Trans-Atlantic Tuesday

As I am getting ready for my largest, and final trip this year, I have been thinking back upon my previous trips to help me prepare.  One of the things that I have noticed is that it is a lot easier to prepare for this one, after having been through so many other travel experiences.

• When packing, I remember all the mistakes that I have made previously, such as the Belgium mishap, and remember all of the things I forgot that time. 

• When preparing my list of travel times, I know to check, and probably double-check, all of the times and dates of my flights so that I do not have a repeat of Matt's flight departure from Ireland

The other aspect that makes this trip a lot easier to prepare for, is that the unknown factor is a lot smaller.  For every previous trip that I have been on, I have either travelled with new friends, or flown with a new airline, or had some other element that I had never experienced before.  Because I have been through so much through my trip this year, I know what to expect a lot better.  

While there is still always an element of surprise, and mishap, that is unavoidable with travel, I'm hoping that my experience will help to keep it at a minimum for this trip.  

Transportation: 

One fact that I find very cool is that so far this year, I have flown with five different airlines, to eleven different airports, at all hours of the day, and with multiple connections.  Here they are listed in order of rank from best to worst. 

• KLM - Denmark
• Most comfortable seating, with a decent amount of leg room, and free drink/snacks on flight even short ones
• Lufthansa - Germany, Switzerland
• Very close to KLM, same service, seats are slightly less comfortable
• Swiss Air - Switzerland
• Very comfortable seating, and free drink/snack service, however rocky take-off and landing
• Aer Lingus - America, Amsterdam, and Denmark
• Not RyanAir so that is a plus, but not much better. Seats are uncomfortable and very little room with only really water being free.  Biggest plus is that they fly out of Cork! 
• RyanAir - Belgium, Czech Republic, Spain   
• The worst of all in terms of comfort, but actually one of my favorites because their prices are so cheap it allowed me to go so many different places, I would have been a lot more restricted if not for their airline.  However, the times of their flights are unbelievably bad (very early or very late) and most of the time their airports are in the middle of nowhere and there is a lot of travel to get back and forth from them.  And more often than not, they give you a hard time about your luggage, which is already really restricted to begin with. 
• In the coming weeks I will be flying with two new airlines: Aegean Air and Vueling. I am curious to see where they will fall on this list. 

Accommodation:

I have stayed in a wide variety of places over the course of this year, and being that I was restrained to a student budget they ranged from good, to bad to very weird. 

Interlaken was one of my favorite weekend trips and it was very hard to leave and know it would be my last quick trip.  What made it easier however, was knowing that it would be the last hostel I was staying in this year.  Here are my accommodation experiences ranked from best to worst.

• Denmark - Copenhagen 
• Of all the hotels I stayed in (3), this was the best one.  Caitlin's parents got us this room for her birthday present and it was very generous of her to treat Lindsay and I to accompany her.  It was just the three of us, with a cozy room, and very comfortable beds. The location was perfect, not more than a ten minute walk anywhere we wanted to go. Definitely my favorite!  
• Great wifi
• Belgium - Brussels
• We stayed in a hotel because it cost us the same to do so as it would have to stay in a hostel.  The beds were comfortable, the room was clean, we had it to ourselves and the bathroom was fully stocked with towels and shampoo/soap etc.  The location was very convenient, and it was in a safe neighborhood. 
• Great wifi 
• Germany - Munich
• We stayed in a hotel for Germany as well because it was Oktoberfest and there were not many options.  The hotel was an excellent idea because we were able to escape the chaos of the tents and retreat back to a clean, quiet, comfortable room.  It is less than Belgium however because it was expensive, and even with squeezing in an extra person,which also made it more cramped. 
• Adequate wifi 
• Switzerland - Interlaken
• This was the best of all the hostels.  The facilities were nice and it was clean, quiet, and had a really nice charm to it. It was located not far from town, and very close to all of the activities we chose to do for the weekend.  The staff was also very helpful, which made the planning aspect easier. 
• Great wifi
• Spain - Barcelona
• Spain was a decent hostel.  I have nothing to complain about this one, but it did not stand out as great.  It was exactly what you expect from a hostel, a bed and no additional frills but it was clean, safe, and comfortable.  This trip we had a larger group so even though we stayed in a 6 bed room, it was all of our friends. 
• Great wifi 
• The Netherlands - Amsterdam 
• This hostel was one of the best that we have stayed in, however it is low on this list because we were in a 20 bed room.  There were 6 Holy Cross girls with us, and we had our own section of the room, but we were with many other people.  This hostel was in a perfect location, with great facilities, however the additional people gave it a lower rank. 
• Good wifi but only on the main floor and we were staying on the fourth so inconvenient 
• Czech Republic - Prague
• Hostel Elf in Prague is what I meant by weird. This place was just plain strange.  The staff, decor, and other guests all contributed to creating just a very odd vibe.  It was not near the town centre, but this meant that we were gone all day and truly were only in the hostel to sleep.  It was definitely the most stereotypical of hostel experiences, but everyone has to have it at least once! 
• Accidentally good wifi - I say accidentally because our room had good wifi but that was only because we happened to be located near the common room which was supposed to be the only place to get service 
• Ireland - Dublin (3) Galway (1) Unidentified Location (1)
• Over the course of the year I have stayed in a variety of hostels in Ireland.  The best where in Dublin where the bathrooms were attached to the rooms, but generally they were the most uncomfortable of all the hostels.  The one of unidentified location was one we stayed in for my Early Start class and it was by far the worst. Extremely uncomfortable, tiny unclean bathroom for too many people, and was located on a farm so the smell was horrendous. 

I have been in so many different situations, in a handful of countries, using multiple currencies and trying to understand a multitude of languages; it has been quite a year! Hopefully all of that has prepared me for what is about to come over the next couple of weeks. 

4 Countries, 1 Week

In the span of one week, from Friday, February 27th to Sunday, March 8th I was in 4 countries.  This is one of those things that is just SO cool to say that I have done!

• The first weekend I was in Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmo, Sweden.
• During the week I was in Cork, Ireland.
• The next weekend I was in Interlaken, Switzerland. 

What is particularly interesting about these few trips is that every one of these countries has a different currency.  I am extremely lucky to use the Euro, as does most of mainland Europe, but there are a few exceptions and it just so happened that my two weekend trips were two of those exceptions. 

Denmark and Sweden are Scandinavian countries and they both are on their own version of the kroner.  There is both a Danish kroner, and a Swedish kroner; very confusing.  I was lucky enough to take out exactly the right amount of cash when I went to Copenhagen so I spent my last kroner right before heading back to the airport.

Danish Kroner

1 Dollar

=

1.05 Euro

=

7.46 Kroner

The next weekend was Switzerland which is on the Swiss Franc. We were extremely lucky with the Swiss Franc because the Franc is at a 12 year low against both the Euro and the Dollar, meaning we got a lot more bang for our buck! I was very unsure of how much money I would need for the weekend so I took out a little too much currency at the airport, and came home with remaining Francs that I had to convert back at my local Bank of Ireland. 

Swiss Franc

1 Dollar

=

1.05 Euro

=

1.06 Swiss Franc

At first I was very excited to see that the value of the euro had dropped to such a low value against the dollar, until I realized that it actually in fact was not good for me.  Since all of my money is already in euros, I will lose money when I exchange it back home.  After hearing this my mom and dad told me to just spend all of the money in my bank account over here, well you definitely do not have to tell me that twice! 

An Apple and A Bowl of Dry Cereal

I've said before that each time I travel I learn something new.  Well this time my lesson came after I arrived home....to absolutely no food.

After arriving home from Prague last Sunday evening, after having eaten nothing else that day but an apple pastry and two eggs, that was my dinner.  The problem with being an adult is that I had no one to blame but myself.

I usually go to the grocery store at least once, if not multiple times per week.  However, two weeks ago, before I left for Belgium I did not go because I was trying to eat all my food so it did not go bad while I was away for the weekend.  Then I got back and only bought a few items for the following week because I was leaving for Prague in three days.  BIG mistake.

In that time I had completely gone through everything in my fridge and all of my reserves. I came home sunday and had no eggs, milk, cheese, or bread. Oh, and the country doesn't believe in snacks so there was no bag of goldfish or pretzels lying around. Oops.

A few days later I told this story to my sister Katie, to which she replied, "well next time make sure you have food for when you get back".  Thank you.  Following her great advice I went to Tesco today and, in addition to buying food for this week, re-stocked all my reserves.  Needless to say I will not make that mistake again.

Traveling on a Student Budget

The first time I went to Europe I was a junior in high school and my french class went to France for ten days.  That trip gave me the travel bug, and from then on I have taken every opportunity available to me to travel as much as I can.

This year studying abroad in Ireland has allowed me a wonderful opportunity to explore Europe more. However, while travel from one European country to another is less expensive than if I were coming from the United States, I still have a budget to maintain.  I was lucky that I knew this is something that I wanted, so I have been saving up for years, however there is so much that I want to do if I want to get to most of it, I have to ensure my dollars (turned into euros) are going as far as they possibly can.

The two most expensive parts of any trip are the flight and accommodation.  If you are able to get good deals on these two components it is very possible to travel for less. However, these good prices come at a cost.

Part 1: The Flight

RyanAir is an airline that's business model is to provide inexpensive travel for people around Europe.  It is not only possible, but entirely probable to find flights for under $100 (sometimes even under $50 if you are going somewhere close).  I have used RyanAir for both my trips to Belgium and the Czech Republic.

But, there is a huge catch.  The reason these flights are so inexpensive is because there is absolutely no luxury attached to any part of the travel process.  To begin with the flight times are extremely early or late; inconvenient times of day.  In order to fit as many people onto one flight as possible they have created a plane that is very cramped; little leg room and small seats.

The way I believe they are still in business is from all of their hidden fees. The flight itself is inexpensive, but it comes with absolutely nothing else other than the actual seat.  If you want a drink on the flight (even water) that is an additional cost, if you want to choose which seat you are in that is an additional cost, even if you want them to print your boarding pass that is also an additional cost.

And the way they truly get you is with your luggage.  They have strict requirements for their bag size, slightly bigger than a Northface backpack, and that is all you are allowed, not even a small purse for women.  Anything over and you get hit with huge charges. This is why packing is so hard, everything you require for four days has to fit in that bag, with room to spare for souvenirs you collect on your way.

Part 2: Accommodation

The second means of price-saving is the accommodation during your stay.  Just as the flight offers no extra luxury, for a low cost you can stay in hostels and they give you the bare minimum of housing; a bed.

While every hostel is different, their purpose is all the same, to offer an inexpensive option for the night.  You can choose rooms that start at two people private rooms and ones that continue to go down in price ending with twenty bed rooms, that you would share with strangers.  There are communal bathrooms at the end of the hall just like college dorms.

With the exception of the bed and bedding, the hostel comes with nothing else. You are expected to bring your own towel, toiletries and a lock to keep your things safe while you are not in the room during the day. This was not necessary for Prague because Caitlin and I decided to get a private room for just the two of us.

Hostel Elf where Caitlin and I stayed in Prague was the epitome of traveling on a student budget. It was located far from the city center, covered in weird decorations, and filled with an interesting (and loud) array of people.  But, I thought it was perfect.  Since being at the hostel is not fun, it forces you to stay out in the city all day and really experience all that Prague has to offer, instead of inside your hotel room. And this particular hostel was so interesting it is a great story that Caitlin and I laugh about, and will never forget.

While I do love the way my family travels for vacations, with nice hotels and spacious transportation, I actually like traveling the way I do.  RyanAir flights and hostels allow me to see and do all that I want to; if these options were not available I would not be able to do half of all that I hope to this year. I am young enough that my body can endure two buses, a cramped plane and lots of walking, all at three in the morning. 

Travel Tips: How to Pack

So today I am in Prague, Czech Republic. As I was packing for this trip there were certain things that I made sure to remember. Each trip I take I learn a little more about packing from mistakes I made on the previous trip.  I will share with you some of the wisdom that I have learned.

In Belgium I forgot two majors items, but just as I learn to pack, I also am learning how to travel and go with the flow when things like this happen. 

Item 1: My belt. 

I packed a pair of jeans to wear on Saturday, and this particular pair of jeans is old and stretched out so I have to wear a belt.  When I got dressed Saturday morning I pulled out the pair of jeans and had a complete "uh oh" panic, immediately realizing that I never packed my belt.  However, this turned out not to be as much of a problem as I initially thought. 

Traveling is all about finding alternate ways to accomplish what you need to when your plans go awry, and so what do you do when your pants are too big that they fall down? Eat so much chocolate that you no longer need a belt because your stomach holds them up. 

Item 2: My phone charger. 

Upon arriving in Belgium I pulled out my phone to give my parents the obligatory "arrived safely in ____ (insert country)" text. As I did so I realized that my battery percentage was at 70% and I had forgotten to bring my phone charger.  I then decided that I was going to have to put my phone away for the remainder of the trip to ensure that I had enough battery on Sunday night to send the only other text that I needed to, which is the "arrived home safely". 

While at first I thought that not having a phone would be very hard, it was actually really nice being forced not to use it.  I was completely reliant upon maps, and live people to get to all the places I wanted to, and allowed me to really embrace the country that I was in, and take it all in, without worrying about what was going on back home for the time being. 

Hopefully I learned my lesson and remembered everything that I need for Prague, but you'll find out when I get back on Monday!