After studying in Switzerland for 5 weeks this summer, I sure have learned a lot about travel. I love traveling. I have always had a travel bug, but after traveling within 6 countries in 5 weeks, it can be a lot. You have the option to see a little of many different places or a lot of one place. For this particular program, I felt that seeing a little of many different places was the way to go, but that's totally up to you. Now I know the places I wish to come back to and the places I wouldn't care if I ever saw again. Here are my tips if you are looking to study abroad in Europe or simply just travel there for an extended period of time!
Get the Eurail pass. They have multi day passes, week passes, several week passes, month passes, etc. It will be your best friend. It is so convenient to just hop on a train to get to where you wanna go without having to stop to buy a ticket every time. You download the app, click where you wanna go, find the time that works best for you, and boom. You're all set. It is pricey, but so worth it. Use it a lot to get your money's worth!
Just know, you're not going to get to see everything you want in such a short time. Europe seems small, but once you get there, it can be overwhelming thinking of all the places you want to go and how there's so little time. Pick a handful of different cities you would like to see and make it happen.
Make sure you get the right adaptor for your charger! Switzerland, specifically takes both 2 and 3 prong. Many places in Europe, besides the UK and Ireland that is, take 2 prong only. Just get one that is versatile for all scenarios. Make your life easier. I attached one that has 3 kinds on Amazon!
If you are planning on traveling in Switzerland and other countries within Europe, order from your bank both Swiss Francs AND Euros (and/or pounds- UK, kronas- Sweden, forints- Hungary, zlotys- Poland) so you have some of both before the program. I tried to list all the currencies I could, but I could be missing some, so do your research! It is rare, but some parts of countries are not very card friendly (*cough cough Vienna*), and sometimes you just can't find an ATM. I am speaking from experience, but that is a story for another post.
Pace yourself. Your body can only do so much and so fast for so long. After being go, go, go, allow your body at least a half day of rest. Sleep in, stay in bed, and watch some Netflix. Your body needs that to have energy for your future travels. You aren't wasting time. You are giving your body what it needs: rest. Also, European Netflix has so much more on there than the US, so there's that too. Do with that what you will.
Try planning things farther in advance than a couple days to a day before. I know this is hard if you're studying abroad with a program, but I feel I wouldn't have been as stressed out if I had done this. Figure it out the first week or two you're there once you find your people and plan away. Remember, if groups change, things can be rearranged or canceled. Make sure you plan transportation. Like when you book your airbnb or hostel or hotel, make sure you have a way of getting there. Research public transportation and where the train stations are located. Do they have a metro system? Is there a bus stop within walking distance of the place your staying? Whatever you do, do not wait to figure it out once you get there. Be able to answer those questions before you leave.
Ask locals for recommendations. If you are unsure what to order at a restaurant because the menu is in French, just ask your waiter/waitress what their favorite dish is and order it! It is 9/10 times amazing. Most places do however have an English menu so make sure you at least ask for that.
Please make sure you learn at least a phrase or 2 from the languages of the countries you plan on visiting. Learn thank yous (merci- french, grazie- italian, gracias- spanish, danke- german) at the very least. It is also extremely helpful to learn the phrase "Do you speak English?" in these languages! It has helped me out many times. Also, just know that the smaller the town, the less likely they will know English. Do not expect everyone to know English, just like they don't expect you to know their language. I highly recommend Duolingo. It helped me so much!
Journal at least weekly about your travels. Write about a funny story that happened or a restaurant you ate at that was incredible. Write about where you went and what you did. It's great to have to look back on and even helpful when you plan a trip back to some of those places one day! You'll be thankful you did that when you get back to the states.
Live in the moment. Stop thinking or worrying about your future travel plans, but just take the time to enjoy where you are in that moment. Take all the pictures and videos. Don't be afraid to embrace the total tourist look. Will the locals give you mean, judgy stares when you stop to take a picture of every cool building you see? Absolutely. Should you care? Absolutely not. You're on vacation!
There will be broad culture differences depending on the countries you visit. You're not in America anymore. Like I mentioned earlier, locals will stare at you. And most of the time when you make eye contact and catch them staring at you, they won't even look away. But, one thing we all have in common and understand despite the culture and language barriers is a smile. You pass someone in the street and give them a smile, and they smile back. You definitely couldn't carry on a conversation with them unless you speak their language, but a smile goes a long way.
Do not expect to be liked by the locals. If you live in a bigger city in the US, you know how you feel about the constant tourists. That's how they feel about you, whether you're nice or not. You will expect this mostly from France from my personal experience and from what I've heard. Other countries, locals will probably be a bit nicer to you, depending on the person, even Germany.
My rule of thumb with my travels is if the train ride was more than 8 hours to where I wanted to go, I would fly. Flights are indeed cheaper in Europe for one thing. But also, I didn't want to waste my very limited time of my trips sitting on a train when I could use those extra hours exploring the city. The flights do add up though so be aware of that, and don't fly everywhere. Just be wise about it. Many people think you can just jump on a train and go from country to country in short periods of time. I thought this too. But, quickly you'll be able to see the 14+ hour trains even with neighboring countries. Trains have "layovers" too. It's usually not as easy as you think.
Where should you stay in your independent travels? Hostels? Hotels? Airbnbs? The answer to that is it's totally up to you! I would say definitely see what the most affordable option is. Depending on the location, some hostels are just as pricey as a hotel or airbnb. Also, take note of the number of people in your group. If you have a larger group, it may be cheaper to do an airbnb since you can all split the cost. Personally, I was not the biggest fan of the hostel experience, but I know people that loved it. It's totally up to you and your preference. If you are solo traveling, it could be a great opportunity to meet people, but just remember to be careful and smart. Obviously don't go clubbing with a bunch of strangers in a foreign country. Traveling abroad is so much fun, and you meet so many cool people in your travels, just always be careful and take safety precautions. "Stranger danger" is real across the world too.
Now, I could probably spit out a few more points, but this is a lot of information, and I don't wanna go too overboard. This won't be the last post on my European travels by any means. We're just getting started. If you can think of any questions or concerns I did NOT address or if you want me to speak more on something I did address, please drop a comment below OR you can message me privately here or on Instagram @julespace05. Studying abroad is a great experience, but it can be intimidating and scary at first since you have so many questions. I don't know everything about traveling abroad and Europe in general. I am no expert by any means, but I hope to continue to learn more, and I hope this may help you even a little bit!
That'll be it for this post! If you made it this far, thanks for reading, and make sure to subscribe if you liked it. I'll see ya next time!
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