Hello again! I am finally back in France after a crazy two weeks of traveling all around Europe, and let me say, it is good to be home. Not only can I now understand the native language, but I also can get back into my routine of eating well, working out and sleeping! Living out of a tiny backpack for two weeks was definitely a challenge; however, after surviving those 15 days in various parts of Europe, I am so much more confident in my travel skills. In fact, I would even go so far as to add "professional tourist" to my résumé (bad joke courtesy Patrick!). For everyone reading who is still abroad or has a trip planned in the future, this is for you - follow these instructions and you are bound to have a pleasant traveling experience!
1. PACK LIGHT. I'm serious. As a girl who has two closets worth of clothes and shoes back in the States, I am not one to skimp on fashion. However, when traveling to multiple places using planes, trains and public transportation, it is absolutely necessary to have baggage you can carry easily with you. If not, you will be miserable lugging around a heavy suitcase and needing help getting on and off trains before the doors close on you. Trust me, one chambray, a pair of sandals and three different scarves can go a looong way; no one will even notice you are wearing the same outfit in all your pictures.
2. Book in advance. For every museum and sight we saw over the past two weeks, we had already purchased tickets which allowed us to skip the line and save loads of time. Also, several museum tickets had reservation times (the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Accademia in Florence), which helped structure our day. Wandering around a city aimlessly is only fun for so long; having at least a loose plan will lead to more efficient sightseeing.
3. Be flexible. Being a type-A traveler with a strict plan and nervous attitude will undoubtedly ruin not only your experience but also that of those traveling with you. Sometimes rain will ruin your plan for the day and you'll have to switch things up; for us, it poured rain in every location for at least one day, which changed our plans but didn't ruin a thing (besides our hair and shoes, that is) because of our flexibility.
4. For those of us traveling on a budget, you will find the best prices the farther away you are from major tourist sights. For example, when looking for restaurants, even if we were starving, if we were standing right at the base of the Acropolis or across from St. Peter's Basilica, we would make a point to walk a bit away just to save some euros. Every centime adds up in the end! (You don't have to tell me twice...looking at my bank account after the two weeks was quite the wakeup call!) Also, when shopping at markets (they are great in Istanbul and Athens), always haggle with the shop owners, They are going to target you as a tourist and give you an absurdly high beginning price; even if it is in Turkish lira and seems like a steal, just play a little bit hard to get and save yourself some money!
5. Stay rested. Going on a trip for 15 days is a lot for anyone to handle; even though we were all eager to see each city in the short amount of time we had there, we made sure to take some down time when we felt like we needed it.
6. Always check and double check your flight/train itinerary! I had booked my flights and trains so far in advance that I had to constantly check the dates to make sure I was going to the right place on the right day. In some cases, you may find out that you booked a flight or a train for the entirely wrong day (or month...you know who you are!). Everything worked out in the end, but time and money would have been saved with a simple double check.
7. Be open to new cultures. For someone who had previously only been to three different countries, counting the U.S. and Mexico as two, I am a fairly sheltered 21 year old when it comes to different cultures. However, when Italian men and Turkish storeowners shout annoying things to get your attention, you just have to smile and keep walking, not letting anything they say get to you. Sometimes it can be mildly offensive or insensitive, but you have to realize it is more a part of their culture to be open and obnoxious than we are used to.
8. Eat. A lot. No matter how full you feel after finishing that entire four cheese pizza in Florence, always make room for gelato. The same goes for baklava in Turkey and Greek yogurt in, you guessed it, Greece.
9. Take public transportation everywhere! It's there for you; learn it and use it.
10. Share your experience with others! We used TripAdvisor for nearly all our hostels and restaurants; those reviews were really important to the planning of our trip. Now we will post our (mostly) positive reviews on the site to help future travelers like yourself!
Well, I hope this list helps some of you navigate the European world a bit better than you would going in blind. I can't wait to finish my last month here in France and start planning my next European adventure!
1. PACK LIGHT. I'm serious. As a girl who has two closets worth of clothes and shoes back in the States, I am not one to skimp on fashion. However, when traveling to multiple places using planes, trains and public transportation, it is absolutely necessary to have baggage you can carry easily with you. If not, you will be miserable lugging around a heavy suitcase and needing help getting on and off trains before the doors close on you. Trust me, one chambray, a pair of sandals and three different scarves can go a looong way; no one will even notice you are wearing the same outfit in all your pictures.
2. Book in advance. For every museum and sight we saw over the past two weeks, we had already purchased tickets which allowed us to skip the line and save loads of time. Also, several museum tickets had reservation times (the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Accademia in Florence), which helped structure our day. Wandering around a city aimlessly is only fun for so long; having at least a loose plan will lead to more efficient sightseeing.
3. Be flexible. Being a type-A traveler with a strict plan and nervous attitude will undoubtedly ruin not only your experience but also that of those traveling with you. Sometimes rain will ruin your plan for the day and you'll have to switch things up; for us, it poured rain in every location for at least one day, which changed our plans but didn't ruin a thing (besides our hair and shoes, that is) because of our flexibility.
4. For those of us traveling on a budget, you will find the best prices the farther away you are from major tourist sights. For example, when looking for restaurants, even if we were starving, if we were standing right at the base of the Acropolis or across from St. Peter's Basilica, we would make a point to walk a bit away just to save some euros. Every centime adds up in the end! (You don't have to tell me twice...looking at my bank account after the two weeks was quite the wakeup call!) Also, when shopping at markets (they are great in Istanbul and Athens), always haggle with the shop owners, They are going to target you as a tourist and give you an absurdly high beginning price; even if it is in Turkish lira and seems like a steal, just play a little bit hard to get and save yourself some money!
5. Stay rested. Going on a trip for 15 days is a lot for anyone to handle; even though we were all eager to see each city in the short amount of time we had there, we made sure to take some down time when we felt like we needed it.
6. Always check and double check your flight/train itinerary! I had booked my flights and trains so far in advance that I had to constantly check the dates to make sure I was going to the right place on the right day. In some cases, you may find out that you booked a flight or a train for the entirely wrong day (or month...you know who you are!). Everything worked out in the end, but time and money would have been saved with a simple double check.
7. Be open to new cultures. For someone who had previously only been to three different countries, counting the U.S. and Mexico as two, I am a fairly sheltered 21 year old when it comes to different cultures. However, when Italian men and Turkish storeowners shout annoying things to get your attention, you just have to smile and keep walking, not letting anything they say get to you. Sometimes it can be mildly offensive or insensitive, but you have to realize it is more a part of their culture to be open and obnoxious than we are used to.
8. Eat. A lot. No matter how full you feel after finishing that entire four cheese pizza in Florence, always make room for gelato. The same goes for baklava in Turkey and Greek yogurt in, you guessed it, Greece.
9. Take public transportation everywhere! It's there for you; learn it and use it.
10. Share your experience with others! We used TripAdvisor for nearly all our hostels and restaurants; those reviews were really important to the planning of our trip. Now we will post our (mostly) positive reviews on the site to help future travelers like yourself!
Well, I hope this list helps some of you navigate the European world a bit better than you would going in blind. I can't wait to finish my last month here in France and start planning my next European adventure!