Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of the other fun cities that I went to. Amsterdam is famous for a lot of things. Ill name a few of them: Heineken brewery, Van Gogh, Ann Frank, and of course the red light district and marijuana. I saw all of these and I would have to say they are all awesome, well except the marijuana. I smelt it coming from some of the coffee shops but I never went in.

The Heineken brewery was probably the best part of Amsterdam for me. It was set up very well and taught you everything you have ever wanted to know about the beer and the company. It didn’t cost a lot to get in and they gave you three free beers. (That might have been what I liked the most.) Other than that it was nice because they allowed you to experience things you never would think about. For example they had a room that you could sit down and have your own TV. With the TV you could pick which year you wanted to look at and they would show you the commercial they made for that year. It was in almost every language so you could understand it. They also had a great gift shop and even if you didn’t buy something they still gave you a gift when you left. I would suggest going there.

The Van Gogh museum was cool also. I would make sure you have longer than and hour or two to get through it. I went in and tried to do it in an hour and we had to run through some of the rooms. It was very interesting and kind of pricy. I would some day like to go back but it probably won’t be for awhile.

The Ann Frank house was really cool. I was always interested in her story and it was great to see where it all happened. It was rather hot inside and I can not imagine how bad it would have been to live there like they did. I was rushed though there also but I think I got all of it in. It was amazing. If you can I would read the book before you go because you will get more out of it.

Finally ill tell you about the red light district. It is very interesting. I walked through it twice and didn’t really stick around for very long. I am sure if I was with friends instead of family I would have stuck around longer but it was weird with my aunt there. The marijuana part I really don’t have the experience with that one. From what I heard of other people going to Amsterdam, it’s a good time and you need to try it. I don’t have much else to say about that.

I hope this helps in your travels and if you want more information please let me know Ill see what I can do. Thanks Andy Hennig

Rome

Rome is one of the other major cities that I was fortunate to spend some time in. I personally only got to stay in Rome for about three days. For these three days I walked around Rome and saw things I have only seen in movies and until then just dreamed about seeing in real life. Now it is hard to believe that I have seen what I have. Luckily I took several hundred pictures. None of these pictures do Rome justice.
My favorite site in Rome was the Roman Coliseum. I have always been interested in this and after watching the movie gladiator I have really wanted to see it first hand. I was unfortunate to have to see the Coliseum when it was raining. Still it was the most amazing thing I saw on my trip. To be where so many people had been before and so long ago was awesome. The architecture and engineering of the Coliseum was so precise and perfect that I was speechless. The rain really didn’t ruin the day for me. If anything it scared a few hundred people away and let me walk around with more room to see the Coliseum.
Almost everything in Rome is within walking distance. The only thing that I didn’t walk to was the Vatican. To get to the Vatican we took the underground. This was easy even though everything was in Italian. In fact for the most part you don’t even have to pay to get on. If nobody is standing at the gates than you can just walk on and have a free ride. The Vatican is also an amazing site to see in Rome. Everything is like a picture and everything is just so old. The best room in the Vatican is obviously Sistine Chapel. However this was the most crowded room and it was very hot. I personally don’t understand why they would allow that room to get so hot, I would think the paint would start to come off or something. Also they don’t allow pictures to be taken in this room. This is posted everywhere but you can get away with taking pictures. They have a few security guards walking around telling you to put your camera down, they never take it away or anything like that.

London

London is an amazing city. It is one of me favorite cities in the world. I loved how big it was and how easy it was to get around. There is so much to see in London that I think you could be there for two weeks and not see everything. I am going to talk about the main things that I saw.
First I was lucky enough to get a tour of the Parliament building. This building was amazing and the history behind each room was intense. To know that the kings and queens of England had stood where you are standing was amazing. I couldn’t believe the history that has taken place there and the tradition of everything that happens inside. If you have the chance I suggest you go and look at it because the amount of marble and gold inside is ridiculous.
Another site that is a must see in London is St. Paul’s Cathedral. I suggest getting a tour when you are inside because you will learn much more than just walking around. For example you will learn how it is the third Cathedral to be on that spot and you can learn how it was saved from bombs during the war. I also suggest that you walk all 435 steps, or however many there are. It is worth it because the view you get can not be beaten. The view of London from that high is amazing and you can see for miles. When you are on the inside and on the first platform on the way up you have to try and talk to someone on the other side. You can actually talk next to the wall and someone on the other side can hear you if their ear is against the wall. This is because the wall goes in a circle. It is a lot more fun than it sounds.
Something else that you need to do if you get the chance is see the Queen and or the Royal family. When I was there it was the Queens birthday and she had a parade. The amount of people that showed up was amazing and can not really be described. You and I don’t really think about this but some people live there life only wanting to see the Queen once. Also taking a tour of one of the castles is a must. Seeing how they lived along time ago and how they are still living in them today is just crazy. Learning how they used to use pluming or the lack of it is rather interesting also. Also how they used to protect the castle and how they still have to keep the castle in good shape. I learned that the family that owns the castle has one purpose in life and that is to make money to keep the castle in good shape.
If what you have read hear was interesting and helpful for you than check out my website. I have more information about traveling abroad and will put more cities and sites up as time goes on. Thanks for reading.
Andrew Hennig
Studenttravel255@gmail.com
www.freewebs.com/studenttravel255/

When you are studying or traveling abroad you will have to get around somehow. In most cases you will travel by bus, train, or plane when you are going long distances. Booking these in advance is always recommended. For the shorter trips, like traveling from you hotel or hostel to a museum or monument, you can walk or ride local transportation. Taxies are often expensive but you know exactly where it will drop you off and you shouldn’t have to walk far. Your other choices are train or bus. I personally really liked the underground trains like the tube systems in Rome and London. You can get anywhere in the city and if you think it through you can be there faster than the buses in most cases. I didn’t mind the buses but I did prefer the underground. Buses are not that reliable on time and it seems like you always stop way to much. Also if you don’t know exactly where you need to get off then you can run into problems. I got off early a few times and had to walk along ways to where I needed to go. I also had to back track a few times because I would be spacing out and miss my stop. Also be warned that the buses may not stop at every bus stop. If nobody is waiting to get on and nobody pushes the button to get off than it will not stop. This is why I liked the tube systems better. They always tell you what stop is next and where you are. There are also maps everywhere inside the train and out so that you don’t get lost and you can find your way around.

Studying abroad

One of the most rewarding things in my life was when I studied abroad. Talking to people about my experiences and sharing my stories is a lot of fun for me. I can talk for hours about the things I saw and people I met. I suggest to everyone that I meet that they should go and study or travel abroad. Seeing the sites that you read about in books, or see on TV and in the movies. It is a surreal feeling when you are there and when you get back you get to relive it every time you see the Eiffel Tower or the Vatican.
I have seen more things and been more places than my parents have and I know they are jealous. Also most of my friends have never been to Europe or out of this country for that matter so they don’t understand the feelings that I have towards traveling abroad. I start into a story of something that happened or something I saw and none of them can relate. This is one reason why I think everyone should go over there.
While traveling and planning to travel you may have many questions. Questions on what to do and where to go, or how do I pay for this. All of these questions can be answered by the people that have gone before you. In most cases we all know someone that has been abroad. Asking them about what they did and how they did it is the best way to find out what you should do. People that have gone before you will help you out the most.
This is the reason I have made a website about traveling and studying abroad. I believe that my tips and suggestions along with my stories can help many others. I have been to several different countries in Europe. I have been to England, France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Austria, Italy, Luxemburg, and Switzerland. Seeing most of these places within two weeks was amazing but being in England for three weeks can not be beat. I studied abroad in Bristol England for three weeks and spent a week in Belgium with that program. After my first month abroad and my program were over I spent another two weeks on a bus tour of Europe. My aunt and uncle met me in London and we ended in Paris. The last two weeks I saw more places in a less time than I ever imagined.
Something that I learned is that if you are going to be traveling for a long period of time than you need to mix up who you are traveling with. However if you know you can stand someone than you should be ok. The last part of my trip I think could have been a little bit better if there was someone else on it with me around my age. I did make a lot of knew friends, people that I will never forget.
If you want to find out more information about traveling abroad or studying abroad please check my website. I try and post new things every week and will try and answer your questions.
Thanks for reading.
Andrew Hennig

Socializing While Abroad

Welcome back to my blog. This week I am going to talk about the social aspect of studying abroad. This is a big part of studying abroad because interacting with people and talking to the locals will teach you more than you ever thought. I encourage everyone to travel with someone they know, but I also encourage everyone to talk to and go out with people they have never met before. I found that one night out with the locals was better than 2 nights just with someone you know. The first thing is that you will learn about their culture and how they do things. You will learn new games, toasts, and drinks. You will find that the social aspect of life is a big deal abroad and you need to experience it.

When you are abroad you will find that life is much more relaxed than it is here. It was put to me this way. “Americans life to work, we work to live”. In other words as Americans we work to much and don’t have as much of a free time or social life. When I was in England it seemed that the shops opened later and closed early suggesting that they don’t work as long of hours as we do and they don’t worry about work like we do. I can not explain how this concept has changed my life and I know when you experience it for yourself you will too.

My suggestion for finding a social life while you are abroad is just go and have fun. Drinking is a big part of college life, and when you are abroad drinking is much more excepted than it is here. Having a drink with friends after work is an everyday thing. A social drink is a big part of their life and they have many places to go for this. Where I went (Bristol, England) they had over 185 bars and it wasn’t that big of a town. I drank with some of my professors and other people in the community. Making friends abroad is an easy thing to do and these friendships can last along time. I still talk to people in
England and they are coming to visit America soon.


I have told you that you will learn much more from the locals than you ever thought. Well this is very true. The customs and the way the look at life is much different than ours. You will see this first hand and take it all in. I also encourage you to talk to many people from other countries. I talked to a gentleman from Scotland when I was there and it was very interesting to find out his thoughts on America. The thing that shocked me the most was how much they knew about American politics. They know more about our political leaders than I ever want to.

Thank you for reading this week. Please read more of my blogs to find out helpful information about studying abroad. If anyone has any quesitons or anything you would like me to write about please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks and have a good week.

Packing

When packing your bags it is always smart to pack light. I could not stress this enough. Packing is always a hard thing to do when going on a trip but when you leave the country you must think of everything. You need to do some research on what the weather might be like while you are there. I went to Europe over the summer so I brought a few shorts and a few pairs of pants. I also only brought one sweatshirt with me. This I did not pack in my suit case because it takes up room. Instead I brought it on the plane with me to use as a pillow.

When deciding how much of what to bring, I went with what I would need for one week. You will be able to do some laundry and besides nobody will are if you haven’t done laundry in a week because every other tourist is in the same boat you are. Also, In Europe for example it doesn’t smell to nice anyways so nobody will notice if you smell a little.

To save more space pack things that can be mixed matched. Shirts you can wear with 2 or 3 different pairs of pants or shorts. I bought a lot of dry fit shirts so I wouldn’t have to worry about ironing. Also they fold up rather small so you can bring a few more of them. A tip that I received while I was there was to roll your clothes. When you roll your clothes you can fit them better into a suitcase.

Another suggestion is to pack once then unpack and see what you really don’t need. Then pack again. You should never pack for what might happen you should only pack for what you know will happen. You can always buy something there if you need it.

Lastly you will want to pack lights because you will have to carry it yourself. After my trip I had three bags, one suitcase, a duffle bag and a book bag. My suitcase weighed 75 lbs and I don’t know what the other bags weighed but I do know it wasn’t fun. I spent about two hours running up and down stairs of the tube stations in London to catch the trains I needed. It wasn’t fun and by the end of it my back was killing me.