There are seven continents in the world, with plenty to see and do (and eat) and with friends in all corners of the globe it's hard not to get itchy feet, it's only natural.
However, truth be told I've realised that I'm not actually as independent as I thought I was and for me, 'home is where the heart is.' The thought of being thousands of miles away from home, thrown into a different culture, is certainly overwhelming but there's nothing quite like it and with Europe... you are only ever 3-4 hours away from home (the journey from Sussex to Manchester is longer!).
So... yes in a year or so I'll be sending my compass in the direction of Chile, Peru and Argentina but until then why not make the most of Europe?
Before arriving in Cordoba we'd heard little about USE-IT maps and we weren't sure just how 'local' they'd be. There's nothing worse than being treated like a tourist in the city you live in, no matter how bad our Spanish accents might be. They're written by locals for young people and claim to be no-nonsense, commercial free and up to date and they stick to their word.
So... in our first month here we set off with our map and we've never looked back. From tiny bars with loud atmospheres (La Bicicleta try their zumos and guacamole tostadas) to 'old school' places such as Taberna Sociedad Plateros for some good grub to mop up with your bread. It's introduced us to the student district Ciudad Jardin, the Bullfighter's district Santa Marina and it's fancy hotspots and it's taken the secret corners of the Historical Centre and handed them to us on a plate. Without our USE-IT I don't think we'd know our city half as much as we do now.
My love for USE-IT got me thinking where else has created one?
Sadly, we'd missed out on the Granada map by a few weeks before Christmas and once we venture to Barcelona it's going to be our first port of call. If you are planning on a city break at some point this year or you're lucky enough to be moving somewhere for a while then it's so worth checking if they've got a USE-IT map... you'll soon feel at home.
Do your research and check their online map....
So many places are covered...
(even better.. a lot of the places are usually the cheaper RyanAir destinations)
Oslo
Helsinki
Brussels
Warsaw
Split
Vienna
Prague
Glasgow (the only city in the UK!)
Before I finish with some trendy cover arts I'm going to say that I can't believe Manchester doesn't have one in progress... maybe I'm biased but I couldn't think of a better city with better local knowledge and as many free things to do as Manchester. Let's get applying!!
All covers have been taken from the USE-IT Europe facebook page... give them a like if you can!
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