For many students, weekend trips are the highlight of their semester abroad in Europe. Preparing to travel during your semester abroad begins with selecting the right program, so here’s everything you need to know to set yourself up for adventure!
If weekend travel is one of your priorities, choose a centrally located city with a major airport for your home base. If you already have destinations in mind, browse flight prices on Google Flights and compare airports. From my apartment in Barcelona, it was less than an hour bus ride to the airport, and I could get to any major European city from there. Barcelona has its own budget airline, Vueling Airlines, which I preferred over RyanAir.
I planned my schedule so that I had no class on Fridays. I could fly out as early as Thursday evening for my weekend trips. Many study abroad programs automatically give students off Fridays, so select your program with that in mind.
I mostly traveled to big cities because flights are cheap and convenient for a quick weekend trip. I never traveled internationally via train, as I found trains more expensive than flying. I traveled with only a backpack, as a carryon is not included on most budget airlines.
I also recommend exploring local tourist destinations; find out where the locals in your host city like to go on vacation. I took a few wonderful day trips from Barcelona, which you can read about in my Study Abroad Student’s Guide to Barcelona.
I would have liked to stay at more hostels, as they often host events and are a great way to meet other travelers from around the world. However, it was cheaper to split an Airbnb with my friends, at least in the cities I visited, so that’s what we usually did.
Holidays, festivals, and events are important to consider when planning weekend trips abroad. Unique experiences like attending Oktoberfest in Munich are worth the inflated prices on flights and accommodations.
Munich has camping “hostels” for Oktoberfest, but I would not recommend them based on my experience. Tents and sleeping bags were not adequately cleaned between guests, the bathrooms were a biohazard, and I barely slept amidst all the noise. It was fun though; there was a huge party every night with a live band/DJ.
A Cautionary Message:
You might have many opportunities to travel in your life but only one opportunity to live in a foreign country. I wish I would have slowed down and been more intentional with my time in Barcelona. It’s not that I regret spending a beautiful weekend exploring Paris or London, but I spent too much time playing tourist when I should have embraced being a study abroad student. The heart of study abroad is turning a foreign place into your home, like practicing your Spanish with local friends at some hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
Latitudes with Lucy 
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