Travel Hacks
You have about two weeks to do whatever you'd like while the Uni closes down for the holidays, and you want to make the most of it. Here are some tips to make sure you get to do everything you want to in this short time.
First off, obviously plan ahead-way ahead. This way you will get the best deals on buses/planes/trains and have the best pick on places to stay. Although saving money is great (and usually the route I take) time is also important. If the bus is cheaper, but 17 hours one way... the train might be the better pick if it gets you there in four. I booked my train ticket to Paris a month in advance on Trainline and it was only 78 euros round trip (and I got to ride on my first ICE!). If you get the Deutsche Bahn app, you won't have to pay to print you're tickets out, either.
Looking to stay somewhere overnight? There are lots of options that will let you stay for very cheap or even free. I've mentioned before staying with a friend, AirBnB, or in a youth hostel (all great options) but if those don't work out, I found couchsurfing.com to be a savior. It's a way to stay somewhere for free, and get to meet locals. I had my first couch surfing experience in Innsbruck, Austria. It really is free of charge, and the person I stayed with was very helpful with how to make the most out of our trip.
You also want to know what you're doing before you get there. Most of the time I got lucky staying with locals, who helped tremendously with ideas on must-do's in the area, but looking up what you want to do online is a great way not to miss out on anything and know you aren't waisting any time. When I went to Paris, we looked up the best baguettes, Crêpes, and fancy restaurants so we knew we were getting the best food. **Also make reservations in advance.** You don't want to have you're dreams crushed because other people called ahead. Do research on what exactly you want to see as well. It might sound like a cool idea to climb the Eifell Tower, but isn't the point to see it? If you climb the Arc de Triomphe you'll have an amazing view of the Eifell Tower, the ferrice wheel, and the whole city. If you go at night and be at the top on the hour, you'll have the perfect view of the Eifell Tower light show. It's also a lot less expensive for--what I think is--a better value. There's a discount for being under 25, you just have to ask.
MAPS!: (paper ones...)Learn to use them, and get good at them. When I was in Rome with a friend, her phone was dying and I used a map to get us to a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, and she was very impressed. If you're traveling out of Germany, chances are you're not going to have data and Wi-Fi can be hard to come by. Where ever I went I found a map for free and used it to find my way around. It's also very helpful if it has the metro/bus plan on it. We would mark all the places we wanted to go on the map and write down the address while we had Wi-Fi so were able to get everywhere without google maps having to rescue us. It's also pretty fun and feels kind of accomplishing when you get there. You'll really feel like an explorer.
Hopefully this will help you have a more successful break, or for any of your other adventures. Happy travels!
