This is the first weekend in a month that I have not been in a different country, and I have to say it is nice to just sit still and relax. Having traveled so much in the past month or so I like to think I’ve become somewhat of a professional traveler. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t take it that far, but I have learned a lot. Here are a few of my tips and tricks to traveling on your semester abroad.
- Plan in advance: This can be depending on where you are, but I think it is always good to plan trips at least a few weeks in advance. After I got to Denmark and got my class schedule I sat down and found what weekends would be the best to travel on. Sometimes I had a 4 or 5 day weekend, those are ideal to have. Especially because traveling from Aarhus is not that easy. The Aarhus airport is very small, and only has a few flights out of it which are normally pretty expensive. So you need to take a four hour train or bus to Copenhagen if you want to fly anywhere. Because of this you basically need a whole day for traveling, which is why it is nice to have long weekends. Another reason to plan in advance is because tickets are cheaper when you buy ahead. Being a college student I always look for the least expensive option, so buying tickets early is the way to go. If you plan ahead you have something to look forward to!
- Stay organized: If you do plan in advanced, you will have many tickets for planes, train, and buses. Probably all in your email, and it can get confusing what tickets go to what trip. I recommend making a folder in your email for each trip, that way all the tickets are in one place and you do not have to spend time searching through all your emails looking for the right one. Also double check if your ticket needs to be printed or if an e-ticket is ok. I have been able to use e-tickets for most of my traveling, but some train companies require you to have the ticket printed. Check this before you leave because the chances of you having a printer when you are traveling are very low. If you have printed out tickets make sure you keep them in a safe place that you will remember.
- Find a travel buddy(ies): Traveling alone can be fun, but also scary and intimidating. I personally prefer traveling with people, so I loved having a traveling buddy. With many exchange students at Aarhus it wasn’t hard to find people who want to travel. The real trick is to find someone who you can spend multiple days with and not get annoyed. It can be multiple people or just one other person, depending on where you are going and who wants to go. I find it can sometimes be hard to travel with a big group of people, you are always worried about pleasing everyone. Also it can be hard to get everyone to agree on something, someone might want to have the day completely scheduled while someone else will just want to wander around. But you can also just split off and do your own thing if you want to.
- Have entertainment: Depending on where you are going, the journey can be long. I have spent multiple days traveling for over 12 hours. It is imperative to have something to keep you entertained while traveling. I spent a lot of time talking to the people I was traveling with. I also made a playlist on my phone and added new music when I could so I would not get bored of the same songs. Some trains and buses have wifi so you could watch movies or videos online, although it is not always the most reliable wifi. A lot of people bring books to read, I get motion sickness if I read while on a bus or train, so I opted for music. I also downloaded some podcasts to listen to which is a nice change from music, and I think it makes the time go by faster. Whatever you choose make sure it is enough to keep you entertained for a while.
- Pack light: Depending on when you arrive you might have to carry your luggage around before you can check in. I bought a backpacking backpack to carry my clothes in because it is easy to carry around and can fit a lot of things in it. If you are traveling for only a weekend you won’t need too much anyway, just take what is absolutely necessary. I have a problem with overpacking, but I have learned my lesson this semester. It is not worth it to carry around so much that you don’t even use. Also if you pack light you leave room in your bag for any souvenirs you buy :)
- Find directions before you arrive: When you travel to another country you do not have internet on your phone unless you connect to wifi. Sometimes wifi can be hard to find, or they will say it is free but you really need a log in to use it. Look up directions from the airport or train station to where you are staying before you leave so you know where to go. Take pictures of the directions so they are saved on your phone and easy to access. After a day of traveling I was very tired and just wanted to be at the hostel or Air b&b, so already knowing where to go was very helpful.
- Look up the city before you go: Going to a new place is exciting, but at least for me I knew very little about each city. I would look up the city before we went and made a list of things I wanted to do or see. This way we had a list of things to do so we were not just sitting around trying to figure out what to do. We didn’t plan out everyday, but we had an idea of what we wanted to do. If time is short in a place prioritize what you want to do and then do as much as you can! It is also good to look up the public transportation before you get there, just so you have an idea of how to get around. Some cities will have a card that you can get that will get you free entrance into museums and attractions. We did this in Stockholm and really liked it. Depending on where you are going and what you want to do something like this can be good!
- Have fun: Traveling can be stressful, but so much fun at the same time! When you are gone for a few days you can get very tired and just want to sit. I found it was good to find a time in the day to just sit and have a little snack or drink to recharge before continuing with the day. I had to tell myself a few times to just take it all in, these are places I probably will not get to return to, so make the most of it while I’m there. Do not get hung up on little things, enjoy them! It is tiring going and going when you are traveling, but you can rest when you are home. Forget everything and just enjoy the place you are in and the people you are with. Make memories!
Happy Halloween from Denmark!
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Read more from Jennifer at https://jenniferbuss.wordpress.com/
To find out more about the Walton college exchange program in Aarhus, visit http://studyabroad.uark.edu/exchange/wcobaarhus/
