European Adventure Looking Back–Tips, Tricks, and Lessons Learned Along the Way

With this being a different kind of vacation for us there was a lot we learned on the go.  Some of the things we picked up on that may help other travellers looking to do a similar trip (or for our future selves) are listed below:

• If travelling with a companion, each bring a book the other would enjoy as well.  That way, you can each read both and save space for these luxury items.
• If your train requires a reservation (such as high speed trains, overnight trains, and trains going anywhere in France), buy those tickets at a train station in advance of when you wish to depart – preferably early morning before the crowds hit – and expect to wait a while.
• Do laundry whenever you can.  Also, carry small packs of detergent to wash clothes in the sink for those emergency times when no washing machine is in sight.  Shout wipes are good to have around, too.
• Pack your bags so that you have room to grow.  You (or your companion) will buy things and you will need to put those things somewhere.
• Picking up some food at the grocery is a nice way to take in the local cuisine, save some money, and make a little picnic in a different setting than restaurants can provide.  But if you do go grocery shopping…
• Don’t forget to bring your own bags.  They do not provide them from free and sometimes don’t even have them for purchase.
• Carry cash (preferably a lot of change and small bills).  People don’t like giving you change for 50 Euro notes (though many ATMs only give out 50’s).  Machines (such as ticket kiosks and vending machines) often require exact change but most don’t have nearby change machines (this is how we got trapped across town in Prague without use of the metro).  Also, we were surprised by the amount of places that didn’t accept credit cards.  Additionally, our credit cards work differently from theirs so sometimes places accept credit cards but not if you don’t have a “chip” like theirs have.
• Bring a refillable water bottle.  Water is not free at restaurants and can cost you 2-5 Euros.  All the places we went had drinkable tap water which we gladly took advantage of.  Which brings me to my next point..
• Always use free bathrooms when available – at your accommodations, at restaurants you purchase food/drinks, and on trains.  Using public restrooms (which typically range from 30-50 cents but up to 1 Euro per use) can really add up. 
• Go some place where no one speaks English.  This is another way of saying, try somewhere that’s not touristy and/or a big city.  Some of our nicest days on this vacation where in out of the way places where being an American was more of a novelty than a nuisance. 

In general, expect things to go wrong, but keep in mind that a bad day on vacation is probably still better than a good day at work.