Hey Nomads! Welcome back to another weekly tidbit of study abroad advice! I hope you’re enjoying your study abroad experience so far—and these posts!
I wanted to start out briefly describing the importance of using apps while studying abroad. Apps are absolutely one of the most useful tools you’ll need during your time overseas. Although they’re primarily handy for tasks such as converting currency or translating languages, they’re also extremely helpful for maneuvering around your host country and other countries you may visit. I know for myself, when it came to finding directions, I found that “Maps” on the iPhone surprisingly was my best bet. Every once in a while I used Google Maps for directions as well, but I found that “Maps” was best for providing clear, easy-to-follow directions. For instance, in London we took the Tube (an underground train system…basically the subway) a lot, and “Maps” helped us narrow down the fastest tube lines to take along with times that they ran. Most of the people I traveled with found “Maps” to be the easiest app for directions. Don’t hesitate to explore your phone’s app store and check out the different travel apps available! Now that you know of some apps to use overseas, you’re probably eager to hear of some transportation options for your time abroad…
One of the most well-known ways of travel throughout the world is by planes. Although countries may seem relatively close in distance on a map, chances are good they’re still quite a distance away. That said, from my time studying abroad, I found that traveling by plane was often the fastest—and sometimes the cheapest—route to go, especially for weekend trips. If your experience abroad is anything like mine, you may find that you’ll only have about four days worth of travel to each destination. It’s difficult to find time for all the tours, shopping, and adventurous jaunts when you’re spending several hours commuting to this city. You may be wondering why I’m plugging flying so much considering the fact that most people studying abroad are college students who don’t have much money to be spending towards several flights, yet there are many airlines and apps that provide cheaper options for flying. For instance, EasyJet and RyanAir are two famous airlines throughout Europe that are known for having less expensive flight options. If you’re from the U.S., they’re similar to Spirit Airlines, but they get you to your destination! I will say too, 90% of the flights we took throughout London were on EasyJet or RyanAir and they really weren’t bad. I’m not always thrilled to fly—yet I’m an avid traveler, I know—but I never quite felt distressed or nervous while flying with either of these airlines.
I will also note that it’s important to check other airline and flight finding sites before instantly booking your flight. My advice is to use “Private Mode” on your phone or laptop and Google Flights to see which airline and which booking site offer the cheapest flight. Another route I went when finding flights was to use apps like Hopper to track flights to the destinations you want to visit. The summer before I studied abroad I downloaded this app and selected all the cities I wanted to travel to and the time frame I’d be visiting them and it continuously tracked the cheapest time to buy my tickets. But, if you’re a more spur-of-the-moment type of person—which I definitely was too in some cases—using sites like Google Flights and Skyscanner to track flight prices are vital to traveling on a budget.
If planes aren’t your style, trains are another fun mode of transportation abroad. In Europe especially, trains are a great way of traveling from city to city. I know I’ve mentioned the Tube already, but I will say that subway systems are some of the quickest ways to get around the city while avoiding traffic. Also there’s often interesting forms of entertainment around train platforms…and maybe even a few rats (just kidding, I think I only saw one out of all the times I took the Tube). Aside from subway trains, there’s other possibilities for traveling even farther than just city to city. We took larger trains like the BritRail many places throughout the U.K. One instance being our trip to Glasgow. Before I begin my discussion of our first major train experience, I must add that if you decide to take a train anywhere, whether you use something similar to a BritRail or another train throughout Europe, reserve a seat for yourself before boarding. If you don’t take anything else from my advice on trains, please, please, please note the importance of booking a seat. This was one mistake my friends and I made on every trip we took by train. You would think we would have learned our lesson the first time around when we spent majority of our four hour train ride on the floor next to the bathroom. Or near the end of our trip when we had to keep hopping from cart to cart during our ride from Prague to Berlin. Our train ride to Berlin was especially stressful because we did not speak German—but every word on our ticket was, of course, in German—and there were two stops for Berlin, but on opposite sides of the city. So, naturally, with each of us roaming around different carts (imagine the style of the Hogwarts Express from Harry Potter) part of our group got separated seeing that we were all constantly moving around and none of us knew where to get off specifically. That said, I highly recommend everyone you’re traveling with reserves seats for themselves in order to avoid the train-traumas (very extreme, I know…) my friends and I experienced.
Buses! Another wonderful mode of transportation across Europe—if used correctly. I know most of my references span from London, but majority of my stay abroad was in London, so I’m focusing on what I know best! Also, London is just an amazing city full of rich history and great transportation. Sidenote: I still get emails regarding all forms of London transportation. But in London, buses are a key way of making your way around the city. If by chance you’re going to London for more than a few days, I recommend investing in an Oyster card to use towards buses and the Tube. I had one since I was living there for several months, but they’re handy for shorter, week-long trips as well. What they are essentially are cards that you load money onto and can “tap in” as you go to get on a bus or train in the city. I find that they ultimately save money and time rather than buying a ticket each time you go to take transit.
Aside from Oyster cards, taking the bus, in general, is a great way to travel. Although it may take slightly longer to get to your destination by bus—in some cases; this is mainly based on traffic and bus times—buses allow you to see the city from a more local perspective. Most of the people taking buses in Europe are locals, and you often ride past fun, interesting places, so they’re great to take if you’re looking to explore your host city (or other cities you’re visiting). When I think of buses, I automatically focus on my roommate and I taking the bus to class everyday. I will say, once you start to understand the bus system, they are amazing! I think we took the bus at least once a day. If we weren’t riding the 19 or 38 bus to class, we were taking the 55 to Oxford Street for some shopping and what not. And if you’re not in London, since I know many people study abroad all over the world, most cities have a well-conceived bus system.
Also, aside from taking buses around the city that you’re visiting, they’re also an option for getting to other countries. For instance, my flatmates and I took an eight hour bus from London to Paris. I know…it sounds weird, and trust me, it was a strange journey. Although taking buses from country to country is very time consuming, often times they do save you lots of money. I believe I paid about 15 USD for my roundtrip bus ticket to and from Paris. This, in turn, allowed us to spend some more on fun excursions like Disneyland Paris and shopping on Champs-Elysées! I will add that it did save us money to spend throughout Paris, but it also was a longggg journey from London to Paris, especially going over the English Channel. If you’re thinking about taking a bus from the UK to Paris (or another European city) and are extremely claustrophobic, I might consider spending a little more and flying or taking some sort of train there instead. We were basically packed into a tight crate and moved over the Channel, so if you’re okay with feeling like a sardine in a tin, a longer bus will be a piece of cake for you! I struggled on this eight-hour ride, therefore I know I would never do it again.
All of this said, most major cities in Europe have GREAT options of transportation. If you find yourself wanting to try some other mode aside from flying, trains and buses can sometimes be better alternatives. I hope this post gave you some good insight into the different travel options you’ll have while studying abroad! I highly recommend giving each travel option a try at some point in your journey.
* Note: None of these apps, airlines, or websites are sponsored. These are just what I found useful during my time abroad!
Navigating Nomad 