A huge aspect of studying abroad is not only traveling the country you will live in the next few months, but visiting other countries as well. Especially in Europe where traveling to other European countries is relatively easy and affordable. I would say I travelled about every other weekend this semester, but I know people who did every weekend. Planning trips with others in your program is also a great way to bond and develop friendships. The best way to save money is to plan early in advance. Plane and train tickets will be much less the further they are from the travel date. A great, low cost airline is Ryanair. I once bought a ticket to Brussels, Belgium for only 12 euros! And I’ve heard of others spending even less. Of course, that means it will not be as luxurious as other airlines, but in my opinion I prefer saving money.
Having the opportunity to visit so many places is amazing, but let’s not forget the wear and tear of traveling. Relying only on public transportation means spending half of the journey waiting for buses, trains, and any other affordable means. I learned this the hard way during my first trip to Brussels. What seemed easy in theory actually took a lot of work. My flight was from the Venice Treviso airport. In order to get there, I had to take the train to the last stop outside of Venice. From there I had to take an hour long bus ride to the airport. And of course, you need to get to the airport at least an hour and a half early for check in/security. Since it was much less expensive to fly to the airport outside of Brussels, I had to take another hour long shuttle into the city. From there, I needed to meet my friend at our hostel. Since it was getting dark, I paid for a taxi to drive me there safely. I ended up spending about 50 or 60 euros just on transportation to and from the airport. Of course, since it was my first trip I had no idea what to expect. I have had much smoother traveling since then.
Of course, this does not mean traveling within your own host country isn’t just as difficult. On a spontaneous trip to Venice for Carnevale, my friend and I ended up missing the last train to Verona. We had to wait until 5 am the next morning for the earliest train back. Another time, I had booked a flight from the Milan Bergamo airport to visit my friend in Alicante, Spain. My flight was at 11:30 am so I booked a Flixbus to pick me up from Verona at 8 am and get me to the airport at 9:30. Flixbuses are usually late, but after an hour of waiting at the stop I knew something was wrong. I finally connected to some wifi and learned that the bus would be two and a half hours late! It was now 9 am and I could still get to the airport by 10:30. I rushed into the train station and asked the information desk the quickest way to get to the airport. They told me to take the train to Brescia that was leaving in 20 minutes and from there take a 20 minute bus ride to the airport. I arrived in Brescia at 10:07 am and when I got to the bus station I learned some shocking news. The bus leaves every two hours – the last one just left at 10 and the next was not until 12. And it takes an hour (not 20 minutes) from Brescia to the airport. In a panic, I jumped into a cab and paid way too much to be driven to the airport. I will say that the driver did hit the gas pedal. I got to the airport at 10:55 and rushed to check-in. The woman handed me my boarding pass and called the ladies at the gate to tell them I was coming. I rushed through security in about three minutes (everyone let me cut them) and ran to my gate. I got there at 11:15 – they had just closed the gates. I begged another Ryanair worker to let me through, but she said there was nothing she could do. In total defeat, I watched my plane take off and then headed back home.
More recently, my friend and I planned at spring break trip for two weeks in April. We met in Greece and celebrated her 21st there for the weekend. She came back to Italy with me. We got back Sunday afternoon and stayed in Venice until Tuesday morning. We had planned to stay in Verona Tuesday and Wednesday (I had class) and then head for Naples Thursday morning and spend the weekend at the Amalfi Coast. However, when I woke up Wednesday morning my friend called me into her room. She had a sharp pain in her abdomen and could hardly move. We went to the emergency room and after hours of waiting learned that she had appendicitis. A specialist came in to determine that she needed surgery. She got the surgery Thursday morning and ended up staying in the hospital until Monday afternoon. Thankfully, she is a part of the USAC program in Spain. My program advisors were really helpful and it made contacting hers easier.
Of course, do not let my few blimps while traveling make it seem terrible and hard. Most of my trips went perfectly as planned. I have visited and seen some amazing places. And as I’ve adjusted more to my host city, the more it brings a sense of warmth and stability at the end of my trips. After a nomadic lifestyle for a few days, I always look forward to coming back to Verona. It has become a home to me. With the combination of school and friendships, I always love being here and the idea of leaving soon has yet to sink in.
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