So I posted this in r/studyAbroad, but seeing as it mainly pertains to travel I figured I'd post it here as well (so please, please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to offend you by being the 1000th person to post a study abroad question.)
In the fall I'm studying abroad in London for the semester, and naturally had a few questions, especially pertaining to travel in and around Europe...This will be my first time in Europe.
-Based on your experience, for those who have visited Europe on a particularly long trip or studied abroad there, what's the optimum amount of travel ($$$ not being taken into account.) Meaning, I've had some people say they wish they'd gotten out of the city a little more and traveled more. I've also had people tell me the opposite, that they wish they'd explored London more (or England, in general) and not left the city every weekend or break. I could sit here for hours and name places I want to travel to in the four months I'm over there, but am worried that I might get burnt out or, even more so, regret breezing through places for the sole purpose of checking off as many places as possible.
-I have two two long breaks that I'm trying to come up with ideas for. The first is a fall break, from Oct. 17-27. Italy is popular with people I've talked to, as is Greece. Any other ideas would be appreciated. The second block is Dec. 12-20 (I opted to stay the week after finals). This one's proving a little tougher for me to even come up with ideas for, seeing as it's in a bit of an awkward time - too early in winter for the main part of the ski season (which I'm particularly bummed about), but also after a lot of the warm-weather destinations have pretty much shut down for the winter. Obviously I have a lot of time to think about this, but I was curious regardless.
Any and all answers would be appreciated, as would any other advice. And to give you a little more of an idea of where I'm coming from...I'd rather hike the Swiss Alps or the Dolomites for a week than do cliche, tourist stuff. Optimally, I'd like to balance doing the "must-sees" with having some unique experiences. I don't want to be the person that comes back and goes "Well, I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and saw the Colosseum, just like every European tourist ever." Yes, I'd absolutely like to see those things, but I think you get my point.