Another point in the survey reveals that 72.9% of students selected money among their top 5 concerns. Studying abroad can be expensive, and if traveling is something that you definitely want to do, then it’s important to do your research and find ways to save. Bus2alps is the cheapest way to travel and consistently has the hookups to exclusive discounts on activities, rentals, and more. For students coming abroad next semester, traveling and exploring new places is one of the biggest goals and Bus2alps is excited to be a part of it!

Johnson, Christie, Jason Kouba, and Susan Pham. "Facilitating Traditional Study Abroad Goals for     the Smartphone Generation." Slide Share. SlideShare, Inc., Nov. 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
     <http://www.slideshare.net/jasndal/
     facilitating-traditional-study-abroad-goals-for-the-smartphone-generation>.
This blog entry was written by Erin O'Conner.

On Thursday off we were to the premier European summer getaway, French Riviera, to roll the dice with the celebrities in the Monte Carlo Casino, and to hi-jack a superyacht. From our home base of Villa St. Exupery in Nice, we launched off to Eze, Monaco, and Antibes. Friday was spent in Nice, the capital of the Cote d’Azur, where some of the group went sailing, some went scuba, and the rest laid on the beach. After a night of dancing on tables at Wayne’s Bar, we hit up the best views of the French Riviera in Eze, then marveled at the sheer lavishness of Monaco, the world’s richest country per capita. The weekend was capped off with a beautiful beach day in Antibes, a marvelous medieval beach town that Picasso even called home.

This weekend Bus2alps also rode down to the Amalfi Coast. We had students from Rome, Florence, and Siena join us for an amazing weekend in the southern Italian sun. Friday we explored the Island of Capri, starting with a boat tour around the island and a trip into the Blue Grotto; trekking up to Anacapri for lunch and limoncello tasting; and then ending out on the beach with the Mediterranean waters lapping up at our feet. Saturday we rode down to Positano for a beautiful day on the beach followed by thrilling cliff jumping and cave swimming. We wrapped up the weekend with a tour of the ancient city of Pompei on Sunday.

Back in Florence, students hopped on a bus to spend Friday in the beautiful city of Venice. Despite a few morning showers, the group got off to a fantastic start with viewing a live demonstration at one of the oldest Venitian glass blowing factories on the island of Murano. Next we jumped on a quick water bus to a smaller island called Burano, famous for its rainbow colored houses. We ended the day with a yummy seafood dinner and of course, gelato! It was a great day had by all.

On Saturday, Rome students couldn’t have asked for a better day to taste wines as the sun shone brightly throughout all of the Tuscan countryside. We started our day off by visiting the Altesino winery just north of Montalcino. It’s here that Sangiovese grapes are used to make Brunello wine. In fact, it is the only place in the world that can make the famous wine! After having a tour of the facilities, the students all sampled the different wines that are made on site and some even purchased bottles to save for later. Next stop, the hill-side town of Pienza. In Pienza, the students strolled around the town and took in the breathtaking views. We then enjoyed a tour of Palazzo Piccolomini which is where Pope Pius II had lived briefly. Our last stop, Montepulciano, was exciting because the students were very eager to see where the Twilight saga New Moon was filmed. We ended our day at the Ercolani winery where we tasted some olive oil, cheese, and of course more wine!

Sunday was spent exploring the five lands of Cinque Terre. After the group trekked the beautiful Via Dell’Amore trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola, we split as some went to hike the rest of the coastline trails and others hopped on a train to Monterosso to relax the day away at the beach. Gorgeous weather and great scenery provided another unforgettable day in Cinque Terre.

After another successful Bus2alps weekend, we want to say thank-you to all of the students who will shortly be returning back the U.S… from cliff-jumping in Amalfi Coast, scuba-diving in French Riviera, island-hopping in Croatia, and so much more it’s been quite the crazy summer and we will truly miss you all!

This Spring we created dozens of new experiences with all of our new friends. Bus2alps takes away from Spring 2011 fond memories of Bus2House and unprecedented bottle service at the English Inn, Pink Palace, and ANEK boat; the P.R. crew and their blow up sea horse in Greece headed up by Matty G in his toga; Delta Gammas taking Europe by storm; Marist Mafia Rock Remix; Lindsey W dancing with the big man of Lucerna in Prague; 2 for 1 Tuesdays at Astor Cafe and Drunken Ship; Prague’s Hell’s Gate Section of Springfest; Super Bowl parties at George Paynes, Astor, On the Rox, and Belushi’s; Cliff Jumping in Positano, and everyone else in between!

Hope you all had the time of your lives the past 4 months and are glad we could were a part of it! It was great to meet you all!

To mark this historic occasion, the Bus2alps team hit the beach in Viareggio for some team bonding. After an incredible night of barbecuing and rehashing all the awesome people we have met this semester, we boarded the Bus2alps Branded Bus for our triumphant return to Florence. Once in Florence, we unloaded at Piazzale Michelangelo, the best viewpoint of Florence, for pictures overlooking Italy’s most iconic Renaissance city, followed by a joy ride through the city.

The new Bus2alps branded bus boasts 55 seats with spacious leg room, 3 plasma screen televisions, personal air and volume controls, personal tray and cup holders, enhanced reclining control, and a sleek design. The bus has been described by those on the maiden voyage as having “similar comforts of an airplane.”

“This is an incredible moment in the history of Bus2alps,” says Bus2alps founder Simon O’Keefe. “It has been quite a journey to watch Bus2alps start as a small operator, to a company that provides discounted group travel for thousands of students every semester. Our first-ever bus marks how far Bus2alps has come.”

Keep an eye out for the stunning new Bus2alps Branded Airplane on Wheels as we ride with hundreds of guests to Europe’s top destinations.

This weekend over 200 students jumped on the bus to Interlaken for absolutely breathtaking skiing, night sledding, canyon jumping, sky diving and many other extreme activities! Friday morning we kicked things off with a party on the mountain at tipi bar! With burgers, beers and clear blue skies we could not ask for a better day in the Swiss alps! Besides the epic party, another popular topic of the weekend was the thrill of canyon jumping. Many were eager to swap pictures and videos and debate with the sky divers which one was more of a thrill. Canyon jumping consists of a 25 minute hike up the mountain with a group of 15 or so. The view during the walk up was incredible. Excitement and anxiety built as the jump was nearing. The nerves and adrenaline everyone felt was very evident. After taking the plunge everyone said it was the biggest thrill of their lives. Overall the weekend was phenomenal. Between partying on the mountain, outdoor activities and the metro bar at Balmer’s, students had an amazing time.

On the flipside, for our Rome students we held a day trip to Naples on Saturday. We couldn’t have asked for a better day to head down south. The sun was shining, the waves were breaking, and the spirits were high. There’s something about Naples that makes you feel at home.  First on the list of things to do was to eat at L’antica Pizzeria da Michele.  Let’s just say Bus2alps took over this tiny pizzeria. A group of 7, a group of 8, then 3 more, and in came another group of 7.  A fabulous way to start the day.  The pizza at L’antica Pizzeria da Michele is absolutely fantastic.  They only serve two types: pizza margherita, and pizza marinara.  Most opted for the margherita.  After a delicious meal, it was off to the shore for us!  The water was clear, and Mt. Vesuvius stood proud in the background.  The waves crashing onto the shore and the sun beating down made for a relaxing afternoon.  Castel dell’Ovo was climbed, gelato was slurped, and photos were taken.  It was a perfect day in this old port town.

To cap off an exciting weekend, Bus2alps celebrated the American institution of the Super Bowl, watching the Packers bring home the Lombardi Trophy. Bus2alps threw parties in all of our departing cities; Astor Cafe in Florence, On the Rox in Rome, George Payne’s in Barcelona, Belushi’s Bar in Prague, and the Amex Bar in Paris. It was an exciting game, and a fantastic way to end a great weekend traveling Europe.

As far as Interlaken goes it was a great weekend in the Alps yet again. Clear weather made for scenic wonderlands on Friday and Saturday. It’s hard to find flaws in a place so wonderfully enchanting. Joey, the Bus2alps guide from Barcelona, took a few rookies up to Männlichen and made a few runs to shake the rust off. They had a blast and really got the hang of it. When it was time to chow down… students and locals alike smashed the Teepee, a local eatery on the mountain, for a banging Teepee Club Sandwich, then headed out for some adventure. On Saturday a few of the brave hiked The Tsuggen Couloirs…. Bad ass Bus2alps’n right there…. Friday and Saturday evening were also the time for night sledding. It’s literally like playing Sherbet Land on Mario Kart 64. The only thing missing were some banana peels and turtle shells.  It took a a few minutes for everyone to get the hang of it but by the end we were all flying down the mountain. The party scene was also alive and well this weekend. It’s clear that Balmers Metro Bar is your rage-home away from rage-home, nestled gently into the Alps…Overall an excellent weekend.

On the other side of the spectrum we had a day trip running from Rome to Naples. Known for it’s unique and chaotic personality, Naples is everything that epitomizes stereotypical Italy. The pizza, the people, the music, the passion. Our day began with a perfect pizza, the perfect wait staff, and the most perfect music. Four simple words, “pizza margherita, per favore.” And the pizza was delivered. Red and white and green and delicious. A mouthwatering masterpiece, as one would only expect from the Napoletani. One bite and we all knew instantly that this was pizza margherita to perfection. Just when we all thought life couldn’t get any better, in came the music man. “Tu vuo fa l’americano, -mmericano, -mmericano!” He played his guitar, he sang with his soul, and the music came straight from his heart. This is love. This is Italy. This is living. This is Naples.

Jumping out of an airplane, cruising down the mountain on sleds at night, carving fresh tracks on some of the best terrain this planet has to offer, sailing through the sky with a paraglider, leaping off a suspended platform and flying through a canyon, exploring the views and local fare of Switzerland, and capping it all off each night at the local hot spot in town (located directly below our accommodation).  Yeah, I’d say we had a lot of fun this weekend.

Over one hundred study abroad students from across continental Europe traveled with us to Interlaken, Switzerland, this past weekend to engage in the world’s greatest winter wonderland.  It’s hard not to fall in love with the town of Interlaken, and even harder when you get conditions and weather like we had this weekend. There was fresh powder begging to be thrown through the air by a board or skis, and the skies had cleared up to offer us majestic mountain vistas, whether seen from the chairlift, the windows of our hostel, or even the bus ride home.