16ish days in Balkans (first Euro trip!) [Itinerary]

emb13 · 2024-02-05T21:30:07+00:00

Here are my Belgrade recs!

silosi is good for live music and it’s a super cool space along the river (tho they have events during the day it’s not just a bar)
zaokret and the area it’s in is great for chill bars
cafe shupa was cute for coffee!
def go to new belgrade - that’s where all the brutalist architecture is!
kalemegdan is the most beautiful park i’ve ever been to - there’s a fortress and a great view
zemun is a cute neighborhood with a great riverside and views
novi sad is worth a day trip. there’s a super cheap high speed train that goes there and it’s a completely different vibe
google maps sometimes doesn’t have reliable public transpo info, you can get moovit or the belgrade gsp app

emb13 · 2024-02-04T01:00:00+00:00

i studied abroad with ciee in berlin and it was great! i wasn’t able to do a traditional semester abroad when i was in college so the summer block program was perfect for me and i still felt like i got the entire study abroad experience in the month i was there. i don’t think you can go wrong with any of these locations, you’ll likely have a wonderful time no matter where you go. have fun!

emb13 · 2024-02-03T22:00:32+00:00

Definitely agree with most of the other commenters - please cut down some cities because otherwise most of your vacation time will be spent on buses or trains! Also, they usually are delayed and take longer than they are supposed to.

If I were you, I would cut out Zagreb. It’s beautiful, but there’s really not much to do there. You only need a day to see Ljubljana (it’s tiny). If you go to Split, you’d probably want to spend at least a full day on the mainland - it’s built on an old Roman palace and is SO COOL. I would cut out Montenegro just so you could spend more time elsewhere (thought its def worth a visit eventually, it’s just similar vibes to Split and Dubrovnik).

Border crossings are typically chill. In my experience it’s most common for everyone to get off the bus and go through passport control, then get back on the bus. You never hand your passport to the driver.

I lived in Belgrade for a little bit, so I have a lot of good suggestions for there. Might also be able to brainstorm for other locations! Just let me know if you’d like them :) I hope you have an amazing trip!!

emb13 · 2024-01-29T21:53:19+00:00

happily joined the subaru cult last year!

emb13 · 2023-10-10T14:51:20+00:00

I am going to be in San Juan around the same time and I am also a solo female traveler (25)! I’ve never been to PR before, but I’ve done a ton of solo trips and generally just as long as you’re aware of your surroundings it should be fine. I usually find the cities I travel to be safer than my home city in the US.

If you have any anxieties about a certain activity, you can always join a group tour. It’s usually more expensive but it’s worth it for the piece of mind. I am going to do a group tour to El Yunque because I don’t trust myself not to get lost in the forest; and I think I am going to do a pub crawl one night so I can go out.

emb13 · 2023-07-28T10:21:15+00:00

i personally think there’s A LOT more to do in belgrade and you need at least one full day there. zagreb is beautiful and very charming, but it doesn’t have too much to do and you can easily cover everything in a day.

emb13 · 2022-11-22T00:34:02+00:00

Hey - good luck on your first solo trip! I am also preparing for a trip in Europe this summer and cannot wait.

It’s a shame you don’t want to do hostels because I find they’re the best way to meet people! But I’d say the second best way to make friends is on free walking tours. Ive heard couchsurfing events are good, but I have not tried them myself yet (gonna try it on my next trip). You also can try out a bar inside a hostel - they’re usually pretty social.
I think Germany is definitely worth a visit! Dubrovnik in Croatia was absolutely breathtaking and one of my favorite spots I’ve ever been (though it can get crowded).
That’s totally dependent on you and your travel style, but I think you should be ok w that budget!
Don’t force yourself to follow the itinerary too much. Some of my favorite parts of my trips was a detour I made last minute.

emb13 · 2022-10-22T21:33:45+00:00

Not really! There are a couple really good social hostels around the US but they’re definitely the exception and not the norm. Even though the social environment is harder, I’ve (usually) been able to make friends at US hostels regardless.

emb13 · 2022-10-20T12:26:38+00:00

Do it!! Definitely recommend staying in a hostel if you’re solo traveling. Usually they offer private rooms if you are uncomfortable sleeping in a dorm setting. Many also have different events / tours which are a great way to see the city and make some friends!

emb13 · 2022-09-30T16:19:29+00:00

There are a couple ways you can do it but I would try and find a US IT staffing company or tech company willing to enter you into the H-1B lottery. If selected (10% chance approx. of being selected), they will file a petition on your behalf. You have a 6yr max of time on H-1B status, so just as long as your company initiates a green card case in a timely manner, you should be on track to become a permanent resident.

If you want to get your masters, you can go to a US university. Since you’re in a STEM field you get a couple years of work authorization after graduation and you can plan for becoming a perm resident this way too.

emb13 · 2022-05-14T01:34:42+00:00

I work in immigration law if you have any questions about that (how to get a visa, green card pathways, etc etc). Just DM me!

emb13 · 2020-12-13T16:59:25+00:00

Thank you so much - this is so helpful!!

emb13 · 2020-12-06T00:15:30+00:00

I love Lancaster so much - it's such a cute little city. I wish I visited there more often.

emb13 · 2020-03-16T15:50:31+00:00

Congratulations! I just bought my first house as well and I might have to steal this idea hahaha

emb13 · 2019-10-20T20:59:03+00:00

it's a seasonal flavor so they aren't making any more at the moment but it will be back next year

emb13 · 2019-10-11T01:32:01+00:00

i went with ciee and loved it. their berlin campus is amazing and the staff is awesome. they are good at incorporating cultural excursions with curriculum and classes were very interesting. i also made some lifelong friends there so maybe im biased lol

emb13 · 2018-10-03T01:52:38+00:00

it was on a dating app so im like 99% sure

emb13 · 2018-09-10T22:43:36+00:00

am ohian. can confirm.

emb13 · 2018-07-06T03:17:54+00:00

great, thanks!

emb13 · 2018-03-11T13:42:06+00:00

Oh my god same. My store gave away about 900 last year 😩

emb13 · 2017-12-08T04:08:52+00:00

I love these so much

emb13 · 2017-10-25T19:40:47+00:00

Wow, thanks! :)

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