Ridesharing allows you to get around in Europe at a relatively low cost and at the same time you will get to know some other students and have a good laugh. The principle is very simple: A driver who owns a car enters the details of his journey on the website, where people who need a ride can find his offer. This concept has become increasingly popular in the last years, so that it now is pretty simple to find a good connection to almost any location in Germany.

The advantages of this way of travelling are, that it is cheap compared to going by plane or train and at the same time often more comfortable than going by coach - especially it is a bit faster. If you are lucky you will meet some nice people on board and might even get some tips from locals about the city you are about to visit. It is also acceptable to read your book or listen to your iPod if you prefer not to speak with other human beings.

The obvious disadvantage is that you are very dependent on the driver. From time to time some people tell horror-stories about mad drivers overtaking three trucks on the hard shoulder or young men who insist on listening to German folk music during the entire trip. Personally I only have good experiences with ride sharing. The driver profile on the website is a helpful indicator and usually you are not the only passenger sharing the ride with the driver.

My favourite website for ride sharing is http://www.blablacar.com/ because it is very easy to use, but there are many others like www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de which claims to be the biggest ridesharing community, www.mitfahrzentrale.com/, www.bessermitfahren.de/ or https://flinc.org.