scrabbled

Oh, and also, I wouldn't want to spend my entire 4-month summer abroad. I just meant that I had a decent pool of time to choose from. I was thinking maybe 3 or 4 weeks would be a good amount of time.

And in response to the question "why travel after being so secluded in your home state," this urge completely spurs from my experience in Quebec. Even though Quebec and Canada itself isn't the most exotic place, I met a lot of motivated, inspiring individuals from all over the world who opened my eyes to the constraints of my isolation. I live in a rural area and come from a modest kind of family where everyone grows up to stick close to home, so to actually get out there and taste something different and tangible was just absolutely invigorating.

I heard so much about my friends' travels and received so much advice in the form of "get out of [my state] and go experience the world!", and while the feeling lasts and while I have the time and money, I really want to do it. I'm the kind of person who really listens to my intuition, and for some reason, thinking about traveling the globe and testing the limits of my independence just feels like something I need to do. Honestly, it feels like something I needed to do in the past, even. It was embarrassing to admit that my trip to Quebec was the first time I left my state in 20 whole years, so now I want to do what I think is best and just put myself out there and enjoy my life.

thursdaysd

Seems to me that asking why you would want to travel when you haven't been out of your state before and you're only 20 is a really odd question. Why <i>wouldn't</i> you want to travel? Anyway, your finances aren't our business. How you can travel in Europe is.

Travel to Poland doesn't have to be expensive.

Round trip flights between Paris and Krakow for next June start at $173 on AirBerlin, between Paris and Warsaw at $78 on Wizz Air, or $144 on LOT if you want to fly out of CDG (see skyscanner.net.) Once you get to Poland, if your family can't pick you up in one of the big cities, you'll find the train system remarkably cheap - see http://www.seat61.com/Poland.htm - and where the trains don't go there will be buses.

Surfergirl

You sound just like me at 20 and I did precisely what you want to do. However, I'd spent 9 months (after saving up my money) at the University in Grenoble, France doing a year abroad program, before traveling on my own that summer before heading back to the U.S. when I turned 21.

I got a 2 month student rail pass, and kind of studied up on places I wanted to go and what I wanted to see. Part of the time I spent sleeping on the train to save money. But most of the time was spent in hostels. Let's Go Europe was an invaluable book for me. I still use their country books (i.e. this year Istanbul) because the Let's Go books are written by young, college age writers who seem to have the best thumb on the beat of a country without spending a fortune.

Because I had anxiety issues and was not the most social person in the world, it was a challenge for me. But I have to say being forced to communicate with others to avoid being alone and lonely completely changed me forever. In a great, gregarious, social sort of way!

These books, and now, the internet (International Hosteling can be very helpful -- definitely read the reviews) will help finding a decent hostel. Or if you're at one hostel, talk to people and find out from them what hostels they've been to in other countries you're planning to visit. Word of mouth is often good! If you want to be a bit more spontaneous, most information booths at train stations you arrive at can help you find a decent hostel. They can also call up and see what's available. Doing it that way, I found some really amazing places, such as university housing in Trondheim Norway, or a wonderful countryside hostel just outside of Vienna.

Good luck, and stay here and let us know your plans as you work them out! I'd love to hear how you work it out!

bilboburgler

1 Use hostels
2 find a course you want to do, as simple as a cooking course or an art course and go do it while in Europe
3 Sign up for any free tours of cities etc, church services, you name it.

It sounds like a great idea.

I would make sure I knew why your parents are not supporting in this issue, their reasons way allow you to remove their concerns. "There's no place like home"

indyhiker

Have you looked into any programs that would allow you to study abroad for a semester or two? In looking back on my own college experience, my biggest regret is that I didn't spend a semester or, preferably, a full year studying abroad. Granted, I didn't necessarily have the financial means to do so, but I think I could have made it work with some effort. My friends who did were immeasurely changed from the experience.

What are you majoring in and what, if I may ask, are your long term goals? It's been 22 years since I graduated from college. From what I can gather from more recent grads' experiences is that you now have to be a lot more deliberate in making yourself competitive, both in terms of gaining post-graduate employment or continuing onto grad school. So, while I think travel for the sake of travel is certainly reason enough to do it, at your age, I would try to find a study abroad program that specifically furthered my educational and professional goals. In other words, think strategically.....

Hez

Just want to say that for me, being from a small town, I find other small towns around the world fascinating. I love the big cities with all they have to offer and spend a lot of time in them, but my true loves are the places that remind me in some ways of where I'm from. I see so many posts on these boards with people going from big city to big city it makes me sad that they're missing the heartlands and the beauty of the smaller, quieter places in the world. On the plus side, smaller places are less expensive so spending a few weeks kicking around the countryside can be substantially less than just a few days in the city. Just remember that your most valuable tools against trouble are instinct and common sense.

You seem like an exceptionally together, interesting and intelligent person. I wish you un(e) bon(ne) voyage et bonne chance!

nytraveler

If you enjoy rural and small town areas - that's fine. But don;t buy that this is the "heartland" of anything. That's where you grew up so you think that's heartland. But to people who grow up in cities - well then big cities are the heartland. (I actually find small towns somewhat creepy at times - everyone knows too much about other people's private business.)

After all a very large majority of the population lives in cities, not rural areas.

Hez

OP referenced that they were from the Midwest and mentioned a "hometown" so I assumed they were from a less than urban place. Heartland is a term that's often used to refer to more rural areas, but never for big cities in my experience. Not sure why that's such an issue but it doesn't seem your post really added much for the OP, other than maybe that people from cities sometimes live up to their reputations for being rude, unfriendly and unwelcoming.

stokebailey

Sounds wonderful, scrabbled. Envious! One thing you get here, as you may have noticed, is advice about things you didn't ask.

My daughter had a great hostel experience in Biarritz when she was studying in Paris. Ended up meeting some guys who were about to go surfing and had a blast with a borrowed board. (it was the Hostel Biarritz, through HI, a little ways from the center.)