Tips for you. Take it or leave it (but read, then decide)

I say ‘huge’ update but I am just going to run through a few things that I have done this past month that have really capped my experience in Europe. First of all if you are reading this and have any questions as to how I traveled to so many different places and could afford it, please ask away because believe me I only have enough money to feed 2 mice a day but I still managed to go everywhere I planned to. Couple of tips:

Plan way ahead, buy tickets early and book hostels ASAP
Do NOT wait for other people to say ‘ok’ to joining you because you cannot depend on people you barely know and to me its worth seeing the place rather then waiting for people to say they will join you and the process drags out to the point were even the cheapest hostel becomes expensive. So not to be self centered but to ensure you see everything you want to, book everything for yourself and let those interested book their own tickets, etc. Worked for me!
Don’t buy souvenirs everywhere you go… lets be honest… you will probably throw it out or lose it one day and pictures in my opinion are enough. This will probably save you an estimated $300… in my opinion.
Use your friends or other resources like couchsurfing.com (if you’re not too sketched out to meet and live with people you don’t know). Hell, it is studying abroad… take the risk! Saves you tons. Ex: I stayed with family in Sweden, paid nothing to live there. Stayed with a friend’s family in Norway, paid nothing to live there. Used couchsurfing.com to live with a family for free there… saved me $150 for living expenses I would have accrued with the hostel (a.k.a Iceland will absolutely be the most expensive place you go, ex: 6 inch subway costs $15, cheapest beer= $8+)
Go out if that is your thing to do, but keep the alcohol to a minimum. Lets be honest, it is way more expensive in Europe to drink, so when you go out buy just a couple of drinks and that’s it. Call me a loser, but I must say my experience has been much more then bragging about how drunk I was last night and how my recovery the following day has been painful… no, I have had great times out just having a few drinks or none… that is just me. But it probably saved me $300- $400 at least (this whole semester). Pre-game with friends if you really feel the need to have a few, you’ll save tons this way too. Hey I’m just being honest.
TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONE WHEN TRAVELING OUTSIDE DENMARK!!!! You don’t need it when you are traveling with a group of people but if you really feel the need, just text people… it is SOOOO much cheaper. I have heard students who have stated that they paid between $200 and $1200 in one month for using their phone… need I say more. Every time you enter a new zone and you are roaming, the company will charge you for it. TIP: buy a webcam or microphone and use Skype, yahoo messenger or some other free service you can use online to talk to friends and family at home. By the way, my most expensive bill so far was a painful $16.
This is probably my favorite tip… if you’re going to travel around Europe and do not mind taking trains, overnight trains, etc to locations around Europe buy a Eurail (www.eurail.com) or Scanrail (www.scanrail.com) for travel in Scandinavia. Note: you need to buy it before you come to Europe or have a parent buy you one and send it to you in Europe because the program is only for non- Europeans. You probably want an example of how I saved money…ok: I bought a Scanrail for traveling in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland). It was a 5 day 24 hour pass for $200. So essentially I can travel anywhere in Scandinavia, as far north, south, east and west my pass could take me for any 5 days in a 2 month period of when I activated the pass. I went to Skagen 1 day (that was a long trip, but so worth it), Stockholm with my cousin using 2 days, up and back, then I went to Oslo, Norway with one pass and from there Bergen, Norway for my last trip. With out the pass, I would have easily spent $1000 more (math: 5 trips, average cost $250= $1250….-$200 for my scanrail= around $1000). Wow…
Another tip, based on my observation and what I have heard, live with a host family if you have the personality to adapt to new situations. This will not only give you first hand experience in Danish culture and language, but you will save sooooooo much money on food.

Like I said these tips are based on my experience and my opinions so feel free to take it or leave it, but I would say take it, haha.

Before I forget, this is totally random but I will forget to mention it: Weird things I ate and where:
- iceland: Whale
- Norway: Salmon and eggs for breakfast
- Sweden: Raindeer, Moose, Halibut, small caviar
- Møn, Denmark: Kangeroo (yes the animal that hops and is from Australia)