The Blog Where I Plead and Beg You to Travel (and give you links to help you get started)

Athens, Greece

Greece was a dream trip, and one I'd thought was out of grasp for many years. For those of you who still imagine Greece as a far-away place, too expensive to go to, know this: once in Europe, these kinds of trips are affordable. My ticket, round trip, from Bologna to Thessaloniki was 14 euros, plus 11 euros in taxes: 25 euros total. 

Florence, Italy

From Madison, WI to Chicago by bus is 26 dollars...each way! From Ithaca, NY to NYC was more! Traveling from one country to another in Europe can be cheaper than a trip to the O'Hare airport from my family's home in the States, or from upstate New York to the city. Perspective is everything.

Dresden, Germany

I have loved living in Europe in large part due to this amazing fact of the affordability of travel, and also the culture of travel that this continent seems to encourage (though on a discriminatory basis, to be sure). For students or youth under 26 years of age, especially those with an ISIC card, most countries in Europe are cheap to travel through thanks to student discounts on buses and some trains. 

Vienna, Austria

Hostels are generally widespread and affordable, though I've relied primarily on Couchsurfing instead, which is free and offers the opportunity to meet hospitable and diverse locals and other travelers who add to my travel experience without taking away from my wallet. Many museums and attractions are also free for students, like the Acropolis in Athens, or have discounted prices. 

Krakow, Poland

In other words, I am saying, especially if you are young, TRAVEL! If you can find a round trip ticket to Europe, and can take time off of work, then don't let yourself make excuses - GO! See new places, hear people all around you speaking a different language, get confused, get lost, find yourself, find new friends, new places, new experiences. Taste new foods and drinks. 

Paris, France

Wait for buses, wait for trains, get frustrated when you can't communicate, get sad when you miss home, and then get amazed when someone helps you out, or when you figure out how to read a map or read a sign or learn a new word for "Thank you" that helps every interaction. Take the time to get outside your comfort zone and find that you might be even happier without those old boundaries limiting your choices and perspective. 

Thessaloniki, Greece

I don't know if I can say I have no regrets in life - but I can say with 100% certainty that I have never once, not even for a second, regretted the decision to travel. Every trip I've taken has broadened my mind, my heart, my eyes, and my self, and made me feel more in awe and more in love with the world - and with myself and the people around me. 

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

We have a whole world filled with billions of people, and never before in history has it been so easy to explore it. Besides, I expect it will only get easier to travel, because humans have learned that travel is incredible, and we have worked to invent new ways, faster ways, to get from place to place, to connect ourselves as social beings, to experience this planet that we call home. 

Prague, Czech Republic

So, while I know that not everyone has the freedom to travel, I also know many people who make excuses, who let fear, or uncertainty, or temporary limitations prevent them from even exploring the option.

Venice, Italy

I beg those of you to stop holding yourself back, open yourself up to the possibility, let yourself imagine the experiences you could have if you take the chance and just GO. 

USEFUL LINKS AND TRAVEL TIPS!

Getting to Europe:

Oxford, United Kingdom

The Search Engines:

To find a cheap flight to Europe from the US or beyond can be difficult. I recommend doing searches on any sites you can find, whether they are the airline websites or consolidation websites, or search engines. Two that I didn't know about until after I'd left the states the first time are AirlineConsolidator (this is where I found my Chicago-Prague ticket last year, one-way for $486 - all taxes included) and Vayama.. Of course there are also the more well-known: Orbitz, Kayak, Expedia, and so on. 

Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland

A trick I learned about these sites is that you need to use a different browser to search sometimes, because if you keep looking with the same browser day-after-day, the site will stop showing you the lowest price. When I got my ticket to Prague last year, I thought I'd lost my flight because I waited two weeks to see if I could find a better option. Then my friend warned me about this, I changed browsers and, viola, my cheap flight was still there after all! So don't let them fool you!

Traveling within Europe:

London, United Kingdom

Bus:
Most trips I took this past year were by bus. Student Agency is a great bus company based in the Czech Republic, with buses to/from destinations all over Europe - I took a 20+ hour bus to and from London, even, for a round trip cost of about $50. Yep. Really. They also serve hot drinks - coffee, cappuccino, tea, or hot cocoa - on the trip (included in the ticket price), as well as showing movies/TV with your own controls at each seat to choose your language, or to listen to the radio. The seats are pretty comfy and recline some, so you can get rest. There is a toilet on the bus, and they also stop for rest/smoke/bathroom/food breaks every 3 hours or so. Basically it's the best bus company I have ever encountered. 

Karlstejn, Czech Republic

Another good option is Eurolines. They offer 15-day or 30-day passes, with student prices, to travel across parts of Europe. Summer costs are higher, so if you can plan in advance try to travel in off peak times - that way you won't face tourist prices in your destination cities, either! Other bus options include, but are not limited to, Orangeways (operating out of Budapest), Tourbus (operating out of the Czech Republic), and more. 

Budapest, Hungary

Low Cost Airfare (within Europe): 
We got our Italy-Greece tickets with Ryan Air, but other options also include Easy Jet, Wizz Air. I don't like traveling by plane as much, but it certainly can be faster and with these companies it's often affordable, too. Even major airlines have great deals at times - I flew Prague to Toulouse for 60 Euros with AirFrance, and my friend bought his a week earlier for 40 Euros - so timing can be everything!

Bologna, Italy

Rail:
When I visited France, Switzerland and Italy in 2005 with Girl Scouts ;) we used a rail pass for students that was the best deal for the trip we took, because they have a plan specifically for those three countries. In general, though, I've found that buses are often cheaper and faster for single trips from point A to point B. However, trains can also offer special deals, or different trains could have different prices. For example, a trip from Bologna to Venice on the higher speed newer train could cost up to 60 euros per person, but we took the regional slower train for 10 euros per person. 

Plzen, Czech Republic

Checking websites for all the options can give you more prices and times, if you are flexible about when and how you travel. Most countries have their own rail websites, often with the option to change the language to English (another reason why people from the US should have no excuse not to travel - the world is so open and accessible to English speakers; we're lucky, and we should appreciate it!). For Europe-wide deals and info, check out Eurail. 

Carshares and Hitchhiking:

Bratislava, Slovakia

While I have not personally used either of these options, I know many people who have. Several of my female roommates in Prague had hitchhiked, alone, across the country or even to other countries, and considered it a reasonably safe, fast, and cheap/free form of travel. I think I'm too cynical to really believe them, but if you're more optimistic and daring than I, go for it! 

Toulouse, France

My travel buddy used a carshare when he missed a bus connection, and found that it wasn't as cheap as the bus, but was cheaper than train or plane. In some cases, it also may offer a connection between places that you couldn't otherwise make in a single trip by mass transit. Germany seems to be a leader in this mode of transport, but that may just be my limited perspective. They have several other websites like this plus this one about the concept and safety of carsharing. You can also Google/search for carshares in the region you're interested in to see if there are options available.