Tips from an Amateur Traveler

Some musings about my recent trip to Dublin, Galway, Paris, and London.

I recently got back from an 8 day trip to Europe. My partner, Cara, and I are both work from home software engineers and we wanted to break our typical schedule and experience some new things. In summary, we had an amazing time.

Growing up, I had the privilege of living abroad. I lived five years in Beijing, China, two years on the island of Guam, and spent age 18–20 in Melbourne, Australia. My family and I were able to travel to Vietnam, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, and several cities across China. However, at some point while biking around the island of Inisheer near Galway, Ireland, I realized that this was my first self-planned overseas trip of my adult life.

Upon this realization I made it a point to write down the lessons I learned about traveling as an adult, and what things I would do differently next time.

Tip #1 - Delegate away as much decision making as possible from your future self.

When planning a trip, there are two versions of yourself — current you and future you. Current you is the one on the couch with your laptop going over ideas for your trip. Future you is the one who is on the trip, experiencing those ideas. I learned that while in Europe, making decisions was the last thing I wanted to do, no matter how small. I didn’t want to have to consider where to go, what to do, what to eat, what to wear, etc. I just wanted to enjoy the feeling of being in a new place, surrounded by new people, and trying new things.

Essentially, the more you plan the better. Cara and I found that we much preferred cutting things from our schedule rather than figuring out how to fill it. She planned nearly the entire trip, and did an amazing job. We created a shared Notion page with a calendar to coordinate. The best days were when we knew exactly what we were doing and where we were going each hour of the day. When you do have to make decisions, make them quickly and don’t second guess yourself. Don’t spend 30 minutes deciding where to eat.

Do your future self a favor, and make as many decisions as you can now.

Tip #2 - Pay a bit more for a bit better accommodations (if you can).

Disclaimer: this is a privileged take, as I know the ability to spend differs from person to person.

Cara and I were mostly happy with our choices of accommodation. We stayed in a hostel in Dublin, an AirBnB in Galway, and a hotel in London (we only did a day trip to Paris). The hostel was very fun, it was sandwiched between several pubs in downtown Dublin, with very tight hallways and low ceilings. The basic necessities for a solid stay were present — the room, bed, and bathroom were all clean and comfortable enough for us to get decent sleep. The hotel in London was perfect. The room was about 150 square feet, with no windows which turned out to be a huge plus because the room was pitch black at night. The bed was comfortable, the towels and bathroom clean. We slept great in London.

The AirBnB in Galway was not great. Previously, we had only good experiences with AirBnB so we were a bit shocked. The apartment was a 1bed/1bath with a small kitchen. When we arrived, it was clear the space was not prepared and cleaned since previous guests had been there. There were dirty wash cloths and leftover garbage on the kitchen counter. The towels in the bathroom were damp and clumped up on the ground. The bed had lots of hair leftover, and was quite uncomfortable.

Cara and I had an amazing time in Galway, but the thought of coming back to the room at night after our days of activities did hang over our heads a little bit. Looking back, I would have spent more on our accommodation in Galway just to ensure we would be comfortable enough to sleep well and have energy for the next day.

To give context, our stays in Dublin/London were approximately $180/night, and our stay in Galway was closer to $130/night.

#3 You can only enjoy what your body can endure.

It seems like if you’re going to spend potentially thousands of dollars on a trip abroad, you should pack every waking moment with activities. In a sense, I agree. However, Cara and I found that for us to enjoy ourselves it was paramount that we give ourselves time to go slow, rest, and recover.

There were days where we had walked nearly 10 miles by 3pm. We needed to sit down in the shade and chill to recuperate several times during those days. It’s not worth it to be in Europe if you’re physically exhausted and in pain the whole time.

Pencil in times to relax, eg. “2:00pm-3:00pm: chill in the park by the Thames and have a snack” or “8:00am-10:00am: sleep in.” If you push your physical limit too hard, the days will become less enjoyable.

If you’re able to, book your hotel as close to your activities as possible. If you’re only a walk/short train ride away from your lodging, you can easily book time to go back and lay down. It’s far more exhausting to take long trips in/out of city centers at the beginning/end of the day.

Also, bring a sleep supplement like melatonin. Getting enough sleep is crucial.

Europe was awesome. The architecture and aesthetic of every city we visited was incredible. We had an unbelievable time. Feel free to reach out if you’re planning a trip and want some tips.