Three ways to ruin a trip
Whether you call it “taking a vacation” or “going on holiday” most people want to have the best experience they can, and create many awesome memories, when they travel. I’ve previously written two travel articles: How to travel if you aren’t rich and Travel and packing tips no matter your destination. This article is more focused. These are three things to avoid because they can ruin your best plans.
(First, an apology to my readers. I reached burn out last year for one main reason: I choose to say “in front of” Medium’s paywall, so they provide me no promotion or marketing at all. It can be disheartening to pour my heart into an article that only a couple of hundred people read. If you like this or another of my articles, please share it with friends or post it on your social media. Now back to our regular show…)
1. Over-cramming plans
I see this in the travel groups on social media every day. Especially for first-time travelers from the US, I get it. If you’re lucky, you get two weeks of vacation (and you’re even luckier if you get to actually take the time off).
Flying to Europe is expensive and takes hours. You want to cram as much as possible into your trip. I used to be like that, but I can tell you from hard experience that that type of trip will leave you exhausted and with few memories of awesome places. Slam-bam, hit-and-run trips are not the way to go.
Some things to remember:
- Europe is bigger than you think
- You will lose the better part of a day every time you change locations (check out/transportation/check in)
- Things will happen — a plane will depart late, luggage might be misplaced, a place you planned on seeing in two hours takes much longer because of crowds, etc.
I see so many agendas where people want to see 5 places in 12 days with no accounting for travel between them and no realization of how far apart they are. It’s worse when their schedule is almost hourly.
- Here’s the itinerary from a person who posted in a Facebook travel group about their plan for a total of 13 days, including travel to/from the US: London–3 nights, Amsterdam–3 nights, Belgium–3 nights, Paris–4 nights. They include no travel time between destinations, and do not account for the actual travel days at the beginning and end of the trip. They haven’t considered how tired and jet-lagged they’ll be the first day. If they stick to their plan, they will have, at most 1 or 1–1/2 days in each destination.
- Here’s another from a person who has two weeks: Paris–5 days then pick up car and go. Two days to kill here (looking for suggestions between Paris and Annecy). Then: Annecy 2 days, Avignon 1 day, Monaco and Nice 2 days, Florence 2 days, Milan 1 day, (can we fit in Venice?), Switzerland 1 day (to visit the Tag Heuer Factory), Troyes 1 day, back to Paris to drop car off. One commenter called this a “pee stop itinerary”. That’s a pretty good description.
Slow down. See more in fewer places. You’ll go home happier and much less exhausted.
Pro tip: In general, choose no more than one location for every four days of vacation time, including travel time to/from that location.
2. Packing like you’re a rich jetsetter in the 1940s
A recent poster in a Facebook train travel group asked: What are the luggage rules traveling from Madrid to Barcelona? We have 3 luggages [sic] weighing 50 lbs [22.7 kg] each. We’re traveling through Spain and France over 4 weeks that’s the reason for all of our stuff.
Even ignoring that airlines have strict limits these days (although you could pay for extra luggage if you wanted) what do you do after you arrive? You will be responsible for lugging your luggage by yourself. The days of porters ready and waiting to help load/unload everywhere you go are long over. Imagine hauling a 50 lb suitcase on and off a train, subway, or bus multiple times, with only a few minutes each time to do so. And good luck finding a place to story it onboard any of those methods of transportation.
Pack light. Then pack lighter. Seriously, remove half of what you think you “must” have. No one cares if you wear the same clothes multiple times. You don’t have to pack like a hostel-hopping backpacker who wears nothing but the same two pairs of sweats for a month, but most new travelers severely overpack.
In the case of the poster I quoted above, even a 4-week trip doesn’t need 50 lbs of clothes. You can do lightweight laundry (undies, socks, t-shirts) in the hotel room sink, or take it into the shower with you. There are laundromats in every city. For a 4-week trip, plan to do laundry twice, so only pack for 10 days. That’s 2–3 pairs of pants (aka trousers), 3–4 tops, and maybe a skirt (that goes with one of the tops). Max. Undies, socks, and something to sleep in can be tucked in as well. Wear one good pair of walking shoes and pack one more (so you can alternate). The only other shoes to take should be something lighter weight to wear in the evenings for dinner or hanging out.
Pro tip: Stick with 1–2 colors in your clothes so everything mixes and matches, and consider light-weight t-shirts to wear under shirts and blouses to keep outer clothes cleaner.
3. Looking down on public transportation
I read a recent article where a young woman from the US had a total meltdown after she was “forced” to take a public bus in a European country. There’s a stigma toward public transportation in the US, and except in a few larger cities, there’s also a dearth of options. That’s not true in most of Europe.
Don’t fear public transportation in European countries. It’s safe, affordable, clean, and convenient (we’ve never waited longer than 15 minutes for a bus, 7 minutes for a tram, or 2–3 minutes for a subway).
Get a multi-day metro pass and use it all day, every day, to get to places you want to see. You can also give your feet a break and hop on a random tram and get off at a random stop just to see what’s there. In Lisbon, that’s how we discovered the amazing Cemetery of Pleasures.
I also recommend avoiding those hop on/hop off tour buses. They are expensive, only go to specific locations, and are often on a less-than-ideal schedule.
Another common post I see is from Americans who plan to rent a car when they get to Europe. Car culture is king in the US, but bringing that with you on your vacation to Europe is a bad idea for several reasons:
- Car rental can be expensive, especially if you want to rent in one location and return to another (otherwise you have to double back)
- Road rules and signage can be very different and confusing, especially when in a foreign language
- Many roads in Europe are toll roads and those fees can add up
- Parking is scarce, and even non-existent, in historic areas and city centers
- Where there is parking, it will be expensive
Pro tip: Many cities have tourist-oriented metro passes that also include free or discounted entrances to museums and other points of interest. Check your primary destinations before you go to see what might be available.
Taking a vacation/going on holiday is one of the most exciting things most of us do. We get to see other places, experience different cultures, taste exotic foods, and meet interesting people. This is one time, however, when you should take, take, take: Take your time, take less crap, and take public transportation.
