September 2018 - Awra Briguela

VP travel
The Great
Eastern Europe
Adventure
What started as a mere dream has come true for me, traveling through
Europe traversing several countries in one single trip to the continent.
By: Ryan Dela Cruz
I have been passionate about seeing different cities and cultures
for as long as I can remember. As soon as I started earning money, I
already had my eyes on seeing as many countries as possible. I would
save up as early as a year before, learn what I need to know about the
country I am going to and create a budget so I’d know how much I am
going to spend in the trip.
I have been to the UK and Paris last year, but this trip was different,
my Ireland based good friend and I had our mind set on going offbeat
and seeing a rather unknown route, taking on a 12-day eastern
European tour that brings us to Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna,
Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia and then to Budapest, Hungary.
The Dream That Was Prague
We started our trip in Prague, flying through Istanbul, it was a 16-hour
travel time for me, arriving in the middle of the day, after a quick
shower, we head out right away not wasting any time.
The heart of the city is in the old town square, the place is packed
with restaurants, quaint cafes and a lot of tourists, every corner is a
photo opportunity waiting to happen.
Amongst the cathedrals and castles in this city, I was most enthralled
with the roofs of the houses here, they were all orange and when it
hits the sun the roofs of these houses are just picture prefect.
Planning
Getting more and more experienced as a
traveler, I have learned to manage my way
around visas and its requirements, the
local partners of European countries have
enough information on what you need to do
to acquire a Visa. All boils down to a which
country you are staying most at or where
you are entering first.
Itinerary building is the most exciting part
for me, with the advent of social media and
travel influencers, finding beautiful places
in any country is as easy as searching it on
google. I particularly like using pinterest
in building my itinerary and tripadvisor in
getting as much local and realtime reviews
of places I am planning to visit
Back in the day, getting a hotel was also a
not only a chore but there were very few
options, either expensive or rip offs. With
Airbnb and hostels popping all over the
world, the not only do you get affordable
options, establishments are fighting over
travelers giving more value for the value of
the traveler.
My tip to anyone travelling to Europe,
research is really important, locations
and itineraries need to be really carefully
designed especially if you are DYI-ing
(doing it yourself). But, there are certain
countries when they proximities of
landmarks and stops are too far apart, the
trusty hop-on, hop-off is always a good
option.
Travel tip in getting a perfect view of the city is entering one of
the towers at the end of Charles Bridge, for a minimal fee, you can
go up a flight of narrow stairs and end up at a view deck with a
breathtaking view of the city.
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