anyone goin to Europe?

[virilep]

hey guys... for the people that know about school for next year, anyone planning on going to Europe? just wanted to ask where and when. i'm trying to figure up an itinerary. HOLLA

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Charlie]

hey guys... for the people that know about school for next year, anyone planning on going to Europe? just wanted to ask where and when. i'm trying to figure up an itinerary. HOLLA

I'm trying to figure something out for the later part of the spring.

What are your plans thus far?

 

[IllinoisStudent]

count me in.

 

[indo]

I just got back. Buy a eurorail pass while in America.

 

[skiracer90]

As soon as I get my first acceptance (hopefully ), I'm planning to backpack europe throughout june. Can't wait!!!

 

[tkdchica]

hey guys... for the people that know about school for next year, anyone planning on going to Europe? just wanted to ask where and when. i'm trying to figure up an itinerary. HOLLA

I'm a little afraid to admit my major after earlier posts, but being a languages major (French and German) I got to study abroad twice. I recommend France and Germany highly. Saying this, I prefer the south of France (where I lived) to Paris. Also, Munich was my favorite city in Germany. Dublin is a lot of fun in the spring since it's "football" season and the drunk painted guys are highly worth viewing. Hope this helps and I'm so jealous.

 

[Rugger81]

yeah as soon as i get accepted and my stupid job ends, im going backpacking through europe again. june 25th....june 25th...

 

[leechy]

I'm thinking about this too... but my friends are all busy, and I don't feel it would be safe to go alone. Perhaps some sort of structured program.

 

[lightnk102]

I'm thinking about this too... but my friends are all busy, and I don't feel it would be safe to go alone. Perhaps some sort of structured program.

i wouldn't worry about it. most developed foreign countries are (surprise!) filled with normal people who have families, just like the U.S. is. And also just like the U.S., you'll find the same criminals, i wouldn't consider it any more or less dangerous. I went traveling for 5 weeks through South Africa on my own and didn't have any problems. I didn't feel unsafe at any point in time. Just be smart about things, and as premeds, we're all super smart, even if the adcoms can't see it! (usual things: don't walk around alone at night, don't go places with strange men, you know - stuff you've known since you were 5 years old). to be honest, when I first went, I was a little apprehensive about traveling alone - just like you are. but after the first week, I realized that not only did I not mind it - I would likely do it again. No one travels in groups, except the Americans and the Japanese, and I met a ton of other people traveling on their own. I probably would've met less people if I'd gone with a friend and done less things.

I'd recommend it =). I think everyone should travel alone once in their lifetime.

If you're looking for a more structured program though, you can check out contiki (i believe that arrange group travel for young adults), but be aware that if you're going through a structured group, it will be more expensive than if you went and arranged it yourself. If you're of the more adventurous sort, you can also try www.reiadventures.com . I think EMS has something similar as well. I know for both REI and EMS, if you go (with or without a friend) and arrange an adventure tour when you arrive at the country instead of from the U.S., it's usually cheaper also. But that depends on how comfortable you are with that. I haven't had any problems arranging adventure tour/safari's once I arrived, just make sure its with a certified company and not some random ruffians on the street.

 

[Cerberus]

I'd like to, just don't know if i'll be able to budget it

 

[virilep]

hey, so you just got back? that's kinda cool. what was your journey like? my plans are to go to london-france-brussels-amsterdam-berlin-munich-geneva-then italy-end up in athens.... i'd love to see other peoples itineraries and see how they made it through. like if all the days were enough. maybe you guys know of a website that has this. HOLLA..... if you guys don't know... alot of people PMed me after i posted the HOLLA post... kinda funny. anyhow. holla!

 

[Charlie]

Anyone interested in going in late March or early April?

 

[JMD]

Virilep, that's a great itinerary. Having been over there 4-5 times, my advice is to also try to hit some of the smaller/ less touristy spots along the way. I spent last summer in Germany, and there are some really charming little brewery towns (if your into that) and stuff that give you more of a "real" feel. Many of the touristy areas are packed durig the summer. If anyone can go a little early (Charlie mentioned March or April), I think it makes things a whole lot easier i.e. finding rooms, booking trains, not being mobbed by 8 millions other tourists, etc. Don't get me wrong, go whenever you can!

Regarding the structured tours, I have never done one so my opinion doesn't mean much, but I think half the adventure of going to Europe is just being on your own... no itinerary to follow, just spend a month or so cruising around and going wherever you feel like. I always had a general itinerary, but some of my greatest experiences were when we decided to break from it unexpectedly to go to some cool place we heard about. Oh yeah, and Europe is safe... be smart and keep an eye on your belongings, but beyond that I have never heard of anyone having any "serious" problems.

Virilep, go to Interlocken, Switz. and do something nuts (bungee jump, climb a glacier, etc)... its, basically a town filled with young, crazy, extreme sport, types, Rome, Venice, Florence are all musts in Italy, Cinque Terra is amazing- basically hiking along the Italian Riviera, and if your headed towards Greece, hit up all kinds of islands (Capri is great).

Anyways, I could write for hours about this stuff. I am jealous of you all as I will be starting 3rd year right after taking boards and probably won't be able to take another trip until who knows when.

 

[virilep]

hey JMD. that's cool. I used to live in Germany a long time ago. maybe you have like itineraries that you used. maybe some other info on it. that's be great if you did. I would love to go to small places like that. i know u could write hours and hours... but it'd be awesome to get more info. the time stage is pretty much set from mid june to mid july. so we'll see. i just hope we can cover all of it in a month. thnx for the help

 

[Eiko]

As soon as I get my first acceptance (hopefully ), I'm planning to backpack europe throughout june. Can't wait!!!

Same here! I so want to go backpack across Europe as a celebration... that is if I get in.

 

[JMD]

hey JMD. that's cool. I used to live in Germany a long time ago. maybe you have like itineraries that you used. maybe some other info on it. that's be great if you did. I would love to go to small places like that. i know u could write hours and hours... but it'd be awesome to get more info. the time stage is pretty much set from mid june to mid july. so we'll see. i just hope we can cover all of it in a month. thnx for the help

I should be studying right now, so I can write a more in depth post/pm later on. I have been there a few times, so have done things in different chunks. I studied abroad in London, so did the UK then, and a 2 week trip to France Italy, Spain (flew to the south of Italy, came up through Italy and around the Italian/French rivieras, through spain, back up through france), then separate trips to Ireland, the scandinavian countries, and then this last summer to Germany and surrounding area.

I think London is a great place to start, hit up the more northern countries and then end your trip chillin' on the beaches .

Like I said, if this thread keeps going or you have any questions about details then i can post some more when i don't have an exam coming up .

 

[CocoMD]

I'm hoping to have some time to spend in Europe this summer too... If you go through Italy, I'd recommend staying in Rimini for a bit. It's a really fun beach town near Bologna. I worked in Paris one summer, then took the train down to Cannes with a friend, then over to Rimini and Milan. I wouldn't recommend Milan in the summer, but that's also cause we went in Aug. when everything was closed. I loved Rome, though, and Paris.

... living vicariously through all of your trips

 

[virilep]

does anyone know of any good online itineraries through the places i mentioned?

ps....go TITANS...

 

[51487]

I'm going to Madrid 3/12-3/18 for spring break?

 

[indo]

I'm going to Madrid 3/12-3/18 for spring break?

Madrid is sick... You're going to wish you had about a month to stay there to take it all in. One day we walked around for 10 hours and didn't see even a small portion of what there was to see. Madrid's subway system is pretty nice too.

 

[Ames980]

I'm thinking about this too... but my friends are all busy, and I don't feel it would be safe to go alone. Perhaps some sort of structured program.

i traveled through italy alone for a couple weeks and it was totally fine -- id avoid naples, in hind sight, and i wouldnt reccomend doing the overnight trains by yourself, but as a whole its fine!

 

[salfrankador]

i definitely plan on doing the backpacking europe thing this summer. one last big bang before entering med school. i have yet to put much thought into an itinerary, though. I just have a general idea of the places i want to hit: london, rome, amsterdam, madrid, switzerland,....

i'd like to see what other people think a good plan of attack is and how long it usually takes to do it well. im thinking of taking 2 to 3 weeks....

good thread btw...

 

[k-monger]

i definitely plan on doing the backpacking europe thing this summer. one last big bang before entering med school. i have yet to put much thought into an itinerary, though. I just have a general idea of the places i want to hit: london, rome, amsterdam, madrid, switzerland,....

That's way too much crap to do in one trip. Think about all the hours and hours and hours that you'll waste in transit once you get to europa. Try to pick a region and hit it hard. Don't spend so much valuable time sitting on a train seat or sleeping on a train cot. Don't worry about not seeing all of europe, cuz after we're docs, we'll be able to go back to see the rest.

P.S. Rick Steve is a genious.

 

[virilep]

That's way too much crap to do in one trip. Think about all the hours and hours and hours that you'll waste in transit once you get to europa. Try to pick a region and hit it hard. Don't spend so much valuable time sitting on a train seat or sleeping on a train cot. Don't worry about not seeing all of europe, cuz after we're docs, we'll be able to go back to see the rest.

P.S. Rick Steve is a genious.

I actually wouldn't think it's hard. I mean i've never been... but i actually updated the itinerary... athens, italy, marsielles france, barcelona, geneva, munich, prague, berlin, amsterdam, brussels, paris, london...

so... i dunno.. that's a months worth. not too shabby. but i gotta work out the kinks.

 

[lightnk102]

I actually wouldn't think it's hard. I mean i've never been... but i actually updated the itinerary... athens, italy, marsielles france, barcelona, geneva, munich, prague, berlin, amsterdam, brussels, paris, london...

so... i dunno.. that's a months worth. not too shabby. but i gotta work out the kinks.

doing all those cities in one month is definitely not advisable. there's 12 cities on there, minimum, in one month?! i'd say including transit-time, the most you can do is 1 week per city.

 

[virilep]

that's why i'm trying to figure out itineraries... but i've seen them where they've been done.

 

[skiracer90]

How much do you think backpacking would be for 1 month? I'm trying to crunch some numbers...

 

[bcruize]

I am definitely going to Europe after I recieve my first acceptance. I really dont care where I go to school. I am not interested in research, I want to be a competent physician. From all the MD interviwing I have done over the years- i am 27- and being in the healthcrae field for the last 5 I think a medschool gives you enough info to get you to the door- and the rest is up to the individual.
I am looking forward to Europe before starting the next 4 years, I lived there as a kid but I want to see it again.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

hey guys... for the people that know about school for next year, anyone planning on going to Europe? just wanted to ask where and when. i'm trying to figure up an itinerary. HOLLA

paris in spring ..
i enjoy arch as a pastime and this will be my second study abroad...i want memory cards for my camera for xmas and a charcoal pecil set with a good quality fiberboard sketch pad can you tell i am excited ?

 

[futuremsfdoc]

to those who mentioned brussels: if i were you, i'd skip it. it's a dull political city with no notable sites except for a cathedral and plaza, which you can see in any european city. if you're in the benelux countries, i'd recommend going to amsterdam and bruges as must-see places, then as time permits go elsewhere.

personally, i'm planning on going to europe this summer if i can convince my dad to give me the money. i'll prolly head to london and germany, and maybe holland.

 

[JMD]

doing all those cities in one month is definitely not advisable. there's 12 cities on there, minimum, in one month?! i'd say including transit-time, the most you can do is 1 week per city.

i'd say about 10 cities is doable with a decent amount of time at each place. A week in each city is great, but if you only have one last trip before med school starts I would try to hit more than that. Some cities you may end up only wanting to spend a day or two, others more, so it balances out. I guess that is always the problem, balancing an in depth experience in a few cities or seeing a bit more, but superficially. I'd say seeing 10 cities (averaging about 3 days a city) is a happy medium.

Transit time isn't bad if you organize your itninerary well (Virileps is definitely logical and shouldn't be too bad). Remember, you can take night trains that have beds, saving you time and the $$$ you'd spend on a place to stay that night.

I have not been to Brussels, but I have also heard that it's not that noteworthy (especially if you can check out someplace else). But then again, you could end up loving it.