Another great way to experience the real culture of the places you are visiting, is by using www.CouchSurfing.com.
With CouchSurfing, you can ask locals, who are members of the website, to host you. Travellers are often offered a couch or a spare bed to sleep on - and it's completely free.
Hosts usually want to get to know their visitors better to get an insight into their culture. This often happens over dinner at the host's house where either the guest or the host cooks a meal from their home country.
Some will take you to a local club or bar for a drink and some will take you sightseeing around town. It is totally up to the host to decide how long they can host you. It all depends on their schedule (some will lend a key to their guests so they can let themselves in) but also about the chemistry between host and traveller. There is, however, never any guarantees of a free spot. You may need to write multiple hosts in each city you visit to find a host who is home and able to have you stay with them.
I have surfed couches in Trieste, Italy and Vienna, Austria. Both times, my hosts were really nice and I spent a lot of time with them in the evening after they came home from work.
This may seem to many as a very unsafe way to travel, but there are certain safety security facilities established by the people behind CouchSurfing. This way you can limit your search for couches to only show members who have been verified by CouchSurfing. You also have the option to read about the hosts before you contact them. Many guests choose to grade and write a line or two about their experience while staying with their hosts. This feature is a great way to find the ideal host for you.
April 09, 2012
Travelling is Living
I've travelled most of my life. Primarily in Europe but also in USA and Canada. My travels started in 1987 when I was 2 years old when my family went on a road trip to France. A long drive for a family with two children on the back seat. But this trip and many more like it established a strong endurance when it comes to one thing - waiting...
I've waited a lot in my life. In the army they told us "Hurry up and wait!" which is a very confusing command to be given. Waiting is a funny thing. Time spent waiting can be used for a lot of different things - depending on the situation. At work you can be waiting to be given more work. You could be waiting for that phone call telling you whether or not you got that job you've worked so hard for. You can be waiting for the new iPhone 5. I've tried all of them. And there are unimaginable many reasons why you wait. But what do you do with your time while you wait? Do you check the news on your phone? Do you do the dishes? Or perhaps read a book?
I tried turning the waiting time to my advantage deliberately once. I went on an Interrail trip on my own.
Interrail is a way of travelling in Europe using only trains. I took the train from Copenhagen and went through Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, France and Belgium before returning to Denmark three weeks later.
To me, it was surprisingly inexpensive to travel this way. I bought a ticket in Denmark that allowed me to travel for 10 days within a 22 day period for only € 260. This method of transport is much different than going on a plane or driving on the autobahn blasting through the countryside without looking out the window. While making your way through the European landscape, travellers get a unique way to spend their time waiting: seeing the raw nature that is Europe - while relaxing.
First, please know that you cannot expect to be understood everywhere in Europe when travelling around. English will go a long way, but not the whole way. Especially in southern European countries, people don't bother learning English in general - especially the older generation.
Second, you need to be open to new ways of living and cultures. I met a girl from USA once who travelled on her own to Russia. She was supposed to be there for three weeks, but returned after only two weeks. When I talked to her about it, she told me that she had returned because nobody spoke English in Russia and thus seemed rude and ignorant to her. To me, the girl was the ignorant one. How can she expect people in Russia to understand her when she only speaks English? She told me that she had made no effort in learning any Russian before or during her trip.
In Europe you will find a new language in each country (back to basics, I know). And a lot of dialects. You will not be understood everywhere and you cannot always use what you know to get what you want. You will need to study your destination and adapt to your surroundings. I was in Italy on my road trip and wanted to relax and watch a movie in the cinema. However, it occurred to me that all movies in italian cinemas are dubbed into Italian - and are not shown in their original language. When I realized this, I also realized why most Italians don't speak English. Nothing on tv is in English. Everything is dubbed. I'm betting that Italians do this to preserve their cultural identity and not be turned by Hollywood.
Interrail is an awesome way to meet locals and new people while travelling. I met a lot of people on the trains who were doing the same as me. I even joined a few groups here and there to have company while travelling. And we had a blast!
Interrail is an amazing way to travel. But do it before you turn 25 or the price will rise. Go before it's too late.
I've waited a lot in my life. In the army they told us "Hurry up and wait!" which is a very confusing command to be given. Waiting is a funny thing. Time spent waiting can be used for a lot of different things - depending on the situation. At work you can be waiting to be given more work. You could be waiting for that phone call telling you whether or not you got that job you've worked so hard for. You can be waiting for the new iPhone 5. I've tried all of them. And there are unimaginable many reasons why you wait. But what do you do with your time while you wait? Do you check the news on your phone? Do you do the dishes? Or perhaps read a book?
I tried turning the waiting time to my advantage deliberately once. I went on an Interrail trip on my own.
Interrail is a way of travelling in Europe using only trains. I took the train from Copenhagen and went through Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, France and Belgium before returning to Denmark three weeks later.
To me, it was surprisingly inexpensive to travel this way. I bought a ticket in Denmark that allowed me to travel for 10 days within a 22 day period for only € 260. This method of transport is much different than going on a plane or driving on the autobahn blasting through the countryside without looking out the window. While making your way through the European landscape, travellers get a unique way to spend their time waiting: seeing the raw nature that is Europe - while relaxing.
First, please know that you cannot expect to be understood everywhere in Europe when travelling around. English will go a long way, but not the whole way. Especially in southern European countries, people don't bother learning English in general - especially the older generation.
Second, you need to be open to new ways of living and cultures. I met a girl from USA once who travelled on her own to Russia. She was supposed to be there for three weeks, but returned after only two weeks. When I talked to her about it, she told me that she had returned because nobody spoke English in Russia and thus seemed rude and ignorant to her. To me, the girl was the ignorant one. How can she expect people in Russia to understand her when she only speaks English? She told me that she had made no effort in learning any Russian before or during her trip.
In Europe you will find a new language in each country (back to basics, I know). And a lot of dialects. You will not be understood everywhere and you cannot always use what you know to get what you want. You will need to study your destination and adapt to your surroundings. I was in Italy on my road trip and wanted to relax and watch a movie in the cinema. However, it occurred to me that all movies in italian cinemas are dubbed into Italian - and are not shown in their original language. When I realized this, I also realized why most Italians don't speak English. Nothing on tv is in English. Everything is dubbed. I'm betting that Italians do this to preserve their cultural identity and not be turned by Hollywood.
Interrail is an awesome way to meet locals and new people while travelling. I met a lot of people on the trains who were doing the same as me. I even joined a few groups here and there to have company while travelling. And we had a blast!
Interrail is an amazing way to travel. But do it before you turn 25 or the price will rise. Go before it's too late.
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