Travel Adventures (and fails) With Iyoniah

Let’s face it. This is not the first story that NYU Prague Now has published about traveling while abroad, nor will it be the last. But it’s my first time traveling outside the US, or even outside the east coast. I guess that you could say it’s a story of firsts. It’s my first time being abroad, taking a seven hour bus through Budapest, and overcoming my fear of flights. 

Since coming to Prague in August, I have been to six countries and nine cities with plans for more. So, I guess that makes me an expert traveler. An expert who is gracious enough to share my experiences and tips with you all. Go ahead and buckle in. And remember to strap yourself in before helping others, It’s going to be a bumpy ride. 

First, it’s not as cheap to travel from Prague as you might think. Prague’s Vaclav Havel Airport is small compared to London’s Stansted or other airports, so tickets were more expensive for me than they were for my friend who is studying in London. It can be a $40 difference, but you can still travel for cheap if you make the right decisions.

Book early, like when you first arrive in Prague, but expect complications. If you book early, you can save a lot of money. However, the problem with booking flights that far in advance is that you cannot surely know the weather and may encounter other unpredictable circumstances. Let’s just say that going to Venice while it is pouring rain is not fun, especially when you don’t have an umbrella. Also, you could book a ticket to a concert by your favorite artist only to have the queen of the country pass away and the concert rescheduled. Not like that happened to me or anything — but just be prepared for that.

Pro tip: random seat allocation is a life saver. I know that everyone dreads the middle seat and fears that random seat allocation may guarantee them an undesirable spot. That, my friend, is not always the case. I have rarely gotten the middle seat, but then again maybe that’s me being lucky. Still, it’s a great way to cut down on the cost of traveling.

Another cost effective tip: under the seat luggage is free (no extra cost). Why pay for an extra bag when you could shove all your stuff in a bag under your seat? They are way more spacious than you think. Also, don’t forget to check in online. That’s not a money saving tip, but it is a time saving one.

While we are still on flights, you should know that most flights are nonrefundable (unless you get insurance or something). You will not get a refund, even if it’s less than 24 hours since you booked, so be careful. You can change the date and destination for a fee, but your incoming and return destination have to be the same if you are doing a round trip. So book with caution. I have messed up enough for the both of us. 

Another flight-related tip is to always carry a mask. Some flights require it. 

I am a Black woman, so some of you may not face these issues, but you should also know that sometimes airports and hotels can be weird. And by weird, I mean racist or prejudiced. At security, I have been swabbed for “foreign substances” almost every time. Considering the amount of places that I have been, it’s happened a lot.

It got to the point where I went through the motions of being swabbed at my waist and wrist without the TSA attendant asking. It wasn’t due to my lotion because I stopped wearing lotion and perfume to the airport. I had no idea what they were looking for and how to make it stop. Turns out, this is not a common experience for non-Black NYU students. It usually only happens when the scanner beeps, and never as many times as it has happened to me. 

Hotels are not exempt from this behavior. I was targeted for having my friend spend the night at my hotel in Milan. I was not informed that having her there was against the rules, but the staff at the hotel treated us like we were criminals and singled us out in front of everyone. They ran to stop us on the way to the elevator then asked the white woman in front of us for her room number, before she even gave a response the man turned to me. I told him my room number and that my friend was my guest. He mentioned that the room was a single which was weird because how could he possibly know that my exact room was a single. He told us to wait while the white woman in front of us calmly went upstairs with no further investigation or remarks. Then, him and his manager crowded us. It felt very staged and practiced as they recited the time that we left the hotel this morning and their policies about guests that we were not informed of beforehand. They requested my friend’s passport, which was upstairs, but they refused to let her go up and get it herself. 

It was embarrassing. It happened in the middle of the lobby with several guests watching the display. I eventually confronted the hotel staff in a respectable way telling them that I do not like being treated that way as a guest. It’s not snotty or entitled to speak up in these situations. My advice is to stand up for yourself and ask questions about the procedures occurring or confront unjust behavior from hotels. 

On a different topic, every country’s transportation is different. Unless you have enough money to order an Uber every day, then you will most likely take public transportation. Just be prepared for anything. For example, France’s buses require a mobile app and code that is so hard to figure out, especially for a foreigner. Also, if you take the tram in Paris then you have to buy a ticket every time. There’s no rechargeable card — a massive waste of paper. (The plus side is that no one pays for transportation there anyways). Dublin only takes cash or leap cards, and London charges you based on where you go, so make sure you scan your phone on the way out or you will pay the max. It takes some time to figure out each country’s transportation style, so just make sure you have cash (in the country’s currency), spare data, and maybe look into a city pass. However, the public transportation here is way nicer than New York’s. 

Also, not all countries use the same rideshare apps. You can’t uber everywhere like MadeinTYO suggests. Some cities, like Dublin, only have taxis, but even that has its risks. Let’s say you have arrived at your destination and you are on the way to the hotel. But wait, you found out that the hotel you thought you booked was not the hotel that you actually booked — your hotel is more than an hour away from the city centre. Yes, this really happened, so, please double check the location of your hotel, please, I beg of you. I ended up stuck in my hotel until 6 p.m. in Dublin because there were no taxis available in my area.  The walk to the nearest bus station was 2 ½ hours long. So double check the location of your hotel before booking.

Another important tip is to keep your passport on your body. When traveling, I would not suggest placing your passport in a bookbag or anything like that. I have heard stories of people’s backpacks being stolen with their passports in it. I may be biased, but I suggest investing in a fanny pack (I love them) and keeping all your valuables on you. However, if this does happen to you, then take a deep breath and go to the nearest embassy. It will be okay. Also, take a picture of your passport just in case. You never know when that picture will come in handy. 

Lastly, flying is cool and quick, but sometimes it’s nice to take the train or bus. I completely understand making the most of your day and time when traveling, but it’s okay to take it easy sometimes. The plane doesn’t give you the same views that the train can. Plus, it’s way easier to sleep on the train/bus. The train I took to Verona from Milan was stunning. It’s a beautiful thing to see the scenery change and see the Alps Mountains so closeup. I would definitely recommend taking the train sometimes. Not all the time, but sometimes. 

I hope you enjoy hearing my traveling tips (and fails), and I would love to hear yours as well. These experiences, good and bad, are memorable, plus you will laugh about them in a week’s time. Maybe. 

By Iyoniah Teague