One of the most exciting things about CIMBA is the weekend trips. The idea of being able to travel and experience new places is an unbeatable feeling, but the learning curve on how to get there and what to do can be challenging. Here are some tips on how to plan the perfect weekend getaway.
1. Booking tickets
Booking train or plane tickets might be something you are not used to or have never done before. That’s okay! The first weekend I went to Florence, and the cheapest and easiest way to get there was by train. This would be my third time on a train ever. Booking tickets, however, was surprisingly easy. For traveling inside of Italy, I would recommend using the Trenitalia app. Through the app, you can book tickets, get updates on the trains, and see your schedule. Each weekend there is a bus that takes students to the nearest train station; make sure you book your tickets so that you have time for the bus to take you to the station and leave some wiggle room!
Let’s say you’re planning on going a little further. I went to Vienna on the second weekend, and this time, the best way to travel was by plane. I booked through Austria Air. So that I was able to have a carry-on and a personal item. You can go through a cheaper airline like Ryanair, but be warned, you may only get a personal item. To get to the Vencie airport, if at least 20 people request it, a bus will be provided to take you there and back.
2. Finding your people
Whether you came to CIMBA with friends or by yourself, it is always fun to get a good group together for your weekend trips. But how do you meet your people? One of the best ways to do this is through your classes. Never be afraid to talk to the people around you in your classes because everyone is in the same boat. Another thing that can be scary is inviting yourself to someone else’s trip. You don’t want to be a bother or seem rude, but a lot of times, preexisting groups are more than happy to add one more person to split the price of an Airbnb or meet a new friend. You can also sit with new people at lunch or dinner. Some of the best friends that I have made here at CIMBA were made because I sat with someone new at lunch. The moral of the story here is to get outside of your comfort zone and do not stay in your room. There are people here who want to meet you... all you have to do is say hi!
3. What to do on the actual trip
This step differs from person to person depending on how much structure you want in your trip and what your goals are. Do you want to go to a historic city or a beach town? Do you want to shop a lot? How much are you willing to spend? We decided we wanted to explore for our trips. For Florence, I traveled with a friend I already knew, and we decided to have a less structured trip. We bought tickets to climb up the bell tower and to visit a couple of attractions the week before, but other than that, we wanted to explore. Because of this, we saw a lot of the city and tried a lot of new foods and gelato. We did not get to see the David statue though. Florence was a super fun trip, even though we never had a strict schedule.
Vienna, on the other hand, we planned a lot more. We went with three friends, and while we still wandered and explored the city, we planned set times for when we toured the palace, saw St.
Stephan’s cathedral, shopped, and stopped by a river to tan and swim. After we booked our tickets, we got to planning. Going into CIMBA I was nervous about planning my own trips, but doing it with friends can be fun and easy. For research, we Googled some of the best attractions to go to and ranked how much we were interested. We would also send TikToks of restaurants, tourist attractions, and markets, and when we would want to go to these. By the time we were flying to Vienna, we had a plan for our weekend.
Both weekends were a ton of fun, and I wouldn’t change a thing. The best thing to do is ask yourself what kind of trip you are looking for and move from there.
Traveling on the weekends is tons of fun! Remember to be aware of your surroundings and be safe!
Ciao!
Sophia