I have travelled a LOT within Germany already, Kassel, Weimar, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, but next week I'm planning on doing so much more! Since me and a friend are packing so much into one week, we met for multiple planning sessions. The first session went over where we wanted to go, and roughly what we wanted to do there. The next one looked at budget, and we split up and searched for how much all of our transit would cost, and how much lodging would cost. The next meeting we finalized our dates and plan, and went ahead and booked everything. The last meeting we talked again about attractions, but also what we were doing about food. I recommend planning travel like this, it take so much pressure off of figuring out everything all at once, it makes sure you and your travel partner are on the same page, and gives to time to iron out the details. Which is important when dealing with public transit like trains. I still LOVE public transit, but DB (Deutsche Bahn), the state train company, doesn't have the best reputation for being punctual. This really starts to matter when you line up multiple train connections. Traveling by train in Germany is really easy! And through the IUSP program, you receive a semester ticket. Which is a god-like all transit pass for the entire state of Hessen. However, if you travel outside of Hessen, you must buy tickets. The website is a little finnicky and takes some getting used to. If you're staying for a while, purchasing a BahnCard is an awesome way to secure discounts on all your tickets, and depending on which card you get, it can be up to 50% off every ticket! When planning attractions with friends, I have a not so very well known tip that I love! Google Maps has a "lists" feature. You may have noticed the save button in the shape of a bookmark before. When you make a list, say of all the attractions you want to visit in a city, you can also share it with a friend, and make them an editor. This means you and a friend have a detailed (offline!) map of everyplace you want to go, all in one place. It can also be handy for marking important places like tourist information, your transit center, and your lodging! However. While this tool is awesome when it works, its kind of buggy, and when I share it, my friend cant always see the map I've made, or they cant edit. But, I still think its super helpful just as a personal map. Its also really easy if you hit the point of your tip where you don't know where to go next, all the things that are interesting (to you!) are right there on a map! There are a million travel safety tips I've read up on, and that you should too if you are planning to travel, but I hope this blog taught you something new!
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About LaurenHi! I'm a senior at SU and I'm studying abroad in Marburg, Germany during the fall 2022 semester. I'm an art history major, a museum studies minor and I'm super excited to share my experiences on my blog! Please follow along to learn all about this incredible experience! Archives
October 2022
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