If you start with some very light Googling of “what’s the deal with China’s cashless economy” I am sure you will see lots of articles about how Chinese people use no cash whatsoever and they run completely on apps like WeChat Pay and AliPay. And its true. Very true. No one uses cash, but most places don’t accept cards. So what are you supposed to do as a foreigner?
I saw some advice on a Girls Love Travel page where someone asked for advice on how to pay for stuff over their 2 week trip. This lady, no joke, replied: “Most everyone there uses WeChat pay or AliPay. Its soooooo convenient, you might as well try it out while you’re there!” This would have been fine advice except you have to have a Chinese bank account to be able to use them. Personally I don’t think it is worth the hassle of setting up an entire bank account for a two week period but maybe that’s just me. In fact, it actually took me 5 separate trips to different banks over 3 weeks to get my bank account set up! (Granted, however, one time was my fault because the bank was closed.) 😜
It might be easier for some foreigners to open a bank account, but it was actually super difficult for me. The bank kept changing requirements and asking for documents that I couldn’t even access. It was a nightmare.
This was in the beginning of 2019 though, and things have luckily changed! Just this past week it was announced that AliPay now allows foreign cards! (This seriously would have been amazing.) This opens up a whole new world for foreigners!
Even though AliPay isn’t as widely used as WeChat, it’s still incredibly common. In fact there were actually a few places that ONLY accepted AliPay, and not WeChat.
AliPay, as you probably guessed, is affiliated with AliBaba and AliExpress as well as TaoBao, so it’s really quite a big company. AliPay is also fun because you can pay using facial recognition. Kinda scary, but also amazing because we are living in the future!
So if you’re going soon, don’t bother trying to slip through the cracks of WeChat to find a loophole and use it. Trust me I tried. It doesn’t work. Do, however try out AliPay! And always bring your cards with you- debit cards with low/no ATM fees and credit cards with no foreign transaction fees. And always have some cash on hand, one of the best things about China is that you absolutely do not have to worry about pickpockets at all.
Illuminated Brandenburg Gate in Berlin from the Eastern side at dusk
My travel advice for Berlin is pretty limited, since I had less than 24 hours there. But looking back, I’d still like to share the few things I did, and the things I wished I would have had the time for.
Must do’s in Berlin:
Berlin Wall (And Checkpoint Charlie Museum)
Brandenburg Gate
Reichstag Building
From what I can read it’s tricky to get tickets at all, but I remember we showed up pretty early in the morning, talked to like 5 different people and managed to get tickets for like 7:00 pm the same day. I think we were really lucky, but I definitely recommend booking in advance if at all possible. Things should be a whole lot easier now that cell phone data works throughout the EU. It was a lot harder when we were living in the stone age hopping from café wifi to café wifi.
Shopping in a flea market/Christmas market
Berliners LOVE flea markets and there are lots of them!
Eat a currywurst and a doner kebab (they were invented here!)
I didn’t get a chance to see it, but I wish I had:
Holocaust Memorial
I can’t believe I didn’t get to see it. It was such a whirlwind of a day, I just forgot that it was in Berlin.
Berlin Cathedral
It looks beautiful, I just didn’t happen upon it, so I didn’t get the chance to go in!
Spree park
Abandoned amusement parks are such a draw for me, but they’re usually trying their hardest to keep people out, not letting them buy tickets to go look around!
Weissensee Abandoned Children’s Hospital
Technically you aren’t “supposed” to go here, but if I had known about it when I went, I absolutely would have tried.
Museum Island- There are so many museums that Museums Island has been dedicated as a UNESCO world heritage site, but I just didn’t have the time. 😦
(As always, when in Europe, make sure to bring your student ID!)
Oddities I loved:
DDR Museum
This museum is very carefully curated, and they have a lot of cool, modern exhibits, like a little Trabant that you can drive! (I am utterly obsessed with Trabants, so this was a must do for me.) It has tons of easy to digest information about what life was like in East Germany before the wall came down.
On the topic of oddities, Berlin is a city overrun with hipsters, so there are TONS of wacky little things hidden throughout, if you know where to look, and the best resource to find them is Atlas Obscura. Definitely check out the page on Berlin: https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/berlin-germany/places?page=1
Saying good morning/day/afternoon/evening is more common than saying Hola.
Buenas días (Morning)
Buen día (Day)
Buenas tardes (Afternoon)
Buenas noches (Evening)
I’m sorry/ Excuse me – Lo siento/ Perdón
I can’t speak Spanish (Well) – Yo no hablo español (muy bien)
Please, Thank you& You’re welcome – Por Favor, Gracias, & De Nada
I usually say muchas gracias (thank you very much)
To remember “de nada” you should know that it means “of nothing” like no problem.
I would like… (this or that) – Me gustaría esto/eso
It’s also important to know that Spanish is gendered. So if the object you want ends with ‘O’ like jugo (juice) it’s masculine and you should use esto/eso, but if it ends in ‘A’ like cerveza (beer) you should use etsa/esa.
But if you just assume the masculine you’ll be right most of the time, and people will understand you even if it’s wrong.
This is good– Esto es bueno.
The food is good, the table is good, the location is good etc. Surprisingly useful phrase.
Keep in mind also that some vocabulary and pronunciations change between Spain, Central American countries and South American countries. But these should be understood in any of them.
1st- It was my first time in Europe. It was my first time flying alone, it was my first time flying out of the country even! Up until this point, I had driven everywhere I had been except once, when I flew to DC on a school trip. This trip was BIG for me.
Luckily, I already had my passport, even though I had never used it. I was supposed to take the customary best friend backpacking trip after high school, but I put my eggs into the wrong basket and it didn’t turn out.
At the time it was horrible and absolutely crushed me, but it turned out great in the end! I took all my savings for the trip and I bought a Mini Cooper instead! I waited a few more years and when I finally got across the Atlantic it turned out exactly how it was meant to be!
Finally getting to Europe was such a long time coming, but it turned out so much better for me to go when I did, with the person I went with, and where I was at in my life at that point. It was better than I could have ever imagined.
Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing. I had such a different vision in my mind of what backpacking Europe was going to be like. It probably would have worked out fine if I had gone with my friend, we would have floundered a bit, but figured it out as we went a long. I’m sure it would have turned out in the end, and it’s not like we would have died or anything, but I was doing all the planning myself and I had no idea what I was doing. I knew what I wanted to see and where to go, but I didn’t know how to actually get anywhere.
When my friend backed out, my mom tried to get me to go by myself. I could have! I thought about it… But I’m just so glad that I didn’t. I wanted someone to share it with, and going with someone that I love makes all the difference! I don’t know what I would have done without Lucas with me.
Side note: I also don’t know how I ever would have made it through without a smartphone. How did people do it back in the day?! No pocket translator? No scanning QR codes? No online tickets? No train schedules? No Google maps?!? The horror.
So, Lucas and I had only been dating for about 7 months when he left for Madrid for 4 months. That was hard. Real hard. Spare you the details. I promised him I would come to Spain to be with him after the semester was over. I don’t think he believed I was really coming until I was actually on the plane though!
The day before I left I was a wreck. I had a final at like 7 pm, I got home, did homework til 1 am and then finally started packing. So long story short I ended up with like 6 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, 2 dresses, 1 pair of shoes and 30 pairs of underwear lol. I could have fit everything I brought into a carry-on no problem.
I flew from Phoenix to Dallas, and then Dallas straight into Madrid. On the way to Dallas, I sat next to the sweetest little old lady. She asked me where I was headed and I told her that it was my first flight, and I was going to Madrid to see my boyfriend! She told me how romantic it was and how excited she was for me right before I fell asleep. Something about the cabin pressure knocks me right out. It’s wild. When we landed in Dallas she knew I was nervous and she walked me all the way across the airport, helped me get to my connection and gave me a hug. I wished I could keep her.
That wasn’t even the best part of my luck though. While I was waiting, I logged into my flight check-in one more time to check my seat and I saw that I could still change it! So I did. I moved myself from a window seat with two other people on my row to the only completely empty row on the plane. It was so awesome. The lady at the gate had to reprint my tickets when I tried to board, which was a little bit stressful, but it was well worth it. I slept sprawled out for most of the flight, but every time I woke up I caught the lady across the aisle glaring at me. The entire flight. It was awesome.
When I finally landed in Madrid, I was so excited to see Lucas. I met a girl while I was waiting in baggage claims and we started talking because we were both alone. I told her I was meeting my boyfriend who I hadn’t seen in 4 months and that I could not handle waiting for my luggage any longer. While I was talking to her all the sudden I see Lucas running towards me! I was so blown away. Somehow he had SNUCK into baggage claim because he couldn’t wait one more minute either. 😍 My favorite memory. Probably of all time.
Finally back together again! ❤
The first day in Madrid was pretty boring. I was so dazed from the time change and staying up so late, and the pure excitement. First thing we did was drop off all my stuff at Lucas’s apartment. He had a room in a flat that he shared with 9 people in the dead center of Plaza Mayor, which is in the dead center of the city. Then we went to the metro office to set up my student metro card, which was a bit of a hassle, but well worth it. The metro system in Madrid is great.
Madrid is just beautiful in general though, everything you could want from a European city: the architecture, the food, the street performers, the lights, cathedrals and museums.
Let’s start with the museums- Madrid has some of the best. They call it the trifecta. (At least Lucas does.) Prado (the love of my life), Reina Sofia (which is incredible if you’re really into modern art), and Thyssen-Bornemisza (which has everything else you might be missing). But those aren’t even all of the museums. There’s also a naval museum, history museums, and the Museo Archeologico Nacional- MAN, all super close to each other, and they are some of the best museums in the world. I’m serious. Prado is in the same league as the Louvre. You cannot go to Madrid and not go to Prado. (You can get in free with a student ID!) I should know, I’ve been there 4 times. 😉 I really enjoyed the MAN too. Lucas says it’s the best archaeological museum he’s ever been to. But if you only have time for one museum, I can’t recommend Prado enough.
When I got settled in, metro card, sim card, luggage, shower and nap, Lucas took me around and showed me his favorite places. We walked the streets hand in hand, and he took me to my first cathedral – Catedral de la Almudena. I was in awe. I had never seen a building so beautiful or grand. Now that I have seen lots of other cathedrals, I don’t look back and think it’s the most beautiful anymore, but it will always have a special place in my heart.
2016
2018
We walked through the gardens as the sun was setting and had the sweetest time together. I still couldn’t believe I was in Spain!
The next day we toured Palacio Real de Madrid. A PALACE. It was lavish and shiny and huge and everything you’d expect from a Spanish Palace. I loved it!
Afterwards Lucas bought me my first sandwich from Museo de Jamon, and from then on an obsession was born.
I love Museo De Jamon so much
“The products in this section are only for consumption outside of the establishment”
We spent hours in Prado, and finished the evening walking through Retiro Park, lush, green and cold in early December. On the edge of Retiro there is a pathway that always has accordion players next to a miniature lake circled with monuments. We sat across from the lake at a little restaurant where we ate baby eels and watched the birds. I didn’t think it could get much more magical, but then Lucas went and rented us a little boat on the lake! My heart melted. All of my very best days somehow involve a boat. I couldn’t think of anything more romantic.
Best day of my life!
We walked the city, we went into so many museums and found a secret garden under one of the old train stations. We went into Lucas’s favorite coffee shop, Jaleo, for neopolitanos and magic orange juice. We wandered through El Rastro street markets where I bought the cutest gloves and hat. We went into so many antique shops, and antique bookstores. We spent a nice evening going up in the Faro De Moncloa and looked down at the whole city lit up at night.
Libreria Bibliofilos
Faro De Moncloa
And one of my all-time favorites- in the middle of Plaza Mayor, is a man who stand there every day dressed as spider-man. But he weighs like 300 pounds. He is “Fat Spider-man” and he is hilarious. I only saw him the first time in Madrid, but when we went back again in 2018 we stopped to talk to him and I laughed my ass off. I ended up giving him all the money I had on me. He earned it!
Fat Spider-man is an icon of Madrid
Lucas had done all these wonderful things with me, but he still had finals to study for, so I had the chance to do a bit of wandering on my own. It was good for me to get out of my comfort zone. Be forced to speak Spanish, figure out the metro on my own and try to remember where things were.
I went and hunted down a bracelet I had seen in a kiosk at a metro stop, and decided to see some of the things that Lucas hadn’t gone to. It turned out later that he hadn’t gone to them because they were pretty disappointing, but the real magic was in my adventure to find them.
The first one on my list was Plaza Cibeles. I had seen the outside of it with Lucas, but for some reason I was dying to know what was inside. It’s really close to Retiro Park, but I didn’t trust my memory, so I typed it into Google maps. Or I thought I did. For some reason I just typed Cibeles. And followed the map. All over the city. it actually turned out quite well to get lost because I got to see so much of the city that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I did eventually find my way to Plaza Cibeles, There was a small museum inside, but nothing too spectacular.
Next I wanted to see the inside of the Crystal Palace, which Lucas and I had walked past the evening before. He told me that there was some sort of art installation inside, but by the time we got to it, it was already closing. So I walked and walked, deep into the park. Some immigrant guys tried hitting on me in Spanish and I just hurried past them and pretended I didn’t understand what they were saying. It was pretty awkward. By the time I got there I was tired and I really hoped there was something good inside. But it turned out that the art installation was just the fact that it was an empty room. The art part was how sound travels. I was pretty disappointed, but the lighting was nice for some pictures at least!
I ended up wandering around for 7 hours throughout the day and I just felt so safe and capable (even though I got lost, and even though I got hit on). Madrid was just a wonderful experience for me.
We ended the evening with a lovely Spanish tortilla in a restaurant outside of Plaza Mayor before we flew to Paris the next morning!
So you want to do a study abroad. But should you do a summer study abroad, or a full semester?
I unequivocally vote for a semester study abroad. Here are my reasons:
The biggest reason is that summer is when all the tourists are there. There are so many people, lines are longer, and ticket prices are higher, no matter where you go. It’s so much better to go during the school year.
You simply don’t have enough time.
You can’t become a local. It takes 2 full months to really feel at home and start to know where everything is. if you only stay for the summer, then by the time you figure things out, its time for you to leave!
I know most people don’t think “studying” is the most important part of a study abroad, but you are there to learn, and you really do get so much more academically from a full semester than you do from summer school. With a full semester, you have time to actually learn rather than squeezing it all into a month.
You will be SO rushed on a summer abroad. To get the most out of it you have to be on 100% of the time, every weekend after school you HAVE to go and do something. You don’t have any extra weekends to laze around the park, you don’t have time to plan or to waste in case of strikes, closures, or bad weather. If you miss something, that was your only chance. That would be so exhausting.
Price- it’s actually more cost effective to stay for a full semester
A huge chunk of cost is your flight, so why not make it worth it.
Most colleges don’t offer exchanges over the summer (the cheaper and better option) they only offer the crazy expensive programs like IES, CIEE, and USAC.
Its a huge hassle to get an apartment for such a short time and you’re going to end up either paying more for it to be such a short lease or having no option but to stay somewhere terrible AND expensive like the dorms of your foreign university.
So I haven’t written in a few years, but I’ve been feeling a spark again. (By “spark” I really mean that I had a few too many cups of coffee one day and got a little bit overzealous with my planning.) So now that I have come back down to Earth, I am going to have to try to live up to those plans and actually start back up again.
The coffee fueled (and stained) plan that I carried around for weeks before I actually started writing. I nearly lost it 20 times.
The problem is that as an English major, I was trained to introduce what I plan to write about, and I absolutely refuse to start writing without laying out the why and the how. So without further ado, here is the plan for my series of travel-based, money-centric posts.
The Why
I think even though the themes are fairly common, nobody really bothers to compile their know-how for others after the fact. It’s just sort of assumed that people either know what they’re doing, they have someone to ask, or else they’ll just have to figure it out themselves.
I did my research before I went
most places, but there were a lot of things that I didn’t even think to
consider or plan for that would have made my experiences way easier, cheaper
and efficient. So let me tell you about the things I wish I had known!
Travel is honestly a super common thing to write about and there are plenty of books, blogs and posts about it. There is so much content, but none of it is exactly what I am looking for. It’s either a complete travel guide that has a million places to go (none of which I can afford), or it’s like one or two tips. I want to hear about the whole thing- how to get around, helpful phrases, places to go and places to avoid, awesome places to eat, and how to save money while doing it.
I think as a reasonable, average, poor, young person instead of a professional, full-time traveler, I have something else to offer. I’ve done SO much research on how to do everything in the cheapest way, and I have a good knack for filtering out the overrated tourist stuff while not missing anything important.
The How
I plan on doing two sets: a
city series, and a general advice series.
My city series is going to be a post about my experience (in case you’re reading these because you actually know me) and then a separate post to list of objective “must-sees,” objectively overrated places, off the beaten path attractions, the BEST thing in each city, and how to budget. (I might be using the word objective a little loosely.)
As of now, my city list is: Madrid, Toledo, El Escorial, Paris (is anyone really qualified to give advice on Paris?) Berlin, Krakow, Prague, Milan, Legnano, Lugano, Cinque Terre, Venice, Rome, Naples, Florence, Sorrento, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. I’m currently living in China, so hopefully my list will have more Asian cities and not be quite so Euro-centric.
General advice is a little bit less structured, but I’m just going to give all the advice I know how to give. Things I kind of know about include: applying for colleges/scholarships/jobs, (don’t even get me started) fafsa, university, study abroads, working abroad, teaching English packing tips, cheap flights, living in Italy, living in China, and the best travel apps.
Beyond writing to fulfill my own personal need to write for my own mental health, and beyond writing to help the every day traveler, the true pipe dream is to someday write for Atlas Obscura- my one true love, my go-to for anywhere I travel, and the greatest website of all time.
I reference Atlas a lot, so if you’re going to keep reading my blog you best familiarize yourself now. 😉 atlasobscura.com
Finding Eden 