Travel Trips and Tricks

May 18, 2017

Before studying abroad, I had never traveled anywhere out of the country without a parent or guardian (or someone else’s parent or guardian). One of my main goals of traveling abroad was to become more independent and to learn how to travel and plan trips on my own. Of course, to do that I first needed to see how other people planned their trips, booked their plane tickets, and decided which places to travel to. After planning a couple of trips with friends to nearby mountain ranges, to not-so-near-by mountain ranges, and to other major cities that would require transport, I realized some tricks of the trade.

The main travel secret I’ve discovered is a website called skyscanner where you can find plane tickets at really cheap prices. However, the secret is not the website itself, but more how you access the website, which is using an incognito tab so that cookies are unable to track your searches and rack up the ticket prices, which is what normally happens. This little trick has saved me hundreds of dollars, as has the knowledge that ticket prices are usually cheapest on Tuesdays, and that prime days to fly are NOT Sundays. Also, of course, booking tickets in advance is the best way to find inexpensive tickets (and checking daily to see changes in ticket prices will help get you snag the least expensive ones).

In terms of safety tips, you should never travel alone (I know this has been drilled into our minds for years, but it’s true). If you do travel alone, however, sharing your location with your friends and keeping them updated on your whereabouts is always a good idea. Also, always make sure to carry a charger with you, invest in a portable charger to make sure you don’t have to search for an outlet, and make sure to put enough data on your phone so that you are never left in a position where you cannot contact anyone. All of these things, though they may seem pretty standard, have been immensely helpful in keeping me safe abroad.

Claire Celestin

I am a premedical student interested in pursuing medical school after I obtain my undergraduate degree, and in my past few years at Northeastern University, it seems that I have gotten stuck in a routine of sorts. My days consisted of classes, volunteering, and studying in Snell library until I could not hold my eyes open anymore. Although all of this studying did allow me to maintain a high GPA, I have begun to feel trapped. Growing up, I had always dreamt of traveling, exploring, and immersing myself in different cultures and ways of living. I wanted to join the Peace Corps, build houses with Habitat for Humanity, and volunteer as a medical provider in impoverished countries. These are all things that I still want to do. My post graduate plans all point towards medical school and becoming a health care provider where I intend to serve not only those in the United States, but most importantly those areas where good doctors and health care are hard to come by. I believe that this study abroad opportunity will be a stepping stone into my future of world travel. I intend to take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to me while I am abroad. I will say yes to sky diving, snorkeling, and hiking into beautiful sunsets. In between all of that I will also try not to scream when facing Australia’s notorious gigantic spiders. I hope to travel around Australia every chance that I get, take surfing lessons, wake up in time for the sunrises on the Gold Coast, and still ace all of my exams. I intend to say yes to all of these experiences and more and upon my return I then want to share my experience with other students like myself. I want to show other students like me, who are afraid to push the rigid boundaries of pre medical studies that it is okay to take a break from the pressures that they have set upon themselves.