[leidenschaft]

Hey guys,

Long time fan, new forum user here. I am going to be in Western Europe for 3-4 months (first time abroad). I could really use advice from other newer guys who have good advice /tips that they learned from their travels.

So far I have gotten good advice such as get a International student card/buy power adapters/etc.

Thanks!

[Afarang]

check for Airbnb or couchsurfing to avoid hostels if hotels are out of my budget, I don't like hostels. To many annoying people in them.

I always stay outside the tourist area, places feel more real, less expensive.

Never to go on organised tours/pub crawls, either way over priced or tacky.

Never change money at the airport or back at home, do a search online to find the best place to get very good rates in the country you are visiting.

People may disagree with some of the things I said, but this is what I do when I go to a new place.

[Brosemite]

Remember to call your bank letting them know you will be spending certain time abroad so that your debit card doesn't fail you at a critical moment.

[DirectDanger]

Talk to everyone, most people are friendly.

[Collide]

1. Read the Wikitravel page for any city you visit. There will be a lot of solid information that is very up to date, unlike travel books.

2. Leave your options open if you are staying for a decent period of time in one place. I showed up in Taiwan for 3 weeks with absolutely no plan, and on my first day I met another traveler my age who spoke fluent mandarin and fluent English. He was also there for 3 weeks and we did basically the whole trip together so I had my own personal translator free of charge. If you play it by ear, a lot of good fortune will fall into your lap.

[CaliforniaSupreme]

Always have a back up plan in case SHTF. Know where the local United States Consulate or the Embassy is. Getting your passport or wallet stolen will suck.

[hoops330]

Not stepping out of their comfort zone. Afraid to try local cuisine, walk an unbeaten path, or engage in conversation with a stranger. Staying in some swanky American-owned hotel when you could shack up and meet cool people via couchsurfing. Only hitting the major cities and major tourist attractions.

[Saga]

The best way to find a great restaurant/bar/etc is by following the local crowds...guidebooks are good for info on sites and background but when it comes to food and drink local popularity is always the true expert.

Always have a sense of humor about things, especially the unexpected.

Meet people, they're easily as interesting as any tourist site you'll see. At the same time, don't be too trusting of what people tell you especially if you didn't ask them for help or directions...most people are cool but some will take advantage of you, trick you, straight up lie to you so a healthy bit of caution goes a long way. Western Europe doesn't have this nearly as much as elsewhere but still it's a good habit.

Be careful about ordering items or entering clubs where the price/cover isn't clearly listed or stated...it's rare but some establishments do charge tourists through the nose because of it.

Watch your valuables, pickpockets are around and they will ruin your day/week/trip if you give them the chance.

[Capitán Peligroso]

Not banging as many of the local women as possible. Every time I leave somewhere there are at least one or two that I wish I would have banged. This leads to my other mistake, not putting enough effort into learning the local language. Usually the bangs that got away are a result of weak language skill.

[LeBeau]

Physically diversify your cash holdings.

For example, have some in your wallet, some in another pocket/place on your body, some in suitcase, some at hotel, etc.

That way if something happens, you don't lose it all at once.

[jewjitsu]

If you have only one bank account open a second one that has its own ATM card. Keep your two bank cards in different places (one in wallet, one in hotel). That way if your wallet is lost/stollen you can always access some cash.

[Suits]

Taking too much damn stuff with them.

If you are hitting more than one city, getting by with a single bag that could be comfortably carried with you everywhere is extremely advantageous and will save you so much pain and irritation.

Since you'll run out of clothes no matter what on a trip seven days or longer, you might as well pack less and just bring stuff that can be easily washed by hand and quickly dried.

Bring a camera with a large memory hard (or preferable several, in case one fails you) that doesn't require a computer or carry a tablet or PC/mac that weighs less than 2.5 LB. Anything heavier than that is going to kill your back.

Don't bring a towel. Use a bedsheet to dry yourself instead. It's actually warmer, because it will cover your whole body, dries faster and has extra purposes, like staying warm on a train. Bring an old cheap one and throw it away before you come back to make room for souvenirs.

Don't bring a whole guide book. If you must bring one, rip out the relevant pages and bring them. Books are heavy and studies show that they become 1.2 kgs heavier per day while backpacking around Europe.

[Tail Gunner]

(01-06-2014 11:01 PM)yb13 Wrote:  

Remember to call your bank letting them know you will be spending certain time abroad so that your debit card doesn't fail you at a critical moment.

In addition, bring at least credit cards because some of them will not work overseas despite your notice to the credit card companies that you will be using them overseas. Automatic security safeguards kick-in despite your notice.

If you travel to Latin America, be cautious of debit card cloning. Wrap the card in aluminum foil -- or, if available, get a card with a chip.

[Tigre]

When you're having a good time in a certain place, stay longer. Let's say you leave to fulfill other commitments and then return two months or a year later. It won't feel the same as the first time you were there. The season is different, your friends have moved on, the girl you had waiting for you doesn't feel exactly the same as she did. Once you leave, you can't go back again to exactly what you remembered.

So if you like a place, stay. Give it the time it deserves and be comfortable with that.

A flexible schedule allows you to enjoy opportunities as they present themselves. A hot local girlfriend, a group of guys you want to travel with, a local family inviting you to stay with them, a short term work offer.

Take time off as needed and indulge in a non-travel day. Like one day in ten where you just lounge around and don't do any sightseeing at all.

When you travel as a group, the economics of things can change. Sometimes sharing a hotel room between two or three people is cheaper per person than a hostel dorm. Instead of stopping your drinking at midnight to catch the last subway home, you can probably just share a taxi with a couple of friends and find it's no more expensive than three subway tickets.

When returning home after your trip, go easy on the travel stories. Most of your friends will only have a very small interest in what you did. The only ones who will want to hear all about it are people who can see themselves doing a similar trip in the future.

Read Europe Through the Back Door by Rick Steves - for travel skills, inspiration and an overview of Europe

[Scott Free]

(01-06-2014 10:52 PM)leidenschaft Wrote:  

Hey guys,

Long time fan, new forum user here. I am going to be in Western Europe for 3-4 months (first time abroad). I could really use advice from other newer guys who have good advice /tips that they learned from their travels.

So far I have gotten good advice such as get a International student card/buy power adapters/etc.

Thanks!

First off, congrats man... I work with a girl who has never left the confines of the town she was born in, here in NorCal... sad. But you, on the other hand, are going to have a blast!

As for tips, these are from personal experience. A couple of buddies and I went on a road trip from London to Brussels to Amsterdam, Paris, San Sebastian, Nice, Pisa, Rome, then across Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, over Bavaria, Karlovy Vary, to Prague and then we took a flight to Stockholm for our exit. We spent a metric-shit-ton of money because things were so spur-of-the-moment...

1) So, plan accordingly. Book a place to stay ahead of time. Most hostels we tried to walk into to try and get same day lodgings were full... and this was during March-Apr which is quite off season for toursim. Hotels will want your left nut.

2) The best way to bring money is through a Charles Schwab High Yield Investor Checking Account Visa Card. There are some hoops to jump through to set one up, but it's well worth it. Once you enter a country and need local currency (We encountered 3 different currencies: Pounds in England, Koruna in the Czech Republic and Euros everywhere else) all you'd have to do is go to an ATM, put your card in and withdraw money. It charges you an ATM fee that Charles Schwab will always reimburse all at once, every month. The exchange rate ATMs use is the most competitive and will beat airport/retail/possibly even black market rates.

3) As for credit cards, Capital One does not charge foreign transaction fees. Learn from my mistakes... 2-3% will add up quickly... and watch out, since it takes time for transaction data to transfer to US creditors, the cards will not stop accepting charges even when you reach your credit limit. So you could easily charge $3000 on a card that only allows you $2000 and not know it. Worse, that credit card company might give you a hard time for owing more than you're supposed to.

4) Learn a few words in the local language. It will go a long way to make people *want* to help out a tourist. American tourists have such a bad reputation and you really don't want to add to that. I remember everyone here telling me how rude the French are... but my experience was completely the opposite, I had always tried to communicate in French with the best effort I could muster, and they've been very pleasant with me. I am only surmising that it was my effort that had something to do with it.

5) Treat a car rentals the same as a hotels. Book in advance or they will charge you big time.

6) Another forum member, Sandokan, was asking about European cities in this post, I gave him my impressions on post #14, check it out.

[TopPanda]

I spent 10 months in Asia last year.

If you take just one thing with you, take some earplugs. After a decent night's sleep you can sort out any problems.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

Tigre Wrote:

Read Europe Through the Back Door by Rick Steves

Oh, I've enjoyed quite a bit of Europe through the back door as well

[samsamsam]

1) Have some respect, learn a few words and something about the country you are visiting
2) Don't talk about how awesome America is - yes, you can say you are from America and drop some tidbits (lie say your from Hollywood lol). But don't be condescending about America being better (I love my country but we got issues-and not the best at everything)
3) Show some appreciation for the country you are in when you are talking to locals
4) Don't bitch about things that come up - you are on an adventure - every moment can become something positive
5) Don't make a giant to do list of places you have to see - you spend more time trying to get to each point of interest and less time appreciating and enjoying it all
6) Avoid fast food/chain restaurants - if you are excited that you found McDonald's - well we need to have a deeper conversation
7) Trust your gut - you don't want the guy version of "Taken" unless your dad is Liam Neeson
8) Maintain situational awareness - not sure where you are headed
9) The previous posters have given a lot of good info on cash and credit - I didn't see this - some credit cards do not charge foreign transaction fees
10) Keep your financial information - safe and backed up in case you need to report stolen or lost
11) If you plan on getting numbers and are staying in an area for a while you want an unlocked phone

[Yeti]

(01-07-2014 12:22 AM)hoops330 Wrote:  

Not stepping out of their comfort zone. Afraid to try local cuisine, walk an unbeaten path, or engage in conversation with a stranger. Staying in some swanky American-owned hotel when you could shack up and meet cool people via couchsurfing. Only hitting the major cities and major tourist attractions.

I agree that couch surfing is a good way to meet cool people. Look for people to stay with who have a lot of hosting experience - you can see their references, and see how many of those references come as "Hosting" or whatever the label is.

Couch surfing is good.

With couch surfing, you tend to meet a narrow stratum of society. That is, middle class.

Some are hippies, especially the long-term users. Some corporate goons who use the website to persuade themselves that they have a heart. Some are partiers.

But all middle class. You won't be hosted in the slums. If you are, please let me know so I can stay there too.

Couch surfing is good and a quality host can show you a lot of the city, but remember to get away from him/her and get out of your comfort zone even more. Find the people who are tremendously rich and live in gated communities. Find the people who can't pay their electricity bills, and anxiously spent cash on ingredients to cook a meat and rice meal.

The quality of couch surfing generally has deteriorated tremendously in the past few years.

[Gas]

Don't stay in hostels everywhere thinking that it will be full of hot drunk girls wanting to fuck different guys every night. There are a handful of girls like that, but most of them will be unattractive, and most hostels are 80% guys anyway so your competition is stiff.

A much better option is to couchsurf, get into some local social circles via your host, and meet local women. Don't put off couchsurfing with a dude. If he's cool, you can head out with him and get to know some better spots in the city.

You can always head to backpacker bars to meet hostel chicks anyway, and if you have a private room somewhere you're more likely to hook up with them. No one likes banging in a hostel dorm.

If you must stay in a hostel, don't choose the most popular "party" hostel on Hostelworld. Choose maybe the 3rd or 4th one down. There'll be less dickhead guys and cooler chicks there.

[Mentavious]

Don't spend all your time with other travelers.

I would spend at least 90% of your time with locals.

Let that other 10% be with girls who are also visiting...in your bed of course

[RXB]

I have a friend who got all excited to stay in one of the party hostels. I think he thought that it would be like a massive orgy.

Instead it was all dudes. Basically every other guy had had the exact same thought.

(01-08-2014 05:52 PM)Gas Wrote:  

If you must stay in a hostel, don't choose the most popular "party" hostel on Hostelworld. Choose maybe the 3rd or 4th one down. There'll be less dickhead guys and cooler chicks there.

[Brodiaga]

-Do your homework before your travel, including reading all the datasheets on RVF. Download Lonely Planet and similar books, also read wikitravel. Logistical choices can make or break your trip.
-Get an unlocked phone and a local sim card with internet access.
-I'd rather travel alone than with other people who have different interests/values/etc.
-As a general rule, don't travel with a girl you haven't banged. The only exception I can think of is when sex is likely to happen, but you can't bring her home or go to her place, so you somewhere together for the weekend.
-Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. It doesn't matter if people don't speak English and the food is unfamiliar. The more you explore the more you'll open your mind.
-As a general rule, big cities are better if you are single and want to meet local women. For example, Bangkok is better than Koh Samui, Bogota is better than Cartagena, etc. Also, in bigger cities more young people speak English.
-Some people brag about packing very little and then buying everything locally (even extra clothes), but be careful with that. I'd rather bring everything with me than waste my time shopping in an unfamiliar country/city. It could work in Thailand, but good luck finding what you need for a reasonable price in South America, for example.
-Be flexible. Book a hotel on Booking.com or a similar web site for the first couple of days, then play by ear.

[Horus]

- In third world countries, don't be afraid to try the street food - it's very unlikely to make you sick. If it is frequented by the locals, there will be a higher turnover of food, and it is often cooked at high temperatures. Added bonus is that it's much more authentic than the food you will get in tourist restaurants where the food is often tempered to western tastes, and the food is often lying around for a longer time due to lower turnover.
- Get a power adapter before you arrive as it's not always obvious where to get one in a new place.
- If you're a reader, buy a kindle with an internet connection. It's great being able to access almost any book you want in places where quality bookshops are scare. It's also nice to read books (fiction or non-fiction) that relate to the country you are traveling in.
- Don't be that guy who takes a million photos everywhere he goes. How can you truly appreciate and experience your environment when all you are doing is looking for the best angle for your next shoot? Most of the photos will lose their meaning after a few months. Also, don't be that guy who posts hundreds of photos on facebook every day. Ten or so photos for the entire trip is plenty.
- If you are looking to buy stuff in the markets and are in a country where haggling is the norm, first visit a fixed-price shop to get an idea of prices. The lonely planet often lists a few of these.
- Leave your computer and smart phone at home and unplug from the internet. The most valuable information you will get is from other travelers and locals. When you meet people who have come from the destination you are going, they will often have recommendations for places to stay that are much more useful than the internet or even the guide books. Pick up a cheap prepaid cell phone if you do need to.

[Tail Gunner]

(01-10-2014 01:14 AM)Horus Wrote:  

- In third world countries, don't be afraid to try the street food - it's very unlikely to make you sick. If it is frequented by the locals, there will be a higher turnover of food, and it is often cooked at high temperatures. Added bonus is that it's much more authentic than the food you will get in tourist restaurants where the food is often tempered to western tastes, and the food is often lying around for a longer time due to lower turnover.

Watch how they prepare the food and their hygiene methods while serving other customers, before making a purchase.

For example, buying cut fruit in baggies from street vendors in Latin America is often the surest way to become ill. If you see a street stand with no access to water then there is probably no way to wash the fruit or their hands. You often see fruit vendors wiping their knives on their pants, which they may have worn for a few days. It is best to purchase the fruit whole and then wash and prepare it yourself.