Planes, Trains, and Several Different Hostels: Visiting 5 European Cities in 10 Days

I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to spend almost four months surrounding myself with Danish culture. Although I plan to spend a lot of time exploring what Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark have to offer, I would also love to spend some time experiencing other parts of Europe.

One of the best features of the Danish Institute for Study Abroad program is that there are three separate week-long study breaks. One of them entails a week-long study tour with my core course, but the other two are free to let my imagination run wild (and I’ve found that I have quite the imagination). I’m spending some time during one of those weeks travelling to France with my Impressionism in Paris class, so I’m planning a big trip for the remaining week. During this trip, I plan to go to five different European cities: Prague, Vienna, Venice, Florence, and Rome. Some people may think that going to all these cities in a short amount of time is a little excessive, but I’ve never been to Europe and I don’t know when I’ll have the opportunity to go back. So, I figure I might as well take advantage of my time. What better way to do that than experience as many great destinations as I can?

When I first began planning this trip, I couldn’t believe how easy and cost-effective travelling in Europe was. Flying from my school to my hometown (only a few states away) costs nearly $400. Meanwhile, I can fly from Copenhagen to, say, Paris or London for a fraction of that price. It also seems like other methods of transportation, such as train or bus, are much more practical than in the US.

One website that I found really helpful was www.seat61.com. It gives step-by-step advice on how to travel to several major cities depending on your starting point. All you have to do is choose which city you want to travel from and the author gives you directions for how to travel to several different cities along with an estimate of how much it will cost. The author also gives tips for each leg of your travel so you know what to expect. Essentially, this website made transportation dummy-proof (perfect for me).

One really great option that I’ve discovered is the overnight train. For a student on a budget, every cost really counts. With these train tickets, you not only get to your destination for a good price, but you also have somewhere to sleep. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about making hostel/hotel arrangements for that night. Sleeping on a train may not be the most desirable option, but I think it will definitely work for a night or two of the trip.  

Hostels are also a foreign idea to me. I’m sure they’re present in a few places throughout the US, but they’re far from ordinary. I’m not completely sold on the idea of spending the night in a room full of people that I’ve never met, but as long as I’m not alone I think it’ll be okay. I’ve heard from other students that have studied abroad that in order to guarantee that you’re in the same room as the person/people you’re traveling with, you have to book the beds all together on the same credit card. Even if you book them at the same time on different cards, you may not end up in the same room. I’ve also heard that it’s a good idea to choose all-female rooms (if you’re a female, of course). This prevents the I-feel-awkward-because-an-old-man-is-sleeping-next-to-me feeling.

I plan to stay in a hostel most of the nights, but I think it would be a good idea to stay in an actual hotel or bed and breakfast for a few of the nights. Since it’s going to be a long trip, I think it’d be nice to have a private room with a private bathroom here and there.

Most of my travel is going to be by train (mostly because it’s cheaper), but I’ve heard a lot of advice about planes as well. Most people say that www.ryanair.com and www.easyjet.com are good sites to use, although one friend advised against www.ryanair.com because he had a few bad experiences with the company. I’ve also found another site, www.opodo.com. I’m not sure what it stands for, but I’ve searched the UK version and they always seem to have reasonable prices.

As for what I’m going to do when I actually get to these cities, I’m not quite sure. I think even walking around and exploring these places would be an adventure in its own, but I’m still on the hunt for sites to see or places to spend my time. If you happen to have any suggestions, please let me know!

While I’m still in the very early planning stages of this trip, I’m more than excited to see what each of these cities has in store. I know that each one is going to offer me something unique that I will remember for the rest of my life –whether it be the people, the food, the view, or some particular part of the overall culture. For this, I cannot wait.