Russians Are Killing Our Boys

TL;DRThe war in Ukraine turned out to be the topic that resonated most at the Summer School of Journalism in Havlíčkův Brod, regularly attended by friends from Uzhhorod in Ukraine. Ukrainian students, including Kristýna, spoke frankly about having no illusions over Ukraine joining the European Union, and about media fatigue — after so long, the war no longer counts as the day’s top story. Austrian journalist Barbara Tóth and Olga, a Czech studies student from Berlin, raised the issue of Russian propaganda and mistrust towards European media. Yakim, a Ukrainian law student, explained how Russia suppressed the Ukrainian language under communism in an attempt to destroy the nation from within, stressing that the conflict is fundamentally about politics, not ordinary people.

Tears were welling up. I felt ashamed of the Czech Republic, of the EU. In that moment, I wanted to play the hero and go liberate Ukraine with my own tiny strength. I was walking alongside Kristýna, a young, beautiful Ukrainian woman who had come to the Summer Journalism School from Uzhhorod. This is a personal story about the Ukraine war — about people caught between politics, propaganda, and the desperate need not to be forgotten.

Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation

Don’t Overpay for Flights

Search for flights on Kayak. It’s our favorite search engine because it scans the websites of all airlines and always finds the cheapest connection.

Book Your Accommodation Smartly

The best experiences we’ve had when looking for accommodation (from Alaska to Morocco) are with Booking.com, where hotels, apartments, and entire houses are usually the cheapest and most widely available.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance

Good travel insurance will protect you against illness, accidents, theft, or flight cancellations. We’ve had a few hospital visits abroad, so we know how important it is to have proper insurance arranged.

Where we insure ourselves: SafetyWing (best for everyone) and TrueTraveller (for extra-long trips).

Why don’t we recommend any Czech insurance company? Because they have too many restrictions. They set limits on the number of days abroad, travel insurance via a credit card often requires you to pay medical expenses only with that card, and they frequently limit the number of returns to the Czech Republic.

Find the Best Experiences

Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can book guided walks, trips, skip-the-line tickets, tours, and much more. We always find some extra fun there!