How to Travel Across Europe

Written by: Julia Piesker

Major: French & Criminal Justice

Location: Besanson, France

One of my European friends once told me that traveling around Europe was much like exploring the United States – all the countries being like the states with their proximity, and it is possible to go from one to another with ease. I have been profiting greatly from my downtime on weekends and utilizing that as an opportunity to explore the world. The first country I visited, apart from France, was Switzerland; I spent a weekend in two cities, Biel/Bienne and Geneva, and the other country I have seen so far was Luxembourg. Here is a list of things that either I wish I had done for my weekend, or things that I simply recommend, for smooth and safe travels across Europe:

1) Check the weather for your dates of travel: Weather is so essential to a trip because it can tell you what to wear, bring, and do. For example, I did not look at the forecast for my trip to Switzerland and it rained the whole weekend - I had not brought an umbrella and ended up drenched! Look at the temperatures and weather so you can pack proper clothes, shoes, and possibly an umbrella with rain gear, and so you can plan activities accordingly!

2) Pack light: When I had packed to live in Europe for five months, it was inevitable that my suitcase would be heavy – it ended up being 40 pounds! But for a weekend trip, I recommend bringing only the essentials and significantly limiting what you bring. Carrying around heavy luggage will really weigh you down – physically and mentally. With that said, pack accordingly still! Make a checklist before you go to be sure to not forget anything.

3) Check out the city you’ll be staying in beforehand: I think it would have been helpful if I had scoped out the area and figured out sites I wanted to see before

leaving to create a better plan for myself upon arrival. I would have wasted less time deciding what to do and finding where it was. However, I just went to the tourism center to see what the city had to offer, which I recommend doing as that was useful too! The experts there were able to tell me about the city passes, which decreased costs, as well as point out the sites worth seeing.

4) Plan for WiFi and outlets: When I visited Biel/Bienne, I had no WiFi nor outlets to plug my phone into, so the next day in Geneva, my phone died and I was not familiar with the city. I recommend always charging your phone overnight when possible, but if not, think ahead and figure out the location of cafes that may have outlets and WiFi. Luckily, I found a Starbucks to camp out in for a while!

5) If you’re looking for a cheap weekend trip, consider staying overnight at a youth hostel or Airbnb: When I stayed overnight in Geneva, I found staying at an Airbnb worked well for me! It was a nice place to stay and was affordable. Youth hostels are also a good option as they are extremely inexpensive; I paid €27/night to stay at one in Luxembourg, which also included two meals. It was not most ideal regarding the amount of space, but it was good for traveling on a budget

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