1. Pack light. I think Rick Steves is right about packing light. I fit everything for a six weeks (and wildly different climates) into a carry-on bag, the kind with wheels. I am of an age (and size) where a backpack looks silly. Yes, Europe has cobblestone streets and walkways, but the wheels of my Eagle Creek Tarmac held up well.
2. Dressy over casual. Yes, I packed walking shorts. Panama is too close to the equator—even in dry season—to wear long pants. In retrospect, however, I should have packed a travel blazer, a pair of pants not “cargo” in design, and a couple of dressier shirts. No matter what I wear, I’ll inevitably look like a tourist but more upscale clothes in muted colors would blend a bit better.
2. Dressy over casual. Yes, I packed walking shorts. Panama is too close to the equator—even in dry season—to wear long pants. In retrospect, however, I should have packed a travel blazer, a pair of pants not “cargo” in design, and a couple of dressier shirts. No matter what I wear, I’ll inevitably look like a tourist but more upscale clothes in muted colors would blend a bit better.
3. Expect laundry. Living out of a small carry-on means doing laundry. This is inconvenient, but I prefer it to hauling a large bag. The European laundromats we used were slightly larger than a walk-in closet. Slightly. And some run on a central computer (rather than the ubiquitous American coin-operated models). Sure, some hotels have laundry service... if you want to pay as much to have the garment washed as it did to buy. Personally, I think laundromats are interesting places, a small window on a culture.
4. Expect small. We expected things to be more compact on the Continent. I wasn’t prepared for how much smaller. Narrower streets. Tiny cars. Compact elevators (or slender stairs). Small hotel rooms with smaller bathrooms. I could write an essay on the mysteries of European plumbing, but I digress. Prepare for less elbow room, personal space, and space in general.
4. Expect small. We expected things to be more compact on the Continent. I wasn’t prepared for how much smaller. Narrower streets. Tiny cars. Compact elevators (or slender stairs). Small hotel rooms with smaller bathrooms. I could write an essay on the mysteries of European plumbing, but I digress. Prepare for less elbow room, personal space, and space in general.
5. Speak some of the native tongue. Travel is much easier if you have some proficiency in the native language(s). It’s not just interacting with locals. It’s reading maps, bus signs, train schedules, hotel information, etc. Travel is simply easier if one can communicate, particularly since some of the people you meet won't speak English.
6. Travel by train (with caveats). We bought Eurail passes because we wanted an open, flexible itinerary. Our particular passes (30-day continuous) were not cheap but we’ve used them extensively. Largely by chance, we found a deal “Get first class for the price of second class.” With all due respect to Rick Steves’, first class is worth it. Totally. There’s more space, more amenities, and it is quieter.
Now for the caveats. Do more research than we did (almost none). Know that many trains require reservations. And the process for getting reservations can be tricky. Every national rail operator seems to have its own system (and app). With Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany under our belt, I give the nod to Germany’s app. The Eurail app has a handy trip planner but sometimes it calculates the long way around rather than using metro connections. Travel within a country is easier. Crossing borders can take more planning.
7. Don’t count on connectivity. Hotel Wi-Fi can be hit or miss, even in high-end properties. We probably should have bought a “burner phone” set up for Europe, but we decided to try our TMobile iPhones with the promise of unlimited talk and text in over 200 countries. Fine print, TMobile gives you 2G coverage. Since the tech world is abuzz about 5G, you can imagine how modern web pages load with 2G bandwidth. We have managed (and thank goodness for the Wi-Fi provided by the high speed trains), but forewarned is forearmed.
8. Bring a long charging cord. Presumably, you already know about adaptors. And that the Swiss outlet is just different enough from the balance of Europe to require its own adaptor. Thankfully, many of the trains have outlets for charging enroute. The location of outlets in hotel rooms, however, can be interesting. Get a long cord. You won't notice the slight addition in weight, but you will appreciate the convenience.
9. Download movies or TV shows in the U.S. I'm not cosmopolitan enough to understand why downloading a U.S. movie with a U.S. Netflix or Amazon Prime account isn't possible in the EU. Had I known, I would have downloaded enough entertainment to sustain me through the occasional evening or train ride.
10. Beware foreign ATM fees. Ouch. I used my local bank--that shall remain nameless to make cash withdrawals. The fees were ridiculous. I should have used my Charles Schwab debit card which doesn't charge insanely high fees.
6. Travel by train (with caveats). We bought Eurail passes because we wanted an open, flexible itinerary. Our particular passes (30-day continuous) were not cheap but we’ve used them extensively. Largely by chance, we found a deal “Get first class for the price of second class.” With all due respect to Rick Steves’, first class is worth it. Totally. There’s more space, more amenities, and it is quieter.
Now for the caveats. Do more research than we did (almost none). Know that many trains require reservations. And the process for getting reservations can be tricky. Every national rail operator seems to have its own system (and app). With Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany under our belt, I give the nod to Germany’s app. The Eurail app has a handy trip planner but sometimes it calculates the long way around rather than using metro connections. Travel within a country is easier. Crossing borders can take more planning.
7. Don’t count on connectivity. Hotel Wi-Fi can be hit or miss, even in high-end properties. We probably should have bought a “burner phone” set up for Europe, but we decided to try our TMobile iPhones with the promise of unlimited talk and text in over 200 countries. Fine print, TMobile gives you 2G coverage. Since the tech world is abuzz about 5G, you can imagine how modern web pages load with 2G bandwidth. We have managed (and thank goodness for the Wi-Fi provided by the high speed trains), but forewarned is forearmed.
8. Bring a long charging cord. Presumably, you already know about adaptors. And that the Swiss outlet is just different enough from the balance of Europe to require its own adaptor. Thankfully, many of the trains have outlets for charging enroute. The location of outlets in hotel rooms, however, can be interesting. Get a long cord. You won't notice the slight addition in weight, but you will appreciate the convenience.
9. Download movies or TV shows in the U.S. I'm not cosmopolitan enough to understand why downloading a U.S. movie with a U.S. Netflix or Amazon Prime account isn't possible in the EU. Had I known, I would have downloaded enough entertainment to sustain me through the occasional evening or train ride.
10. Beware foreign ATM fees. Ouch. I used my local bank--that shall remain nameless to make cash withdrawals. The fees were ridiculous. I should have used my Charles Schwab debit card which doesn't charge insanely high fees.
Our time in Europe was enlightening, educational, and occasionally exhausting. Perhaps the most valuable is that traveling is a skill that gets better with practice.
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