Travel Archives - Queen's Journal

Getting home safely as a woman still isn’t guaranteed

Written on November 12, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle.

This article discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Kingston Sexual Assault Centre’s 24-hour crisis and support phone line can be reached at 613-544-6424 / 1-800-544-6424. As a woman, getting home safe after a night out is often a major cause of concern. I’ve only been...

Tracing my roots back to my Grandfather’s childhood home in Scotland

Written on March 26, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

Two years ago, in a small suburb outside of Glasgow, I had an evening I’ll never forget. It was reading week, 2019, and a close friend and I were on the second day of our week-long trip around the United Kingdom’s northern jewel. Tired after a day of walking through the vast expanse of Glasgow’s...

Heading home for Thanksgiving? Provost reminds students to travel safely

Written on October 6, 2020. Posted in News, University.

As Queen’s enters October with expectations of heavy travel in the month ahead, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Mark Green provided students with updated health and safety mandates for making safe Thanksgiving and fall break trips out of the city. In an email, Green reminded all students to...

Putting perspective on a year without exchange

Written on September 11, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Spain in early autumn is supposed to be sunny and warm. It’s early autumn, and instead of enjoying the beautiful Spanish weather, I’m in Kingston admiring my view of the glowing Metro sign and debating whether or not to turn the heat on at night. Everyone had something they were looking forward...

Giving a voice to Jewish culture in our communities

Written on March 6, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

I’ve always been aware of anti-Semitism in my community. While often subtle, I grew up receiving comments like “You look Jewish because of your nose,” and “That sounded Jewish.” I constantly felt the need to teach others around me the things they didn’t know about my culture. In elementary school,...

What I learned from my time in Yonezawa, Japan

Written on February 13, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

This winter break, I had the chance to live out my lifelong dream of visiting Japan, thanks to the Kakehashi Project, a youth exchange program run by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), and the Asia Pacific Foundation. While the majority of my trip...

Gap years fill the space left by traditional academic programs

Written on September 9, 2019. Posted in Opinions.

“Wait, so you’re going to be a first-year when everyone your age is in second year?” Questions like this surrounded me in the final months of high school. Out of 120 students in my graduating class, I was one of two students who decided to take a gap year. The idea of a gap year was off most...

Photo essay: North America in the eyes of an exchange student

Written on January 25, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

When I arrived in Canada for fall semester, I never expected a series of adventures would follow meeting a wonderful travel buddy. Coming to a new place—especially one on the opposite side of the world—is tough. Once I got used to my surroundings and started making friends, I noticed all the activities...

Reflections on a summer of adventure and growth

Written on October 12, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Last year, a friend reminded me that undergrad would likely be the only time in our lives when we get four-month summers. Having always wanted to travel, I decided it was time to take a leap and put my savings into action. After speaking to friends who’d been au pairs before, I realized this was the...

A serial commuter’s guide to summer podcasts

Written on May 28, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

The unfortunate truth about summer is despite the post-exam rush of freedom, it can be incredibly boring once summer jobs begins—especially if you are one of many students who will be commuting daily. Whether you’re taking the subway, bus, car, or using your own two feet this summer, podcasts are...

Weekend trips to take to with your housemates

Written on October 20, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

As beautiful as Kingston is, it can be easy to get a little stir crazy in such a small town. If you’re ever feeling restless or adventurous, taking a weekend road trip with your housemates can be the perfect cure. Create some unforgettable memories while discovering the great wealth of restaurants,...

Vancouver-based rideshare start-up looks to break into Ontario, Quebec markets

Written on September 8, 2017. Posted in News.

While most ride-sharing ventures focus on short-distance trips, one start-up has come to Kingston to change the nature of the business. Flo Devellennes is the co-founder and CEO of the Vancouver-based start-up POP Rideshare. The platform will seek to connect Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa and Montreal...

Never ending peace and love

Written on May 29, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

When I first set out to solidify my travel itinerary for the month of May, Nepal was not even in the top 10 on my list of hopeful destinations. I had always dreamed of the seemingly typical places in Asia like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and more, but never of this little place secretly squished...

News in Brief

Written on March 31, 2017. Posted in News.

Queen’s approves revisions to travel reimbursement and expense policy Effective March 20, Queen’s has revised its policy around university-related business travel. The existing Queen’s Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy and Procedure underwent revisions, including the striking of a former requirement...

What happens in Punta…

Written on March 7, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Due to the nature of the experiences, the authors of the following stories have requested to remain anonymous. Beaches, booze and taking a break. Like grandparents flying to Florida for the winter, its become a tradition for many university graduating classes to head south in big groups to warmer...

Appreciating the modern: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Written on March 3, 2017. Posted in Arts.

After I booked a trip to Copenhagen for Reading Week only two weeks in advance, I kept the spontaneity going and didn’t plan anything ahead of time, with one exception: the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I know, modern art often inspires a “I could’ve done that” reaction. A museum full of modern...

Trekking through Mongolia

Written on November 18, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

Before leaving on our trek, my dad and I were constantly asked “Why Mongolia?” We knew it was an unconventional vacation destination but that’s what made it so appealing. My dad had settled into replying “That’s why – because you ask.” I was keen to witness a new culture and hoped to gain insight...

Anyone's an outsider

Written on October 21, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

Before I was born, both my parents had separate love affairs with the city of Paris. A high school French teacher and a renown philosophy professor, the city of love had provided them a haven of amazing literature, art and food to continuously appreciate. In 2001, they both received news that for...

Thanksgiving by the dashboard view

Written on October 14, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

While other families spent the Thanksgiving weekend seated at a table, my dad and I sat together in a car and drove 3,500 kilometres. My grandparents on my father’s side were holding a family reunion in honour of both their birthdays and their 60th wedding anniversary in Edmonton during the Thanksgiving...

Travelling authentically, but at what cost?

Written on September 9, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

Pamplona is a quiet, rural Basque town in the north of Spain for all but one week of the year. During that week, a festival known for being loud, thrilling, and infamously violent transforms it: the Running of the Bulls takes over Pamplona. Spending five months studying in Pamplona, I had a first-hand,...

Following my mother’s footsteps to Mount Everest, 29 years later

Written on September 9, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

As I stood on the upper flanks of Kala Patthar, a mountain in the Nepalese Himalayas, at nearly 18,500 ft above sea level, gasping for air, I thought of my mother who traced her way up my exact path 29 years before me. I felt warmth on my neck and turned around in time to see a brilliant sun break...

Adventurous accommodations

Written on June 27, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

When you go abroad, you’re likely looking to branch out and see the world through a new lens. While staying in a hotel is definitely the most glamorous option, it’s also caging. Take your first steps into discovering adventure with the help of unconventional lodgings. Here are some more obscure accommodation...

Backpacking with a purpose

Written on February 11, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

Last reading week, I joined a group of “backpacktivists” for a nine-day excursion to Guatemala with Operation Groundswell: a program devoted to redefining travel and volunteerism. I went into this experience with a critical mindset, but also a hopeful one. The program satisfied those feelings, and...

Lost in translation

Written on January 22, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

Picture yourself out to dinner with a friend — a pretty standard situation, right? Now substitute a typical dinnertime for 10 p.m. and a friend for your new roommate who you’ve just met. You’re in a foreign country and don’t speak a lick of the language. Cue panic. Welcome to exchange. It was my first...

Travelling (not so) alone

Written on January 15, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Everyone should travel alone at least once. I wouldn’t say that I was completely sheltered growing up, but my family definitely raised me to believe that my home was the safest place. Meanwhile, I’d see horrifying headlines above gruesome and disturbing images in newspapers. Naturally, I began forming...

Ni Hao, Shanghai

Written on November 27, 2015. Posted in Lifestyle.

A friend once told me that when you visit China for a week you feel as though you can write an entire novel about it. Stay a month, and you might be able to sum up your adventures in a blog post. Live here for any longer and you’ll find yourself staring at a blank page for hours. This holds true,...

Traveling to adulthood

Written on October 23, 2015. Posted in Lifestyle.

After five months of backpacking abroad, experiencing fascinating communities and conversations, living with locals and other curious travellers, coming back to school definitely took some adjusting. The question “what are your plans for after graduation?” can be met with many different responses...

The perfect getaway to Huaraz, Peru

Written on October 20, 2015. Posted in Lifestyle.

Before the start of the school year, my boyfriend and I wrapped up our summer jobs a little early and packed our bags for one last summer adventure to Peru. My boyfriend headed for Peru before me to do some surfing in the northern regions, and I was to join him shortly after. I landed in Lima,...

Just for the hell of it

Written on October 2, 2015. Posted in Lifestyle.

“You’re sure this is safe, right?!” I roar over the wind in my ears. “What’s wrong kid, you’re just jumping out of a perfectly good airplane!” Honestly, I couldn’t tell you why I do it. There’s no secret death wish and I’m not trying to scare my mother into an early grave. Unlike so many things we...

Six countries in six weeks

Written on September 25, 2015. Posted in Lifestyle.

When people ask me why I enjoy travelling so much, I explain my love of globe-trotting as a state of mind rather than a need to place another pin on a world map. This past summer, what started off as a couple weeks of research in Minsk and St Petersburg turned into a six week adventure with stops...

Tag: Travel

The Journal, Queen's University - Since 1873

Get the App

Get the App