Tips on Traveling
Although I’m not yet the most qualified person to give suggestions about traveling, throughout the coming year, I plan to update this page with the best traveling tips and advice that I can give. Some of it will come from other sources that I found helpful and some may actually come from me! Hope you enjoy!
Additionally, don't forget to check out Tips for Future CBYXers (and anyone else going on exchange).
Tips for everyone going anywhere:
Tips for everyone traveling Germany:
Recommended Websites:
16 Helpful Tips for Traveling the World - written by a world traveler
A blog written by world travelers that inspires me - The Fresh Exchange
Explore major cities with Unlike.net - Find hotels, food, historic sites, shops and more
Vote in U.S. elections from abroad with Vote From Abroad.org
Get 35% off European train tickets if you are 25 years old or younger - Eurail
Apply for an International Student I.D. card, Teacher I.D. card, or Youth I.D. card (30 y.o. or younger) in order to get discounts and benefits worldwide - ISIC
Find and compare all the best travel deals - KAYAK
Two of my travel boards on Pinterest (I find some pretty cool stuff to pin) - Deutschland and Travel
http://markmanson.net/foreign-language
https://www.hercampus.com/school/exeter/hcx-travel-tips-must-dos-no-matter-where-you-are
Additionally, don't forget to check out Tips for Future CBYXers (and anyone else going on exchange).
Tips for everyone going anywhere:
- Sign the backs of all of your credit cards!
- Make copies of all of your cards, I.D.'s and Passport. Keep one copy of each with you in a safe place (away from your cards, I.D.'s and Passport) and leave one copy at home with a trusted friend/family member. This way you'll be prepared should you lose any of the afore mentioned items.
- Apply for your Passport early!
- Visa lies - it is NOT universally accepted. At least not in Germany - see below under "Tips for everyone traveling Germany"
- Traveling by train is much more comfortable and more practical in many cases. However, flying tends to be cheaper for longer distances
- As far as trains go, electronic tickets are great. They can be bought online and printed or downloaded onto your smart phone where they can be scanned.
Tips for everyone traveling Germany:
- Visa lies - it is NOT universally accepted. The only stores in Germany that DO take Visa (credit or debit) are big chain stores or stores that expect a large number of American tourists. Master Card seems to be used more often. I’d suggest one with a chip in it - the chip prevents fraud. All European credit and debit cards have a chip in them to prevent fraud and since the chip is so reliable, there is no fraud hotline that you can call to cancel your card immediately. The Bank of America has a chip and also has a partnership with the Deutsch Bank (bank of Germany). I’m unsure if using a Bank of America card to withdrawal money from a Deutsch Bank saves you from paying the ATM fee or not…
- If you’re under 19 years old, I would recommend investing in a 25% off BahnCard (train card) for just $10 if you’re planning on traveling by train more than a few times. It stops working when you turn 19 unfortunately. If you will be on the CBYX program, lucky for you - the Bundestag buys this card for you so you won’t need to worry about it. Click here to look into one of these cards. Or, if you don't meet the above qualifications, you may want to consider purchasing a 25% or 50% off BahnCard - of course, take into consideration how long you'll be in Germany and how much you'll be using the train system (I thought that I would be using the train at least twice a week, but I only use it once every three or four weeks). Click here to investigate further. Additionally, if you're buying two 25% off BahnCards, you can buy one and get the second free. Check it out here.
- As far as trains go, electronic tickets are great. They can be bought online and printed or downloaded onto your smart phone where they can be scanned. Plus, when buying tickets online, the ticket will automatically include “+ City” allowing you access to city buses, subways, street cars, etc. in order to get to your final destination.
- However, at least for traveling within Bavaria, the "Bayern Ticket" is easily the cheapest and allows up to five people to use one ticket. The Bayern Ticket can only be purchased at a train station.
Recommended Websites:
16 Helpful Tips for Traveling the World - written by a world traveler
A blog written by world travelers that inspires me - The Fresh Exchange
Explore major cities with Unlike.net - Find hotels, food, historic sites, shops and more
Vote in U.S. elections from abroad with Vote From Abroad.org
Get 35% off European train tickets if you are 25 years old or younger - Eurail
Apply for an International Student I.D. card, Teacher I.D. card, or Youth I.D. card (30 y.o. or younger) in order to get discounts and benefits worldwide - ISIC
Find and compare all the best travel deals - KAYAK
Two of my travel boards on Pinterest (I find some pretty cool stuff to pin) - Deutschland and Travel
http://markmanson.net/foreign-language
https://www.hercampus.com/school/exeter/hcx-travel-tips-must-dos-no-matter-where-you-are