Brittni Paul, Healthcare Delivery in Switzerland Summer 2023
As I was only on a two-week study abroad trip in Switzerland, our mornings and some afternoons were packed with guided tours and lectures followed by free time at night and on the weekends. With exception of one of our free days where we had to pay for our own transportation, Pitt covered the cost of transportation giving us public bus/train passes, a coach bus to take us from city to city, and the remainder of travel was done by foot.
For majority of the trip, we had to be ready for the day by 8:30 am which included time for hotel breakfast which was included in the tuition. This complimentary breakfast helped budget money as Switzerland is a fairly expensive place for travel. After breakfast we attended our guided tours/lectures which involved no additional costs and majority of facilities served complimentary pastries and drinks. We always received an allotted time for lunch which was covered by your own expenses with the exception of a few days where the healthcare facility decided to provide a complimentary lunch. Since lunch was covered by own expenses, majority of the time we grabbed salads or sandwiches at a café or the Coop (Switzerland’s grocery store that carries prepared foods) to help budget and save more money for dinner and other activities. After lunch we enjoyed free time which depending on the city we were in including shopping, many gelato trips, and capturing the beautiful scenery. This free time was also spent getting ready to go out for dinner which we elected to go out to eat at a sit-down restaurant. Sometimes after dinner, we would stop for additional gelato before heading back to the hotel. All dinners were covered by our own finances with exception to the first and last night where we ate traditional Switzerland meals as a group paid for by Pitt.
On the weekends we had no educational activities and majority of time was either allotted to travel or free time. During this time we traveled to the Interlaken and Lucerne where all expenses were out of pocket. These were easily the most expensive days of the trip as we paid for excursions, food, went on a chocolate tour, shopped, and paid for transportation to/from Lucerne. I quickly learned that my study abroad experience was not going to be cheap between multiple meals a day and excursions; but, I chose to look at the bigger picture that I was having a once in a lifetime opportunity and money will come back.
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