European Travel Tips

Train Travel

A recent survey of former castle students revealed that students traveled, on average, to 9 different countries during their semester abroad. Before deciding on whether to purchase a Eurail pass, you first need to decide what kind of traveling you want to do. We found that 58% of castle students did not buy a Eurail Pass. If you choose not to purchase a rail pass, you may still have train costs associated with your time in Europe since many destinations you may want to visit are not accessible by air.

Prices for the Eurail Pass vary from $50 to $1000+, depending on which type of pass you select, your age, how many countries or regions you would travel by rail, and which class of travel you prefer. For more information on rail passes, take a look at the Rail Europe web site.

The Kasteel Well Office of Student Affairs and the External Programs Office have prepared a handout called Traveling In Europe that details the pros and cons of purchasing rail passes and air tickets, travel to/from various EU airports, public transportation in the Netherlands and how to book international train tickets.

As a non-European citizen it is possible to buy the pass in Europe from the Eurail website or at select train stations. However, prices are about 20% higher than in the US and not all types of passes are available for sale in Europe! If you purchase online in Europe, it will be shipped to your address in Europe. We therefore recommend that you buy your Pass before you leave.

Travel Facts

The nearest train stations to the castle are Venlo (30 minutes by bus) and Nijmegen (one hour by bus). These two train stations offer direct connections to international destinations.
The small train station at Venray (15 minutes by bus from the castle) has direct connections to destinations within the Netherlands only.
Buses don’t run all night. If participants miss the last bus from the train station to Well, they are faced with an expensive taxi ride (€80 in some cases).
If participants travel by air within Europe and they miss their flight, they often have to buy a new ticket.
Düsseldorf Weeze Niederrhein Airport (NRN) is a regional airport approximately 20 minutes by car from Kasteel Well, and should not be confused with Düsseldorf International Airport (over 1 hour by car from the castle.)

At nearby Weeze Niederrhein Airport several airlines fly to different European cities. Kasteel Well has an agreement with a local taxi service to transport students to Airport Weeze for approximately €35 for 1-4 passengers.

View Directions to Airport Weeze in a larger map

Travel Considerations

Decide what kind of experience you want to have and how you plan to see Europe.
90% of students travel in groups. Plan to talk to other students about planning trips together before you leave for the castle.
Make your weekend and excursion travel plans early. The earlier you plan your trips and buy your tickets, the cheaper it will be. Book at least 3 weeks in advance.
You will usually need to spend extra time and money taking the bus/subway from the Ryan Air hub airport to the city center you are trying to get to. Keep this in mind when planning your budget.

Youth Hostels

Most castle students book hostels (as opposed to hotel rooms) for their independent travels. You should visit the websites listed below and look for the best rated hostels. We recommend doing lots of research including:

reading the hostelworld sidebar
reading the reviews (check the average scores)
check the age limits
check the comments
look at the photos
check the location
check the price range

It is important to consider booking hostels near the city center (because it will be close to all the attractions you want to see and you will save on transportation costs).

Remember, buses, subways and taxis can really add up! You should look for hostels that offer free amenities such as Wi-Fi, pillows, sheets and towels, lockers, etc. Some hostels will even offer free dinner. You can rent private rooms for your group and there are even some hostels with ”apartments” for rent. Make sure you take down the hostel info, detailed directions, map and registration information before you go.

Castle students recommend these websites for finding and booking hostels:

Culture Shock

Culture is a system of norms, notions, values and standards. It influences behavior, attitudes, and perception. Everyone sees the world through his or her own "cultural glasses". Traveling to study in a different country is an exciting challenge, but it can also be a stressful experience. Almost everyone experiences "culture shock" to some degree. Culture shock includes the shock of a new unfamiliar environment, meeting people who speak a foreign language and finding out that things are done differently.

Symptoms may be both physical and psychological: feelings of sadness, loneliness, insomnia or the desire to sleep a lot, feeling vulnerable, anger, etc.

People who are experiencing culture shock complain about all aspects of life - the food, the weather, the people, and idealize their own home country. People often do not fully understand culture shock until they return home, when they start to see their own country from a new perspective. The process of adaptation to a new environment has clear stages, which last different lengths of time for each of us.

Stage 1:	Excitement	Everything is new. You find everything interesting and people seem to be friendly.
Stage 2:	Crisis	Everything is difficult and confusing. You feel homesick and isolated and complain about the new country.
Stage 3:	Adjustment	You feel more confident and relaxed. Customs and traditions become clearer; the culture in general seems more familiar.
Final Stage:	Integration	You have recognized that the new culture has much to offer. You find differences valuable and important.

Keep in mind that culture shock is a normal and temporary experience. Try to ease the grip of your own culture and adjust to the new one you are experiencing. It is necessary to sacrifice some part of yourself to cultural adjustment when you travel outside of your own country. You can't expand your mind if you remain unreceptive and trapped in your own cultural bubble.

To help minimize the effects of culture shock you should obtain as much information about the countries you wish to visit ahead of time. Learn as much about the people, the culture and history as possible.