Tips for your summer trip to Europe
Travelers along the harbor area of Chania a small town on Crete, a Greek island. Tourists browse shops and stop to eat at waterfront restaurants, or just sit back and take in the view.
Photo by Kayla Webley
By KAYLA WEBLEY
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
2007-04-17
Planning a trip to Europe can be hard if you don’t know an experienced traveler to ask for advice.
I recently spent five months living and traveling in Europe. As my friends gear up for summer trips, these are some of their most common questions.
How long to stay?
For most places I would suggest three nights. Of course you can stay longer, but I would not advise staying less than two nights - it just gets too hectic. Traveling from place to place generally takes a whole day. Even if your flight or train ride is short, traveling takes a bit more energy than other days and you won’t feel like doing much sightseeing when you first arrive. Don’t plan to do much else on travel days. That way if you end up doing something, it’s a bonus. You could spend a week in some places. I easily spent a week in Barcelona, Spain, but a week in other places, such as a beach resort out of season, could be too long.
The positives and negative to train travel
The best part of a train ride is the view. It’s a way to see the countryside even if you are only visiting cities. Trains are a great way to relax and regroup, meet people with interesting stories and make you feel like a real traveler. They make travel without a firm itinerary easy, as you don’t have to book them weeks in advance like airlines. But foreign trains can be tough to figure out. Double check that you’ve got the right train before getting on. Trains often change platforms, and announcements aren’t made in English. Always validate your ticket in countries that require it (most do). Otherwise you could be stuck with a large charge. Sometimes you will get a ticket, but no seat assignment. Always request a seat when booking. If there aren’t any left, you can usually find an empty seat for at least part of the ride.
Backpack vs. suitcase
If you are planning to hike or camp, go with the traditional backpack. But if you plan to go city to city, hotel to hotel, you have options. Sometimes it’s helpful to be able to put everything you own on your back - long staircases in metro stations, for example. Many bags with wheels are also equipped with backpack straps. Just remember, if you plan to carry it on your back a lot, the wheels add excess weight. Be sure to get a pack that will evenly distribute the weight and is well made - it’s worth the extra money. My bag broke while I was in Greece and it was an aggravating process to get it fixed with my limited knowledge of Greek.
Two American travelers studying in Greece last fall packed all they needed in their backpacks for a weekend camping trip on Aigina, a Greek island.
Photo by Kayla Webley
Packing
Do not under any circumstances leave for Europe with a full suitcase. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything (trust me, you will), you don’t want to travel with a full bag. You will be packing and re-packing so often that you do not want to deal with sitting on your suitcase, jumping up and down and praying it zips every time you’re heading to a new destination. You can repeat clothes in every city and no one will be the wiser. A lot of hotels and hostels have laundry services, or they will know where the closest laundry is.
Be sure to pack …
A fold-up bag for your dirty clothes so you don’t have to haul your whole pack to the laundry. Converters and outlet adaptors for electronic devices. All your chargers for electronics, such as your camera and iPod. Flip flops, a must for hostel showers.
Money exchange
Before you go, change some dollars into euros. Call ahead to order them from a bank, which might not have them on hand. It is much easier to have euros when you arrive (especially after the long flight) to get where you need to go. You will be jet-legged and will not want to use your brain any more than absolutely necessary. And you will avoid the hefty charges from the airport money exchanges. Check with your bank to see how much it charges to use an ATM. The cards can be a great way to get cash on the go, but can cost a lot in transaction fees.
Passports
Your passport will become your most important travel companion. If you lose everything and still have your passport, you will be fine. Before you go, make photocopies of your passport, drivers license and credit cards. Take copies with you, keeping them separate from the originals. Leave some copies at home with someone who can fax them to you if you have a problem. The photocopies won’t take the place of your passport, but they can help you get a new one more quickly.
Pickpockets
Exercise the same precautions you would in any city. Carry a bag that zips. Hold on to your purse by the zipper. Don’t carry anything in the pouches on your backpack that are easy to get into without your knowing. Exercise extra caution when riding public transportation. Most important, always be aware. The only people I know who had things stolen were careless and not holding onto their belongings.
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Helpful resources
Train knowledge (especially to and from the UK): http://www.seat61.com/
Eurail passes: http://www.eurail.com/
Advice from travel guru Rick Steves: http://ricksteves.com/
Lonely Planet books, especially “Europe on a Shoestring”: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/
To book hostels: http://www.hostelbookers.com
For travel advisories and government cautions: http://travel.state.gov
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.net)
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