By Rifath Islam
If you’re someone who loves seeing new places and trying new things, let me just start off by saying, traveling is your best friend. Now, traveling isn’t necessarily always the most pocket-friendly of hobbies, but it’s definitely something that can be splurged on every now and again.
Now, If traveling is something that you want to do, but you also want to keep a few bucks in your pocket, the first and foremost thing is to book your flights on budget airlines! This will require a good amount of searching and time, but it is worth it. Some good airlines include Virgin America, Aer Lingus, and Norwegian Airlines. My second suggestion is to book places to stay during your trip in advance—-because you wouldn’t want to be in a foreign country with no place to bunk for the night. Overpriced hotels aren’t necessary for this. You can easily book a very welcoming and hospitable apartment through Airbnb; just make sure your bookings are carefully researched, and that your landlord won’t cancel the booking a month before it’s time to go. (I do, indeed, speak from personal experience on this.)
Now on to the real deal!
This past spring break, I had the pleasure of traveling overseas to Barcelona and Paris as part of a family trip. And let me tell you, it was amazing! However, my recommendations for these two places are as follows…
Paris:
If you really love the city, then Paris is the place for you. I wouldn’t suggest spending more than 2-3 days there though, as mostly everything can be toured within that short time frame.
There is a lot of hustle bustle in Paris, so make sure to go prepared to deal with crowds. When I say it’s New York 2.0, I mean it!
Paris is also expensive! So if you’re going there on a budget, I suggest you make sure that your budget is fairly large.
Here are some of the places I visited while I was in Paris:
Luxembourg Gardens (It’s absolutely gorgeous!)
The Louvre (This museum is among one of the many places in Paris that you can’t go to if you’re not willing to spend a little bit of $$$. Also, the line to get in is super long! However, it’s always nice to just admire the view from the outside.)
And of course, we can’t forget the ever famous Eiffel Tower!
Visiting couples defy city rules to declare their love by putting locks on a Parisian bridge.
So now, on we go to Barcelona. Personally, of all the places I went this past break, Barcelona was by far one of my favorites. There’s almost nothing not to love about Barcelona except, perhaps, the water. I can safely say that New York has exceptional water that no foreign country can outdo. For Barcelona, there aren’t too many tips to give except the following:
Barcelona, unlike Paris, is a huge sprawling metropolis and you can’t knock out all the touristy sights in one day, unless maybe you’re super-dedicated and adventurous.
Because Barcelona is a fairly large city that means it requires a good amount of walking in order to get to all the interesting places. That’s why my advice is forego fashion and go for comfort. Wearing running shoes or sneakers is definitely the way to go on trips like these.
And one last thing…if you’re someone who appreciates innovative artist/architects such as Antoni Gaudí, then Barcelona definitely has buildings and public monuments you will enjoy.
Places I visited in Barcelona:
Sagrada Familia (A church designed by Gaudí …and still unfinished!)
Montserrat Mountain (One of the places that you will for sure need sneakers for, it’s quite a hike!)
Arc de Triomphe
And my personal favorite, Park Güell
Overall, this trip to Europe was definitely something that I will remember for years to come. For anyone who is considering a trip overseas, I highly recommend that you go for it. The key to planning a student trip is smart thinking and budget, budget budget!