One of the many advantages of studying abroad in Europe is how incredibly easy it is to travel to all the countries that inhabited your childhood fantasies of elegance and grandeur. It’s less than 40 euros to get a train to Paris (with proper planning) from Berlin and a flight to Amsterdam is under two hours. There are a few excuses not to travel while you’re abroad. I just spent spring break in Italy with a friend and enjoyed every second of it (right up to when my wallet got stolen). Obviously, I made some mistakes and learned some important lessons while traveling.

One of the biggest adjustments that I have gone through since arriving in Rome is learning its public transportation system. Since I’m from Hawaiʻi and go to college in Los Angeles where it’s common to drive everywhere, I never really had to learn a public transportation system. So, I took my study abroad experience as an opportunity to do so. I wish someone told me how complicated the Roman bus system is and the way it works, so I thought I would save you the trouble of researching it on your own.