Prague to Florence to Dublin in 1 Week for Under $300

I was never the planner in my friend group and before studying abroad, I had never been out of the United States. But after picking up a few travel trips from Rick Steves’ books and realizing I had friends scattered across Europe, I decided to take a leap. Unexpected by my friends and myself, I managed to travel solo for an entire week, with flights and a hostel booked for under $300. 

During the fall, I was studying abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. By the last week of November, I had just finished my last week of classes and booked a flight home that was within the next two weeks. Reading week, a week dedicated to preparing for exams, was coming up, and I was lucky enough to have only essays, where the topic was released later in the week, and an online exam that I had already studied for. That’s when it hit me: if I planned carefully, I could use that free week to travel to a few places I had been wanting to go to. 

Once I realized this was possible, I sprang into action. Although, the planning was not without its challenges. Friends could not travel with me because of their exam schedules, others I hoped to visit had class, and I had to figure out how to move between countries as cheaply as possible. I solved these problems by choosing destinations where I could stay with friends, then arranging the order of cities based on which routes were the least expensive, and finally, choosing a direction that would have me traveling in a cohesive direction. At first, the idea of traveling alone from place to place, without returning to a home base, was nerve-wracking. But in the end, it became the best week of my entire study abroad experience.

The trip began in Edinburgh, where I was staying while a friend visited. I timed my departure for the same day they left so I could save money and wouldn’t have to travel back to St. Andrews, only to return to Edinburgh Airport the next day. From there, I found a cheap flight to Prague, where a friend was kind enough to host me. I stayed for two days before heading to Italy to visit other friends studying in Florence.

Flying directly into Florence, however, was expensive, and my friends had classes during the day. Instead, I booked a cheaper flight into Rome, spent the day exploring, and took an evening train to Florence that was a short tram ride from my friends’ apartment. Since I was already passing through Rome, I decided to make the most of it. I found a bus to take me to the main train station, stored my bag in a locker nearby it, and booked a hop-on, hop-off bus, which had a stop at the same train station and doubled as both a tour and transportation. It was the perfect way to see the major sights in a short amount of time and find something reliable.

In Florence, I stayed with my friends for two days. After that, I set my sights on Ireland. Once again, flying out of Florence was pricey, so I found a cheap train to Pisa and flew from there to Dublin. In Dublin, we booked a hostel that was within walking distance from what we wanted to see and nearby a bus that would take us to and from the airport easily. By then, it was the weekend, and my friends from St. Andrews had finished their exams. Eight of us met up in Dublin and stayed in a budget hostel. I spent two days exploring the city before flying back to Scotland on Sunday for around $50.

Looking back, I’m incredibly proud of myself for planning and executing the entire trip on my own. It was strange and empowering to be fully responsible for every decision, from routes to budgets to timing. This trip taught me so much about independence, problem-solving, and what truly goes into successful travel planning. It’s an experience I’ll cherish forever.