Europe
 

I am going to be traveling through Europe starting next week. I just wanted to know any advice or any of your experiences. Also, any information I should know before I leave. I just graduated from Arizona State and this is my graduation present. I'm so excited!

Where all are you traveling to?

1. Take lots of reading material for any flights/train trips you are going to take!
2. Buy something to keep your passport in (if you don't already have something) since its so necessary to get around!
3. Pay for everything w/ a credit card! This way you won't lose money trying to exchange currency! Even McDonalds there will take them! (Although I doubt you'll want to eat @ McDonalds:))
4. Attempt to speak the language of whatever country you are in-it makes the locals a lot more willing to talk to you! Even if you only ask if they speak english in their language, they'll appreciate it! Buy a book that has phrases in several different languages in it! Very useful!
5. If you are going to go sight-seeing to any major musuems or gardens, eiffel tower, castles, cathedrals etc. try to buy your tickets ahead of time so that you won't have to wait in long lines when you get there!
6. If you are taking a night train make sure you don't pack a large bag-there isn't always a lot of room to store bags & if there is you'll have to store it up high (a heavy bag could make it harder to lift it up above bunks)!
7. Take a CAMERA!!! Or several-cameras are usually more expensive there! (And keep it in your carry-on!)
8. And oh yeah-have fun! :D

Keep your passport somewhere very very safe. Mine was stolen in Bath, and I realized it on a Friday afternoon around 4pm, and the embassy closed at 5pm for the weekend. It was awful. Luckily, this was pre 9/11, so I was able to get back into the country because I had a copy of my passport, and the embassy was wonderful. So also photocopy your passport and keep that copy somewhere else than your passport. It saved me!

Have a great time!

Becareful with this one. If you're backpacking, you don't want to carry too much stuff with you.

When you pack your carryon, wait 24 hours and then take out half the stuff you put in. I swear, you will not want it nor will you need it.
Do not eat at McDonalds, KFC, etc. Why on earth would you go somewhere only to live just like you do at home? If you were planning to live long term that's one thing, but you're on vacation.
Take one day out of every week you're there and just wander aimlessly. Don't do the typical things. Just go where the wind takes you. That's when you find the most memorable things.

Make a copy of your passport pages w/ all the info, and the fronts and backs of any credit cards or atm cards you're bringing with you. leave the copies with your parents, or someone equally trustworthy. this way, if shi.........hits the fan, you just call someone who's number you have ocmmitted to memory, they can fax a copy of the passport to a local embassy to facilitate getting a new one, and they can cancel the credit cards for you.

Also, if you're going with other people, each one of you should get a travel guide produced by a different company. That way, if all of the hostels/hotels listed in one are full, you can look in the other one.

To make room for souveniers [sp?], go through your udies and clothes. Bring some of your older stuff and after you wear it, throw it out, thus creating room for new stuff.

I have to disagree slightly with rho4life, or maybe add on to what he said. You should definitely have a copy of the passport with you. If I didn't have mine, I wouldn't have been able to get back into the country for 3+ days. It would have been a huge expense. You need to be able to get to it asap. But your parents having a copy back in the US is a good idea too.

Another idea for extra room is to pack an extra bag. I did that on the same trip, I was gone for a month and had a ton of extra stuff. The extra bag really helped out.

Errr ... sounds evil, but don't forget to try a shot of Absynth (sp?). It is illegal everywhere else but UK, Spain, and Eastern European countries (Czech Rep, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland).

I know this off topic, but absynth is legal in Canada too - can by it at the local liquor store.

lol this is going to be long
 

lol this should be my specialty since i just got back from living in europe:) what the others suggested is definately a must- your passport and credit cards are everything- don't let them out of your sight!
*if you are in a hostel- and it seems a little shady- lock your stuff up- we almost had some things stolen- (the front desk usually has locks- but theres a small fee- it might be worth it for your peace of mind)

*as crzychx said- definately wander around (i lived in london for 4 months- and i felt like i barelly knew my neighborhood- yes you will be in different countries- but just go all over anyway- plus you'll get a good feel for the culture- etc- thats practically all i did in dublin- and it was my favorite city) and DEFINATELY at least TRY to speak the language- there is usually a phrase thing in the back of guide books- and the locals will appreciate it- even if you sound a bit funny- but it helped us out a lot (getting free drinks/food etc)

*try lots of different food- if you find an english speaking local- ask them for suggestions- but be careful abotu courses- in italy for example- they have an appetizer then a pasta- then a meat- but its not all the same price (as in a meal)- it can get kind of expensive! oh yea- the wine is AMAZING- try as much as you can- and afford lol plus its cheaper then beer/ liquor a lot of times)

*if you go out to clubs etc (which you should b/c its a blast) try to pre-game since obvi drinks can get so expensive- idk if you'll be in london- but the pound is so bad to the american dollar- the euro is a little better (but we often just bought beers down the street for a pound- then walked to the bars but you can have an open container in london.... oh yea- absinth- its good- but careful with it going down- my friends brought some back from prague- you are supposed to soak a spoonful of absinth with sugar- light it in fire- then drop it inyour shot glass...blow it out- and take the shot- it feels like your swallowing listerine- but then your gag reflex kicks in.... (but its strong- so your messed up for awhile)

*take tons of pictures (obviously and if you go with people- if its not a digital camera- get the pictures on cd so you can share them)

*if you want to buy things off the street- HAGGLE- you can usually drop the price quite a bit- (i got a really nice gucci bag for $30 euro when he was asking 65)
*don't be afraid to ask for directions- its better to ask (if you can find someone who speaks english but a lot of times the locals just point you to where you need to be)- then to be wandering around for forever

** be careful of crowds and little kids running around you- a lot of times they are trying to distract you to pickpocket you- but don't be paranoid- just keep your eyes open

*drink lots of water and try to eat right and get enough sleep- you're walking around- so you need your energy

*pack with layers in mind- not outfits... bring 1 or 2 pairs of jeans- shirts- something to go out in- a sweater- but make sure stuff is versatile- you'll be carrying this for awhile lol (and you can do laundry if you have to)

* you might get a little irritated after awhile with your surroundings- and thats normal- its culture shock- you may not since you aren't going to be there for that long- but its hard not having the comforts of home etc- so when that starts to happen- just take some time out- try to relax- maybe make a phone call home- check your email- etc

**bring a journal and try to write in it everyday or so- just writing about the things you did and how you felt about them- will be really cool looking back on later... i learned a lot in europe- i hope you do too:)

have a great time! PM me if you need anything!!! (i'll prob add to this or i might pm you b/c i'll prob think of more stuff) i went to paris, nice and rome (and took trains in between- etc), dublin and of course london- so if you have particular questions about those too- let me know

Thanks for all the advice already. I just ran into a guy today at Copymax when I was making copies of my passport and cards and he gave me some helpful hints too. I will be starting in London, then plan on going through Amsterdam, Munich, Paris, Venice, Rome, and some others. I'm going by myself, so I'm a little scared, but I really hope to "find myself" while I am there. My friends make fun of me when I say that, but I definitely hope that this is a life changing experience. How long is a flight from Arizona to London? Are British Airway flights nice? I dont really understand the time zone difference but I leave Arizona at 7:05 PM on Monday and arrive in London at 1:05PM Tuesday. I'm sure I will have more questions throughout the weekend, so I'll post. Again, thank you so much for your tips!

Tips for Americans in Europe
 

I learned this bit of wisdom when I was in Italy several years ago:

In Heaven.....

The Cooks are French
The Lovers are Italian
The Policemen are English
And it is run by the Germans.

In Hell....

The Cooks are English
The Lovers are German
The Policemen are French
And it is run by the Italians.

You might chuckle at this now. Trust me, any American who has been to Europe is laughing out loud at the truth in this!

Be respectful in the beautiful churches & cathedrals. They require that you be a bit covered up... no bare shoulders, no spaghetti straps, no tank tops, NO shorts, no uncovered bellies, no tube tops.

Get several of the Fodor's books. They are worth their weight in gold! Have fun!

I have never flown British Airways, but I hear they are an excellent airline.

I have done the flight to London numerous times - it is very long, so bring lots of things to keep you occupied.

From Vancouver it takes about 9 hours, so it will probably be 10, maybe 11 hours from Arizona. (Yes I do realize Vancouver is further West than Arizona, but it is also further north and the flight from Van to London generally goes over the pole, thus less kilometres to fly because of the shape of the earth...)

The reason you don't get into London until a day later is there is a 7 hour time difference (it's 8 hours from Van and I believe Arizona is an hour ahead), so you technically land in London at about 6am Arizona time.

Really? I thought it was illegal. I might have to try me some.