I start college after this upcoming summer. I'm 18, very well traveled within the continental U.S, and I'm 100% positive I need to get out of this shithole city (Dallas) for at least a few weeks. Money won't be too much of an issue, but keep it on the reasonable side.

I'm looking to go somewhere in Europe, although the exact location I'm leaving entirely up to your advice. I don't speak another language and I won't have time to learn one by this summer. I will either be traveling alone or with a very close friend of mine.

I want a city with a VERY active nightlife/club scene that is at least fairly welcoming to Americans, especially ones who don't speak anything but English. In all honesty,a country that an attractive American has the best chance of getting laid in. I don't do any drugs but I do drink, hence my search for the club life.

I'd also like a place that I can spend going around a countryside by day, somewhere that I can navigate around fairly easily in case I get lost. Also somewhere relatively safe to be walking around at night, possibly alone. Any help at all is appreciated. I'm open to absolutely anywhere, England, Italy,Norway, you name it. I'm planning on booking a flight this month.

Paragraphs 1-3... Prague. No doubt.

Paragraph 4... not so much, but still reasonable. Anywhere with an amazing nightlife is naturally going to have some issues on the whole "safety walking alone at night" thing. Although I will say when I was there, the only time I ever felt uncomfortable was at the hands of some drunk Brits... never by the Czech people. The Czech countryside is truly amazing... but in all honesty it's not really the type of place you can just spend the days in the country, and nights in the city. Then again though, I can't think of really anywhere in Europe that would fit this criteria. Places that are easy to jump into the country aren't going to have the greatest nightlife... and since you're only 18 you won't be able to rent a car, and with that Prague or any other city with impressive nightlife is going to be hard to get out of town. If you do want some country time on your trip however, my advice would be to go to Prague and spend as much time there as you desire, and then maybe take a shuttle out to the Cesky Krumlov area and spend some time there. That town is amazing.

Yeah though... Prague has an amazing nightlife and the city never shuts down. Navigation is pretty damn easy as long as you have some kind of map or guide (the Prague Lonely Planet worked great for me). Plus, they have an amazing and modern subway system that makes navigation all over the city fast, cheap, and easy. On top of that, if you're spending the majority of your time in the historic downtown area, you can always use the river to navigate and landmarks like the Charles Bridge.

These facts, combined with a still cheap (but not as cheap as most people think) living cost (still way cheaper than Western Europe as well)... along with a very attractive female gene pool... make me think that Prague would be the perfect city for the trip you are looking for. The beer is great, the girls are great, the city is truly amazing. You'll have an awesome time. I promise.

That sounds awesome. Could you tell me what there is to do/see during the day? Seeing that I'll probably be by myself, I'll need to keep myself busy during the day until getting wasted.

Anyone?

That sounds awesome. Could you tell me what there is to do/see during the day? Seeing that I'll probably be by myself, I'll need to keep myself busy during the day until getting wasted.

Well I'm not sure I can walk you through an entire guidebook of Prague, and not knowing what interests you will make it hard to say what you'll want to do while there... but I'll give you a brief run through, sure.

Prague castle is cool as shit and if I'm not mistaken, it's the biggest castle in the world that is currently in use. You can walk up there and check it all out, see the church, walk up a long ass spiral staircase to the tower, blah blah blah, its just a really cool castle.

Like the Prague Castle, Charles Bridge will likely be insanely crowded and full of tourists... but it is definitely still worth seeing. It gives you amazing views of the river and of the entire city, especially looking up towards Prague Castle. This area can be fun just to walk around and absorb it all. Little cafes and bars are scattered all over the place, and sometimes the shops people run are worth checking out. It's kind of cool to see all the old Soviet junk that is for sale in this area. Old Commie fur hats, old Lenin flasks, Stalin pocket watches... its just kind of neat to see. You could spend an entire day walking around the city's big park, I forget the name of it. There's a huge tower there you can go up to get good pics of the cityscape.

You could rent a boat and take it out on the river for a few hours. River tours themselves are expensive and touristy, but if you wanted it would be a nice and relaxed way to see and learn about the city. When I was there I took my girlfriend on one after walking for endless hours around Prague castle, and it was a nice way to rest the feet and see the area. Also, Prague has a lot of specific historic interests. They have a communist museum if you're into that kind of thing, plenty of Kafka museums if you're a literary type, and lots of old torture museums and that kind of thing.

Surprisingly, there is actually a lot of good food in Prague. Eat out a whole bunch and drink plenty of their good beer in the process. The czech beer was my favorite while in Europe. They also have a lot of clubs and dance places that run pretty much all day... but if you're looking for something more relaxed after late night hours of substance abuse and partying, perhaps buying a pack of smokes and heading to the local jazz club will be more fitting for you? The city has quite a few jazz clubs and blues joints, and these can be a great way to enjoy/kill a few afternoon hours. Another option, if you're interested, would be to dwell in the city's sex scene. Lots of strip clubs and brothels all over Prague. I don't know how you feel about the whole prostitution thing, but know that it IS there. I'm not sure the legality of it off the top of my head, but I know there are websites that run czech escort services that don't seem to be hiding anything. Talking to people who have done it before, I guess the girls are young and attractive... so there's always that. :P

Me and my girlfriend went to this one Absinthe Bar, but I can't remember the name of it. If you have any interest in the green fairy it might be worth looking for... they serve it in traditional bohemian style, flames and all. It was pretty cool.

Most importantly, you can just chill. Stroll around the narrow streets and just soak it all in. I can't think of a better walking city than Prague, and it really is a great place to just stumble around and see with your own eyes.

If interested, you could take a day trip out to Plzen and check out the Pilsner-Urquell brewery tour. Its cheap and actually pretty cool, the beer cellar is amazing and at the end you finally get to drink it fresh out of the barrel, where it has been cooled by the underground air. The city of Plzen itself is a shit hole, but the brewery is pretty popular. At the same time, it can be neat to see what czech life is like outside of Prague. There are definitely times in Plzen where you think you could be in the heart of the Soviet Union.

My other advice, would be to consider taking a few day excursion out to Cesky Krumlov. I will say there isn't going to be a whole bunch to do here at night, so my best advice would be to make friends and drink your asses off together. Down the river from Cesky Krumlov there are a ton of camping sights... and if you're into the outdoor scene you can soak up the wilderness, kayak into the village, ride bikes, and all sorts of things. Do some google searches of Cesky Krumlov and you'll see its a beautiful town. The castle there is amazing too (it has a fucking bear moat!), and the wilderness and outdoor/rec opportunities in the entire area make it fun as hell. I'd camp at one of the river camp sights, meet people that you can party with at night, and spend the days kayaking into town and enjoying scenery.

I don't really know what else to say. Like I suggested, I think it would be a good idea to just go spend the 10 bucks or whatever on a good guide book, the Lonely Planet: Prague has both Prague and the excursions to Cesky Krumlov and Plzen. It has detailed maps and good shit to see... I advise picking one up.

Wow man, thanks a ton. Based on all of this, I'm actually looking up flights for Prague right now. Thanks again. Once I actually end up going, I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures. It sounds like an awesome place.

One last thing... regarding airfare...

IF you find a good deal on air to pretty much in anywhere in Europe, it is generally worth just getting it regardless of destination. From here, you can check out websites like Ryanair that run extremely cheap airfare between European major cities. Definitely worth looking into.

One last thing... regarding airfare...

IF you find a good deal on air to pretty much in anywhere in Europe, it is generally worth just getting it regardless of destination. From here, you can check out websites like Ryanair that run extremely cheap airfare between European major cities. Definitely worth looking into.

Ah, alright. What is the best website for looking up cheap airfare? I tried cheapflights but it always seems to link me from a 700 dollar round trip flight to a 2300 dollar flight... not sure why.

Got me. I used to use Kayak.com... but lately I've lost trust in their prices. Probly worth a look, but it doesn't mean its the best fare out there.

kazz you must travel a lot. i remember you describing going to cuba a few times in great detail. where else have you been?

youforgotpoland, you're not worried about, i dunno, being lonely going alone? this seems like a trip that would be awesome with a good friend. plus, safer.

kazz you must travel a lot. i remember you describing going to cuba a few times in great detail. where else have you been?

youforgotpoland, you're not worried about, i dunno, being lonely going alone? this seems like a trip that would be awesome with a good friend. plus, safer.

I tend to do better on my own terms, with nobody holding me back, although I may be taking a close friend of mine who generall shares the same mindset as me when it comes to spontaneity in travel plans.