A few weeks ago, a few of us interns were talking about our summer and how tired we are. "That's because vacations are relaxing, but traveling isn't. Traveling is hard work." Truer words have never been spoken. Traveling in Europe, cheaply and safely isn't easy. It can be overwhelming.
When I found out I’d be spending most of the summer in Belgium, I immediately started doing research. If I were going to spend the majority of the summer in Europe I was going to make the best of it! I subscribed to whatever travel blog I could find and read every article on Europe, traveling and doing it cheaply I could find. Added to that is the last three months I’ve spent actually traveling. I’ve taken planes, trains, buses, trams and subways. Based on these credentials, I think I’m as qualified as anyone to offer some advice on traveling. Feel free to take it or leave it. Here are a few:
- Tourist offices are your best friends. A lot of people dismiss these places because being seen in one is like tattooing the word “tourist” on your face. Well, I’ve got news for you: you are a tourist! You might as well get used to it. People who live in (insert name of place you’re visiting) don’t usually walk around carrying maps and camera bags, squinting at signs and coming to abrupt stops at intersections. If you can overlook the lameness factor, these places can be incredibly useful. Most of the tourist shops have given me pretty great maps for free or close to free—in Cologne they charged me €0.20. They’re also staffed with pretty competent people. In Bonn, the woman directed me to where I wanted to go and sent me along the prettiest route. She explained the transit system (which stops I needed and prices) and gave me two maps for free. They’re also located close to big tourist areas or good starting places.
- Learn the language. I’m not saying be fluent, but learning a few key phrases would be helpful. I learned this the hard way in Germany. Several times. I don’t speak a lick of German. Well, other than Volksgemenshaft, which means “national community” and is not useful for catching trains. And don’t rely on the belief that “everyone speaks English.” Because they don’t. I was astonished at the amount of Germans in Cologne (population 1 million) and Bonn who couldn’t communicate in English. At one point at the Bonn train station I resorted to sign language and then had to speak French as my go-to-language (which was even more fruitless). In Spain it's the same. They speak very little English and French and Portuguese have been no help to me. Important phrases like, “Where is this train going?” or “How much does this cost?” or even the German word for “main station” may save your life. Or at least a two hour train ride back to where you were going. Sites Like BBC Languages might give you the primer you need.
- Carry that map. You’ll look like a tourist but it’ll help. See #1 for any “I’ll look like a lame tourist” complaints. In smaller cities like Bonn or Lille this isn’t so important. They’re small and easily navigated on foot. But in cities like Amsterdam or Madrid “wondering” can get you very far from where you want to go, to the point where you have to waste time and money on transit to get back or walk for hours (that’s what happened to us our first night in Amsterdam). Maps are also good because there may be information on what you’re seeing in them. There have been many a time I’ve walked past a church/statue/Roman ruin and thought, “What the heck am I looking at?” Maps will tell you.Finally, they sharpen your navigational and orienteering skills and that is always a good thing.
- Do your homework. I give a lot of credit to people who can travel with just a backpack and their wits. My friend Kyla is like that—and is currently touring the Western Balkans doing her thing. I am not like that. I need order, I need a plan. I hate wasting my time, especially in a place I will probably never see again (I’m talking to you Lille, Bonn and Trier). Doing some research beforehand can tell you what sights to check out and what to stay away from and how much the trip will cost—and if it’s worth it. It’ll also minimize the time you spend looking at a map thinking, “Is this worth doing?” It’ll also give you a feel for when things close. In Ghent I really wanted to see the castle, but I couldn’t because last tickets were available at 5pm, an hour before it closed. I got there at 5:30. Planning can also save you money. Trains and planes offer discounts for booking weeks in advance (like my first class train ride). Books like the Lonely Planet and Let’s Go series are helpful. There are also a lot of good cheap European travel blogs too. My current favorite is Euro Cheapo. It’s not only given me travel ideas but tips on free walking tours and the best times to go to museums to capitalize on their free entrance fees. Wikitravel is also a great resource. But the greatest resource is people. In Amsterdam, we had Matt’s friend as a de-facto tour guide (she had been living in the city for a month) and it was great. She could tell us what was good and bad and worth spending money on. People who have been where you want to go are an excellent help and you should mine those resources if you have them.
- Read hostel reviews! I cannot stress this point enough. Hostels are a great, cheap place to stay, but they’re not all created equal. I’d never stayed in a hostel until this summer and I was scared the first time I booked mine. What if I got bed bugs or the toilets overflowed? But I did my homework and read up on the places on sites like Trip Advisor and Hostel World (but don't book using the site as they'll charge you a fee). Every hostel’s website will claim to be great so these reviews are a great unbiased perspective. But don’t let yourself be thrown by one bad review. Look at what the majority is saying. Most sites have a rating system which is helpful. So far I've stayed in three hostels, in three different cities, ranging from a 69 to 85 per cent rating, and I’ve never had a problem.
- Read signs—especially on trains—carefully. This is straight out of my own life. While in the Cologne train station headed to Bonn I jumped on a train headed to Bonn. This train made every stop in Bonn except the one I wanted. I was looking for Bonn hbf—central station— and it turned out I’d grabbed a train going in the opposite direction. It took me two hours to get back to Cologne and then another 20 minutes to get to where I was actually going. If I had looked at the sign carefully I’d have had more time in Bonn.
- Always know where you are (and where you're going). This is more applicable to those of you traveling in groups. When you’re in a group you have the tendency to relax and let others take the lead on certain things such as directions, remembering where the hostel is and where the sites are. This is not always good. You should at least have a map and the address of your hostel. If you get separated—voluntarily or not—you don’t want to be the one without a map and no clue where your hostel is except that “there’s a yellow sign across the street.”
- Always ask if you’re on the right train. My wrong-train-in-Bonn story is exacerbated by the fact that I stood there and didn’t say anything for twenty minutes. I knew the train to Bonn was supposed to be 20 minutes and when the trip stretched into 30, 35 then 40 minutes I consoled myself that maybe it was late. It wasn’t. You shouldn’t be afraid to get up and ask people. Now, before I get on a train I double check that it is going where I want it to go.
- Pick and choose. This isn’t new. I’ve read it in tons of blogs and books and heard many people say it but it bears repeating. I still say it to myself every time I'm in a new city. You’re not going to be able to see everything, so get over it. You should read what’s available and pick what sounds good to you. That way you’ll make sure you see what you want and everything after is a bonus.
- Don’t go to every museum. Tourism is a big business here. Every city, town and village claims to have “world class cultural and art museums.” It’s just not true. I’m not against museums, I love them and some of them have been great (Anne Frank and the Rijksmuseum spring to mind), but some of them have been less so (Trier’s city museum sticks out). Don’t go to the museum because “we’re here, we might as well.” No, stop, turn around and move on to something else. This kind of practice gets expensive and it’s just plain silly. Go to a museum you’re generally interested in! Here’s another hint, unless it’s a city like Amsterdam or London, the history of it probably isn’t that interesting, so don’t waste your time (or Euros) at local or city museums. You can just look it up on Wikipedia. Or learn about the history from the other interesting sites you might miss by spending time in the museum.
So I hope these tips were helpful. Some you won't need and some won't apply to you. But they're good to know. Anyone else have other tips?
