Do your Research

One of the biggest safety secrets I can share from my experience is probably not a secret at all-keep an eye on your stuff! I can’t emphasize enough the importance of being aware of your belongings and checking then double-checking that you have everything important. I was unlucky enough to lose my wallet at the beginning of this trip and while thankfully nothing irreplaceable was lost it did take a while to receive a new debit card and I was left relying on my wonderful classmates to help me out (which they happily did!).

As far as travel tips go, I think that checking out the public transit system before arriving is a really good idea. Oftentimes when you get to new city there is limited information available in English and even less so if you’re getting in very early or late. Do some research about what kind of ticket you need, how much transit costs, and what the consequences are for trying to hop on without a ticket. Back in Boston there’s minimal monitoring and people often sneak on the Green Line but in some European cities the authorities are diligent and fines for not having a ticket (or not having the right type of ticket) can be hundreds of euros. Another tip that I learned on this trip is that you can call US 1-800 numbers for free using Skype. This was very helpful when I lost my wallet and had to order new bank cards.

 Until next time, doei!