Traveling while studying abroad: different travelers, different trips, different tips!
Studying abroad attracts students for many reasons: escape your university, be part of a great program, live in a new city, I can go on. However, what sticks out to many students is the accessibility of studying abroad. A student studying abroad in Europe very rarely is bound to the city and school which they study, sometimes it may seem as though abroad students are never in class, sometimes that’s the case.
Foreign class schedules have gap days, different holiday breaks, and varying attendance policies making traveling for the average student much easier. It’s important to note that every student’s experience differs based on their priorities--school, budget, and other factors--and there is no wrong way to spend your time abroad but I would encourage students to travel somewhere while they are in their new country as it’s so easy with trains and cheap flights and even one country can never be captured by a single city.
Some trips are easy, they can be a simple day trip by train or bus or even plane to bring you to a new destination but allow you to return to your own bed at the end of the night. From Liverpool I’ve traveled to both Chester and London by train, giving myself and company the day to see the major sights and have some fun without having to spend money on accommodations or food. Those looking to cut costs can even pack a lunch!
I have also booked hostels and hotels for longer stays. One trip was to Dublin on a weekday where we came in on a Monday after class, checked in to a hostel that night, enjoyed our off-day (Tuesday) exploring the castle, cathedral, and other sights of the city, and returned Tuesday night to be in class Wednesday. And, just this weekend, I flew to Amsterdam on Friday morning (I had to skip class for this, sorry mom!), and stayed in a hotel for two nights with some friends before leaving Sunday afternoon so we could spend our days there eating our way through the city, taking a boat ride along the canal, and doing other touristy things.
There are trips for every budget; using sources like RyanAir, SkyScanner, or LastMinute to book flights and even hotels you can find tickets to a different country for as low as 15 euros making travel achievable for almost any budget. Bring a backpack as your carry on and skip the checked bag so you don’t have to pay for that as well! Note that not all countries are that cheap though, and it’s important to know your MUST-DO trips that you wish to plan so you can put aside that money and make the trip great.
However, some great cost cutting can occur through planning to share rooms with friends (in Amsterdam we had four people and paid for one room with a queen size bed to bring down the cost per night) or less drastic measures through cheaper hostels, splitting an AirBNB, or picking a city where you have friends to crash with. Just be sure you’re safe, and don’t book a room in a dodgy part of town, or if you’re getting a room at a hostel invest in a lock for your bag so you leave with everything you came back with.
In order to make your trip wherever you go great, be sure to do a bit of research. It’s ok not to have a full itinerary (I’ve found my favorite trips barely have one as the leave room for spontaneity) but have some destinations in mind and look into ones you really want to go to so you can buy any necessary tickets. Sometimes this requires more planning in advance, my group couldn’t go see the Anne Frank house as tickets were sold out more than 2 weeks away from our journey. Other times we were en-route and organizing our trip and found tickets online that were cheaper than going in person (hello, London Eye!).
It’s ok to leave and feel like you still don’t know what’s happening but don’t let yourself squander your time or money in a foreign location. Pinterest has plenty of favorited guides and a Google search will bring up hundreds more than you could want, allowing you to browse the “must-see” destinations and chose some for yourself.
(starting from top left: Chester, London, Dublin, Amsterdam)
Lastly, while planning have an idea of the space you’re in. It may be your advantage to download the Google map of the city you’re in or a map of their subway system so you can check it while navigating. Though there’s a lot you want to see, if you do some light planning you can organize what’s close to go to at once to save yourself from trekking backwards in a new city. And don’t feel like you must avoid new transportation systems! London’s “tube” allowed us to see all the destinations we wanted and avoid the rain with a day pass for less than 10 pounds.
This is hardly a comprehensive guide for planning a trip (be sure to look for that in the future), but merely a touch-stone for you to begin to think about how you might want to spend your time in a new country and an idea of how you can make that happen.