Travel Tips

As my time winds down here in Germany I wanted to share some advice I've learned from traveling Europe for the past 2 years. I also want to make sure I don't forget all of these "insider" tips when I leave here!! Just remember that these tips come from my personal experiences, each person is different and may prefer different things (how's that for a disclaimer?).

For cheap flights:
- kayak.com -- if you click on the link for more and go to 'buzz' you can do unique searches to find out when you can go to a destination for the lowest cost or if you don't really know where you want to go you can do a search by areas (or worldwide) for cheap flights

- lufthansa.com -- dont be intimidated by big name airlines! They usually offer great specials. Lufthansa has a 'Top Offers' link where you can see all flight deals (99 euros!) from a certain airport. I also love a newer feature called "No need to look - just book!" This feature will show you specials from airports near you for upcoming weekends (usually 4 weekends at a time).

For cheap accommodations:
- Hostels -- hostels are anywhere and everywhere (almost) and offer a range of accommodations. Some are nicer than others and some offer more than others so you can usually find something close to what you're looking for. One catch is that prices are per person and there are booking fees! After finding a hostel you like on the hostelworld.com website do a google search and changes are good that the hostel has an independent website. From there you can contact the hostel directly via email or phone and book a room to avoid processing/handling fees. Hostels can also be a great way to meet other people (usually under the age of 30) who are traveling and sightseeing just like you! Depending on the city you can sometimes find a Bed&Breakfast or hotel that would be cheaper if you're splitting the cost with at least one other person. For example, if the hostel is going to cost 30 euros/person you could probably find a B&B for 60 euros, which would be the same price for nicer accommodations (in most cases!).

- Couchsurfing -- couchsurfing is an interesting concept....you spend the night on a "strangers" couch for free! Granted it's nice to take a bottle of wine or cook your host dinner or something but in essence it's free! I've done this a few times and some of my hosts I loved, others I didn't care too much for. It can be a great way to meet and interact with a local and live like a local while traveling.

- Bed & Breakfast -- I've used this site sometimes but it's not a comprehensive list and you can usually find more options by doing a basic google search for bed & breakfasts in your destination city. Bed and Breakfasts offer quaint accommodations usually including breakfast, hence the name. :) This type of accommodation is a little more homey than hostels and hotels because you are staying in someone's house or their fixed up house that they rent out - sometimes the B&B is attached the owner's home.

Handy Tips and Tricks:
- If it's a short trip try to only pack a carry-on bag so when you arrive at your destination you don't have to waste time waiting for your bag(s)! This is also a good idea in case your luggage is lost!!

- Currency Exchange Cheat Sheets!! These are sooo, oh so, helpful when traveling to a country that uses a different currency than you are used to. They are small (about the size of a credit card) and provide a quick reference of local currency to your home currency. It also reverses the exchange rates so you can see destination currency converted into home currency as well as home currency converted into the destination currency.

- Ask about transportation cards. For example, in Bavaria you can buy a single ticket for 19 euros and go anywhere in Bavaria, hop on and off the train, etc. for the entire day or for up to 5 people you can share one ticket and do the same thing for 27 euros. Many cities have transportation cards that allow 10 rides on the metro or something similar. *I just learned about the "Schones-Wochenende" pass today on our Free Walking Tour in Munich....I've never used this but it just goes to show how many great train specials there are throughout Europe!

- FREE Walking Tours. These aren't in too many cities (yet!) but they are so great! It's a great way to get a quick (3 hour) history of the city and have someone navigate through the streets for you and show you all the highlights! A similar tour would cost you at least $40/50+ but these tour guides are people who are in love with city and share that with tour groups for tips only (whatever you have or want to give).

- Maps! These are my favorite maps as they tell you lots of great insider tips about the city, including great ways to see the city for free (i.e. in Brussels the map told us to go to the top of a parking garage for the best views over the entire city - for free!)! Unfortunately there aren't too many city maps yet but it looks like they're in the process of creating more!

- If you have a student ID card always travel with it! So many places offer discounts for students! I wish I could tell you how much money my student ID card has saved me when traveling!

- Don't worry about exchanging money before you leave although if possible it might be handy to have at least $5 or $10 in the local currency to cover the costs of a bus/train from the airport into the city. After you arrive in the city you can find ATMs everywhere and 9 times out of 10 you'll get a better exchange rate in the local city than you would have from home.

- Do your research! If you don't, you'll never know what the pros/cons are of a city and what to be on the lookout for.

- Go during the off season. Accomodations will be cheaper, some restaurants will be cheaper, and sites will be less crowded with tourists. March-early May and September are great months to travel Europe!

- Go to the touristy cities but also look for less touristy cities close by. Some of greatest treasures of Europe are the small, off the map cities! You're more likely to have a local experience as well as have a more relaxed trip.

- Don't be afraid to travel by yourself. Yes, be cautious, smart, and aware but don't be so scared to travel by yourself that you end up going nowhere. I've gone on a few big trips by myself - Paris, Bucharest (Romania), Helsinki (Finland), and Tallinn (Estonia), as well as a few smaller, day trips and have had a great time each time! Yes, it's different traveling by yourself but it doesn't have to be bad (I think my next blog entry will cover the pros/cons of traveling by yourself - stay tuned!).

- Have a master packing list handy at all times so you don't forget the essentials! I've had a piece of paper with my master list for the 2 years I've been over here. Every time I go to pack my backpack I grab the list and run through it to make sure I'm not missing anything. I've also included special sections listing things I like to take if I'm going camping, going to the spa, flying, driving, etc. So depending on how much you'll be traveling, what type of traveling you'll be doing, and where you'll be traveling to, you can have specialized packing lists.

- Plan ahead. Yes, sometimes you can find last minute specials but for the most part if you wait until the last minute you'll find hotels/hostels that you want to stay at and are in your budget but are fully booked! Again, this depends on what time of season you're traveling.

- Have a plan but be flexible. Sometimes I've arrived at a hostel and found out they offered day excursions and changed my plans completely (although you usually know what the hostel offers by reviewing their website in advance!). or maybe you arrive in a city and find a city guide with local events going on and you'll find something that sounds interesting that you want to try/go to. So with that said, I try to have an idea of what sites I have to see and what sites I'd like to see if I have extra time after seeing the "must see" sites. This allows for some flexibility (including shopping!).

- My favorite time of year in Europe is December!! Why? Because that's when the Christmas Markets come out and you can buy all sorts of local crafts in one place and enjoy a wonderful atmosphere complete with gluhwein or gloggi (hot, spiced wine). There are all sorts of links - here are two I used this past year:
Christmas Markets around the world
Christmas Markets in Germany

- Oh, another favorite site is Whats On When. On this site you can search by what/where/category/dates for events whenever and wherever! This site includes almost every event going on around the world - from Christmas Markets to Running with the Bulls to Art Exhibitions this site will be able to tell you what is going on.

OK. Well, that's it for now. As I think of more tips for traveling/traveling Europe I'll update this entry.