Hello everyone!
For those of you that don't know, we are now back stateside! It is so odd to be back home. Jessie and I have changed and grown so much, and yet everything seems to be the same.
Jessie and I have compiled a list of little tips that we learned during our travels through Europe. This list contains tricks we wish we had known before getting started, and other little hints that will help your trip go smoothly. These tips should be valid anywhere in Europe; if you want specific advice for any of the places we visited (Glasgow, Edinburgh, the Highlands, London, the Lake District, Naples, Rome, Venice, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Krakow, or Oswiecim), just let us know. For example, we know some insider tips to getting the best food in Italy, particularly in Rome and Venice. Send us an email or a message on facebook, and we'll get back to you as quick as we can.
Anyway, without further ado, here you go. Our advice for any aspiring European travellers:
1. Plan ahead.
This tip is mostly for budget travelers. You can save an enormous amount of money by buying transportation and accommodation in advance. For example, a bus ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh, bought at the station the day of the trip, might run approximately 20 pounds, or 30 dollars, per person. Bought a month in advance, however, and those same tickets might cost 2 pounds, or 3 dollars, a piece. These are actual prices that we paid.
If you have a bunch of money to burn, then obviously this isn't as important to follow. You can be spontaneous and adventurous, staying longer in the places you like and shorter in the places you don't, but it will cost you quite a bit extra. You can't couchsurf for free without making arrangements several weeks, if not months, in advance.
2. Plan thoroughly.
Following from the last point, it is important that you do a fair amount of research when planning your transport, as well as the various excursions you are interested in. For example, make sure when booking transportation in advance that you are looking at the proper season schedule. We missed a ferry from Oban to Mull in Scotland because we had been looking at the winter schedule when we were planning, while the service was operating on the summer schedule by the time we were actually ready to travel. We had to stand in line for 3 hours to see the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam because we failed to book our tickets months in advance, and we didn't give ourselves enough time to arrive early enough to beat the crowd.
Along the same lines, don't always trust google maps for public transport information. Find specific local company websites and search for services there to ensure you're not missing something or seeing a service that isn't there anymore.
3. Avoid restaurant callers.
This isn't a common practice in America. In Europe, tourist restaurants will often have a caller, usually a nice-dressed and good-looking guy, outside the restaurant to draw in passers-by. This is a sure sign that the restaurant is NOT authentic. The locals will usually see callers as a sign that the restaurant is not serving good food, but rather very poor, stereo-typical food.
4. Avoid street peddlers.
As a general rule, if you want something, buy it in a store, not off the street. If the seller is willing to bargain with you, chances are very good the item wasn't worth the original asking price in the first place. Go back and read our story from Rome, "Pilgrims meeting the Vicar of Christ," for another excellent example.
5. It's never cheaper to skip the line.
And don't trust the people telling you that it is cheaper, even if they have an official-looking badge. They will just take you to their tourist office across the street, and proceed to waste 15 minutes of your time trying to force you to buy their tickets to the Vatican Museum, even offering you the special discounted child pricing, which they claim is cheaper than the tickets at the ticket office. In reality, two student tickets at the ticket office were cheaper than a single child's ticket from the tourist office.
6. Hit up McDonald's for free bathrooms.
McDonald's hasn't only taken over America. They are everywhere in Europe, and they will almost always have restrooms easily accessible. Sometimes you'll have to get special restroom tokens from the cashiers, but you won't need to buy anything from the menu to do so. This is important, because public restrooms in Europe almost always cost money, from 20 cents all the way up to 1.50 Euro.
7. Hotels and Tourist Information Centers have free maps.
Free is good! Hotels are very friendly places that keep free maps on hand for their guests. If you are having trouble finding the Tourist Information Center, or if said center is non-existent, find a hotel before buying a map from the newspaper stand. The map won't be high-quality, but will usually be good enough to get you around.
8. Look for free walking tours.
Free walking tours are almost everywhere in Europe, and they were a favorite of mine and Jessie's. Take a free walking tour the first day you're there to learn the history, the culture, and the popular attractions in the area. We recommend Sandemans' Free Europe Walking Tours, if you're in one of their serviced cities. If not, there are plenty of other free tour companies and organizations out there, you just have to do a little googling to find them.
9. Invest in cell service.
A cell phone would have come in handy too many times to count while we were in Europe. We had a pay-as-you-go phone in Scotland, which we hardly used. But we never got a sim for all of Europe, and that would have made the trip go so much smoother. Having the ability to call your accommodations, as well as the possibility of mobile wifi in case you're too dense or tired to decipher the map, can be invaluable. It is hard to find good public wifi, which is rarely free.
10. Remember to pack the little things.
Comfortable walking shoes are a must, obviously, but other small things that we recommend are: sunglasses, a big backpacking backpack (this would have been enormously easier than lugging around our small suitcases), pain medication such as advil for soreness, and allergy medication if you are prone (I learned that one the hard way).
11. Never give up.
Seriously. This rule is so important. Even when you're tired, you're cranky, you're angry, you're depressed, you're defeated, never, ever give up. Just keep walking. Just keep going. Just keep trying. Travelling through Europe can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so don't risk wasting it. Have fun, be respectful of the locals, and never give up.
Thanks for reading! Hope this helps! Again, if you have any questions, or would like more specific information about traveling in any of the places we've visited, don't hesitate to ask! Comment on this blog post, or send us emails or facebook messages. We'll be more than happy to help in any way we can. The world is an amazing place, and it is such a powerful experience to be able to see it. Good luck to you all, and God bless!
~Jacob and Jessie Wilkerson
No comments:
Post a Comment