As I write this blog, I am currently on the plane headed towards London for the weekend. If you asked me back in August if I could picture myself navigating through an airport let alone flying solo, I would have laughed in your face. The only times that I was used to flying was with my family for vacation. Even so, I was not the one in charge of booking, planning, and transport for the trip.
Fast forward to late November. Going from not knowing the back roads in my own town to being able to navigate an airport with ease has become quite a shock. I am one who would is called directionally hopeless, even with blinking signs pointing me down the correct path.
Since I’ve started my program, I have flown two (now three) times total. This total doesn’t include going to airports to pick up visitors, which thankfully I get to do often!
Compared to my peers, this doesn’t seem like a lot of traveling. For me, I have always been so hesitant to travel. The fact that has helped me travel more often is that in the US it costs far more to fly to another state than it does to fly to a different country in Europe.
Within my study abroad experience, I’ve been to Belgium, Hungary, and London- all by plane. Be aware though that flying is not the only option, as many of my classmates have taken trains. Trains are usually cheaper, but the negative is that they are more time consuming. Either way, the ease of travel in Europe is beyond simple. Figure out where you want to go, select your flight on Expedia (or Ryanair), enter some information and bingo-you have yourself a trip. Going from the city of Prague to the airport is heavily reliant on public transport. Unless you are running late, I urge you not to take a taxi or an Uber-it is not worth it!
While abroad, it may feel like you aren’t spending real money on flights and travel, just remember to have a budget. I know that everyone tells you to “travel as much as you can”, but for me that wasn’t exactly an option. In addition to budgets, I have also become a homebody since my arrival in Prague. While some people can travel almost every weekend, it is not my style. I think traveling periodically allows you to enjoy your host culture as well as anywhere else you go.
Just Czech-ing In 