At IES we have ten days for vacation in the middle of April. Normally I am not a big "Spring Break" person but this year it is going to be great! We booked all of the tickets today and have most of the travel plans arranged. Brittany, Katy, John and I are going to Italy!
Our plan is to take an overnight train to Rome from Paris the night of April 9th and arrive in Rome on the 10th, just in time for Easter weekend. We are staying at a hostel for three nights right in the center of the city and are leaving early Monday morning to take a train to Florence. We'll stay at another hostel for three nights and then take a very early train to Venice on the 16th. We'll stay in Venice three more nights and then take an overnight train to Paris to make it back in time to go home, drop off our stuff, and head to class Monday morning. It is going to be a busy ten days filled with traveling and sightseeing, but the best part is that all of the planning is done! We've put deposits down on the three hostels and we purchased our train tickets today.
It took a lot of planning and preparation, but we think that we've found the best deals. We are going to be able to spend ten days in Italy for 500 euros total. That price includes hostels and transportation for three cities as well as most/all of the spending money we will need. Not bad for an amazing Spring break trip?!?!
I've learned that planning trips can be stressful. It takes a lot of time and effort to make sure that you're doing it the cheapest way possible while also making sure that you will be safe and comfortable where you are staying. However, with all of this preparation I've learned a few tricks that save money:
* There are often student discounts
* RyanAir is the cheapest airline to take within Europe. It is easy to buy tickets online and it goes to most of the major cities. There are, however, a few downfalls to this inexpensive form of transportation. For example, there are a lot of hidden fees that are added onto the "cheap" ticket at the airport, people fight their way onto planes because seating is not assigned, and it is not the most reliable form of transportation because planes can be cancelled or seats bumped more often than the other airlines. I guess it is all part of getting an extremely cheap ticket.
* Traveling by train is definitely the easiest way to go places in Europe. All of the train stations I have researched are attached to public transportation, which makes it really easy to get to and from the city once you arrive. Also, trains are fast, clean, and nice because you get to see the European landscape as you travel. Also, there are SNCF offices all around Paris where you can purchase your tickets. It is a good way to avoid extra costs and very convenient because we were able to buy all of our train tickets- even the ones within Italy- from the office.
However, with all of our planning and preparation things are bound to go wrong. It is a nice feeling to have a schedule and to have a plan, but I think the best thing to do is to be flexible. We feel like we know what we are doing, but let's face it- we will be in a foreign country where we don't know the customs, don't know the language, and don't know the lay of the land. We are hoping for the best and as of right now we are extremely optimistic for the trip!
Side note: I knew that Spring Break would be the biggest cost of being in Paris, so I have been trying to spend money accordingly. It has been surprisingly easy to find ways to cut costs while living here and I feel good about the decisions I have made with my money. For example, there is a bakery right next to IES with cheap sandwiches (2 euros) for lunch. They gave me a card to get stamped every time I buy a sandwich that makes the sixth one free. Today I ate lunch for 0 euros.
Also, there is a great website for students in Paris that lists events going on in the city that fit into a student's budget. From the website we learn about cheap concerts, free events, and other ways to explore the city without breaking our bank accounts.
Plus, IES often has free events that students can attend. Today we went to a free movie at the theater down the street. They are also organizing outings for our old Propedutique groups that we had at the beginning. It is a nice way to enjoy entertainment without spending any money.
I am very excited about traveling around Europe and can't wait to go to Italy! Before Italy I am actually going to Madrid for a weekend. We found round-trip tickets for 43 euros. That trip is at the end of this month, so I feel like March and April will be my big months to travel. With London already under my belt and Spain and Italy coming up I think I am pretty much set on traveling through Europe. Of course there are a million places I would like to go, but it is also nice to stay in Paris and get to know the city. My host mom said that you could spend a lifetime in Paris (like she has) and still not know everything it has to offer. I am content to stay here but also looking forward to seeing other major European cities!
Happy travels!
Our plan is to take an overnight train to Rome from Paris the night of April 9th and arrive in Rome on the 10th, just in time for Easter weekend. We are staying at a hostel for three nights right in the center of the city and are leaving early Monday morning to take a train to Florence. We'll stay at another hostel for three nights and then take a very early train to Venice on the 16th. We'll stay in Venice three more nights and then take an overnight train to Paris to make it back in time to go home, drop off our stuff, and head to class Monday morning. It is going to be a busy ten days filled with traveling and sightseeing, but the best part is that all of the planning is done! We've put deposits down on the three hostels and we purchased our train tickets today.
It took a lot of planning and preparation, but we think that we've found the best deals. We are going to be able to spend ten days in Italy for 500 euros total. That price includes hostels and transportation for three cities as well as most/all of the spending money we will need. Not bad for an amazing Spring break trip?!?!
I've learned that planning trips can be stressful. It takes a lot of time and effort to make sure that you're doing it the cheapest way possible while also making sure that you will be safe and comfortable where you are staying. However, with all of this preparation I've learned a few tricks that save money:
* There are often student discounts
* RyanAir is the cheapest airline to take within Europe. It is easy to buy tickets online and it goes to most of the major cities. There are, however, a few downfalls to this inexpensive form of transportation. For example, there are a lot of hidden fees that are added onto the "cheap" ticket at the airport, people fight their way onto planes because seating is not assigned, and it is not the most reliable form of transportation because planes can be cancelled or seats bumped more often than the other airlines. I guess it is all part of getting an extremely cheap ticket.
* Traveling by train is definitely the easiest way to go places in Europe. All of the train stations I have researched are attached to public transportation, which makes it really easy to get to and from the city once you arrive. Also, trains are fast, clean, and nice because you get to see the European landscape as you travel. Also, there are SNCF offices all around Paris where you can purchase your tickets. It is a good way to avoid extra costs and very convenient because we were able to buy all of our train tickets- even the ones within Italy- from the office.
However, with all of our planning and preparation things are bound to go wrong. It is a nice feeling to have a schedule and to have a plan, but I think the best thing to do is to be flexible. We feel like we know what we are doing, but let's face it- we will be in a foreign country where we don't know the customs, don't know the language, and don't know the lay of the land. We are hoping for the best and as of right now we are extremely optimistic for the trip!
Side note: I knew that Spring Break would be the biggest cost of being in Paris, so I have been trying to spend money accordingly. It has been surprisingly easy to find ways to cut costs while living here and I feel good about the decisions I have made with my money. For example, there is a bakery right next to IES with cheap sandwiches (2 euros) for lunch. They gave me a card to get stamped every time I buy a sandwich that makes the sixth one free. Today I ate lunch for 0 euros.
Also, there is a great website for students in Paris that lists events going on in the city that fit into a student's budget. From the website we learn about cheap concerts, free events, and other ways to explore the city without breaking our bank accounts.
Plus, IES often has free events that students can attend. Today we went to a free movie at the theater down the street. They are also organizing outings for our old Propedutique groups that we had at the beginning. It is a nice way to enjoy entertainment without spending any money.
I am very excited about traveling around Europe and can't wait to go to Italy! Before Italy I am actually going to Madrid for a weekend. We found round-trip tickets for 43 euros. That trip is at the end of this month, so I feel like March and April will be my big months to travel. With London already under my belt and Spain and Italy coming up I think I am pretty much set on traveling through Europe. Of course there are a million places I would like to go, but it is also nice to stay in Paris and get to know the city. My host mom said that you could spend a lifetime in Paris (like she has) and still not know everything it has to offer. I am content to stay here but also looking forward to seeing other major European cities!
Happy travels!
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