Since I was a small kid, I’ve been dreaming to travel. Of course, I was sure that when I grow up I would be able to visit every single place on Earth I could think of. As an adult, I already know that traveling is not really easy and not so cheap as expected. It could be cheap, yes, but it won’t be fancy. And if you don’t know me yet – I’m a fancy person 🙂 Also, there are a lot of places that I would love to go right away, but it’s not safe there (there are wars, medical risks from diseases, no fresh and clean water, no roads…). I know that when you really want something – you go for it, but… I can’t imagine going somewhere where there are no bathrooms, or nice and tidy hotels, or hospitals nearby. Maybe I got too old before I even am young and free?
However, years ago I made myself a promise – I will visit at least one new place every year. I will try to visit even two, but let’s say that one would be enough for the start.
Here, in this category, I will write about my trips around Europe (so far) – I hope that soon I will be able to write about my trips around the world, but as of today I can tell you my stories for this continent only. Some of the places I have visited were great, really spectacular and I felt awesome (like London, Amsterdam or Copenhagen), some of them were nice (like Paris or Rome), and some – was not really so spectacular as people describe them to be (like Barcelona or Venice). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Barcelona is bad, but I didn’t love it. Of course, this is me, you could probably feel in love in Barcelona and this is not a bad thing at all, but for me it was just nice (and hot) city in Spain.
What could possible go wrong when you’re travelling with your better half? Short answer – everything 🙂 What could possibly go as expected? Nothing or almost nothing? Yes, you’re right – it could be great, and it could be a nightmare, no matter how prepared you are and how many travel guides you have read. Here is my list of top travelers mistakes (that we made):
- fighting when we were hungry and we were looking for a food – yep, honestly, this is my problem number 1 – no matter where we were, there was always a time of the day when we were already tired and hungry and we were looking for a place to have some lunch/dinner and we weren’t able to choose. I mean – we were standing there, in the middle of no-matter-where in front of like a hundred restaurants and we weren’t able to decide where to eat. Sometimes I even though that I’m gonna kill him, honestly – it is not possible for an adult, 30 years old man, to be that stubborn for a pizza, for Christ’s sake.
- booking good-looking cheap hotels with contradictory reviews – you don’t need any comment on that, right?
- thinking that you’ll catch your shuttles and transfers, because ‘Why on Earth it could be a flight delay?’ – you don’t need any comment on that too, right?
- thinking that you will be able to see everything at once for 2 hours and then you’ll have a half day in the park drinking coffee (beer) and relax – yeah, sure, keep dreaming 🙂 No matter where we were, there were always a lot of people waiting to see the exact same things we would like to see. Most of the time, like every other tourist, we were there to see something really famous, like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben, and we were supposed to wait like hours. That was not exactly how I saw it firstly in my head, as you can imagine. Therefore we were frustrated from the crowds and moreover, from time to time, I wasn’t even able to made decent photos because of the people around.
First couple of trips we made were with tour agency. Honestly – we have paid to be unhappy – we were supposed to woke up early and to follow strange schedules, to run over through big cities (like Paris), to be involved in tours that we weren’t interested at all, and to listen whole group of people talking but not to enjoy the atmosphere of the places we were visiting. After our last trip with agency 2 or 3 years ago, we decided that we’re absolutely capable to be anywhere just the two of us. We’re adults and we’re speaking pretty decent English, so no matter what – we would be able to survive European trip without personal guide.
Here are my notes of ‘what you need to do’ to be prepared:
- choose your destination and check your month for weather forecast (average temperatures, rains, etc.) and then choose wisely when you would like to travel. You don’t want to face thunderstorms and endless rainfalls whole the time, or spend your days in the hotel, because of the snow or the heat. Almost everywhere in Europe is nice and warm in April, May, and June. In some of the southern countries is too hot during the summer period (especially in July and August) so try to avoid those places in that time of the year (Italy, Spain, south Greece, Portuguese). Meanwhile, northern countries are nice 🙂 During the winter you can save yourself from the cold in France, but you can postpone your trips to the Nordics. Early autumn is nice to visit a lot of countries but check for rainfalls. September and October are great to visit Italy.
- book your flights 4 or even 5 months prior in order to get low-cost tickets, or eventually look for promotions and sales. Book online check-ins, there is no need to wait on the line before the flight to take your tickets. Print them prior to that and enjoy your coffee at the airport.
- google what you want to see, read road maps, trip advisers, trip forums, blogs, reviews and so on. Make a plan for each day and put at least couple of buffers in your time slots. Be sure that some of the days you’ll be tired to visit everything, or something may happen and you should have a backup plan. If you plan to visit museums or attractions, check if there are online tickets and buy them prior to your trip – this will save you time there. Check for city cards that allows you to go anywhere (or selected places) paying much less than buying regular tickets, or check for any promotions or free-pass days and periods.
- book your hotel or place (via Airbnb for example) by looking really precisely into the comments, reviews, and photos. Check the transport connections near your place and make sure that there is a fast and easy way to get there from the airport (and to go back to it after that) and there are other public transports you can use in order to reach any of your destinations.
- try not to buy souvenirs from the most crowded tourist places (so-called tourist-traps) – these are the most expensive ones. You’ll find cheaper in your neighborhood or any other store away from the tourist traps.
- check places to eat nearby – check for reviews and prices. And go to a traditional place at least once. Eat what locals are eating and feel their rhythm and daily happiness. Enjoy and celebrate life with them in a casual and nice restaurant, or party in the center – just do it like them.
- watch out your things, your wallet, your passport and ID, credit cards and so on. Watch your bags, phones, and money. Check if you have locked your room twice if you’re not sure. Charge your phone battery. Call your mom regular and tell her that you’re ok 🙂 By the way, do not forget to give your address to your relatives in case you somehow disappear or something bad happens.
- (optional) make yourself a life and health insurance and take it with you abroad in case you get sick or you need help.
For the last couple of years we have visited couple of countries – Italy (couple of times), France, England, Denmark, Spain, Netherlands, Greece. I will tell you what we loved and hated there and will not save you any nasty details that are not included in any tourist guide 🙂