Is Holland a good Erasmus destination? Part 2

Holland is an extremely international country. In fact, it's the country which receives the eighth highest amount of Erasmus students throughout the year. Despite that, though, it has always managed to maintain a cosy, welcoming feel in its small and pleasant cities.

The standard of living in Holland is very, very high. Salaries there are in accordance with living prices, and compared to Spain (my home country), there's a massive difference. To give you an idea of that difference, a bottle of beer costs €7, one journey on the bus costs €3, and a ride at night €5. Because of that, Erasmus life might be a little harder on your wallet, especially in the capital. The city where I studied, Maastricht, though, is a little cheaper than Amsterdam. My advice: if you're thinking of or are confirmed to be going to Holland on Erasmus, get a piggybank and start saving from the moment your place is confirmed - the more you save, the better off you'll be.

Even so, the money issue isn't the end of the world. As well as any money that your parents can send you, you'll receive an Erasmus+ Grant. The grant is always awarded in accordance with the price of living in your destination country (i. e. you'll get a different amount if you're living in Hungary or Holland for example). Overall, I received €1200 for one semester, and that was €600 at the beginning of term and another €600 a couple of months later.

If you budget well, it can really be worth your while. Try not to eat out at cafés and restaurants, remember it's always cheaper to go shopping and cook for yourself at home (and if you need ideas for food, meals or recipes, check out my blog on cooking during Erasmus!)

Lastly, if you want to really pinch those pennies, the cheapest supermarkets are Aldi and Lidl. If you're buying any stuff for your home, then Hema is very cheap.

And with the money you save there, you absolutely have to buy a bicycle. As you may know, bikes are everywhere in Holland, and pretty much everybody uses them to get around (in fact, there are more bicycle parks than car parks in Holland).

At the beginning of the semester I was a little reluctant to buy one because I was a bit scared, but after seeing all my friends going out on bikes, taking 5 minutes to get to uni compared with the 25 it took me to walk, I knew it was worth it. But getting a bike doesn't just help you keep up with your friends and be able to go out together with them, but it also helps you to save money. You can buy a second-hand bike for €60 or 70 in one of the many shops set up for exactly this.

There are also lots of Facebook groups where Erasmus students who are leaving Holland sell off their bikes to those who are just arriving, typically at about the same price as above. At first, it might seem like a bit of a heavy investment, but if you think about it, it means you don't have to spend €5 for a bus ticket every time you go on a night out, and then another €5 to get back home (so €10 a night). That means you'll have made back the price of the bike within 6 nights out, or 10 trips to and from uni. And believe me, you'll be going out a loooooot more than that.

Also, a week before you finish your time in Holland, you can put an ad up and sell your bike too. And if you can sell it for more than you bought it, you'll even get a little bit of profit out of it in the end!

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