Hello! My name is Elise, and I am studying abroad in Germany. I’ve been here for about three weeks, and Berlin is such a cool city! Today I’m going to discuss the importance of learning the public transportation systems in your designated country, as well as options for traveling to other nearby countries.
With public transportation, my group got very fortunate this summer because Germany had a special ticket that allowed us to travel throughout the entire country for 9 €/month. They are only doing this during June, July, and August, which really helped us out. An average single ticket in Germany is about 2 €. Usually when my friends and I needed to get places, we would map it out on google maps or apple maps. These apps will show you the exact tram, train, or bus lines you should take. These were extremely helpful. Another way to figure out the correct stop is by carrying around a map of the transportation system; however, there are also maps provided with all of the stops in each train station. One of the most important things is to remember the stop name of where you are staying. This way, if your phone dies or you lose your friends, you can still find your way back to where you need to be. When you know how to use it, public transportation proves to be an extremely valuable tool.
In addition, when in Europe especially, it is quite easy to travel to other countries in little time and with little money. For example, when in Berlin, I had a free weekend. Some of my friends and I took this opportunity to go to Prague, Czech Republic. It was a five hour ride by bus or train; I traveled by bus, which was only about 40 € round trip. One word of advice, make sure you have an assigned seat even if you have to pay a little extra! Some of my friends took a train and did not get assigned seats; they ended up sitting on the floor for most of the ride. Another tip, AirBnB and hostels are great for cheaper places to stay than hotels. In Prague, we walked a lot as well as used Uber, but they have a public transportation system we could’ve used. Prague was a very beautiful city, and I highly recommend going, if you get the chance!
All in all, public transportation is very beneficial and effective, if available!
