Welcome to Valley Overseas. We’ll hear from students exploring new lands full of strange customs, seemingly impenetrable language barriers, and Euro-trash. They’ll dish out the good, bad and the ugly of living in a home-stay, and the tales of discount airlines. From mixed-up vocab to drool-worthy people in fantastic fashions, let us show you the experiences of a lifetime.
I am bleeding money. It started when I spent dollars upon dollars to fly to France.
When I arrived in Europe, I spent euros upon euros on tram passes, wine bottles,
crepes and football tickets. And without even leaving France, I’ve spent Hungarian forints, Croatian kunas and Swiss francs when planning my side trips.
My wallet is angry, but yours doesn’t have to be. If you’re headed abroad, learn from my mistakes.
Hunt down student discounts.
Yes, you will find discounts on things like beer pitchers and movie tickets. But there are larger reductions to claim: notably on high-price items like train tickets. Many countries offer discount travel passes on their rail and bus systems—for example, France’s card for youth ages 12 to 25 and the United Kingdom’s student rail pass.
Speaking of bargains…
Just because you found 1-euro shooters doesn’t mean you should buy five of them. Deals are deals until you buy, oh, seven pairs of those marked-down shoes. Shop responsibly.
Spend on what’s important (to you).
For me, this is food. If there’s a nice-looking bistro in a cute plaza, then I’m eating
there. Oh—and sangria. Oh my God, the sangria.
Don’t pay expensive covers.
Just don’t do it. There is somewhere fun and cheap out there—all it takes is a little bit of extra looking.
Buy experiences, not things.
Would you rather buy a nice coat or a train ticket to Paris? There are clothes that
will go out of style, and then there are memories that will last a lifetime.
But, in all seriousness, blow your money—at least some of it. If you’re like me,
you’ve worked your butt off all summer and diligently saved up all of your holiday and birthday money in anticipation. You’d be letting yourself down if you didn’t spend all your hard-earned cash, right? At least that’s what I tell myself whenever I pass a crêpe stand.
