A student from Watford has experienced both sides of the Israel - Palestine conflict during a two-month trip before starting her Master's degree.

Jo Bridger, 23, will begin a Town Planning course at the University of Sheffield later this month, and has just returned from travelling across Europe where she went by train through Germany, Turkey and Syria before arriving in Palestine.

She said: "I went by train which was really good because I could see where I was going and meet more people. It was a bit of an adventure – the romanticism of going somewhere by train, but it didn't really happen. Some journeys took 50 hours to get from place to place."

In Palestine, Jo, from Eastbury Road, took part in World Hula Hoop Day activities and worked with 60 children in a summer camp in Salfeet, where she explained youngsters have no playgrounds or gardens.

She also worked with the International Solidarity Movement when she visited Sheikh Jarrar, in East Jerusalem, and provided an international presence for a family who feared they could be forcibly evicted from their homes by occupation forces.

She also took part in non-violent protests to protect olive fields that provide the only income for villagers in Ni-Lim.

Jo, who works for the Lush cosmetics store in Watford, said: “I desperately wanted to find solutions and speak to people on both sides. When I went there (to Israel), I had a lovely time in Tel-Aviv but people there didn't want to engage with that because it was too uncomfortable or because they were on their weekend break from the military.

“It was very good but things were a lot more raw than I thought. In Tel-Aviv it's so easy to forget what's happening in Palestine. It was a lot more real than I thought, but with lots of laughter and silliness and joy.”

Jo will speak about her journey at the next meeting of the Watford Friends of Salfeet, at Trade Union Hall, Woodford Road, Watford, at 7.30pm on Thursday, September 25.