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One of the perks of doing a geography degree is you get to explore amazing places whilst engaging in geographical issues around the globe. As part of our third year modules we had the opportunity to travel to Croatia to learn about Water and environmental management in a Mediterranean context.

We’ve always found that field trips are a great way to apply all the knowledge which you have gained through your degree to a practical environment. They allow you to tie together different aspects of the course to give you a full understanding of the subject.

The week was full of new experiences, ranging from practicing our interview techniques on non-English speakers to bombarding corporate organisation with questions.

However, field trips aren’t all about work work work, they are also about experiencing local cultures, making new friends, getting to know your lecturers better as people and having a great time.

We stayed in a lovely hotel right on the sea front near the small town of Lovran, which provided us with a great location to celebrate the end of our assessment. We were also near the city of Rijeka, which we had the opportunity to explore during an afternoon off.

This trip was perfect for many members of the Lancaster Environment Centre as it encompassed physical and human geography, as well as environmental science.

Half way through the week, we shifted our focus from management issues to social and land use change. One day, the group was split in two, with one half having to walk up lots of hills, and the others getting to sit on a nice air-conditioned bus (we were the lazy ones).

We got to visit three villages in the Croatian countryside which illustrated political and social changes that had taken place, including villages which had been completely abandoned in the past.

We were amazed at how different the villages were from each other. In one village, we stopped to admire new vineyards and an incredible view. This view was so amazing because we were standing in one country, but could see across two others.

During the course we had learnt about water management in Slovenia as well as in Croatia, and we had discussed the political relevance of Croatia’s neighbour, Italy. This view brought to life how close these countries really are.

Look at the photo accompanying this blog: we are standing in Croatia, behind us is Slovenia and in the background you can just see the port of Trieste in Italy.

The close proximity of these countries was reaffirmed on our journey back to Lancaster, when we drove from Croatia, through Slovenia and caught a flight home from Italy.

One of the perks of flying back from Italy was that we got to spend the day in Venice. Many of us had never been to Venice before, and those who had were more than happy to go back. It was the perfect way to relax after a busy week of fieldwork (and an exam) before heading back to Lancaster for our final exams. What better way to end a fabulous trip than on a gondola eating ice-cream?

This fieldtrip is not the only one offered during a degree at the Lancaster Environment Centre: between us we have also been to Southern Spain and Iceland. With other trips running to New York, Northern Spain and the Amazon.

Learn more about studying geography at Lancaster Environment Centre