travel q&a | study abroad, how to plan, solo traveling & interrailing

Hi, hello. Hello. I've been meaning to film a Q&A about studying abroad traveling and trailing all that stuff for the longest time I have good tips and tricks. I've also just gotten so many questions about it So I thought let's just answer them all in one video. Oh, did you hear that? Oh, I can finally breathe this dress is the most beautiful magnificent thing, but it is so friggin tight I don't know if I can wear this for the rest of the day. I think I might have to change I was studying abroad as you may or may not know for the past Seven months in Copenhagen if you're new here and you have no idea like what I'm doing Basically, I say at McGill in cultural studies as my major and I minor in comms Which is basically studying how to criticize analyze our culture media I feel like that's kind of the gist of it learning how to take in all the culture we encounter on a daily basis It's such an awesome program. I learned about film. I learned about literature I love McGill so much a big thing for me going into University that I was so excited about was studying abroad That was always something I really wanted to do my mom studied abroad in France and University learned French Which led her eventually to meet my dad moved to Montreal study abroad has always been something My parents have encouraged me to show interest in travel has always been a big thing in my family. We'd love to travel I wanted to experience living abroad. Also. I'm so greasy because I'm so sweaty New York is like the most humid place on earth right now Honestly, there was really no question in my mind If I stayed in Montreal, I love Miguel has the best exchange program lots of sister schools so many options of where you can go to study. Okay next question What did you study abroad? So like I said McGill especially for liberal arts programs has so many options of where you can go around the world So where I went there were a couple exchange programs that were meant only for exchange students to take and so I took a Danish film and cinema course and a Danish architecture and design course So I always get so stressed that there's like someone's gonna like break in and just kidnap me. So I Think we're fine. That might be just Milo Those are the two courses I took very in line with my major and with my interests Although to be honest school was not the biggest thing where I went school is extremely easy and I didn't do that much of it but I was at University of Copenhagen I feel like usually people go like CBS if they're in business and then University of Copenhagen for science and Liberal arts super pretty campus great teachers chill classes in both classes The teachers were like you can come to class or you can not it doesn't really matter. You can just read the slides I think because the classes are designed for exchange students and especially in Copenhagen There's this accent on exchange being meant I guess to explore the city and travel more than like go to class at least that's how I Felt that's how I read it. And that's how I went about my exchange school was definitely my last priority Which is never the case really so it's nice to have that be the case for change because I've always been someone that's so Like school oriented, which is great. I love studying. I love learning. I love going to school I love the structure the school brings into my life But I think there is an imbalance in my life when it comes to school whenever I am in school and it counts Exchange didn't count whenever it counts it takes over my life and it's all I care about And so exchange was really good for me in that sense. But anyways, we'll get to that a bit later. Let's move on Okay, how did you decide study abroad was the right choice for you and your degree? Traveling I think is integral to any degree You just learn so much about yourself through traveling and I think that you need that regardless of what you're studying in order to grow Yes, but also in order to build an understanding of how different countries and cultures function Especially being in cultural studies because in order to really learn the most about a culture immersing yourself in it in it is the best Way, so it was kind of obvious for my major that I would do exchange But like I said, I feel like in any degree exchange is beneficial. You're in school. Yes to learn Whatever it is. You're majoring and minoring in but in university you're changing so much Those years are so transformative and I think that there's so much to be learned outside of the classroom and that's something I firmly firmly believe I encourage everyone to do exchange. It's truly the best experience I've ever had in my entire life It taught me so much about myself and I came home a changed person for the better in every single way Regardless of your degree do it. It's also like the one time in your life I mean not the one time but it's a really great opportunity to be in school without having school be like a huge thing At least at McGill your grades didn't count really just pass or fail, which was awesome because I've never experienced that before So it's just such a great opportunity to be able to be in school But living abroad as a student and experiencing the student life elsewhere was so special Obviously like the student life in Montreal is amazing and so much fun I know some people at least feel like oh I need to go to the States experience like frats or I want to go here to experience more like the uni life I definitely have experienced and continue to experience the uni life in Montreal because it's such a fun University town But I wanted to experience living in Europe just living in Scandinavia, especially and just experiencing University in a different way Why did you choose Copenhagen everyone in Denmark was always asking me? Oh, why Copenhagen like what drew you to Copenhagen and to be completely honest? My first choice was London. I got Copenhagen I don't know by chance and because the universe had my back and knew it was best for me I need to like go back to London and experience it well because my first time there wasn't the best cuz I was like Depresso, but we won't talk about that I got Copenhagen kind of a chance but it was in my choices and for a while It was gonna be my first pick simply because Scandinavia has always intrigued me the fact that they're so community-driven This kind of traces of the welfare state or more than traces like this focus on the greater good almost Universal healthcare free school all these things that really really is attractive to me Canada's pretty good with it, but I wish it was more like that where we are London Paris, New York These are cities that I feel like are more Accessible like if I were to want to move abroad less daunting to move to London or to move to Paris than Scandinavia It feels a bit more foreign because I'd never been before and so I was like if there's a time to like move there It's now because when else would I think oh, I just want to move to Copenhagen. It just felt less likely So that's kind of why I picked Copenhagen. And yeah, I like the fashion the design scenes There are incredible and I'm obviously super into that. So could you see yourself living full-time in Copenhagen in the future when I was in? Copenhagen I never wanted to I like I didn't want to leave especially over the summer. It was extraordinary It's a wonderful city and I love it so much full time I'm not sure. I think that the winters there are not for me if I was gonna live abroad I would want to live somewhere warmer I think definitely gonna be somewhere I visit a lot especially because I have friends there now and all of that But I'm not sure about the full-time Also, if I want to work visa wise very difficult to get a Danish visa and then also the language barrier Danish I feel like if I was gonna work an internship or something I would want it to be either in the world of film or in the world of fashion like magazine wise and editing that type Of thing like writing and so I don't know if it would be feasible because I do not speak Danish Although I've been trying to learn but still I'll never be fluent enough. I don't think I mean not to jinx myself there Who knows but so we'll see but I definitely want to go back next summer How did you find a come a come my gosh accommodation in Copenhagen through school through the housing foundation? I stayed in base camp Copenhagen City, which was amazing location and a really good dorm to be honest I wouldn't recommend booking through the housing foundation Like if I could do it again I would just book it straight through base camp because the housing foundation Fought me over and a lot of my friends to with like deposit stuff I think they charged me like 80 bucks because I didn't turn off my freezer when I left They charged me another hundred because I didn't decalcify my toilet Which is like you need vinegar and some like hard-ass thing to do that and I didn't obviously didn't have that So just kind of like shooting things like that and then every time I would forget my key They would charge me 30 bucks to unlock my door just like shitty things So I wouldn't I would book through base camp if you're thinking of staying there But yeah, there are lots of student accommodation if you're studying abroad, you will not have any trouble finding student accommodation I think it's more maybe the price point Yeah, it depends like what you're willing to pay but there are so many dorms so many options How did you balance uni work and traveling? Like I said grades did not count throughout exchange. So for me school was Non-existent until finals the month of May was grinding most days to write my final essays and catch up on like all the shit that I Missed but for the first time in my entire life school was not my main focus Which gave me so much more time to balance travel work and friends to be honest I think work also took the backburner because I was going through so much Study abroad was a really big like reset in my life It really really pushed me out of my comfort zone. It was a very tumultuous time I found it really hard to focus on work and even want to do work So I think most of my exchange was dedicated to building relationships and like working on myself Figuring out what it is I like to do and my hobbies what makes me happy because I was really unhappy for a long time And so yeah, I dedicated most of my time to travel and to making friends I think I learned a lot about balance in Copenhagen because people are so dedicated to achieving a good work-life balance It's crazy people take three weeks off vacation My dad has always had that mindset of like he loves his work, but he doesn't live to work I've always had a very good balance in that sense in my family, but being Copenhagen where it's the norm was so special I think it taught me a lot about Prioritizing certain things over others and how to find a happy balance where I feel good daily I realized how much energy I get from good friendship coming back home I'm gonna have to kind of figure out how to find a good work school life balance because it is not easy And I do not have it figured out yet by any means I think that there's always gonna be something that has to be sacrificed You can't be perfect at everything and like still survive I mean, I cannot all that to say on exchange. My top priority was travel and it was meeting people I am a bit like disappointed or not disappointed, but I definitely don't think that I was thriving in my work But I do at the same time think I needed a break and now I'm coming back and I'm feeling good about stuff and more Inspired more confident. So yeah, did you learn much Danish from living there? I did learn a tiny bit especially at the end because one of my best friends in Copenhagen Viola is Danish and she would like text me in Danish sometimes and teach me Danish words languages has always been something I've been super curious about and I wish I could speak every language. So when I was in Denmark, I was like Oh my god, I need to learn Danish. So I learned a tiny bit everyone speaks English So that's really not something to stress about. Yes. Good. Eye, which is I love you That's the first thing I ever learned I can like present myself meet known. Yeah, Eva. Yeah after Canada Yeah, and biscuit top it's so hard but I love it because I love Copenhagen is Copenhagen expensive I think this is like the most asked question relative to Montreal. I feel like yes I'll just answer this by saying how much I spent monthly in Copenhagen. I'll give you guys a bit of a rundown I think that's the most useful thing that I can do. Okay, so going out to eat in restaurants I think the like cheapest restaurant is fab bro. You get pasta. It's 100 kroner, which is like 100 Canadian 20 Canadian. Yeah, there's like fast food. That's probably a bit cheaper. But even fast food is expensive I think a burger and fries at McDonald's is like 20 bucks. So a hundred kroner So whenever we go out to eat, I don't think I ever spent under 150 was like a cheap meal Which is 30 Canadian, but usually it was like 200 to 250 for a meal, you know, it's like $7 water for tap water I think that that's like just something you have to accept when you arrive in Copenhagen It's like if you want to eat out, it's hard to find cheap eats You just kind of got to go into it expecting to spend transport So if you're taking the Metro you're taking the bus, it's usually around 20 kroner each way, which is about 4 Canadian So I got a bike for 150 a month, which was the best decision ever biking everywhere. So easy It's faster than public transport and it's super fun. You have these dedicated kind of bike highways So you feel so safe so protected. I miss it already It was the best then groceries were actually cheaper than Montreal maybe because I go to like organic places in Montreal But in Copenhagen everything is kind of organic or not everything but most things so even cheaper grocery stores have great produce and stuff I think I spent maybe like 1750 a month on groceries kroner, which is like 350 or something because I was traveling a lot It's hard for me to get a good grip on how much I was spending but I did eat out a lot So my grocery bill was definitely lower than I think most people but it still wasn't very high. I don't think in Copenhagen There's Netto. They're super 365 discount those are like the cheaper ones and then I would always go to food text because I just liked it close to my Apartment and I like the layout. I knew it, you know when you know your grocery store You know where you can find everything that you want. That was my relationship with that food tech So I just went there all the time and then like I think the last week I went to Netto one day and bought the cherry Tomatoes I would always get and they were like a dollar less there and I was like, are you kidding me? I was paying for the convenience I guess and then Irma is like the bougie grocery store like $15 toilet paper type beat Not really my jam, but if you wanted like nice chocolate or like nice something you go to Irma Okay, my rent was $6,900 a month, which is about I don't even know like 1,500 Canadian or a bit less than that 1,300 Canadian not cheap, but not crazy. It was a very small apartment like tiny I had my own bathroom my own kitchen, but like it was minuscule I was ready to move out when it was time to move out. I was really paying for location I feel like the building was very nice I was traveling a lot so that definitely added to my expenses, but that varied so much So I can't really give like an overview of that and then I found that everything that I would buy it normal So it's like the pharmacy was considerably cheaper than back home like tampons soap everything super cheap My phone bill was 60 kroner a month literally free Yeah, like museum outings activities usually like a hundred or more for a ticket So what was really cool though was that with McGill your tuition stays the same no matter where you go to study I was paying my tuition for McGill even though I was going to you have company again Which is so nice because my McGill tuition is so cheap. My parents do pay for my tuition So and my rent actually next question I got was how much did one save before a trip abroad? It depends so much on how you travel where you're gonna be living I think that rent will probably be the biggest thing that will change a lot from place to place You know living in Portugal or Spain versus Copenhagen the cost of life is just drastically different But I do think that any city can be made cheap like aside from rent if you grocery shop smart It's mostly I feel like with food that I spent the most so if you're able You know when you go out to eat and not get cocktail stuff like that I think you can save a lot how much I want to save up for a trip. It's too difficult I can't give like a number. How did you handle homesickness? How to cope with feeling lonely at the start? This was a very very big part of the first few months of my exchange. I felt Incredibly homesick incredibly lonely like I'd never felt that lonely before it was the most horrible feeling I was not having a good time getting there in winter was difficult for sure I'm a summer girl the Sun cures me and cures my depression. So getting there in winter. It was already brutal I arrived in Copenhagen and was sick for about a month and a half because I was so anxious and I think that also My homesickness just manifested itself physically, which I never really considered could happen or what happened But it did and it was like very difficult to be honest. I didn't want to do anything I didn't want to see anyone. I was calling my mom multiple times a day. I was like laying in bed sick I just felt so incredibly lonely and then I was also planning a bunch of trips at the start Which was such a faux pas if there's anything I can recommend like give yourself time to settle into the place You're moving before you go on all these trips because I felt incredibly overwhelmed with all the trips that were coming up I know that sounds almost stupid because like how lucky was I to be able to travel but honestly it Ruined my first few months that I was having trip after trip because all I wanted to do was stay in Copenhagen and give myself The time to settle down. I felt so depleted of energy traveling can be exhausting when you're not in the right mind Mind space headspace. I love traveling It gives me so much energy when I go into it with excitement and when I feel good But traveling when you're not in a good state of mind when you're just like not doing well is the worst And so the first few months of exchange I found difficult I was on the go non-stop and if you watch my first abroad diaries I do talk about it a tiny bit, but also like I didn't want to be too negative So I didn't really dive into that but I think you just tell through the screen even editing it back I don't watch those videos because they just remind me of such a difficult time But I do think it's important though. They can't only show the good stuff. How did I cope with that? So obviously not well at first because like I said, I was traveling so much I didn't feel like I had time to even cope or realize what was going on. I felt like distracted all the time I think that it's after Portugal like three months into my time abroad that I started slowing down and Reflecting on what's going on. Why do I feel this way? I started talking to people in my life about how I was feeling and opening up a bit more I started reaching out more going out doing more stuff I actually made like that video doing a life kind of glow up That was the month of May and I really really dedicated myself to changing things in my life putting myself out there more trying to Make friends pushing myself out of my bedroom Slowing down my pace less traveling all of that I think that eventually the homesickness became less about being homesick and more about having to deal with the discomfort of not being in my Comfort zone if that makes sense. It wasn't so much. Oh, I miss my family. I did miss my family I missed the people I had back home but I think it was mostly like the wake-up call of oh shit like I can't rely so heavily on other people to feel good to Feel happy and comfortable because I did coming to Copenhagen made me realize that because I was alone for the first time in my life And I did know people I did come with some girls from McGill So that was like a lifesaver to be honest But I wasn't there with someone that I could just like really talk openly to I didn't feel so that was definitely difficult and I Had to really push myself out of my comfort zone reach out to people in order to find those people in Copenhagen for myself that I felt like I could talk openly to and confide in and I ended up making the best friends in the world I'm so freaking grateful. Once I embraced the experience and realized that this discomfort is part of it That's when it started getting better by being uncomfortable and like pushing myself out of my comfort zone. That's how I met people That's how I formed a support group because friends are there for that Was it difficult to be on your own in a foreign place? This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the other question I have traveled solo I always find it hard at the start like arriving somewhere But I do think that Copenhagen was the perfect place for me because I felt so safe Which is a huge deal for me when I went to Paris in March I felt so unsafe because I got followed from the airport shit like that I would never have been able to do my exchange there just for that reason that made it a lot easier to settle into like In Copenhagen feeling just so safe aside from all of the anxieties. I was experiencing and the loneliness which are I know big things I don't think that it was that difficult to be in a foreign country Because I was in Copenhagen and it was just so amazing the hardest part is just not knowing people but you will get to know people by putting yourself out there and then it gets So much better where there are moments when you wanted to go home weirdly enough as shitty as I felt There was not one part of me that wanted to ever go home I was determined to Come home only once I had gone the most out of my experience and because the three or four first months were so difficult and Not fun. I was like there's I'm not ready to go home, which is why I stayed over the summer I just I wasn't ready to like give up not to be like cheesy But when I left for exchange I kind of made myself a promise that I would come home a happier person and I really wanted to come home new and Improved I had like two goals when I went on exchange or three first was to become a local in Copenhagen when I left I wanted to feel like I knew Copenhagen like the back of my hand and I feel like I do I mean, obviously there's still so much for me to see and try and do but I know Copenhagen quite well Second was to make friends for life. I love meeting people making girlfriends. There's no better feeling I wanted to make friends that didn't grow up where I grew up didn't come from where I come from I needed newness and then the third was like I said, I wanted to grow I wanted to find what makes me happy a bit more get a better sense of myself before leaving for exchange I had zero sense of myself. I realized that through exchange, but oh my god Oh and I forgot to say a big way that I coped with Everything was journaling and that kind of goes hand-in-hand with sense of self and I'll make a video about journaling soon But journaling really put me back in touch with myself I used to be such a good journal person and I gave it up in the past year I was really bad at journaling I would only journal once a month to say I was depressed and then I would put it away and on exchange I got Back into the routine of journaling and it really helped me build a better relationship With myself and get to know myself so much better and grow so much And so those were my three goals and I think I really was able to accomplish them all I think that's because I was on exchange for kind of longer than most people I needed those extra months the longer you're immersed the more space you have for growth I think because I just didn't really see the end coming if that makes sense So I didn't feel rushed and I really took my time how to make friends while living abroad Two things reach out and say yes for me reaching out. It has never been easy. I hate asking people for things First of all, that's like my least favorite thing. I never want to encumber anyone. I never want to be an inconvenience I never want to be anything, but I think I need to get over that I don't think that's a great mindset beside that like I'm just not good at reaching out because I don't want to bother people I'm always scared like Oh Imagine I reach out and they don't want to like what are they gonna say? Whatever, whatever, but I kind of got over that when I got to Copenhagen I just texted a bunch of people was like you want to go for a coffee don't go for lunch, whatever I just kind of tried to put myself out there because What do I have to lose like I don't know anyone in the city And so I ended up going for lunch with the media really hit it off I was traveling a lot which is another reason why I don't think it's great to travel at the start because it makes it harder To kind of build relationships wherever you're living But it took like maybe two more weeks until we went for dinner again And then she brought friends that dinner our Linda Carla Carla And I walked home that dinner just started chatting and she was like you should come out with us with her group of girls the following Week I was traveling again, but as soon as I came back I texted her I'd love to come out with you guys tonight And I ended up going out with them that weekend went to their apartment prayed with them It was the most fun. I met Katrina Maria Nene Natalie We went out to say oh, which became a staple for us I mean obviously there are many ways of getting to know people, but it's always easier at the start You know like going out and like preying it just makes Socializing so much easier, especially me I get a little anxious sometimes I remember we all sat at their table in their apartment And they just like caught me up on all of what was happening in their love lives And they really included me right from the start. I felt so welcome into their group from there Became all really close I was like my kind of girl gang in Copenhagen and we would just hang out all the time I was always welcome at their apartment all because I reached out for lunch And then just said yes, yes, yes, it's always fun whenever people offer. Oh, can I bring my friends? I always say yes to that because that's how I met my other Super close friend in Copenhagen Viola one of my friends was visiting Copenhagen for the day And we planned to go get drinks, and then she texted me then I of like oh I met this girl on set is it okay if she joins I was like of course And then we went for drinks three of us after at the end of the day I just asked Viola for her number and then I ended up texting her when I was back from traveling And I think we spent like two weeks straight every day almost every day hanging out We booked a trip to Amsterdam probably two weeks after knowing each other. It was just kind of like an instant connection I just felt very comfortable with her from the very start so you have nothing to lose especially in a new country How do you make the most out of the place you're in first thing? I'll say I always ask for recommendations on my Instagram I always do the polls thing and I go through every single recommendation I'm a perfectionist, but I'm also I'm not like obsessive person. I'm all of the above I'm a bit like I don't know when I travel I want to make the most out of the place I'm visiting so I do thorough research tik-tok sometimes. I'll check out if I'm like desperate I like to find a bit like hidden gems and more local spots I'm so lucky to have people who live there often reach out which is like the most appreciated But to make the most of the place I'm in I always research And I make a list of all the places I want to go to I did that for Copenhagen I had an extensive bucket list and I ended up checking off so many things a restaurant list as well I'm actually launching my own Step account but step the app is such a great spot to follow your favorite creators If you see someone online that you think oh my god, they travel so well, or they're always going to the coolest places They might have a step basically step is this platform where people can like make steps of all their favorite spots in a given city I have marked down all my favorite spots for Copenhagen, Montreal, Paris, London, Vienna, Prague, Florence, Capri, Lisbon Barcelona, New York, Miami everywhere I've traveled to I write down my favorite spots my like hidden gems and stuff It's at the link in my description So whenever you travel you can just check it out that has become such a good tool when I'm traveling to find good spots I follow Iris law. She has such good spots for London. I know next time I'm in London I'll be checking out her guide and there's everything from restaurants to parks to hotels coffee shops vintage shops thrift shops everything Things I wish I had done before moving to Copenhagen I wish I'd gotten a bike earlier on and then the rain everyone says it rains But I don't think I really understood to what extent it rains a lot So be prepared for that be equipped for that if I were to go back to Copenhagen I would definitely go only in the summer I don't think that the winters are that much fun. Although people do make the best out of the winter Yeah, why can I not say it? I don't even remember how to pronounce it. The winter is all about being cozy There's all these good coffee shops people really make the most out of winter by staying cozy and stuff winter I need to really learn to love I need to get better at appreciating winter If you could do it again in a different place, where would you go? Maybe I would go to Amsterdam or Stockholm I would still have wanted to experience the Scandi lifestyle now moving on into more just like travel in general Questions that I got most affordable places that you've traveled anywhere in Portugal anywhere in Spain. Those were the cheaper destinations everywhere from accommodation to food to transport was always cheapest and then Budapest was quite Affordable Prague as well when I went last summer We were all like in shock if we go to like the nicest restaurants and it was still really affordable I mean, there's been inflation everywhere. It's like I don't really know We went from Paris to Prague and it was considerably cheaper. Is it hard to manage language barrier in certain countries in my experience? No, I do speak French and English though. So I think there's some people always speak one or the other I think the only like language issue I ever faced was in Portugal It was a restaurant but it felt like I was in someone's kitchen like it was very not so much intimate But it was only Portuguese people. No one spoke a word of English. Our waiter couldn't understand us They didn't understand the Google Translate and we ended up ordering not what we wanted That was maybe the worst experience, but it wasn't even bad Like it was not that big of a deal how to fight the fear of leaving the comfort zone I always always remind myself of how good I feel once I've taken that step outside my comfort zone even right now like being In New York, I always get a bit anxious before traveling, especially on my own But I always remind myself of how good I feel after I've done certain things that make me uncomfortable Especially when it comes to going to an event or a meeting with someone always nerve-wracking at the start But then once you're there you realize oh, this isn't that bad I feel the same with travel if ever I'm feeling a bit anxious about certain elements of traveling I just remind myself that any hiccups can be dealt with just think about how good you'll feel once you're there and just try to Enjoy it and be in the moment, which is difficult, but you can do it how to find authentic hidden gems while traveling How do you plan your travel day itineraries? How do you always find good restaurants? I kind of feel like I answered this already but check out my stuff That's where I find my hidden gems and where I put my hidden gems, but mostly through people How do you afford to travel so much and how do you budget meals and trips? This I think is the most asked question That's like where I like to spend. I like to spend my money on experiences My parents have always been big like advocates for travel They know what you get out of traveling and they want to push my sister and I to do that But it's not like my parents are financing my trips. I pay for my own stuff living at home I'm saving quite a bit on rent. I'm like groceries and stuff like that, which I'm so happy about I'm never traveling with people who travel extravagantly, you know, so we're all always splitting either a B&B or staying in hostels I enjoy traveling that way as much as I enjoy more like fancy stuff But since I'm always traveling with other students like we all kind of are mindful and money conscious Budgeting is kind of part of it I don't think that any of us have this like strict budget But we're all thoughtful and I think a lot of people I've traveled with have the same Priorities on what they want to be spending so usually going out to eat and activities. Okay, how to budget a trip I think that the biggest thing to budget on when you're traveling is transport like take public transit when you're flying Just take the under seat bag and then you don't have to pay for extra luggage when I was traveling with friends We would just like share closets and it was perfect So when you're not paying for extra luggage like a flight can be 150 round trip or 200 round trip or 300 round trip I know some people did like overnight buses and stuff, which is a lot cheaper when I'm planning a trip to save a lot I always check Skyscanner on a private window find the cheapest flights and then sometimes I'll arrange or plan my trips around that So if I find that it's cheaper to fly on a Monday or Tuesday Then I'll just like plan my trip to be from those days to whatever days when I'm flying somewhere I always try to stay as long as I can because it just like doesn't feel worth it to me Fly somewhere for like two days for hostels when I was interrailing. We stayed in hostels basically the whole time We booked everything on hostel world two things. I would say always book hostel based on location If you're far away You're gonna regret it and you're gonna be spending so much money just on getting into the city and it's just annoying Also always read reviews we did not read reviews on one of the hostels and then we got there we were like Oh my god, this place is crazy at the madhouse in Prague. I'm not it. Yeah, I'm name-dropping. It was crazy It was a lot of fun But thank God we were four girls because if I had gotten there on my own or with one friend I would have been so uncomfortable. It was like crazy. That was my craziest hostel experience. Also the generator in Paris We woke up one morning to a guy doing you know, what in our room we were like, are you joking? Thank God He moved out that day. Just know what you're getting yourself into read reviews, but it was a lot of fun But like oh my god one night. I was sleeping in my bed. Actually. No, I was not because my neighbor was snoring He was drunk so drunk and you know how people snore so much when they're drunk It was just like nasty and we were all texting at like 3 in the morning It was a bunk bed Christina was on top of me or that sounds weird was sleeping above me and we were all texting like This guy needs to stop. It's unbearable So I was like half asleep and he gets out of bed like tumbles to where my head is that starts fiddling with my charger My charger was like right next to my bed because like I wanted my phone next to me in this room I did not trust those guys. He starts fiddling with my charger and I go, excuse me. That's my phone Like what are you doing? My heart was beating so fast. I was like, oh my god, this guy's trying to steal my phone He was so drunk. All he does is like grunt at me He walks away and he lets one rip like I will never forget that moment because I could not believe I it wasn't real He was real-life Shrek. It was so it was disgusting. That was like my worst hostile experience So gross back to budgeting on a trip I think most of us had the same priorities try to travel with people who have the same priorities as you and same interests because It just makes it a lot smoother and nicer, but we all loved to eat good food go to museums and sightsee So that's kind of what we spent the most on and then another just money trick I would really recommend getting a wise card when you're traveling. They have the best exchange rates. It's free I use wise all the time. Even when I'm in New York, I'm using wise small fees like it's just I really recommend how early should one plan a trip book stuff as early as possible I know some people are last-minute. I was very last-minute. It gave me stress for no reason although I will say like prices sometimes you'll get lucky and Ryanair will drop a flight like two days before or like a week before and Then flights are way cheaper or it's the opposite like it's really hard to gauge I like to look early so that I can just rest easy But honestly when you're traveling in Europe, it doesn't really matter You can book something super last-minute and get it super cheap Some people even travel without having stuff book in advance and they'll book hostels on the go and stuff not for me But people do it and it works out fine. So tips on traveling alone as a girl So I've obviously traveled quite a bit alone as a girl be organized know where you're going where you're staying How you're getting places in advance? I think that that's just the best way to kind of ease your stress and make sure that you don't end up having to like Stay in a hotel just like know where you're going be organized always be aware of your surroundings, which seems obvious But like I've been guilty of putting in my air pods and like kind of forgetting about my surroundings that happened in Paris where I was Followed from the airport and I kind of knew that this guy was following me I only realized towards the end and I should have realized sooner third thing is you have to walk around like you Know where you're going act like a local act confident. Don't look like you're lost ever confidence. People will leave you alone I just tugged at my earring like the hardest I've ever tugged at anything Okay I did a quick outfit change because I have to leave but I will finish this like I was saying never look like you don't Know where you're going because then you're just kind of like become a prey to certain people which sucks to say but it's true Last thing how to plan an interrailing trip We took out a map of Europe because that's where we wanted to interrail and then we kind of just like made a little loop That's how we made our trail. That's the smartest thing I think URL even has a map where you can check like the big train stations and then we bought a URL pass There's a bunch of options We got the five trips in a month option Which means that five days out of the month from the day you activate it you can travel during the whole day on any train Anywhere some trains require you pay for reserved seat, especially like the busier ones That's like maybe 10 euro extra 15 euro extra. Other than that I think it was like $300 Canadian for those five days of travel and then on the day that you're traveling you have 24 hours to take any train anywhere Like I said, which is really nice because it takes away the stress of what if I miss my train? It's not like oh, I miss my train. I have to buy a new ticket. It's I miss my train I'll just get the next one and then also a big thing just in general if you're not doing your own you're just taking trains I really don't recommend buying your tickets in advance because there are always Strikes the amount of train tickets that I've lost and not gotten refunded for is like ridiculous I recommend getting to the train station knowing what train you're gonna take but buying your ticket on-site or like online Right before do not book through real ninja worst platform I've ever used go straight to the source buy your ticket at the train station If you can it'll be the cheapest and you are assured not to like lose money if ever something happens that way And then last question, what are your future travel plans? So I'm in New York right now, but then I'm headed back home to Montreal until further notice. I need to study Yeah, I think I just want to do little trips here and there maybe throughout the year Anyways, I hope that answered all of your questions and was helpful. I really have to run. Yeah. Love you guys