Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Friend or Foe? (Finding the right people to travel with)



Traveling can be exponentially more fun if you get to travel with people. That being said, it can also be brutally more horrifying if you travel with the wrong people. Having traveled Europe with numerous friends I personally not only love traveling with friends, but traveling by myself has really proved to be a learning experience, one that should not go untested.

There are certain people who are not open to new experiences. They may deny it, and have no problem trying out the same thing over and over, but at the end of the day they are just going to hold you back and prevent you from living in the moment and taking in all the raw culture you have at your fingertips. Most of the time any opportunity to travel will be rare and brief. Don’t let someone mess it up for you.

1. Beware the Friends. Friends are great, but that doesn't mean that they are all good to travel with. Everybody has a different personality and thats okay. That’s the way we were made. Not to mention sometimes it’s healthy to try traveling with new people. Traveling is a chance to throw yourself into something new, so don't suppress it with old habits.

2. The half-friends. You don’t always have to travel with just friends. Traveling is a great opportunity to invite all those “half-friends” (people who have not yet made it into that inner circle of your life) and helps bring them to the next level. I enjoy meeting new people and traveling with someone builds powerful bonds. Some of my best friends were made traveling abroad. I can’t imagine not knowing them now.

3. Coasters. There is a certain breed of individual, that feeds off the hard work of others. Assuming this isn’t you, you are probably not looking to travel with people like these. Be aware of the personalities of the people you plan on traveling with, some really great and amazing people may not make the best traveling buddies. So take into account the potential overall dynamic of the group, before you jump into things.

4. Travel Alone. Some of my best memories are traveling alone from Barcelona, to The Netherlands, and then back to Austria. There is something very resilient in going out on your own and pushing yourself to be independent. Of course its probably going to be much more intimidating, but in the end it will be worth it, because it gives you a chance to do exactly what you want to do, without pressure from somebody else.


Regardless of who you end up traveling with, you learn from every trip. Thats the beauty of traveling. Everything can work out perfectly and you can have a great time. You can make plenty of mistakes and have crazy stories to tell. Even if its absolutely miserable, you will always remember that trip and (hopefully) you won’t make the same mistake twice.

-P

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Assimilating to Airlines.




Traveling by plane is usually a necessity to get to Europe, especially if you are coming from a place that is not Europe. Tah-dah. The international flight was the most overwhelming to me, just because I always had the fear that I would somehow not make it to Europe. And dying. There’s always fear of dying. All joking aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my international flight, despite it’s length and bad reputation. The Austrian Airline attendants were super hospitable and the food was not half bad. The plane also had movies, as well as a USB Charger port for my phone.

Once in Europe, I initially wasn't too crazy about traveling by plane, mainly because shooting through the sky in an unpredictable metal tube is pretty terrifying. On the other hand, taking a plane can be much faster. You already knew that. But did you know this?

Flying is (usually) cheaper.

I had no idea this was possible. If you're smart you can maximize you travel efficiency (in regards to money and time). 

Trains can be very expensive, and especially if you are traveling over night, reservations and sleeper cars get pretty pricy. Granted, trains are nice because they are almost always on time and you don't have to wade through the waves of security for hours before departure, but sometimes it might be worth it. Of course, flying is not allay the least expensive route, it all depends on the airline and where you are flying to. RyanAir has super dirt-cheap flights, that are much faster than a train. Even if you train to a city and then fly back, it saves you a lot of time and can be worth it. Here are some tips you may find useful.

  1. Don’t bring more than you need. Checked bags will be the bane of your existence. Don’t do it. I have found that I can bring more than enough in a single carry-on bag. If you are looking to buy a nice travel pack, there are plenty that are specifically designed for maximizing carry-on capacity. I bought one from timbuk2.com for like $100 that worked perfectly. I never had a problem with not having enough stuff or my bag being too big. Also, it really helps to organize what is in your bag. That way, if you get randomly selected for a humiliating security check, it will be mildly less unpleasant.
  2. Early flights aren't always the best flights. Sure its nice to hit the road early, but you might want to think twice before booking that 7am flight. I have made the mistake more than once of leaving early, thus having to wake up at 2:30am, take sketchy night busses for the 2 hour trip to the airport, only to be exhausted for the rest of the day. Most metro systems don't open until 5am-6am, so night busses or overpriced taxis are your only option. But that’s your call.
  3. The earlier you book, the better. I could be wrong, but in all the scenarios i’ve encountered, the price shoots up as you approach your departure day. Just be aware of this as you plan out your trips.
  4. Printing tickets can be a hassle, be aware of smartphone “digital tickets” and hotels and libraries that will let you print tickets. RyanAir, which is the cheapest airline, charges you for printing your tickets, and it usually means you will be standing in line behind someone for a little while. In, addition for all you Americans and other non-E.U. members, you must get your ticket and passport pre-approved at the ticket desk before going through security, this is a pretty easy process, but finding the right desk can be a little confusing. My best advice would be to look for signs and ask attendants for help, most of them will know enough english to help you out.


Take all of this with a grain of salt, seeing that I haven’t flow excessively in Europe. All of those trips were with RyanAir as well, so the amount of data is rather small. That being said, my point is mainly to make you aware possibly pitfalls, so don't disregard everything I say.

-P