We love to tag each year with a unique label that we can forever remember just why that year was so unique. I can’t imagine a world without us reminding ourselves just why each year was so special, a world where a white Ford Broncos doesn’t make me think of my innocent youthful years of 1994, or hearing the word “poking” reminds me of how Mark Zuckerberg changed the world in 2004. For many, 2010 will be painted by their life-changing experience in Europe.

With that it is time to look in the shiny, reflective side-mirrors of Bus2alps 2010, where things are closer than they may appear, and rejoice at the all the memories we have made in Europe’s top destinations with some of the United States’ coolest people.

The year kicked off and ended with thousands of students from across Europe roaming the Alpine wonderland of Interlaken, Switzerland in search of beautiful scenery and powder. 2010 rolled through the adventure and thrills of Interlaken into Italy’s largest street festival, Venice Carnevale, followed by incredible spring break trips, including Greece (Athens, Corfu, and Aegina) and The Northern Loop (Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris), culminating with Easter Weekend in Corfu, Greece, where over 200 students were unleashed on a wild time of toga parties, booze cruises, and Greek love.

As the sun shone, destinations like The Amalfi Coast, French Riviera, Croatia and Cinque Terre brought us to Europe’s most beautiful beach spots. Of course, we would be reminisced to not dedicate part of this memoir of this thrill-packed year to the largest party in the world, Munich’s Oktoberfest. This year Bus2alps made our mark on Munich’s cherished festival. With 600 plus people strong, Bus2alps showed the Germans that those of us from the States do know how to party!

Despite the post-Oktoberfest haze, we continued Bus2alps and our guests continued our wonderful 2010 blitz on Europe, making return splashes to the Northern Loop and Greece for Fall Break. Bus2alps takes over Europe culminated with an incredible, family-style Thanksgiving dinner and weekend in Interlaken, and one last foray into Interlaken’s snow-covered winter wonderland.

2010 was as special year that Bus2alps will always remember. In 2010, Bus2alps launched began a full schedule of departures from Barcelona, Prague, Paris, and London, in addition to many successful new trips including The Northern Loop Spring Break, Croatia, Cinque Terre, and Florence & Tuscany. Most of all, Bus2alps will always remember 2010 for the thousands of awesome guests whose lives we had the privilege to be a part of.

American Thanksgiving in the Swiss Alps.
This past weekend hundreds of American students celebrated Thanksgiving Dinner away from home in Interlaken, Switzerland. Students abroad across Europe descended on this small Swiss town to celebrate their most cherished day of feasting and family, Thanksgiving.

INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND — November 29, 2010. This past weekend Interlaken, Balmer’s Herberge and Bus2Alps hosted their annual Thanksgiving Dinner in the Alps. Once again American students from all over Europe descended on this small Swiss town to celebrate their most cherished day of feasting and family, Thanksgiving.

Interlaken, Switzerland, Europe’s Adventure Sports Capital, is home to hundreds of expatriates from around the world many of whom are expatriates from the United States. Being thousands of miles from their families during this joyous holiday season, the Americans decided to use their loving tradition to captivate a community estranged from their families abroad, and bring them together for a weekend of communal enjoyment.

Since the Thanksgiving tradition was started by Erich Balmer in 1975, residents of Interlaken from around the world have embraced this yearly tradition as a way to spend quality time with their new families in Switzerland. “This time of year can be lonely for anyone used to spending it with family and friends. It is warming to know that I can still enjoy my favorite holiday with my Interlaken family,” says Hollie Baker, an American expatriate in Interlaken since 2006.

Each year Balmer’s Herberge, Bus2Alps and the town of Interlaken invite American students who are studying abroad in Europe to join the Interlaken Thanksgiving celebration. This is made easier by travel agencies like Bus2alps, who specialize brings hundreds of students on group trips to Interlaken. Based in Interlaken, Bus2alps provides international students throughout Europe with weekend, weeklong, and day trips to some of Europe’s top destinations. This year Bus2alps brought over a 100 students studying in Florence, Rome, Barcelona, Prague, Paris, and London for Interlakens’ Thanksgiving celebration.

“It is a great experience to join in on making Interlaken’s Thanksgiving tradition the same family feel that it is to so many Americans,” states Bus2alps founder, Simon O’Keefe. Simon is an Australian living in Interlaken who loves the American tradition.

Of course the focal point of Thanksgiving in Interlaken ins a large feast at Balmers’ Herberge, Switzerland’s oldest youth hostel, and Interlaken’s most popular. The feast consists of mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, lots of turkey, and an apple crumble dessert. Dinner is followed by a huge party held at the Metro Bar, the nightlife spot in Interlaken. This year in addition to the traditional Thanksgiving feast, early snowfall helped the visiting students enjoy great some great skiing & snowboarding, and some snowshoeing in the Swiss Alps. To wrap up a great weekend, over 100 students chose to add a bit of Swiss tradition to their holiday with a starlight sledding trip followed by a traditional cheese fondue on Saturday night.

The 2011 Interlaken Thanksgiving Dinner was a huge success, and all those involved are looking forward to celebrating it again in 2011.

###

Forget all about Cancun, pull yourself away from Jersey Shore reruns, get out of your hometown and head to Europe with Bus2alps this Spring Break for the most unforgettable vacation of your life. That’s right, Bus2alps is now offering Spring Break trips from the United States to Europe. Get ready for a week of wild partying, unique culture, beautiful sites, and history in some of Europe’s most amazing destinations.

European Spring Break 2011 trips to:

Rome, Florence, Venice & Milan
London, Paris & Amsterdam

See you in Europe,
The Bus2alps Crew
——————————-
The Best of Italy
Rome, Florence, Venice & Milan

Live the tastes, culture, architecture and scenery of iconic Italy. Dive into the festive and celebratory land of Italy and drift through the canals of Venice. Visit the playground of the Gladiators and the dressing room of fashion’s best. Discover the art of talking with your hands, the delight of perfectly cooked pasta, and the passion of Renaissance Art, all in the home of one of history’s most renowned empires.

Includes: Round trip luxury coach transport (with A/C, DVD, & bathroom), 3-Star City Center Hotel and top Hostel accommodation with your friends, breakfast, Bus2alps trip leader, Bus2alps informational guide.

Departing 2011: March 5, March 12, March 19

from €789*

Book this Spring Break now at www.bus2alps.com.

*prices exlude flights
——————————
London, Paris & Amsterdam
8 days in Europe’s hottest cities

Get ready to visit three of Europe’s hottest cities. Start off touring the posh and historic world of England’s metropolitan mecca, London. Grab a pint, take in the chatter of Oxford English and trace time from the current royal family back to the raucous medieval times of Henry VIII. Navigate across the English Channel and experience the tale of the other city, Paris. Get romanced by the city of lights by immersing yourself in the proud Parisian culture, art, fashion and party scene. Wrap it all up in the ultra-liberal, free-spirited Amsterdam. Wander amongst the beautiful canals, tulips, and phenomenal Dutch architecture as you soak up the eclectic vice of Europe’s most unqiue city.

Includes: Eurostar train travel, airport transfers, New Europe Walking Tours, Hop on/Hop off bus pass (London & Paris), 3-Star City Center accommodation with your friends, breakfast, welcome dinner, a Bus2alps trip leader to organize all your activities, a Bus2alps destination guide.

Departing 2011: March 5, March 12, March 19

from € 849*

Book this Spring Break now at www.bus2alps.com.

*price excludes flights
——————————–
Booking your flight

Bus2alps recommends booking individual flights through the online student travel agency, StudentUniverse. Book your flight here and save $10.00.

Students on the European Spring Break trip to London, Paris, and Amsterdam will fly into the London Heathrow Airport to be picked up by your Bus2alps trip leader. Click here for more information on booking flights for this trip.

Students on the Best of Italy Spring Break trip will fly into the Rome Fiumocino airport and depart the following weekend from Milan Malpensa airport. Click here for more information on booking flights for this trip.

Group Flights Booking
Group of twelve or more, please contact info@bus2alps.com and let us know:

- who the main contact person for the group is<
- how many people are in the group
- what your departure city in the US is
- which trip and dates your group is booking.

Please refer to the Bus2alps website for all other information regarding flights or e-mail info@bus2alps.com with questions.
———————————
Become a Campus Rep
Earn some cash for hooking up friend’s with Spring Break

Bus2alps currently has positions available throughout the United States for college students as “Campus Representatives”.

Earn commission for sharing your experiences with students back home who will be studying abroad and let everyone else know about the Bus2alps spring break trips from the US. Promote our trips on your own schedule using your networks on your college campus via facebook or face to face interaction with students.

Campus reps earn 5% commission on each trip booked under their code. It’s a great way to earn some extra cash while in school. It is also a great stepping stone for future employment with Bus2Alps if you are interested in interning in the future.

Send an e-mail to info@bus2alps.com.

Bus2Alps would first like to thank everyone who rode with us to such a fantastic summer session. Summer 2010 was full of unforgettable trips, and unforgettable people. We hope you all enjoyed your time abroad as much as you enjoyed your time traveling with us.

Now that you are back stateside you still have the chance to be involved with Bus2alps. Check out the info below for ways to stay connected with the # 1 Student Travel Company in Europe. We hope to see you all again soon on Bus2alps!

Safe Travels,

Joey, Britton, Lauren, Mike, Simon & the Entire Bus2alps Team

Become a Bus2alps Campus Rep

Bus2Alps has positions available throughout the US for college students as “Campus Reps”.

Earn Commission for sharing your experiences with students back home who will be studying abroad this Fall or Spring. Promote our trips on your own schedule using your networks on your college campus via facebook, or face to face. Campus reps earn 5% commission on each trip booked under their code. Its a great way to earn some extra cash while in school. It is also a great stepping  stone for future employment with Bus2Alps and is a sure way to get “a shoe in” if  you are interested in interning with Bus2Alps in the future.

For more info contact cj@bus2alps.com

NEW:  Bus2alps US Spring Break Trips to Europe

This Spring Break 2011 Bus2alps will launch their US 2 Europe Spring Break trips.

Get the chance to visit all of those cities you missed out on while you were here. Multi city tours include: Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Limerick, Rome, Florence, Milan, Barcelona, Venice, Madrid, Valencia and more.

Promote these tours as a Campus Rep and you could earn a FREE TRIP.
For more information please contact info@bus2alps.com