Traveling with friends? How about Amsterdam

After countless nights of debating, accompanied by what some might consider straight arguing, my three lovely roommates and I were finally able to come to a concrete decision on traveling to Amsterdam! Why Amsterdam? Well why not! What can possibly be better than spending a week in a city rich with history yet overwhelmingly diverse and modern.

We are a group four ambitious young women all with very different interests. However, we all share a love for traveling. Prior to actually booking a flight and other accommodations, we all agreed on setting a common goal. This goal is a no brainer for most young travelers, and that is to save as much money as possible. It is difficult enough financing studies abroad (did I mention we were just a couple of college students?), but adding adventure and spontaneous trips is essentially the biggest benefit to studying in a foreign country.

Luckily, we are all very adept travelers and so we were able to find some superb deals, making our trip to Amsterdam quite affordable. We stumbled upon a great website, Tripscan, which made our lives a lot easier since it compared flight itineraries and prices all on its own, generating the best options for us. Now all we have to worry about is visiting world renowned museums by day, and the famous Red Light District by night.

As a native Eastern European raised in the U.S, I have always found Western Europe extremely intriguing. No two cities have proven to be alike! Amsterdam drew our attention because it seemed to be the epitome of culture and excitement, perfect for even the most absurd group of friends traveling together.

I myself am an observer. I enjoy long walks with few words exchanged and lot of breathtaking sights. Architecture, art, canals, and tulip fields are my forte. The city of Amsterdam will definitely be a sight to see and a pleasure for my camera to capture. Meanwhile all I have been hearing around my apartment for the past few days has been bikes! Needless to say, it looks as though we will be renting bikes during our stay. Great way to immerse ourselves right? After all, Amsterdam is the cycling nirvana and I most certainly plan on paying homage to that.

I must admit, planning a trip to an entirely foreign country isn’t always easy. Sure we could have watched “The Fault in our Stars” and simply fantasized as Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters kiss for the first time in the heart of the Anne Frank House, but what a dull experience that would be. By traveling to Amsterdam we will have the opportunity to stand in the Anne Frank House ourselves. Even if I will not exactly be kissing Augustus Waters, I’m sure that I will be in awe never the less.

As we prepare ourselves for our “set in stone” trip to the Netherlands, all we can hope for is a great story to tell once we get back.