Study abroad and shit

Bensun

Member
Im going to bonn germany for school in the fall and was wondering if NS has any experience with the place, tips, beers to try, places to see and such. I don't plan on skiing because I dont have a car but we will see. It is my first time in europe without any parentals so im stoked.
 
heard being abroad is a blast

drink as much as you can, and traveling around europe once youre already in europe is cheap and easy, so check out italy/london/spain etc.
 
13454018:Peter. said:
heard being abroad is a blast

drink as much as you can, and traveling around europe once youre already in europe is cheap and easy, so check out italy/london/spain etc.

The thing about this is that when you try and travel you'll be paying for accomodation back on campus at the same time so you might not be willing to do so. You might need more money than expected.

Source: brother lived at Leeds Uni the past 4 months.

P.s planes (and buses) are still cheap af, your trip will be buck wild
 
Ill be around that area at the end of this month into the 12th of august. Ill try to report back with things to try.

Except i probably wont be in that specific town, im going to vist friends in dortmund but i will be in the frankfurt area for the most part.

One beer that i really like but it is the only one i've tried because my friend brought quite a bit back a couple years ago is schlappeseppel

Foto_Schlappeseppel_Bier.jpg
 
13454345:dodge said:
The thing about this is that when you try and travel you'll be paying for accomodation back on campus at the same time so you might not be willing to do so. You might need more money than expected.

P.s planes (and buses) are still cheap af, your trip will be buck wild

It's not nearly as cheap and easy as everyone thinks. Compared to flying from Canada or the U.S., Yes, but it's not like plane, bus, and train tickets are $10 each and hotels or hostels are basically free. Expect to spend a few hundred per trip at least. Also gotta watch out with airlines. Ryanair for example...dirt cheap, but while your ticket says Barcelona or wherever, they actually fly into a tiny airport 40 miles from the city.

Overall though I can't recommend study abroad enough. I had a blast and didn't even travel that much. I preferred to really get to know where I was living vs being gone every weekend to spend 12 hours in every major European city possible
 
My tip would be to learn German if you don't already speak it. Germany is a great country, but the majority of my time spent there has been in Berlin. If you only travel to one other City whilst you live in Bonn, make sure it's Berlin!

Otherwise, you're a train ride away from Belgium, Netherlands and France, all fantastic countries. Travel isn't as cheap as people on this thread are claiming (gas is expensive)...but you can find some great deals if you look around and I'd assume that most European hostels are better than any you'd find in the States judging by the state of your motels!
 
That's a good location, very near Cologne (Koln) as well as the Benelux area. I live about an hour south depending on how fast you drive. I can answer questions about living in Europe/Germany pretty well, this is my 6th year out here and I've done a lot of outdoor adventure in my time. I've also spent about a year of combined months living in other countries too.

3 quick things:

-The beers are generally all the same, American and Belgian beers are better honestly. You'll be bored of your 3-4 beer options (with different labels) in a few weeks. German beer industry is starting to lose out to US/Belgian sales due to their lack of interest in new types of beers and their laws.

-If you are only here for 6 months, you frankly won't even scratch the surface. Have a plan for 2-3 really cool things you want to do (notice I didn't say large cities you want to visit) and make it happen. Big cities all over the world are generally the same unless you are a history buff or get off on listing city capitals you've visited. I typically plan outdoor trips I want to do, and end up finding cool places/visiting nearby points of interest while I'm out there.

-If the person has less than about a year of experience living abroad (preferably more than one place), I'd honestly recommend you take that advice with a grain of salt. It takes a long time and a few different locations to start to notice differences/similarities in lifestyle that you truly appreciate or don't matter to you at all.
 
I'm in Dusseldorf now for a month for work or whenever I finish learning what I need to which at this point will be in a year because the people are so damn unorganized at the place.

Bus is definitely the cheapest way to travel if you can find coach buses to different cities. Airbnb will probably have the cheapest places to stay for a night.

Learn some German, enough to communicate at restaurants and get around. My boss told me to not worry about learning German since a lot of people in the company speak it. Now I really wish I would have taken the time to learn some even though a large portion can speak English especially young people. I feel like a huge dick relying on people to speak English to me all the time.

So far I've been to Koln, Dusseldorf, and Amsterdam. Amsterdam was pretty cool. I don't smoke weed and it was still a cool city to check out. Koln and Dusseldorf seem pretty similar. No reason for you to visit Dusseldorf.
 
13455988:TOAST. said:
I'm in Dusseldorf now for a month for work or whenever I finish learning what I need to which at this point will be in a year because the people are so damn unorganized at the place.

Bus is definitely the cheapest way to travel if you can find coach buses to different cities. Airbnb will probably have the cheapest places to stay for a night.

Learn some German, enough to communicate at restaurants and get around. My boss told me to not worry about learning German since a lot of people in the company speak it. Now I really wish I would have taken the time to learn some even though a large portion can speak English especially young people. I feel like a huge dick relying on people to speak English to me all the time.

So far I've been to Koln, Dusseldorf, and Amsterdam. Amsterdam was pretty cool. I don't smoke weed and it was still a cool city to check out. Koln and Dusseldorf seem pretty similar. No reason for you to visit Dusseldorf.

Germans? Unorganized?
 
13455412:Livelifelarge said:
this.

germany sucks, its like just america, filled with assholes who think they are better than everyone else execpt their country fucking blows

go someplace cool and authentic (unelss you speak german) like italy, spain, france anywhere in eastern europe, scandanivavia

Post lost credibility when you said Germans are more snobby than the French
 
I've lived in Zurich for the past 2 years, originally from Toronto, Canada

I've travelled quite a bit of Europe in my time here, so here's a few tips

1. anyone who says Germany/Europe/whatever sucks is an ignorant north American. They don't understand or appreciate other cultures. You'll notice quickly that there are things that are better and worse about another cultures. Embrace those which you like, respect those which you don't. Be open minded, it'll pay off in spades

2. you're going to a good spot for travel. Bonn isn't that exciting from what I hear, but its central and there's lots that you can reach in a short distance. If you're there for 3/4 months the spots most important spots i'd say you should visit would be Amsterdam (even if you don't smoke it's an awesome city), London, paris (despite its rep it is a great city), and the Austrian alps (Innsbruck, don't bother coming to Switzerland, Austria is more authentic and half the price). I don't know if you're old enough to drink, but Oktoberfest in munich is also amazing. In terms of travel, book everything EARLY. Like 4 months in advance early and i'm not kidding. Flights/trains in Europe can be super cheap, but you have to book way in advance. Check easyjet and ryan air. You have to meet certain luggage and the flight isn't comfortable but who cares. Pick the things you want to do now and start booking.

3. make an effort to learn the language. Download duolingo now (its free) and do a lesson a day. It adds up quick and it'll allow you to get through everyday transactions without feeling bad for making someone else have to speak broken English. Even if you start in german and ask people if they speak English in german, they'll generally recognize the effort and be more helpful

that's a quick guide, but most importantly have fun!
 
oh and if you can visit rome, sorry I forgot it bc I was trying to put places within close proximity, but rome is so awesome
 
Did 4 months in Luxembourg. Ended up traveling to 12 countries.

Quick hits

- Prague and Budapest are AMAZING

- If you havent been to Florence, definitely go.

- Hit up Interlaken Switzerland and go Canyoning and Canyon Jumping

- If youre a history buff, do the Band of Brothers tour in normandy. It follows the series of paratroopers and you see the battlefields they all fought on (As well as the beaches). Well worth the money.

-STRONGLY consider getting the unlimited Eurorail pass. For about $1,200 you get unlimited train tickets all across europe for a 3 month span.

- Hostelworld, AirBNB, RyanAir are your best friends.

- Theres ALWAYS a party going on - befriend some locals everywhere you go. You'll get a much better feel of the city

Dusseldorf will give you good access to all of Europe. PM me know if you have any questions on cities to visit
 
I studied abroad in college and shit can get weird. If I had to do it again I would try to focus more on my diet and try to eat more fiber and pro-biotics. Try to eat the local yogurt and consider bringing your own bag of unprocessed wheat bran.
 
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