A Beginner’s Guide to Traveling Europe

similar Old Navy graphic t-shirt | Draper James ruffle shorts | fan tassel earrings

Before this past June, the first and last time I’d been to Europe was my junior year of college. I was a Spanish minor and a classmate convinced me to come to a meeting about a month-long travel abroad opportunity in Spain. Until her invitation, studying abroad had never crossed my mind. My family didn’t travel out of the country for vacations so I didn’t even have a passport. But the way the program was described sparked my interest, so I called my parents afterward to ask if we could make the decision pretty quickly, since I needed to commit soon. They called back to say it was something they could help with (if I’d pay a portion of the trip). I was signed up! 

I remember so much about that month in Spain. My Spanish “mom” staying out later than we did at the town’s annual festival. Buying a liter of Diet Coke and bottle of wine to make a cheap cocktail, a “Calimocho.” Trying paella for the first time in Madrid and loving the taste, until I crunched down hard on a shell I hadn’t been expecting. Celebrating my 20th birthday in a Valencia hostel and ending the night with late night bites on a curb (where a stray dog grabbed my friend’s street food).

All of those memories stick in my mind with the help of photos from the trip, but it’s funny how much I’d forgotten from my experience. When I was preparing for this most recent trip to Europe I had a hundred questions. Some of them were just because the times had changed. Did we need an international cell plan now? Did we need much cash or could we use credit cards? Others were because I truly forgot the less-than-fun experiences. What was the long airplane flight like? How much luggage was I allowed to bring?

As I traveled to Ireland, Italy and England I made mental notes about things to know when traveling to Europe. Maybe they’ll help you if you’ve never been before, or it’s been too long since you’re been.

• You need appliances that are dual-voltage. I can’t believe this one slipped my mind until a week before our trip. All of the sudden a light bulb went off and I started googling what appliances I needed to order off of Amazon Prime for the trip. Most of my tech gadgets (iPhone charger, camera charger, Fitbit charger) were already able to be used internationally, but others obviously weren’t. And a plug converter won’t cut it. If you want to use any appliances in Europe you need a voltage converter too. I had a hard time finding that, so I instead bought new appliances for the trip.
• The straightener and curling iron I bought for Europe will work just as great as your favorite hair tools now! I wanted to give these items their own bullet just in case your hair is as important to you as mine is to me. I researched which dual-voltage hot hair tools would work for my thick, curly hair, and I ordered the SUPRENT Hair Curling Iron (it’s extra long!) and the HSI Ceramic Tourmaline Ionic Flat Iron Hair Straightener. I liked the ones I ordered so much that they’ve even replaced my hair gadgets a few times at home.
• There may not be air conditioning everywhere like you’re used to in the states.  I did remember this from my trip to Spain. There was no AC in the house we stayed in, but I was amazed at how well the apartment design kept the home relatively cool. In Italy, there was AC in my hotel, as there likely is in most hotels. But in London we stayed with friends and they didn’t have AC in their flat. If you’re getting an Airbnb, make sure you check that if you’re traveling during a hot month.

• Water is more of a thing, and harder to get, than in America. Water for some reason doesn’t feel as readily available in Europe than in America. Sometimes you have to ask for water in restaurants, and you’ll always be asked “sparkling or still?” I do love though that water bottles sold in convenience stores come in really large sizes. I carried one around all day and filled up when I could.
• You always have to directly ask for the check. You might be sitting there all night if you don’t verbally ask for the check. Even saying “We’re good,” isn’t going to be understood by waiters as you’re ready to pay.
• Tipping is likely included. You should Google this depending on where you’re going, but most restaurants have fees built in so you don’t have to tip or you don’t have to tip as high a percentage as in America. If you do want to tip, try to determine if you need to tell the waiter before they take your card. Oftentimes there’s no line or way to write the tip amount after they ring you out like we’re used to in the U.S.

Carmen Marc Valvo Underwire Cutout One-Piece Swimsuit {see more swimsuits perfect for Europe} | similar white denim shorts | Faux Leather Fanny Pack

• WiFi is hard to come by. This part has relatively not changed since my last trip to Europe. We had to pay for WiFi in our hotel and the place we stayed in Ireland was so far out the WiFi was terrible. When Steve and I actually did get to a restaurant or museum with WiFi we probably looked like we hated each other because we were focused on using it!
• Even in the days of smartphones and global connections, you still want hard copies of important documents. See the bullet above. There’s no guarantee your phone won’t die or you’ll have Internet access. I took a friend’s advice and printed out a hard copy of our itinerary and confirmations to carry around. We pulled it out several times just as a matter of convenience.
• Don’t pack heels. There are a lot of brick or cobblestone streets, plenty of stairs and hills many places in Europe. There’s a large chance you don’t need heels in any of the cities – although there are women who do it.

A brave woman is one who wears heels in #positano. pic.twitter.com/EMWoKGJPnr

— Sincerely Jennie (@JennieSzink) June 27, 2018

Well, that may have certainly been novice information for anyone who’s an experienced traveler, but they were I – a beginner – thought they were helpful things to know when traveling to Europe.