. She is pictured with her friends from Budapest, Hungary and Tbilisi, Georgia, respectively.

In the bottom photo, she and her friends visited Rotterdam for the day and stopped by the famed Cubed Houses.

Kinley and her roommate Regina visited Utrecht and the Kasteel de Haar.

"Utrecht was such a lovely city and I wish I could've visited more than once! A very fun day in my book!"

Also included in the bottom photo, is a view from Kinley's student accommodation apartment at sunset.

Kinley and her friends visited Paris right away on one of her school's two separate week long breaks.

"I promise it's not overrated! Visit Paris if you can! I hope to return during the warmer months someday. We visited and packed in as much as possible in a short three day trip!"

Pictured with the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre.

"My mom visited me in April and I did my best to show her as much as possible. The Heineken Museum (pictured), Amsterdam itself (canal photo pictured), Keukenhof Gardens, a day tour including lots of cheese and windmills, and more!"

"My mom's solo trip to visit me was honestly one of the most special parts of my time abroad, because we've never done a trip like this together. My mom also studied abroad while in college and visited Amsterdam back in the day. When we visited the Anne Frank museum, she told me about how much it has changed in thirty years."

Kinley and her mom also did a quick trip to London that week!

"One of my classes took a trip to Brussels on a Friday, and we decided to stay for the weekend. Saw all the highlights of the city and I'm grateful we stayed! We had a good time and had great waffles of course!"

Video from the weekend.

King's Day is one of the biggest holidays in The Netherlands!

"If you're in Western Europe near the end of April, I highly recommend trying to get into Amsterdam for the holiday. It was so special to see the Dutch out in droves on the streets, and on the boats in the canals of course! There were doorstep discos happening everywhere and also people selling goods and products from their curbs! Like a garage sale. So.much.fun!"

Clips from the holiday.

During the first week of May, on her school's second week long break, Kinley and her friend Ally visited Italy! They had gorgeous weather thankfully.

"Italy was probably top three favorite trips I took while abroad. The food was amazing, the views unreal, and the vibes immaculate. Definitely recommend visiting if you're not already studying abroad there."

"On the way back from Italy, we stopped in Cologne for about 24 hours, because the last bus to The Hague left before our flight got in the day prior. This was my 21st birthday! We went to the Lindt Chocolate Factory, and saw the largest Gothic Church in Northern Europe!"

Kinley was placed with an internship in Galway, Ireland, the cultural heart of the country. Pictured here is a shop on the high street.

"I absolutely adored living in Galway this summer. So much more quaint and chill compared to Dublin. We were able to explore the best pubs, shops, and scenic sites. If you visit Ireland, I fully believe Galway is a MUST SEE! My favorite pub is Monroe's for a recommendation. It's a good place to end up dancing until closing time and they also have a latin dancing night!"

Kinley and her new friends from Florida also living in Galway did some traveling in Ireland! She visited the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway, which has a return that takes you by the Cliffs of Moher on the water!

"The Aran Islands are a must if you're spending time in Galway, you can bike around and see the views, and end your day with a nice lunch."

On the bottom, Kinley takes a photo with two friends before they take a bus around the ring of kerry.

"The Ring of Kerry had some of the best views I saw in all of Ireland!"

Kinley joined the weekend excursion to Belfast and Northern Ireland. In the photo they are at Giant's Causeway.

"Northern Ireland was a very interesting and beautiful weekend trip! There was a lot we missed, but that's a good excuse to return! It's also got a ton of Game of Thrones filming spots for any fans out there like me."

"My friend Kathryn and I put together a weekend trip to Scotland last minute. It was our second to last full weekend abroad and we wanted to make the most of it! I loved Edinburgh so much it is tied with Amsterdam for me in my favorite cities I've visited."

Pictured here are Kinley in a museum and on top of Arthur's Seat!

In the last week of Kinley's internship, her mom and three uncles cam to visit Ireland. Pictured here they are at Murphy's Ice Cream (a must apparently) and the Guinneas Factory.

"My family came to visit right at the very end of my time abroad. It was super fun to have them in Ireland and I tried to show them all my favorite spots! I think Ireland made a lasting impression on them for sure! The whole week they were there little did they know I was lying and was flying home only a day after them!"

"I decided to come home five days early back in April. It occurred to me that I had a golden opportunity to surprise everyone instead of telling them of my flight changes. This ended up with me keeping a huge secret for four months and also lying to my mom and uncles the entire week before I flew back while they visited! It was crazy, but I have no regrets! If you can swing it, don't mind the stress, and obviously like surprises, then I think you should try! This is my parents' reaction in the photo attached."

"I hadn't seen my dad or my brothers for six and a half months, so their reactions were priceless. At the end of the day, studying abroad will forever be one of the best periods of my life and I'm so grateful I did it. It can be scary and intimidating, but a lot of times in life, the best things are!"