My time in Austria was lovely! Vienna is essentially the center of Europe, and it was easy to travel to both Western and Eastern countries. I traveled to a total of 10 countries (not including Austria) and the farthest west I traveled was London. It wasn’t even that expensive! Here are some tips I wish I knew before planning my trips that would have made life a whole lot easier.
Firstly, Skyskanner and eDreams are good third party websites to find cheap flights and Trainline and Omio are good for trains. While third party apps are helpful for comparing prices and finding the cheapest options, it’s good to go on the official website of the airline or train service to book. This eliminates issues in the long run like if your flight were to be canceled or train delayed. When you book directly, there are less monetary and/or time-related issues that occur and it’s more hassle free.
Secondly, when you are planning a trip, don’t just plan accommodations and transportation, also plan things to do. It’s really cool to explore a city completely on foot and not have to pay for anything, but doing activities such as going to museums or seeing famous landmarks that you purchase tickets for make the trip even more worthwhile. It’s good to plan in advance, especially during the main tourist season (June-September) because things can be sold out and then you’ll regret not planning ahead. This happened to me on my trip to Rome because when I got there, the tickets to the inside of the Colosseum were completely sold out. Now I’ve only ever seen the outside of it. Still cool, but not as cool.
Lastly, hostels can be pretty cheap, but just make sure you are staying safe. It’s normally best to stay at a hostel that’s close to the city center. This way you can save money on transportation within a city and you can be more familiar with the area. If you stay too far outside, it might be a more sketchy part of town, or there might be people who are unkind to tourists. If you speak the language however, I would say it’s fine, but just be cautious.
With that being said, I hope you find these tips helpful, and I hope you are able to have many fun adventures while studying abroad!
Deborah Mativo
Fall 2024
GW Exchange - Vienna University of Economics and Business
School of Business
Accountancy and German Major