After finishing my last class of the school semester, I’m about ready for my summer adventure in Berlin. As part of a journalism internship program, I’ll be spending 11 weeks in Germany’s beautiful capital with my reporter’s notebook in hand as I fulfill my passion for discovering a new destination.
To get to know the area and learn about top attractions before my arrival, I did most of my research online and gained travel insight from friends and family who have visited Berlin or are currently living in or near the city. For example, my grandpa strongly recommends visiting the Berlin Cathedral for its impressive pipe organ built by Wilhelm Sauer in 1905. I’m especially looking forward to all of the yummy Wiener schnitzel (breaded veal or pork) I can eat, visiting various famous museums, such as the Pergamon Museum (known for its collection of ancient monuments including the Pergamon Altar), and learning what it’s like to be reporting in another part of the world.
Photo of the Berlin Cathedral: Travelblog.org
Unlike some of my past three-week family vacations to Europe, this trip entailed more travel prepping—after all, I’ll be living in the country for several weeks as opposed to visiting for a few days. And I thought moving away from home to start college was hard. Planning my trip has been overwhelming at times. For example, I accidentally booked the wrong departure date, but luckily got a full refund after calling a customer service agent for the travel booking Web site immediately after realizing my mistake. I’m also still in the midst of trying to pick and fit all of my favorite outfits into one suitcase—the 44-pound limit for Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) just doesn’t seem like enough space to fit everything I want to bring. I still can’t decide whether to leave behind my favorite pair of yellow high-heel shoes or pack one less T-shirt.
Prior to accepting the offer to live and study in Berlin, I didn’t think a great deal about the extensive planning that would go into organizing my trip. Here are few recommendations to consider before visiting, or in my case temporarily moving to another country.
Check the voltage of the country you’re visiting and make sure to purchase an electric converter if you need one (the cost usually starts at around $20, depending on where you are traveling), as well as any necessary adapters.
Open a bank account in your destination or get a credit card from your bank that you can also use in the country. I just found out I can use my debit card in Berlin—sweet! Be careful though, banks often charge extra fees for using your card in a foreign country.
Exchange contact information with anyone you may know in the area you’ll be living.
Look into public transportation options. In Germany, I’ll be traveling via the Berlin Transportation Company (BVG) means of transportation, including buses, subways and streetcars.
I’ll be writing about my Berlin adventures here on TravelMusings over the coming months. What are your recommendations for things I should see and do during my stay in Berlin?
