Preparations and Travel Thoughts
So, I head back to Boston in only three days...and onto Europe in four and a half. In these last few weeks the 17th has creeped up on me so fast. I've been doing a lot of preparations lately: visited five different doctors, bought clothes, bought travel supplies (passport case, backpack, sleep sheet, the works...), picked up plenty of Euros. But there's still so much more I need to do: put in my prescriptions, more shopping, hair appointment, new anti-virus for my laptop (plus backing everything up), more phone calls, and of course the actual daunting task of packing. I'm gonna have a shitload of stuff- two large suitcases, a convertable backpack/duffle bag, and my laptop case- that's what happens when you live overseas for three plus months.
After my disaster at LAX, one of the first things I learn upon coming home is that my group is no longer doing a required excursion to Prague. Why? Because only weeks ago, the Czech Republic and several other countries just had to join the Schengen Region. Damn you, Schengen Region. Perhaps grouping countries together has advantages, but it just makes things more difficult for tourists who are not EU citizens. Because after 90 days, a tourist cannot stay anywhere within that region without a visa, which is apparently very difficult to obtain in the first place. This is why I'm not able to do an extra month of traveling throughout Europe but instead am confined to the UK. Since for some reason Emerson cannot get us student visas, the program has to make our semester shorter than average plus kick us outside of the region for two weeks which is why we had required excursions to England and Czech Republic. But now that Czech Republic is part of the region, they had to cancel that trip and look elsewhere. Well, they looked and they found Croatia....Dubrovnik in particular. Now I'm admittingly not especially interested in visiting Croatia, but at least I hear its beautiful. Any chance someone here has visited the country?
Just to say this right now, while I will be doing lots of traveling it'll be hard to say exactly where I'm going and when I'm going anytime soon. Hell, I don't even know where I'll be two weeks from now...somewhere in the Netherland (hopefully Amsterdam). Most plans will be made with classmates who are at the Castle too...and I can't know their plans until we at least arrive. I love to plan ahead, but know that most students do not, I probably will have 1-2 weeks notice of where I'm going. For longer trip...hopefully I'll know sooner ahead. I just hope that's enough time; at least it's not tourist season. I'll be mainly traveling with friends, but I plan to make a couple trips alone...though that'd be later in the semester when I'm more comfortable in foreign territory. Anyways, here's a general overview of where I plan to go and where I want to go:
Netherlands: Well obviously, because that's where I'll be living. I just want to be sure to hit Amsterdam (which is a ways from where I'll be living) at some point. That's where my plane is landing, but we're continuing our journey to Well once we get there, I believe. We're actually not allowed to leave the country on the second week, so I'd like to go then. But I'll have to wait and see what everyone else does...
England: Now there's a place I'll be spending plenty of time at...though mostly in London. My group does a required excursion where we do the main tourist stuff February 14-19. Then on the 23rd of April, my group does a final excursion until the 25th. Then my group leaves to the US while I by choice am staying behind. From what it looks like, I'll be staying in England for two extra weeks before going home...that's all I can afford. At this point, I am planning to visit Oxford sometime. I thought about February, but it looks like that last weekend in April is looking most likely, though I haven't confirmed anything yet. But I have done some talking with Jay and Amy (Amanaduial) about visiting them there, which will definitely be excited. Plus I'm excited to visit Oxford anyway for Tolkien reasons. :) Other than Oxford, I'm not sure how much I'll be going outside of London...the main problem is I'll have too much luggage and too little money to be constantly traveling those two weeks. I'll already have seen a lot of London in February, but I'm sure there'll be plenty more to see. Plus, my mom wants me to do some genealogy reasearch while I'm there (one of my ancestors is well noted resident of Boston originally from England...recently I came across general info on his ancestors). But out of curiousity, are there any decent places to visit outside of :London as a daytrip only? I'm sure there's plenty of you here who could give me advice on some thing I could do. Also, if any of you live relatively near London or plan to visit around that time, do let me know. During those two weeks, I'll have plenty of time on my hands.
Croatia: Our new required excursion. I will be in Dubrovnik from March 28-April 2. Not sure exactly what we'll be doing, but hopefully it'll be fun. I was reading about Dubrovnik in my Let's Go Europe guide and it didn't say much, but they did make note not to stray from path due to the possible danger of landmines. Thanks, I feel plenty safe now. ;)
Germany: I think it's safe to say I'll be visiting Germany some point during my three months. After all, I live only five miles from the border. Also, I think our first flight to London takes off from a German airport. The main question is, where in Germany will I go? Will I only go to smaller cities, or will I hit the bigger more touristy ones. I'll probably just go wherever my friends go...most likely I'll be sticking to the Western half, though I can say for sure...
France: Okay while there's no confirmation about it yet, I know in my heart I have to go to Paris. I really hope to after London in February, but again it depends on everyone else. But along with London, Paris is a city I've dreamed about since I was a little girl...so whatever happens, I will make sure I get there.
Belgium: I will most likely be visiting Belgium at some point, and there's a good chance I'll do it alone. That's because I have a cousin and her husband (both Americans) who are living in a small Belgian town not far from Brussels. I haven't done any serious plannin yet, but they know I'll be in Europe, and I think they're willing to take me in for a weekend.
Italy: To me, Italy is a must. Unfortunately, it can be a harder county to hit since it's so far from the Netherlands. But now that we're going to Croatia, which is relatively close to Italy, I have hope of visiting the country after the excursion. And surely I'm not the only one who wants to go. I'd love to visit multiple cities, but I'd probably only go to one or two. My first preference would definitely be Florence. I'd be very sad if I didn't go to Italy, so hopefully it will happen.
Czech Republic: I must admit I'm very pissed off that it's not part of the excursion...they had everything planned out for us and now I must figure things out on my own. But I'm still determined to visit Prague because one, I hear it's a beautiful city and two, it has a booming film industry. As a film major, I'm particularly interested in that. Surely I'm not the only student disappointed about the last minute change...there will be others who want to visit too.
Denmark: Well as of this time, I'm still planning to travel to Copenhagen on my own for a weekend. Hey Rune, we haven't discussed this for awhile but....any chance you're still willing to house a poor college student like me?
Finland: Lately I've been considering traveling on my own for a weekend to Finland. Mainly because I would love to meet you Finnish Downer...so tell me, what do you guys think about that?
Ireland: I'd love to hit Dublin at some point. I'll happily join friends who are traveling there, though I admit it's not at the top of my list. We'll see how it goes and hopefully I'll get a chance to visit.
Spain: I honestly wouldn't be particularly upset if I missed Spain; it's just not a top destination for me. But for most student it is (particularly Barcelona), so if I do end up there with friends, I certainly wouldn't mind.
There are other countries like Greece and Scotland that I'd love to visit, but it's probably less likely. But nothing's guaranteed yet, so we will see...
In these last few days before I leave, I'm both excited and nervous. Excited for new adventure, but nervous about all the things I must worry about. Really, it's such a hassle to go overseas. I had to order currency and I still need to get my parents on my bank account. I had to buy multiple adapters and make sure my electronics have multi/dual voltage. The guy in charge of the program told everyone to buy a converter, but I learned from a lady at a store that most electronics today don't need converter and if you use one on an electronic that doesn't need it, it can cause a lot of problems...thank god I found that out. Also, if things aren't expensive enough, I have to worry about how weak the US dollar is, about the stupid 3% fee on using credit and debit cards, a bigger fee on ATM use, and plus a very expensive charge if I need to do extra loads of laundry (I think we're limited to two load, extra loads are 4 euros each).
I'm also a bit worried about safety. I plan to keep my passport and money in safe places, but I'm still worried about getting pickpocketed. I'm carrying a backpack around and I'm worried about that....should I get actual padlocks, or I hear twisty ties will do just fine? One big worry is my laptop, which I will need to carry lots of places. I could secure the case diagonally around me so no one could grab it, or better, my mom suggested hiding it in my bigger luggage...but then I'd need to get a sleeve for extra protection. I'm particularly worried about theft in the hostels. Now, I know most hostels have places for safekeeping, but are they big enough to store laptops? This computer is one thing I really do not want stolen. I know a lot of safety tips already, but even more would be nice.
Also, one big question for you Europeans: Is there a website for airport security in Europe? I want to know what the regulations are over there before I travel (do they have the liquid rules too). And would those regulations be true for all of Europe, or does it vary for each country? And are there any regulations for train travel? Security on trains is much looser than airports in the US...I'm guessing it's similar for Europe too, but I just don't know...
I don't have really any set plans yet, but I do know I'd love to visit any BDers who are interested, as long as I can fit it in. So if anyone is interested in meeting me at some point, feel free to contact me (my email is Brinniel@juno.com, btw). I'm planning to buy a cheap cell phone in the Netherlands, but I don't know how that works yet...if you can call outside the country for the same rates or what. So we'll have to see about that...
If anyone has advice for me whether it's about traveling or packing, please do give it. I'm feeling rather crazy right now, so any helpful words will be appreciated. :)
After my disaster at LAX, one of the first things I learn upon coming home is that my group is no longer doing a required excursion to Prague. Why? Because only weeks ago, the Czech Republic and several other countries just had to join the Schengen Region. Damn you, Schengen Region. Perhaps grouping countries together has advantages, but it just makes things more difficult for tourists who are not EU citizens. Because after 90 days, a tourist cannot stay anywhere within that region without a visa, which is apparently very difficult to obtain in the first place. This is why I'm not able to do an extra month of traveling throughout Europe but instead am confined to the UK. Since for some reason Emerson cannot get us student visas, the program has to make our semester shorter than average plus kick us outside of the region for two weeks which is why we had required excursions to England and Czech Republic. But now that Czech Republic is part of the region, they had to cancel that trip and look elsewhere. Well, they looked and they found Croatia....Dubrovnik in particular. Now I'm admittingly not especially interested in visiting Croatia, but at least I hear its beautiful. Any chance someone here has visited the country?
Just to say this right now, while I will be doing lots of traveling it'll be hard to say exactly where I'm going and when I'm going anytime soon. Hell, I don't even know where I'll be two weeks from now...somewhere in the Netherland (hopefully Amsterdam). Most plans will be made with classmates who are at the Castle too...and I can't know their plans until we at least arrive. I love to plan ahead, but know that most students do not, I probably will have 1-2 weeks notice of where I'm going. For longer trip...hopefully I'll know sooner ahead. I just hope that's enough time; at least it's not tourist season. I'll be mainly traveling with friends, but I plan to make a couple trips alone...though that'd be later in the semester when I'm more comfortable in foreign territory. Anyways, here's a general overview of where I plan to go and where I want to go:
Netherlands: Well obviously, because that's where I'll be living. I just want to be sure to hit Amsterdam (which is a ways from where I'll be living) at some point. That's where my plane is landing, but we're continuing our journey to Well once we get there, I believe. We're actually not allowed to leave the country on the second week, so I'd like to go then. But I'll have to wait and see what everyone else does...
England: Now there's a place I'll be spending plenty of time at...though mostly in London. My group does a required excursion where we do the main tourist stuff February 14-19. Then on the 23rd of April, my group does a final excursion until the 25th. Then my group leaves to the US while I by choice am staying behind. From what it looks like, I'll be staying in England for two extra weeks before going home...that's all I can afford. At this point, I am planning to visit Oxford sometime. I thought about February, but it looks like that last weekend in April is looking most likely, though I haven't confirmed anything yet. But I have done some talking with Jay and Amy (Amanaduial) about visiting them there, which will definitely be excited. Plus I'm excited to visit Oxford anyway for Tolkien reasons. :) Other than Oxford, I'm not sure how much I'll be going outside of London...the main problem is I'll have too much luggage and too little money to be constantly traveling those two weeks. I'll already have seen a lot of London in February, but I'm sure there'll be plenty more to see. Plus, my mom wants me to do some genealogy reasearch while I'm there (one of my ancestors is well noted resident of Boston originally from England...recently I came across general info on his ancestors). But out of curiousity, are there any decent places to visit outside of :London as a daytrip only? I'm sure there's plenty of you here who could give me advice on some thing I could do. Also, if any of you live relatively near London or plan to visit around that time, do let me know. During those two weeks, I'll have plenty of time on my hands.
Croatia: Our new required excursion. I will be in Dubrovnik from March 28-April 2. Not sure exactly what we'll be doing, but hopefully it'll be fun. I was reading about Dubrovnik in my Let's Go Europe guide and it didn't say much, but they did make note not to stray from path due to the possible danger of landmines. Thanks, I feel plenty safe now. ;)
Germany: I think it's safe to say I'll be visiting Germany some point during my three months. After all, I live only five miles from the border. Also, I think our first flight to London takes off from a German airport. The main question is, where in Germany will I go? Will I only go to smaller cities, or will I hit the bigger more touristy ones. I'll probably just go wherever my friends go...most likely I'll be sticking to the Western half, though I can say for sure...
France: Okay while there's no confirmation about it yet, I know in my heart I have to go to Paris. I really hope to after London in February, but again it depends on everyone else. But along with London, Paris is a city I've dreamed about since I was a little girl...so whatever happens, I will make sure I get there.
Belgium: I will most likely be visiting Belgium at some point, and there's a good chance I'll do it alone. That's because I have a cousin and her husband (both Americans) who are living in a small Belgian town not far from Brussels. I haven't done any serious plannin yet, but they know I'll be in Europe, and I think they're willing to take me in for a weekend.
Italy: To me, Italy is a must. Unfortunately, it can be a harder county to hit since it's so far from the Netherlands. But now that we're going to Croatia, which is relatively close to Italy, I have hope of visiting the country after the excursion. And surely I'm not the only one who wants to go. I'd love to visit multiple cities, but I'd probably only go to one or two. My first preference would definitely be Florence. I'd be very sad if I didn't go to Italy, so hopefully it will happen.
Czech Republic: I must admit I'm very pissed off that it's not part of the excursion...they had everything planned out for us and now I must figure things out on my own. But I'm still determined to visit Prague because one, I hear it's a beautiful city and two, it has a booming film industry. As a film major, I'm particularly interested in that. Surely I'm not the only student disappointed about the last minute change...there will be others who want to visit too.
Denmark: Well as of this time, I'm still planning to travel to Copenhagen on my own for a weekend. Hey Rune, we haven't discussed this for awhile but....any chance you're still willing to house a poor college student like me?
Finland: Lately I've been considering traveling on my own for a weekend to Finland. Mainly because I would love to meet you Finnish Downer...so tell me, what do you guys think about that?
Ireland: I'd love to hit Dublin at some point. I'll happily join friends who are traveling there, though I admit it's not at the top of my list. We'll see how it goes and hopefully I'll get a chance to visit.
Spain: I honestly wouldn't be particularly upset if I missed Spain; it's just not a top destination for me. But for most student it is (particularly Barcelona), so if I do end up there with friends, I certainly wouldn't mind.
There are other countries like Greece and Scotland that I'd love to visit, but it's probably less likely. But nothing's guaranteed yet, so we will see...
In these last few days before I leave, I'm both excited and nervous. Excited for new adventure, but nervous about all the things I must worry about. Really, it's such a hassle to go overseas. I had to order currency and I still need to get my parents on my bank account. I had to buy multiple adapters and make sure my electronics have multi/dual voltage. The guy in charge of the program told everyone to buy a converter, but I learned from a lady at a store that most electronics today don't need converter and if you use one on an electronic that doesn't need it, it can cause a lot of problems...thank god I found that out. Also, if things aren't expensive enough, I have to worry about how weak the US dollar is, about the stupid 3% fee on using credit and debit cards, a bigger fee on ATM use, and plus a very expensive charge if I need to do extra loads of laundry (I think we're limited to two load, extra loads are 4 euros each).
I'm also a bit worried about safety. I plan to keep my passport and money in safe places, but I'm still worried about getting pickpocketed. I'm carrying a backpack around and I'm worried about that....should I get actual padlocks, or I hear twisty ties will do just fine? One big worry is my laptop, which I will need to carry lots of places. I could secure the case diagonally around me so no one could grab it, or better, my mom suggested hiding it in my bigger luggage...but then I'd need to get a sleeve for extra protection. I'm particularly worried about theft in the hostels. Now, I know most hostels have places for safekeeping, but are they big enough to store laptops? This computer is one thing I really do not want stolen. I know a lot of safety tips already, but even more would be nice.
Also, one big question for you Europeans: Is there a website for airport security in Europe? I want to know what the regulations are over there before I travel (do they have the liquid rules too). And would those regulations be true for all of Europe, or does it vary for each country? And are there any regulations for train travel? Security on trains is much looser than airports in the US...I'm guessing it's similar for Europe too, but I just don't know...
I don't have really any set plans yet, but I do know I'd love to visit any BDers who are interested, as long as I can fit it in. So if anyone is interested in meeting me at some point, feel free to contact me (my email is Brinniel@juno.com, btw). I'm planning to buy a cheap cell phone in the Netherlands, but I don't know how that works yet...if you can call outside the country for the same rates or what. So we'll have to see about that...
If anyone has advice for me whether it's about traveling or packing, please do give it. I'm feeling rather crazy right now, so any helpful words will be appreciated. :)