Did any of you ever hitchhike? If you never did, but you would like to do it, or you did and you love it, than you will enjoy the story of AEGEE-Nijmegen. To find out how everything started and how everything finished we talked with Renée van Schaijk, organiser of the hitchhiking trip.

What we found out was that hitchhiking in AEGEE-Nijmegen is a tradition. Every year they organise few hitchhiking trips through Europe filled with competition spirit so more people are eager to participate. It’s always more exciting and fun competing for awards, as in this case – two tickets for the cinema.

The hitchhike from Nijmegen to Bruges  happened during the first weekend of November. The journey started on Friday and ended back in Nijmegen on Sunday. There were 22 participants in nine teams composed by two/three persons. The distance between Nijmegen and Bruges is around 240 km that normally take around two and half hours by car without any traffic jam. But as our AEGEEans were hitchhiking it took them more time. The fastest team there made it in about four hours. It took around eight-nine hours for the last team to to arrive.

For those who do not know, the most exciting thing about hitchhiking is to stop the cars which will take you to your destination, and that is almost impossible to achieve by one car. So you are obliged to change cars constantly. In Nijmegen-Bruges hitchhike, the least changed car number was three and the most eight, said Renée. In fact, her team changed five cars to arrive to Bruges.

You have first to imagine the situation: you are on a highway, many cars pass by, some of them stop, some not, and as every person in this world is different, you may meet with some polite or less polite people. Luckily for our AEGEEans, they did not live any bad or unpleasant experiences. On the contrary, says Renée, reactions from drivers  were very positive. People were even apologizing if they couldn’t take them and some drivers were very enthusiastic when they learned about the competition and were keen to help them to win it.

Once AEGEE-Nijmegen’s hitchhike crew finally arrived in Bruges, they felt it was different than if you would arrive in Bruges by train. Renée says: “It is really nice to finish and also to see other teams and hear what adventure they had, because every team had a different story.” During the rest of the weekend, they walked through Bruges, took a boat trip, visited the Chocolate museum and spent some quality time in a pub. On Sunday they came back home safe and happy.

Asked to share with us some anecdote from the trip. Renée said “We started the competition at the railway station in Nijmegen. I started last because I was from the organisation team. My team member and I walked to the road which goes to the highway and we didn’t see anyone. This was really strange for us. Later we saw one other team. But a car stopped for us and we went with them. And when we drove to the highway we saw the other teams at different points on the road. And we waved of course. But it was a really nice feeling!”

As said in the beginning, hitchhiking is an AEGEE-Nijmegen tradition and next destinations are Gdansk and, in March, Paris. “For those who are considering/interested in hitchhiking, you should do it” says Renee. The beauty of it is that you meet a lot of different people who will share with you their stories and you will share yours too. And sharing stories, listening to others is one of the ways to discover ourselves and discover others too, a way to enjoy and appreciate life more.

Written by Sabiha Kapetanovic, AEGEE-Izmir

“How on Earth can you travel so much!?”. I am pretty sure that many of you have heard these words already. We are AEGEEans, we are tireless travellers and adventurers – yet at the same time we are young and (most of us) students that many times cannot afford the typical travel expenditures. When was the last time you travelled on your own and slept in a four-star hotel?

Luckily, through AEGEE or other experienced backpackers, it is easy for us to learn about ways to travel all over Europe on the cheap, either before or after attending a Summer University. I have noticed it for my own experience: just a couple of years ago, I was doubtful of embarking in an adventure of travelling on a budget on our own. Instead, now I know many tips to make my trips affordable – and I am continuously asked by non-AEGEEans: “but how can you manage!?”.

If you happen to be a ‘newbie’ when it comes to budget travelling, these are a few tips we can give you.

Know where, when and how to travel

We have to start from somewhere when planning a trip, right? Let’s take into consideration several aspects when you travel, such as the destination. A great idea is to travel to airports connected with low-cost airlines. However, there are many cities (like Barcelona) where there are not even two, but three airports (BCN El Prat, Girona-Costa Brava and Reus) which are connected with budget airlines. Whereas travelling to off-shore airports can be a great idea in order to save money, you might well consider to add 17 euro extra for the shuttle bus from Girona airport to the Barcelona city centre, so keep that in mind when checking your travel budget!

Finding airplane ticket bargains can be easier than we think – sometimes it is easier when you travel on off-season dates (around late October-April). I remember that I got my ticket to Autumn Agora Budapest in November 2012 at 25 euro round trip, and I even met a few members who travelled by… less than 2 euro by plane! Booking in advance is an option.

Furthermore, if you want to keep monitoring the rise and fall for the prices of a concrete destination, I suggest you to check Skyscanner or Drungli – the latter is even more useful for the flexible travellers who are open to any destination, as it also shows the cheapest travel fares on the dates you chose, regardless of the destination.

July 2012. I never thought hitchhiking could be that cool!

There are many other options to get around. The AEGEEan published recently a ‘hitchhiker’s guide to Europe’, whereas the former speaker of the Environmental Working Group, Iris Hordijk, presented last year some different ways to travel in an environmentally-friendly way, such as kayaking or biking. You might even consider travelling long distances by budget bus lines. Unsure of which is the cheapest way to get to some place? Check Rome2Rio, it shows you the way to schedule your trips by budget and amount of time to any destination (yes, anywhere!).

Travel, eat and stay with locals

They will know better than anyone else where are the coolest, tastiest, cheapest and prettiest places to take you to. I come from Barcelona, one of the most touristic and fairly expensive cities in Europe. While most of the travellers struggle to find a place to have a drink at sky-high prices, I always bring the AEGEE members who come to visit me at a bar -right in the city centre!- where the best mojitos I have ever tasted cost no more than 3 euro.

This is an easy step. If you travel to a city where there is an AEGEE local, you can easily ask to the members in there for some tips or even have a tour around. However, it might happen that the city you plan to visit has no antenna, but you can contact locals through places such as CouchSurfing or a website called AngelsForTravellers. Even if a new one, this website has exactly this purpose – an opportunity for travellers to ask locals for advice! Another -very popular- idea is to take a look at the Spotted by Locals website. You might also check the ‘free walking tours’ in many European cities. Even if usually run by long-term expats, it is an interesting way to get to know a city better and make friends on the way.

Of course, finding a place to sleep is one of the things that can make a big difference on a budget, so why not trying couchsurfing again? You must definitely check the AEGEE CouchSurfing Facebook group as well. You might be surprised of how many AEGEE members are spread around the continent… or the whole world!

These are only a few tips aimed for beginner travellers. But I am sure that you, experienced AEGEEan, have lots of other tips to share from your own experience. So, share them with us and we will collect the most interesting tips to travel ‘like a pro’!

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

 One of the cheapest ways to travel is hitchhiking, which is also used by AEGEEans, with some locals even organising hitchhiking competitions. Still though, many people haven’t tried it before and might even be scared to try. Are you one of them? Don’t worry! The AEGEEan has written a short hitchhiking course to help you out!

How to prepare?

Before you go to your final destination, it’s a good idea to look at the map and see what cities are on the way. It’s not very likely that you will get one straight ride to your final destination, so you will have to hitchhike from city to city until you reach your destination. Write down which cities are along the way and make different signs for those cities (use the front and back to save the trees) so you just have to use the signs in the right order. While making the signs, make sure that the letters are at least as big as those on a number plate so people can read it. It can also be a good idea to make a “fun” sign with for example smiley faces or ‘free hugs’ to make people smile (which gives you a better chance of getting a ride). Last but not least, save the telephone numbers of your lift partner and a friend at home who knows about your plans so you know who to call if you lose each other or a problem occurs.

Where to stand?

When you are looking for a place to get a ride, it is best to go for a place where drivers are able to stop or have to stop anyway. Good examples are gas stations, (just after) traffic lights, special hitchhiking spots and parking places along the road. Wherever you decide to stand, make sure that the drivers passing by can read your sign, and they have the ability to (safely!) stop to pick you up.

How to act?

In general, it’s most important that you behave like the kind of person you would give a ride. This means that you will have to smile, be polite and friendly when you ask for a ride and in general give of a positive vibe. Some people are scared to take people, so show them that you are nothing to be scared of and change their mind about hitchhiking. It can and will be done! Also, be prepared to wait for fifteen to sixty minutes, since hitchhiking sadly is not the fastest way of transport.

You found a ride!

Great!! Do remember that you are not obligated to accept any rides, so if you don’t trust someone, just (politely) reject them and search for another ride. Also make sure that you remember the number plate of the car or even write it down, so you can text it to your friend in the (hopefully unlikely) case something goes wrong. To keep you from forgetting your personal belongings (backpack, coat, etc.) it’s best to keep them on your lap or on the seat next to you and not in the trunk. You would be very lucky to get a ride straight to your final destination, so if this isn’t the case, ask the driver to drop you off at a gas station or hitchhiking spot so you can easily get your next ride. Once you are in the city center it’s often hard to get away, so try to avoid this!

And, remember: have fun!

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen