Hi, I’m Tom, a Year 1 Level 3 Business BTEC student at Weston College. My course gave me the opportunity to go on an amazing trip to New York City, where we made lots of memories, gained a greater insight into the industry and experienced many new things. Both my course and this trip have benefitted me greatly due to the range knowledge I have gained and the opportunities I have received like the trip to New York which I will discuss below! 

The New York trip was across 5 days, exploring the sights around Manhattan and no day was the same, every day was filled with new landmarks, attractions and memories. We went to Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, The 9/11 Memorial and many more. We also had an even balance of free time, which gave us all time to try American food and experience things that are once in a lifetime. 

The memories started when we landed in New York and headed through JFK airport, and whilst waiting for other students at security, we saw Mike Tyson! It was a memorable start to the trip as he met everyone there, including the students. 

Once we’d unpacked our bags, we took to Times Square and were in awe of the American nightlife, particularly the tall buildings and billboards, and the huge amount of people. It even began to snow! We then got food, did some shopping and explored the area. My friends and I went to Raising Canes for the first time (now a group favourite of ours) and we were greeted by the queue reaching the door, they even had a live DJ! 

The next day, we went to visit the Statue of Liberty! We got on the island and took a group photo, and we explored the area, grabbed some food, looked around the museum, and then went to Ellis Island where we learned about its historical significance around immigration. We then had a snowball fight between first- and second-year students! Later in the day, we walked to Chinatown where everyone explored the rich culture, before heading to the Brooklyn Bridge. That night we went out to Times Square again, shopped for souvenirs and got the famous New York Pizza! 

Our third day was extremely busy, we walked past the Ghostbusters Building before an impactful visit to the 9/11 memorial where we learnt more about the attacks, saw exhibits, viewed real pieces of the salvaged towers before finishing with an emotional video. This was a very powerful and insightful part of the trip. We then had free time around the area, so of course we went to an American McDonalds! 

After this, we went to Wall Street for our guided tour with our extremely eccentric tour guide, Jared, which made the tour a lot more engaging due to his wisdom and quirkiness. The tour taught us a lot about the history of Wall Street, banking and so much more. That night, we walked around Rockefeller centre and got Chick Fill A as a group. 

The following day, we went up the Empire State Building, walked around the exhibits, and took some pictures from the very top. Since it was Valentine’s Day, we witnessed four proposals which made the experience a lot more wholesome! I even bought a Lego set of some iconic NYC buildings from the gift shop.  

After this, we had some more free time, so my friends and I split a pizza together and did some shopping before heading to Central Park and 5th avenue. By this point in the trip, we were doing 25,000 steps per day and my feet couldn’t take it, so I got a taxi back to the hotel and rested for a bit before rejoining the group later, feeling a lot better.  

That night, we heard rumours that it was the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, so we rushed down to Rockefeller Centre where we stood in the audience and saw Jimmy Fallon walk outside! 

On the fifth and final day, we visited the Highline, an abandoned railway line which has been converted into a footpath, before visiting the market below which was full of interesting shops and places to eat. We then headed to our meetup point, the Vessel, where I had a look in the Ray Bans store and, after long consideration, I bought a pair of Meta Ray Bans which allowed me to get some immersive pictures and videos in Times Square!  

Unfortunately, it was time to get ready for our flight back to London. Once we landed and got off the plane, we headed for the coach back to college, and throughout the coach trip, there was good vibes the whole way, trying to remain on the trip as long as we could, but sadly, after 5 days and 120,000 steps later, we were back at college, where our loved ones were waiting. 

This trip was an amazing opportunity to learn about international Business, and Travel & Tourism, whilst trying new experiences and making friends and memories along the way. This is not the only trip offered by Business and Travel & Tourism! Other trips include Alton Towers, Mendip Activity Centre, becoming a British Airways Cabin Crew member and many more.  

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