Helpline Question of the Month: If you knew then what you know now...
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Tracy from Pennsylvania thought it would be worthwhile to cut through the clutter of advice out there and ask fellow travelers if they would have done one thing differently....
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I try to learn from others — which is why I love this board. So — on a very practical advice standpoint — when you first started traveling to Europe, what were some of the things you THOUGHT you should do/plan/see/bring/be/have/want/like/etc that you ended up abandoning because it just wasn't practical?
Tracy
Macungie, PA USA 6/6/10
Susan
Derry
Hi Tracy, I took too many clothes and not enough money. Tried to see too much for the trip time frame. I avoided B&B's - mistake. It's a start; I'll the rest to others.
Andrea
Sacramento, CA
Even in my quest to pack light and carry on — which I did — I still took more clothes than I really needed. I took a "nice" outfit, and wore it one time. Not enough to justify taking it. I could just as easily worn something else I had with me. People don't care if you wear the same thing over and over. Will you be sick of those clothes by the time you get home? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes!
People try to see everything, and in the process don't allow enough time to really soak in the feel for a place. To rush through Paris and not sit for a while in a side walk cafe is to miss the essence of Paris.
Only see things because they interest you, not because a guide book or someone else says you should do it. Time and money are too precious to spend unwisely. If you are not a museum person and are not interested in art, then skip the Louvre. I personally love going there, but that is me.
Be open to changing your plans if you hear about something you think you will enjoy more. If your itinerary is so rigid that you have planned your day down to the minute, you will just get stressed out if you get behind. Think about what you want to see, prioritize by importance, and know that if you don't see everything you can always go back another time.
Lexey
Hays
Ditto on taking too much stuff when I first traveled. I'm sure many people will feel that way. I've really gotten pretty good about this, but I still find sometimes that I brought something I didn't need. We'll see if that happens this time. I took a big Jansport traveler backpack with a zip-off daypack that would not be carry-on size now (although I was able to carry it on back in the day). Then I shifted to a smaller roll aboard carry on. I think for this trip I am going to travel with a Jansport Big Student backpack as my only bag — probably about a third of the volume of that original bag. I won't be able to buy books as souvenirs, though :-). Probably a good thing.
I vote for being spontaneous too, but sometimes planning a little will let you have an experience you might have missed otherwise. I plan around things I must see or do because after researching it I know I really want to. Then it's guaranteed I get to do it, and I can be more spontaneous around that.
I would also add feeling that I have to travel with other people is something that I have abandoned because I thought I should do it or should like it, but have found it's not always practical, necessary, or desirable (in some cases). This completely depends on personality and circumstances, though, and on who the other people might be.
Tyson
Pinole, CA USA
Eat at restaurants that are away from the main tourist areas. If they heavily advertise the menu in multiple languages or have pictures of the food outside they probably are not looking for repeat business.
Tom
Somewhere Else, Moving to...
I learned that I enjoy my trips more if I don't try to plan every last detail and do everything with 100% efficiency — leave that to tour operators. Go with the flow a little bit, and be prepared to be pleasantly surprised with things you didn't plan.
Madelia
Opal, USA
My first trip to Europe was in 1995 on a Globus tour with my daughter who was graduating from college. She said that she & her friends wanted to go to Europe, but they didn't have any money! Duh! I thought a minute and said, "Would you go with me if I paid for it?" Didn't take her long to say, "Yes!" I took a 29" Samsonite hardside bag, plus a small carryon bag! The big bag did have some wheels, but it was a nightmare when I had to deal with it! It was great when the tour company had to carry it. I strained my back getting on trains & metros & even fell over it on one train. I have since learned how to pack sensibly when I travel to Europe each year now with my husband.
Janis
Grapevine, TX USA
As many travelers, we learned after our first trip that we took too much stuff — even tho we really thought we were packing light. It seems that every year we find we can manage a bit better.
Another major find for us was that we needed more structured planning of our days — what to see; grouping outings into logical sequence and geographical areas; knowing what is open on what days. The first year we now refer to as our "accidental tour" as we just sort of tried to wing it without much advance planning, and when we returned home, we discovered we hadn't accomplished nearly as much as we thought we would have.
We also found that from then on we would stay in an apt or hotel pretty much as close to everything we wanted to see as possible. In Paris for instance, yes the metro is easy and efficient, but there are lots of stairs and walking, etc. and a lot of it is unnecessary if I'm staying in a more central location to my interests.
Randy
Minneapolis, MN USA
I learned;
1) That driving on rural roads you average about 30-35 MPH. Plan extra time.
2) To pack carry-on only, no matter how long the trip.
3) To avoid service restaurants when practical if you want to keep your food budget sane.
I'll think of more later....
Ed
Huntington, WV
If it's OK with you, I'm going to flip it around a bit by sharing something I did right, because God knows I've made my share of travel errors. I've been blessed with the opportunity to travel abroad at least annually since my first trip to Europe as a high school junior in '75. A piece of advice I was given, and actually listened to, was to keep a journal of my travels. I know that sounds like a drag, and who wants to keep up with writing stuff in a book while "on vacation?" I always take a ton of pictures and I've put 'em in albums, but it's so incredibly special to pick up one of my old journals, start reading, and be mentally transported back to that journey. The sights, the sounds, the smells...there's nothing like it. I stick postcards, flyers, tickets, and what-nots in it. By the time I get home, it's a bulging mass of memories. My daughter uses facebook in place of a written journal, I'm still too old fashioned. Just set aside 15 minutes in the morning and 15 in the evening...and include the little things that we tend to forget about by the time we get home. Years from now you'll treasure that book. Have a great time.
Tracy
Macungie, PA USA
@Ed — that's more than 'ok with me' — what a better way to phrase the question! much more positive. i guess i am in the 'trying not to mess up' stage of planning, though 'what to do right' is a much better way to look at it. thanks! (and for the record, i compromise between your writing style and your daughter's — i blog. more detailed than a facebook page, but faster to do because i'm typing and easily shared)
Jo
Frankfurt, Germany
This hasn't happened to me personally, but I do tend to run into people all the time who had no idea that all the stores in Germany close on Sundays, that most of the museums close on Mondays, or that some holiday is on and again all the stores are closed.
One does need to check for things like that. There are websites that will give you holiday closures for any country you are going to.
Margaret
St Paul, MN usa
And I would add... don't be afraid to join a tour. I always wanted to be independent and "do my own thing". I have now been on 2 Rick Steves tours and I am amazed at how much more I get out of my travels. I have had many unique experiences that I would not have discovered on my own. A combination of tour and independent travel is perfect for me.
Brad
Gainesville, VA
My trips to Europe weren't my first trips abroad so I had already learned many hard lessons on packing light (I'm down to a less than full carry-on for a month now, but always want to shave off a few extra ounces).
The biggest lesson I've learned in Europe is to keep the time lost to travel to a minimum. Rather than waste days getting flights or long train rides to hop completely across Europe, I now keep my itineraries to a logical swath through a specific part of Europe. Each travel leg now is NO MORE THAN three or four hours driving or on a train (and preferably under two hours). By the time you check in and out of lodging, even a four hour trip consumes most of your day.
I see a lot of proposed itineraries here where the majority of the vacation will be spent in some form of transportation. Add sleep time and there isn't much left.
Brad
Gainesville, VA
I'm pretty much zip-lock bags and paper clips. As the trip progresses, I ditch the paperwork I no longer need but keep the zip-locks for other uses.
Ron
Florida, USA
Hi Tracy. I don't know if this answers your question, exactly. I discovered the importance of knowing the exact address and location of an eatery that I want to go to for lunch. In London, I wasted precious time searching for a small eatery that was mentioned in Rick Steves' book on Great Britain. The street address of that place was not printed in that book. Londoners I spoke to at the location where the eatery was supposed to be at did not know of it or the street it was supposed to be on. And, I learned, the hard way, that some small eateries on islands of Greece do not open until 7 p.m. I walked a long distance, uphill, to go to one that was highly recommended by the hotel manager, I arrived there way too early. Then I walked a long distance to go to an eatery that was open. I was starving before I started the walking.
Robin
Troy, Oh USA
Ed, keeping journals is a fantastic way to keep those memories...and like you said it's fun reading them years later. I love my journals.
Kelly
Gulfport, Fl USA
My first trip to Europe was to Spain. I wished I did not party til sunrise and sleep until dark and miss out on being a tourist. The Spaniards know how to party and the party does not start until after midnight. Out of my 17 days, I missed like 5 good days of daytime site seeing. Oh well.....but the sangria was delicious.
So on my most recent trips, I try real hard to keep the alcohol consumption to a respectable level. Travel days are just too precious to spoil with a hangover or sleeping it off.
Tracy
Macungie, PA USA
@Kelly — awesome story, and REALLY good advice! i'm going to Barcelona alone (i've been calling it my barce-ALONE-a trip) at the end of our trip, and i will be sure to keep that in mind. though going alone i'd likely be thrilled to be having 'too much' fun. though of course that can't ruin all of the sightseeing i have planned. thanks for the warning!
Christy
Seattle, WA
I bought special travel clothes, the kind they sell at REI and other places. I thought it would be so handy, quick drying, lots of pockets, etc...but they were ugly and I never wanted to wear them. Why I thought I'd need special travel clothes in London, when it never would have occured to me to wear them in NYC, San Francisco or any other US destination is beyond me.
Also, paranoia about wearing a money belt. My first trip was touring Britain and Ireland with a friend. We rented a car but boy, we sure had those money belts on us at all times. Who did we think would pickpocket us, driving through the Irish countryside in a car, staying at rural b and bs? A sheep?
Tracy
Macungie, PA USA
"Who did we think would pickpocket us, driving through the Irish countryside in a car, staying at rural b and bs? A sheep?"
HA! ha ha ha ha ha!!!! i'm actually laughing out loud! thanks!!!! :-)
Tom
Somewhere Else, Moving to...
"Who did we think would pickpocket us, driving through the Irish countryside in a car, staying at rural b and bs? A sheep?" According to another thread currently circulating, you're playing Russian Roulette with those cunning sheep if you don't wear your money belt at all times!
Wasn't "killer sheep" a Monty Python sketch?
Kate
Winnipeg
that traveling around Europe is so EASY! Relax and have fun!
don't always follow what a guidebook tells you to. There are so many "must sees" that I saw that I didn't need to see!
if you see a souvenir that you want-buy it!!! I regret not buying some things that i saw.
make more of an effort to connect with locals like through couchsurfing. it makes my trips so much more memorable.
Nancy
Bloomington, IL USA
No, Tom, it was a killer rabbit, not a sheep.
Lexey
Hays
But, my, those rabbits have cunning fingers!
That made me laugh too!
Chris
Orange County, CA USA
Leave the hiking boots at home unless your trip revolves around hiking... Books are nice, convenient, informative, flat souvenirs/gifts for those back home, but too many make for a heavy suitcase... After a long plane ride, I found out I really don't like headphones or earbuds, so the all important iPod either gets left home or relegated to photo-back-up duty... A good, water-resistant, breathable windbreaker with hood is all you need in the summer, even in Ireland. Leave the umbrella at home and pack an emergency poncho for downpours... Pack a few 3x5 notecards to use as bookmarks that you can take notes on and then put in your pocket/pack instead of schlepping the whole book out of the car, etc... It's not sacrilege to cut apart a guide book into handy, day-trip size sections. A few years after my first European adventure I looked at my guidebooks taking up space and collecting dust, and remembered how heavy they were. Ever since then I've sliced and diced them with no regrets! :)
Tom
Somewhere Else, Moving to...
"No, Tom, it was a killer rabbit, not a sheep." My memory apparently isn't as bad as I thought it was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfcNDF_GETk
Connie
Everett, WA
What I tell people who ask me for advice is "you will be the same person in Europe that your are here at home". What does that mean?
If you wouldn't wear a piece of clothing here at home, you won't want to wear it in Europe (There is an excellent post above that makes that point very well. For me it is scarves. Many people recommend taking them to dress up your look, I don't wear them at home, so I know I won't wear them in Europe)
If you don't love visiting every church and museum you can at home, don't try to do it abroad. I usually pick one per city. (I've been to London multiple times and still have world class museums I need to visit..next trip) My first trip I packed it full of churches and museum and quickly burned out. I also found that I had not included enough outdoor activities. (here at home I hike or bike at least weekly) Now my trips reflect what I enjoy doing more accurately.
Know what your travel pace is and have your trip reflect it. After reading this board for several years, I know I travel at a faster pace than many. I am just a get up and get going kind of person. My pace works for me (and luckily for me, it is my husband's pace as well) I am very glad I had already visited Europe on many trips before reading this board because I may have "slowed" my trip down to a speed that would not have worked for me. How do you travel here in the states? I personally would not try to see Washington DC, Philly, New York and Boston in 7 days. (There are people who post those schedules using European cities!!) However, I also wouldn't plan on allowing 2 days to "soak up the atmosphere" of D.C My schedule would have me doing "something" every day while allowing a few hours for relaxation and exploration. That is what works for me. I also do what Brad does and visit regional areas thoroughly versus hop skipping around Europe. That is what I enjoy most.
"To thine own self be true" and have a great trip.
Tyson
Pinole, CA USA
Great advice Connie. Do what you want to do, act like normal but be open to new ideas and cultures and you'll likely have a great experience
Tracy
Macungie, PA USA
Connie — fantastic advice. Thanks! That's actually what I told my husband — but I was talking about what kind of shoes to take (he was thinking sneakers, when at home in the summer he wears ONLY sandals. he's since bought a comfortable pair of sandals for our trip!) I love the 'how do you travel here?' question. we went to DC — which is only three hours from here — for a long weekend over thanksgiving, and we spent an entire DAY in the national gallery; another entire morning at the national cathedral, and a whole afternoon at the national zoo. i've kept this sort of timing in mind in planning our trip — which is why we've decided to see fewer places for longer amounts of time (five days london, 2 weeks paris, 1 week barcelona, with a two day stint in amsterdam)
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