In times that are not financially easy, travelling seems to be a luxury, but do not forget that even a small trip helps to shake off the burden of problems and gain new strength. There are many tricks which might help to plan a cheap trip. Since most of AEGEEans are students on a budget, we would like to post about opportunities for travelling cheap.

Plan your trip in advance

It’s better to plan the budget costs on a maximum depending on features of each concrete trip: logistics (including rent of the car, tickets for trains, etc.), accommodation and the minimum programme (exhibitions, restaurants, concerts and shopping trips). This may sound obvious but a lot of people forget about logistics and spend more than they expected. Thus, check out ways and compare prices to get to the city from the airport before your trip. In many EU-cities you can walk to the city centre from the central station, so it would be clever to check out the distance beforehand and save some money and time instead of waiting for a bus. The Internet is ready to suggest the average cost of living in a particular city.

Getting there

Most likely, the highest expenditure for you will be a flight. It is better not to delay buying air tickets: the earlier you buy them, the cheaper they will cost.
Buy tickets for the plane using airfare search sites like Aviasales, Skyscanner, Anywayanyday, Momondo, Kayak and low-cost like Lastminute. Don’t forget to clear your browser’s cache before every new search: the cookies store information you were looking before and suggest new options depending on what you’ve already seen. If you always start from scratch, they will not offer you more expensive options. Choose off-season flights, so that they will cost even less. Keep in mind that the fare recalculation occurs on Monday, and if you find a good ticket, you have time until Tuesday to buy it at the current price. Some airlines like AirBaltic offer to pay separately for everything: luggage, registration at the airport, your preferred seat and meals on board. If you can put everything in your hand luggage and survive three hours without a cold sandwich – why pay for it?

For trains you might check out Raileurope and Rome2rio, for busses – Flixbus or Fernbus. You can try “planned hitchhiking” by using Bla bla car services, which offer to become a fellow traveller. All operations and payment pass through the company’s website. It is worthwhile to focus on the feedback of grateful (or not) customers, and if there is no doubt, then the trip will hardly be different from calling Uber.

Or actually try hitchhiking! If it is your first time, consider travelling with someone who is experienced in it. You should also read hitchhike forums about destination you want to go to get some tips and visit Hitchwiki.

Accommodation

Staydu or Couchsurfing are great websites where you can find a place to stay and meet wonderful people all over the world. You don’t have to pay for you stay, but it will be nice if you bring something to your host or share some knowledge like showing your cooking skills or having a language exchange. With Couchsurfing you can also find meetups or people who would like to hang out close to you. If you are a girl travelling alone, who has heard a lot of bad things about Couchsurfing, find a travel mate or a host in Facebook GoWonder®  – Women Travel. You might also try Hospitalityclub, which is a worldwide network of open doors where you can also find a place to stay for free.

In Airbnb you can find a cheap room or a bed in someone else’s house. If not, try LateRooms or Hoteltonight, the last one is a perfect app for spontaneous booking: the closer is your booking date, the cheaper you will book your room. Check out Hostelworld – don’t be afraid to live in a hostel, it is another awesome way to make new international friends.

If you prefer to be all alone and have no money for a hotel, you might also try to rent a car for travelling and sleeping in it, check out Autoeurope.

Since it is not always easy to find a place for the night through Couchsurfing or other sites like that, one must be prepared for sleeping in a tent. Although in many cities there are not many suitable places to break a tent, if you look carefully, you can always find a loophole. You can, for example, take shelter in the backyard of the church (people who come to visit such places are more tolerant and kind), in a small garden with a lot of trees and bushes. Keep in mind that you do not need a large space to sleep, the area of 2mx1m will be quite enough.

Entertainment

Sites around the world suggest many free events and cheap places to visit with comments from other travellers: starting with the Stay and ending with tourist portals like TripAdvisor. Before the trip it is worth to dig on Yelp, Like a Local Guide or TimeOut and see what interesting and budget places there are in the city. Do not forget about Neweuropetours – free walking tours in the EU.

When it comes to museums, concerts, exhibitions, markets and so on, always try to buy tickets in advance. Also in many countries there is a day of free access to all major museums – at such a date it is quite possible to adjust the trip.

Most importantly, if the budget is small, do not put off the issue of entertainment until the last, when you stand on the street and do not know where to go and what to eat. If you pre-marked on an offline map of the city a dozen of liked places, the problem will disappear by itself.

Long-term travelling opportunities

Become a volunteer in an organic farm. Organic farmers are usually limited in the means to hire professional workers, and as a result, some of them are looking for volunteers. You will not receive a salary, but at least you will have a place to stay at the destination. Many of the owners will even provide you with food. The largest and most used by the volunteers organisation is WWOOF or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, but this organisation will require you to pay a small fee for joining. For completely free options it will be necessary to comb ads and free forums.

If you are a student, keep an eye for exchange programmes at your university or trainings abroad like ASEF or Council of Europe, which not only cover the travel or accommodation costs but also educate you and give new friends and experiences. You will need a strong motivation and relevant experiences (e.g. organising a Summer University or active membership in the Civic Education Working Group) for this.

Another great way to learn something new is work & travel. Workaway or helpx will help you to find a host, where you get food and accommodation for working four to five hours a day and sometimes even pocket money. Those jobs are usually like babysitting, cleaning or helping with building a house, so you will not only see a country as a local and learn stuff like building a greenhouse, but also improve your language skills. Why pay for a boring language course and a hotel, if you can live in Spain helping someone around?

All this is extremely profitable, but for such a holiday you need to understand precisely that all your “deprivations” are not deprivations at all, but the result of a conscious choice, and consider those restrictions as an exciting quest.

Extra tips for any travelling

• Learn 50-100 of the necessary words of the country’s language before leaving. It’s easier to find out the prices and you won’t be so hesitant to bargain, when you have a small vocabulary. Also locals will react friendlier and maybe even feed you and offer to host you, which happens a lot in Asia.
• Eat where locals eat. The food is more delicious and cheaper there, plus you will feel the city and meet new local friends. 
• Travelling does not only mean taking selfies with some nice architecture. It also means meeting locals or other expats. Improve your social skills – do not be afraid of talking to new people in hostels, museums or on the street. You might use apps like Couchsurfing, Meetup, Facebook ( e.g. groups Munich or Lisbon international friends) or even Tinder for those purposes.

Any other ideas how to discover our big world on a budget? Share in comments!

Written by Aliona Sytnyk, AEGEE-Berlin

Sources:
http://www.wikihow.com/Travel-on-a-Budget 

http://www.wonderzine.com/wonderzine/life/travel/215847-travel-cheaper-travel-more

Picture:

http://blog.kemwel.com/vacation-plans/economical-vacation-destinations-for-travel-on-a-budget

Everything starts in Chisinau, Moldova when I won another Interrail Pass thanks to the AEGEE Lottery. Another, because AEGEE had given me one just a few months before the first Interrail Pass for my SUCT trip. Surprised, lucky and happy I came back to Italy dreaming about my future adventure. 

I checked the map of Europe, and I started to plan which countries to discover this time. 

Before I die, I want to visit all countries of Europe, so the choice was a bit hard. However, in the end, the winners were Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. 

The problem was my availability to travel a lot. I spent around Europe all my free days between exams and university courses. 12 days in total, deeply lived. 

My first stop was Berlin. Colourful, extravagant, free and determined.

A city that knows how to tell stories, its history and the history of those who lived there.

No art museums for me, but a route through historical monuments, to retrace the history that for years I had only read on school books. I felt deeply guilty reading on the walls how much cruelty the human being has been able to show. 

After Berlin I went to the Czech Republic, visiting the charming atmosphere of Praha. There is a mysterious air around the Czech capital; too much touristy for me, but wonderful. I saw Praha and its Charles Bridge for the first time in the music video “Numb” of Linkin Park, and since 2003 it has been my desire, finally fulfilled, to walk on that bridge.

The reason why I decided to visit Brno is called Giulia: my amazing AEGEE friend, Agora mate and sweet lady. It was a pleasure to spend some hours with her and her beautiful smile, telling stories and remembering all past moments spent together. A night city tour, a beer, a dinner with her, and the following day I was directed to Austria.

Vienna. In my mind, there is a fixed image when thinking about Vienna: a very small Irish pub, full of objects everywhere. The owner told me: souvenirs gifted by customers. There was a guy singing and playing guitar in the pub, and the music component convinced me to enter in that strange place that night. Listening to music and drinking beer, I do not know why I started to write words, then thoughts, in Italian and in English. It was a great and peaceful moment for me. I did not feel lost in the world, but cosy in a place that hugs you with its atmosphere.

I was curious to visit Bratislava, so during my stay in Vienna one morning I took the train and in one hour another country was ready for me. I really enjoyed the old part of the city and the food. Yes, because in every city I have visited, I tried to taste all typical plates: Brezel, Spätzle, Weißwurst and Currywurst in Berlin; Czech Goulash, Dumplings and Trdlo in Praha, Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna; Gulášová polievka and Bryndzové halušky in Bratislava and beer, litres of beer everywhere. Souvenirs from Slovakia: pictures, magnets and my personal bottle of Tatratea!

It had been easy to reach all cities until that moment. It was complicated to understand how to go to Poland from Czechia. I spent hours with a headache analysing the best solution without too many changes and “x” hours of duration. That is why I decided to say “Hello” to my Sardinian friends in Ostrava … and of course drink mirto with them.

I felt really lost outside the railway station of Warszawa. I did not expect a city that big. I spent one hour trying to find out the right way to reach my hostel, but just one hour later, I felt super happy eating a wonderful and delicious plate of pierogi. The day after I had just some hours before my flight to Italy to discover the Polish capital. In Stare Miasto, I met a free city tour in Spanish and I joined the group, and it was very interesting. A funny guide told us history, curiosities, legends about the old place, and thanks to him I had the chance to taste another typical food: Placki ziemniaczane.

The end of a journey is always sad. Saying “Goodbye” to friends, places, feelings… and I am asking myself if I left a part of me there or if I returned home with something more.

“Travelling through stories centuries-old, and in touch with my young sense of survival”

This was for me, my Interrail trip.

Written by Carolina Alfano, AEGEE-Salerno and AEGEE-Verona

Ready to gain practical hands-on experience and hone skills that will benefit you throughout your life? An internship in the United States will make you a better student and employee, cultivate your entrepreneurial and innovative spirit and foster skills that are highly prized by employers across the globe. Here are four reasons why you should cross the Atlantic and intern in the States.

Advanced skills in your industry

The United States is an entrepreneurial powerhouse, meaning the trends for many industries are set here. If you want to learn the newest, most cutting-edge techniques and work with professionals at the top of their game, the U.S. is the best place to do that. You will have professional experiences here you won’t have anywhere else.

Intern Milos Ivanovic was able to advance his CV in 2016, noting, “I improved my knowledge on front-end and back-end frameworks such as Backbone.js, Marionette.js, and Node.js, Ruby, Rails, Go, PHP, and Zend. I also learned about the concept of client-side rendering, which will be invaluable with technology going forward.”

“One of the valuable skills which I have gained is building a more efficient and robust financial model,” comments intern Syariza Ghazali. “I have also learnt the analyses methods used in the private equity space.”

American business culture

A unique, innovative business culture is one of the reasons why the U.S. remains a trendsetter in many industries. Interns often comment on the inspirational environment that encourages the sharing of ideas, and they tell us they will continue using these techniques as they progress in their careers.

“I was working very closely with the directors and also the CEO,” explains trainee Denise Hanft, “which not only forced me to fulfill tasks in a very professional manner, but also to develop a sense on how to justify and explain how and why I executed a task the way I did.”

“I learnt a lot about Hollywood and the entertainment industry and how it functions and what defines it. I also feel like I understand a lot more about how technology is used and far ahead of other places in the world,” says intern Kristine Schofmann. “I have a better understanding of the future and how the internet will play such a large part in it.”

English language and intercultural communication

English is the global language of many industries, so working in an English-language environment is a critical aspect of your internship programme. However, practicing the language isn’t enough. Learning widespread American standards and American cultural skills will make you stand out and truly ready to engage in the global sphere.

“The ability to deal with clients, and team member at the same time has been improved exponentially… in a language that is not my primary language,” says intern Mauro Di Buono. “I am now ready to listen to customer needs and have deep and technical conversation with professional from different industries, understand their needs and provide them with an adequate solution.”

“I became more confident about my own work and learned how to present project proposals to convince the team to focus on a certain idea,” says intern Malgorzata Blachnicka.

Personal growth

Some of the most important skills you will learn won’t be the ones you list on your CV. Living abroad and navigating a new culture gives you the tools to make the most of your life, no matter where your career path takes you. InterExchange alumni report that they are more confident, know what they want to do, and are able to take any situation in stride.

An internship in the U.S. “has definitely taught me flexibility and adaptability – not only in daily life, but in understanding and dealing with different businesses and people as well. I have learned how to quickly adjust depending on what the situation/scenario requires,” explains Ma Consuelo Camacho.

“I grew both from both a business and a human standpoint,” says intern Martina Fattorini. “I put in practice most of what I have studied for five years, allowing me to understand what I can be good at and what I would like to do in my future career.”.

InterExchange Career Training USA is a cultural exchange programme that enables current university students and recent graduates from all over the world to pursue professional-level internships in the U.S. for up to 12 months. InterExchange provides J-1 Visa sponsorship, accident and sickness insurance that meets programme regulations, and ongoing support throughout your entire programme. If you have already found a U.S. internship in your field of study, InterExchange can help you take advantage of global opportunities as you gain practical experience in your field and learn American methodologies and technology.

Are you ready to take your career to the next level? Learn more.

Written by InterExchange

AEGEE-Skopje, the only antenna in Macedonia and with 70 members, has become well known for its Travel Summer Universities (TSU). We spoke with Maria Davceva, External Relations Responsible, who told us about the results of the last Winter Event, which the Macedonian antenna organised for the International Volunteer Day. She also explains their involvement in “Democracy in Practice”  and focuses on previous experiences in TSUs.

The antenna took part in the “International Volunteer Day”, celebrated every year on the 5th of December. It aims to motivate young people to become active volunteers in order to contribute to their society. Also, it encourages people to understand the importance and the benefits of volunteering. This December AEGEE-Skopje was part of the NGO fair in its city, where more than 50 NGOs presented their activities and future plans in order to motivate people to join them as active volunteers. They presented their past projects and future activities in front of thousands of visitors and managed to share  AEGEE’s vision and mission among them.

AEGEE-Skopje also participated in a project called “Democracy in Practice”. This is an AEGEE-Europe Project that aims to raise awareness among young people about the importance of human rights as the basis of a healthy democracy in order to promote social and political participation of young people in their local, national and European environment. This year there was an initiative to celebrate the Human Rights Day by doing interactive workshops across AEGEE antennae.
The Human Rights Day in AEGEE-Skopje was well accepted and integrated in the weekly meeting on the 11th of December. 15 members of AEGEE-Skopje, divided in two groups, participated in the activity drawing a “human rights tree”. After finishing their drawings, they had a short discussion about which human rights are violated in Macedonia. The members were really interested in the discussion about the factors (the roots) that make human rights flourish, such as: no corruption, health care system, social care system, education, moral, ethics, police, law, democracy, etc.

The last events that were related to motivating and training members were: a Local Training Course (LTC) about Democracy in Practice on 14.12.2015, and a motivational weekend on the 23.10.2015 (Mountain House Papradiste).
The LTC was a three hours course, during which new members gained knowledge from the beginnings of AEGEE, history and its structure, but also the activities in AEGEE-Skopje. They also went from newbies to motivated active members all through a series of workshops and thematic exercises .
The motivational weekend on the other hand, apart from information about the possibilities in AEGEE, its history and member bonding experiences, gave the members two whole days to be part of trainings in the areas of fundraising (how to achieve long-term fundraising success), human resources (emotional intelligence), and informational technology (protect your online data).
Although in both LTC and motivational weekend the basic workshops and activities were tied around the five different working teams headed by the board responsible (HR, PR, ER, IT, FR and Fundraising), their structure and goals are somewhat different (training them with knowledge vs. motivating them to use and point that knowledge towards a goal).

From the 7th to the 12th of January AEGEE-Skopje had its winter event “WinUp-It’s Snow Time”, which took place in Skopje and Mavrovo. The participants enjoyed a workshop about traditional Macedonian dances, lead by a professional folk dance group which taught them how to dance like a true Macedonian. The second workshop was about Macedonian Christmas traditions. It was interesting for the participants to hear and see pictures of the various traditions around Macedonia, considering that it is an Orthodox country. The participants were amazed by the Matka canyon and its untouched nature, the city tour in Skopje followed by the pub crawl in the Old Bazar and the fresh mountain air in Mavrovo. The Macedonian antenna was happy to have a really united and amazing group of participants in which they all felt connected.
“The gossip box was always full, it fulfilled its purpose of breaking the ice and improved the love factor of this event. The energy of the participants was endless, never ending singing, laughing and drinking of course. The party bus in Mavrovo has a lot of stories to tell” says Maria. The best way to spend time after New Year’s Eve is traveling, mainly in the capital of Macedonia where the winter event took place in the middle of the Christmas spirit in Skopje and the breathtaking Mavrovo. “We didn’t have snow, because our participants were so full of love that they melted it all” adds Maria.

About the TSUs, Maria says “A Travel Summer University is a great responsibility and even bigger pleasure to organise”. In fact, the antenna had two great summer universities with two amazing antennae in the summer of 2015, which it had a lot of workshops about their cultures, national dances and history, trying to make the participants feel their way of living. At the TSU with Belgrade “YUGOvision- Balkan is calling”, the participants had the chance to visit two countries which not so long ago shared the same name, language, monetary system and president. The monuments they visited and workshops they attended got them closer to the theme of their TSU, to their culture, history, life and to Yugoslavia. At the TSU with Istanbul “Greater than Alexander, more Magnificent than Suleyman”, the participants got closer to the history of Turkey and Macedonia through multicultural activities, which in the past has intersected more than once, leaving traces that are present even now.

About the last elections of the board, only one of the old members remained and that is the president Ivan. Members attend different universities, meaning that the prosperity of the 2016’s productivity is immensely high. Nenad has his Master’s degree in Business Law, Marija and Stefani are students of psychology, Elena is an IT student, Saska is attending business academy and Goran is an economist. “Together we are one team and for almost two years now, we have been spreading the AEGEE spirit” adds Maria.

During the 2015, AEGEE-Skopje slightly altered its logo. The old one consisted of the word “AEGEE” and the name of the capital city Skopje, as well as a map of Europe next to the word. The new logo is enriched with a picture of the biggest and most beautiful bridge, and also one of the greatest monuments in Skopje – The Stone Bridge. The Stone Bridge or “Kameni Most’”, as they call it, is a bridge across the Vardar River in Skopje. The bridge is considered a symbol of Skopje and is the main element is the coat of arms of the city, which is incorporated in the city’s flag. The Stone Bridge connects Macedonia Square, in the center of Skopje, to the Old Bazaar.

At the end Maria reminds that all AEGEE members are invited to apply and participate on the next TSU whose name is “Balkanize your summer from Danube to Vardar”, which is going to be organised in five cities (Serbia- Novi sad/Belgrade, Macedonia-Skopje/Struga/Ohrid).

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.

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

A lot of students dream about spending one or two semester abroad in a foreign country. And why not? The experience is amazing; you get to meet all these new amazing people from different countries with various backgrounds. You get to go to parties and stay out as late as you want. You can go on trips, see a country and experience live to the fullest. Erasmus life is like a rollercoaster ride. You go up and down, up and down and everything is so exciting. The sad part is at the end of the ride, when you have to get off the train.

When I came back from my Erasmus period in the UK in June of 2013, I was excited to see all my friends and my family back at home. It was nice to show everyone the pictures I made and to tell people about my adventures. It was really nice for about three weeks and that was when I started to miss everyone from my Erasmus. Yes, we still keep in touch via facebook and whatsapp and I email my best friend from my Erasmus weekly but it is just not the same. You can’t go to a party and create crazy masks before going there, you can’t go over to their house and have a movie marathon. You can’t talk about missing your home with them because you are already home (and people might think you are crazy if you start talking about home when you are already home). You are back in your old life, and it feels like a safety blanket and you appreciate it, but it is just less exciting.

Am I overreacting? I might be, who knows? But that doesn’t mean that some people don’t experience a post-Erasmus-depression or The Erasmus Blues as it is called by those who actually went on Erasmus. Anyway I know more who have experienced the Erasmus Blues. For example a friend of mine went to America for a semester in the beginning of this school year. At first she was scared to leave her home but when she came back from America she was just excited as I was. She had such a brilliant time and made so many friends and it was in one word: amazing. I know you may think we are dweeps who spend all their time complaining and complaining is so hipster nowadays. But I honestly think Erasmus Blues (yes, I am sticking with it) is a real thing.

So what did I do to not dwell on the exciting life that I left behind? You simply get up every day and do your thing. I know I sound sappy and yes, I may have mourned for a couple of weeks. I thought quite a lot about the awesome time I had and I spend a lot of time talking to and about my Erasmus friends. But I also went to see my friends from home and since it was summer I spend some time working as well. For me it was important to get out of my house and to experience life again. Honestly some days I felt like laying in my bed all day and not getting up because life just wasn’t that exciting but then again I didn’t experience all of those amazing things by laying in bed. What also helped was making a photo album. I had all these pictures and I figured I had to do something with them so I spend a year making a photo album. It was nice to recall all those memories and put them together in a book.

To conclude my story; my Erasmus experience was amazing and I learned so much about myself during that time. You should try to make the most out of that experience during and after that period. Keep being that open-minded person you were during your Erasmus period and enjoy your memories. In the end the experience was worth the goodbye.

Written by Majka Geerts, AEGEE-Nijmegen

 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

In 2013 the Europe on Track project got launched, sending out young people to cross the European continent searching for answers to questions like: ‘Why should more young people become actors in the European Project?’ and ‘How can we get young people more engaged in the European agenda?’ The project turned out to be a huge success, even winning the Charlemagne Youth Prize in 2013, so a second edition was organized this year. The AEGEEan spoke to the travelers of this edition to find out more about their motivation, journey and memories they keep.

From April 9^th until May 10^th six young Europeans decided to take up the challenge, and cross Europe by train in two teams. Team Blue was formed by Yana Brovdij (AEGEE-Wien), Javier Castillo (AEGEE-Las Palmas) and Wessel Reijers (AEGEE-Enschede), while Team Red had Monica Nica (AEGEE-Aachen), Lucia Sobekova (AEGEE-Bratislava) and Gergõ Kalamár (AEGEE-Budapest) as team members. Both teams started their journey at NWM Leiden, but split ways immediately. Team Blue travelled eastwards, visiting cities like Berlin, Praha, Warsaw, Minsk, Kyiv and Budapest, while Team Red went to the south, visiting cities like Zaragoza, Patra, Léon, Naples, Zagreb, Sofia and Pécs.

The first question to ask, of course, is why these six people decided to join the project. Although the exact reasons vary, they all mention their love for travelling and involvement with Europe’s future. Gergõ actually thought he had tried everything in AEGEE, but then realized he had never participated in an AEGEE-Europe project. “I thought this project was the best opportunity to meet a lot of young people, travel around Europe and do something really useful for our future.” Yana shares a similar motivation, telling us: “This project was giving me an unique opportunity to combine the three passions of my life: European affairs, writing and travelling.” Monika adds to this: “I believe it’s crucial for Europe’s future to meaningfully include young people in the decision-making process, and it’s time for politicians to listen to what they have to say.” Wessel thinks there is also a role for AEGEEans here, saying: “Since we as AEGEEans proclaim to have a certain vision about Europe, it is important to stay focused on the ‘why’ of this vision.” Next to developing Europe, they also wanted to develop their personal skills. “I am a Media Communication student, so I wanted to put my video skills into practice”, Javier tells us.

Travelling for a month normally means that you are leaving your home, but for one of the travelers it was actually a chance to go back home. As Yana tells us: “I have been living abroad for eight years, so it has been great to be able to visit my country and see my family, especially during this hard times.” The other travelers however weren’t this lucky, so they missed things from home, varying from Spanish food (Javier) to family and friends (Gergõ) or the ability to sleep in the same bed for more than two nights in a row (Monica).

The journey wasn’t only a matter of missing things though, since the travelers all had a hard time picking their favorite moments of their travels. Wessel says it’s hard to pick one favorite moment, but he had the most memorable time in Minsk, Belarus. “The people in Minsk were simply amazing, we had a great time talking to them and making music together, and there is a great sense of hope for the future amongst young people in Belarus.” Javier had a similar positive experience with citizens of Prague they met in the tram on the way to their hostel. “We met some musicians from different nationalities and we decided to go to a really underground pub and talk for hours about our experiences while travelling.” Yana tells us there were a lot of unforgettable moments, but the visit to Ukraine stands out for her. “Due to the events of the last months in Ukraine, being able to visit Maidan and see the places where people gave their lives for the better future of their country was very emotional.” For Gergõ it was really hard to pick one favorite moment, because every moment was great. “I loved to run to catch a train, it was fantastic to travel, the places we visited were beautiful and the people we met were wonderful.”

The travelers agree that they didn’t come home only with great memories, but also a changed vision about Europe, AEGEE, places they visited or all of the three mentioned before. “I have really hanged my vision about certain places I visited; especially about Belarus and Ukraine”, Wessel tells us. “It was great to experience the actual spirit in those countries and the disposition of young people to really change the status quo.” Javier adds to this: “It gave me an overall view of what youngers think about Europe, and it made me feel lucky to live in a really big country that we call the European Union, where it’s so easy to travel and to meet people all around the continent.” To Monica it changed her view on Europe in a positive way. “Europe on Track gave me more confidence in Europe’s future, meeting so many dedicated, professional and positive people.”

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that all of the travelers would go on a journey like this again. Most of the travelers agree that the concept right now is close to perfect already. As Wessel tells us: “I would keep most of the project the same, because in general it’s really an awesome project!” Yana even wants to take a second round of Europe on Track to the next level. “Not only would I do it again, I wouldn’t mind doing something similar for the whole year, because the experiences you get are unforgettable and you learn and grow so much in the process.

Want to stay updated about the project? Follow Europe on Track on Facebook!

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen

It is no secret that AEGEE is a very good place where to meet not only your future best friends, colleagues and simply great people, but even your future spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend. There are loads of stories about happy marriages between AEGEE members from the same and even different countries. But how does it work to have long-distance relationships in AEGEE?

Klaudia and Jonas

The AEGEEan asked this question to two couples who both have been together long enough to know how it is. Klaudia (AEGEE-Krakow & AEGEE-Eindhoven) and Jonas (AEGEE-Eindhoven) have been a couple for “3 beautiful years and 2 amazing months”, while Olga (AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk) and Alfredo (AEGEE-Salerno) have counted the months of their love story for “around 1.5 years”. We asked both couples the same questions.

Do you live together or apart?

Klaudia & Jonas (K&J): We have lived together for the last 2.5 years now.

Olga & Alfredo (O&A): For now we are not living together, but this might happen at some point soon.

Before living together, how easy was or is it to arrange meetings?

K&J: At first it was holidays and we travelled together so we saw each other in Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland again… And then for half a year almost every weekend in the Netherlands or Luxembourg. Arranging meetings was not as difficult as saying goodbye every Sunday night!

O&A: We meet on average once per 1-2 months. In the first year we met even more often, a few times at AEGEE meetings. It was not hard, as due to our AEGEE obligations we both had to travel a lot and could thus see each other more often, but now that we are not so active in the organisation anymore and busy with things to do at home, it is a bit harder. But nothing is impossible and we do our best to see each other as often as possible! Now we try to always meet in different places, so that we can at least discover a bit of Europe together.

Alfredo and Olga

What are the benefits and disadvantages of long-distance relationships?

K&J: The benefits are that maybe you have more space for yourself and you can combine meetings with cool trips. Every time you meet it’s special, and a moment to look forward to. The disadvantage is definitely not being able to call each other and making an appointment for same day, not being close to each other every day.

O&A: A clear disadvantage is that the “living together” part of the story is missing, instead there are a thousand kilometers of distance. Also going to the cinema or for a pizza together is missing. On the other hand, every meeting is like a big holiday for us. No routine! There is also more time for personal life and for the job… But is this really a benefit?

Olga and Alfredo

And how is it to have another AEGEE member as your partner?

K&J: You both like the same cool trips and the same great people! You can travel together to AEGEE events and have lots of friends in common. The second one could be a disadvantage for some, not for us!

O&A: It is scaring to let your partner attend a Summer University as you know as good as  no-one else what this is, but for jealous people it’s easy to know if something happened! We are joking of course, as mostly it gives only benefits – lots of common topics to discuss, friends, sharing ideas about some projects and of course attending events together. You do not need to explain where you are going and why, it’s already clear. And can it be considered as benefit that the other is able to understand that MedCom is not Medical Committee?

What would you suggest to other couples in AEGEE who are in long-distance relationships?

K&J: If you know it can turn out into something stable and serious, the best is to try. The closer the better…

O&A: Never give up. What indeed matters are feelings and the wish to see each other. The rest – location, distance, money etc. – are just temporary attributes which can always be changed. But it helps a lot to appreciate every single moment together as extremely precious.

Jonas and Klaudia

Please, share one funny story related to long-distance relationships!

K&J: A few years ago in winter, we were flying back from our holiday in Morocco, via the United Kingdom, when we got snowed-in at the airport, no planes leaving. We both had flights to different countries, but both got cancelled. In the end we travelled in many stages, by train to the Netherlands. We did many romantic stops on the way in restaurants and bars, and spent the night in the train station in London. It ended up being a great little adventure!

O&A: Ah, mostly all stories are connected with travelling. This summer Alfredo waited for Olga at the airport in Rome (there is also a similar story with Alfredo waiting in Beograd and Olga landing in Sofia instead). While at the door with a nice paper with her name in his hands, he received a phone call that she got lost and managed to get to the airport in another country… How to spoil romantic moments! It was extremely funny to try to meet again in the airport! A bit more of these and Olga will be qualified for writing a book on “How not to lose your love in airports”!

Written by Anita Kalmane, AEGEE-Ogre

Some ideas come suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue, others are like raindrops, one by one creating a hurricane. For me, the situation was the second: first I read a blog post, then I saw a video, then I heard experiences from people… and finally I decided that this year I wanted to reach my Summer University by hitchhiking!

I started asking friends and fellow participants, but nobody would or could join. However, I was already determined. This way of travelling would allow me to stop in several cities on the way, to talk to the locals, to feel a bit like Jack Kerouac in the America of the 50s, reduce my environmental impact and finally to save some money.

The time separating me from the departure date flew fast and one Monday morning at ten o’ clock I was already hitting the roads – direction: Grenoble, France. This was the first stop of a trip that would bring me to Paris after travelling approximately 200 km per day.

“Aren’t you scared?” is one of the questions that I heard the most.

I was, a bit. But I was confident as well. And optimistic. These qualities are needed to hitch-hike. What else is necessary?  Determination, patience, trust in other people, will to talk, strategic positioning, map, colourful clothes in order to be noticeable, and a big sign with your destination.

Five days and fifteen cars later I arrived. Probably not wiser, but with more knowledge about France, its costumes and society and with lots of stories. On the way I met a priest and a border policemen,  I heard about positive philosophy and industrial washing, I went to visit the school of one of my drivers, I was invited to pick mushrooms in the forest, I shared a car with four more experienced hitch-hikers, I was left in the middle of nowhere or brought directly to the place needed, I had drivers finding the following lift for me, I gave and received suggestions, and had fun!

At the end of the trip the satisfaction to have managed not to give up when the wait was longer and rain started to fall made me want to jump and smile all by myself!

As I said at the beginning it was exactly a blog post, an article on the internet that inspired me to undertake this adventure: I hope that my story will be a drop watering someone’s idea of hitch-hiking, just as it did to David, my SU friend.

And I hope that next time when you are driving and see someone on the side of the street waiting for a lift, you will not think that he/she is a serial killer thirsty of your blood, but just a person willing to offer his company, hints of reflections, jokes or maybe biscuits typical of his country.

Written by Martina Zanero, AEGEE-Torino

Photographs provided by Jüri Kirpu, AEGEE-Tallinn 

Remark by The AEGEEan: The provided photographs were not taken during this trip.