Traveling while abroad: Taking trips throughout Europe

Kaitlyn Richert is a sophomore double majoring in magazine journalism and informational graphics/publication design, with a minor in Spanish. She is studying abroad in Toledo, Spain for winter quarter 2012.

When you’ve never been out of the country before, you forget that there’s really a world out there. Traveling is so satisfying because it reinforces this idea, even if you forgot that there are six continents outside of North America. Obviously, studying abroad in Spain feeds this starving thought, too. But moreover, the freedom that I have to explore Europe fills my mind with optimism as it digests my options. So, what exactly does traveling throughout Europe encompass? How does one go about planning? And where should you even go? Let me help you out.

Trips within your country
Spain isn’t a huge country – some have compared it to the size of Texas or the equivalent of two Oregon states. That being said, there is still a lot to explore. I am in Toledo, which is in the center of the country, but Madrid is not far (only 45 minutes away by bus). That leaves popular cities like Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Valencia and Cadiz to discover. Even if you are on a strict budget and cannot travel outside of Spain, there will undoubtedly be enough to do in this country, if not Toledo alone. A bus is the least expensive mode of transportation, but sometimes a plane or a train might be a better choice (Barcelona would be a long bus ride, eight or nine hours).

Trips outside of your country
“This might be the only chance I ever have to explore Europe,” I said a few weeks ago. If I never get to cross the Atlantic again, where would I want to go? I thought  Paris, definitely. Rome or Florence, probably. I could count off at least five countries I would seriously consider visiting. But one of them that I visited was actually not on that list. I traveled to Lisbon, Portugal with six others in the third week of January and it was beautiful. The city was underrated and I had low expectations, and that made the trip more worthwhile. Hence, I think it is important to go places that you would not think to go. But you should also treat yourself. I have got flights booked for Barcelona (Feb. 16-19) and Florence (March 1-4) because I know that I will not get to do this again. This is, and was, the chance of a lifetime.

So… how do I plan this?
Planning ahead is a no-brainer, but sometimes it can be hard to gather a solid group to go on a trip. You must know how many are going so that you can book a hostel with the right number of beds. Booking a flight or deciding when to take a bus is important and the longer you wait, the further up the price is driven. To give you an idea of this, the payment for my flight to Barcelona started out at 55 Euro. By the time I bought the ticket (the next day), it had increased to 78, and extra fees made one plane ticket worth 124 Euro. And that is for a trip within my country. For this reason, planning accordingly is great. It also saves a lot of stress for happy traveling!

Hundreds of programs in more than 50 countries for one day: Study Abroad Fair 2011

By Nicole Bersani, Office of Education Abroad Publicity Assistant

“I want to be fully immersed into another culture,” said Danielle Limon, OHIO freshman majoring in journalism, French and Spanish.

Limon came to the Office of Education Abroad’s Study Abroad Fair on Oct. 10, 2011 with the intention to find not only one but two study abroad programs. Always intrigued by languages, Limon looked for opportunities where she can travel during her first and second years of college. She walked away with a free Study Abroad Fair T-shirt and a bag full of education abroad program brochures.

For the past 23 years, the Office of Education Abroad has held the annual Study Abroad Fair for students to discover their abroad explorations. Not every student who comes to the fair knows what and when they want to go abroad like Limon; however, the fair provides all students a chance to explore the endless possibilities.

In one day and in one room, the fair gives students access to hundreds of programs in more than 50 countries and the chance to talk one-on-one with representatives from both Ohio University study abroad and exchange programs but also outside organizations that offer study abroad options.

Whether students wanted to find a program where they can study, teach, work, volunteer or intern abroad, it could be found at the Study Abroad Fair. OEA’s new abroad partner, International Education Programs (IEP), was one of the larger tables there and offers students new destinations and abroad options.

“IEP offers programs for credit, but also specializes in creating customized internship and volunteer experiences abroad,” said Kari Beall, study abroad adviser for IEP.

Kevin Aspegren, program director for the Simonyi Consulting Program in Pecs, Hungary, encourages students to find study abroad programs where they can gain the best experience for them, no matter their major.

“Studying abroad gives students the opportunity to gain critical thinking and meaningful experiences,” Aspegren said.

Last year, more than 700 students traveled abroad through Ohio University, many of whom began their journey at the Study Abroad Fair.

Gina Mussio, OHIO junior studying magazine journalism, went to her first Study Abroad Fair in 2009. She found her dream destination, traveled the following year to Italy and became an OEA peer adviser, all because she attended the fair her freshman year.

“The things I learned abroad are things I wouldn’t have learned in the classroom here,” Mussio said.

If students could not make it to the Study Abroad Fair, all are welcome to walk-in advising hours from 1-4 p.m. on Monday-Friday and the Study Abroad 101 sessions on Tuesdays from 5-6 p.m., both in the Walter International Education Center.

Cheers, Cheerio and Cheerios by Kristen Spicker

I love London. It’s that simple. After only five days of living in the city I have already been tempted to cancel my lease for next year in Athens and take up permanent residence in the United Kingdom. Every morning I wake up and look outside my bedroom window and sigh from the sheer joy of staying in such an astounding city.

When I began packing for my stay across the pond, multiple people warned me of the grey skies, rain and cold weather. So far, that’s the exact opposite of what I’ve experienced. As I’m typing this, it’s 55 degrees and sunny. Dead serious. It hasn’t been under 50 degrees since I’ve arrived and it rained only a little bit for one day.

London has to be one of the prettiest cities in the Spring. Even though it’s an industrialized city, there is still a lot of green space with small parks located on nearly every other corner. Plus, the buildings and architecture are absolutely gorgeous. The British have done an excellent job at preserving old buildings, so while walking down a street, it’s fairly common to pass a building where a lord or chancellor used to live.

It’s bizarre to consider how old London is, especially compared to the United States. There is just so much history and culture down every street. While on a bus tour (where my camera unfortunately wasn’t working), I passed everything from new attractions like the Millennium Bridge, feature in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, and the London Eye to older ones such as the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey.

One thing that I didn’t realize about London is that it’s like the New York City of Europe. I didn’t automatically assume that every person I ran into would be a Londoner, but I figured it would be a high majority. However, it’s very much a melting pot of other nationalities. I hear a new accent every day, and from actual working citizens of England, not just tourists. Even better, the people are rather lovely. Although I don’t have to experience a language difference, the accents are enough to make simple sentences and words sound foreign. Thankfully, everyone I’ve spoken to has been understanding and helpful, even though I’m sure they were sick of my blank face and constant “What?” “Sorry,” and “Can you repeat that?”

Though it’s early in my stay, I already know that choosing to study in London is easily the best decision I’ve made since coming to Ohio University. In less than a week, I’ve already learned and experienced so much more than I would’ve expected. I’d love to blog more, but the park outside my flat that’s covered in picnic blankets and sunlight is calling my name.

Cheerio!

blog ideas and pre-packing misadventures by Christy Illius

I’ve been reading a few blogs lately, trying to decide how I should go about sharing all of my experiences with everyone, and I have to say that my favorite blog so far actually isn’t a blog, but a facebook page. My lovely roommate’s boyfriend is over in Asia right now, and he is doing this sort of “status update mini-blog” in multiple parts, like, part 1, so on so forth. They are short little updates, but I have had a ton of fun reading them! I am going to try to be tech-savvy here and put his link in so you all can read them. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=12316885&ref=mf  If that doesn’t work, friend him. His name is Mikey Smith. He loves new people, really. Tell him I sent you : )

Anyways, since my last entry, I’ve successfully semi-packed my bags, gotten together the majority of my laundry I need to finish, purchased my Euros, and scheduled my taxi for the airport in Paris. The euros look far niftier than US currency, which is good for me, because they are just too pretty to spend : )

The booking of the shuttle/taxi was a little more difficult than I thought it would be. First of all , the website is paris-shuttle.com and you can pre-pay ( that way you won’t be taken for a billion dollar ride around town as the newbie) and the driver meets you with a sign. However, I have a feeling the website was translated from French to English, because there were some holes in the forms, like where my state was supposed to be, how I’m supposed to choose the terminal I will be coming out of ( I don’t know, the American one? ), and when I tried to call the company, several things went not-so-well.

First, Paris is a (few) hours different from us. Ooops. I think I called them at maybe around 1 am? Secondly, when I did try to call at a more appropriate hour, the phone was busy. For 4 hours. Needless to say, I am a tad nervous about my arrival into Paris .

Also, packing for a month is hard!! How am I supposed to fit a month’s worth of daily items into only two bags?! I had to pack bags inside of bags just in case I bring home more than will fit into my already exploding suitcases. Did I already mention that I still have more to pack? I read somewhere that you are supposed to take “half of what you think you need, and twice as much cash”. Right. Oh and another fun side note — I’ve been told to hide my euros in different parts of my luggage. So what happens if I lose my luggage? At least I’ll have my list of where I hid all of my euros when I lose them.

The homesickness is definitely starting to show its lonely head as well. I already miss my family and fluffy companion, and my boyfriend ( who can sometimes be considered the fluffy companion : ) I went ahead and bought some mailing manila envelopes at Target today and pre-addressed them to everyone , this way, all I have to do is fill them up with trinkets and momentoes when I’m in Paris, and I don’t have to worry about paying an extra 10 e for an envelope each time I want to send some Parisian love to the states. Pretty nifty, eh? Speaking of nifty, I should probably blog about all of the nifty sites I found while shopping for travel things for Paris. I am a google goddess.

Later gang!

c

Editor’s Note: The OEA recommends that you carry all your money with you when traveling. Stash it in your wallet/purse, a money belt, and your carry-on luggage. Cash and important documents should never be packed in checked luggage. Lost and stolen baggage is unfortunately a reality.

I’m going to Paris?! by Christy Illius

Yes, I’m going to Paris. It still hasn’t sunk in, and I leave in exactly a week. For a month. How in the world am I supposed to pack for a month? My little dog (Isabella) keeps following me around the house as I try to get my laundry together, as if she knows something is about to happen. I have to leave her sweet little face for a month, I have to leave my cellphone “off” for a month, I won’t be able to see my parents for a month. These are all things I keep thinking about, but for some reason, it hasn’t truly sunk it.

It’s surreal for me. I have SO much to get ready! I still have yet to arrange my transportation from the airport to the university where we will all be staying. That in itself could be a huge disaster. Then there’s everything I have to remember to bring with me. Of course if I forget things, I will be going to a big city, so it’s not like I can’t go to a corner store, but there are some items that might be harder to find internationally.

Then there’s the whole language difference. Yes, most of the world speaks English, so there will be someone who could help me almost everywhere I go, but I don’t want to be that “typical American” ( make sure you pronounce that with a sheik accent), and then I don’t want to be the “stupid American”. I have been warned several times –even from a few local Frenchies– that pick pocketing is a big problem, and tourists are target #1, and my “American accent” might as well be a big “come rob me ” sign.  But I don’t want to think of the negatives. Only the positives. Positives such as delicious French food, amazing landmarks and history that I have seen on tv and in books and magazines,  the wonderful memories and experiences that I am about to have.

I suppose I’m mostly excited, but a little nervous. I am going to miss home .

Ciao for now!

Christy