Tip #1: Your packing is only as good as your luggage
Last May, I was flying from my semester in Paris to my
internship in Dublin. This meant cleaning my Paris room that I’d been living in
for the last 5 months. Since I had so many things to take with me, I decided to
buy an extra duffle bag to transport my stuff in. I was so excited when I found
a 12 euro duffle at a store called “Pas Cher” (English: Not Expensive). I
stuffed it full of mugs, blankets, books, and sweaters that I wanted to take
with me. I was less thrilled when said duffle bag’s zippers fell off when I
left for the cab. And even less thrilled when it completely fell apart in the
airport. Fun fact, if your duffle bag falls apart, you are given a trash bag
and a roll of duct tape. This is perhaps not the best way to make a first
impression to your intern group. Moral of the story, be savvy and pennywise
while traveling, but don’t skimp on luggage.
 |
| Photo Credit: O'Connell House (Not pictured: My trashbag filled with my belongings) |
Tip #2: Make time for sleep before travel
On the same relocation from Paris to Dublin, I also made
another crucial error. Around 6PM the
night before my flight, I left with my friends to go grab dinner and recreate
the walk we took our first night in Paris (from our dorm to the Eiffel Tower
and back). We only did half the walk, as we reached the Eiffel Tower we
realized it was already 10PM (our original walk took us till 2 in the morning).
When I got back, it was nearly 11PM. I had packed all my clothes earlier in the
day, but left all the rest of my stuff to pack when I got back. Turns out, it
took several hours to pack up the rest of my stuff. Since my flight took off at
7AM, I was planning on checking out at 4AM. At 3AM, I had to make the decision
between a pre-travel shower or an hour of sleep. I picked the sleep, which
meant when I arrived in Dublin I was both exhausted and smelly. Moral of the
story, don’t procrastinate packing, don’t forget to sleep.
Tip #3: Don’t over-caffeinate and fly
When I was heading to Greece from Munich last year, I got to
my flight a little early and decided to grab a cappuccino. The barista gave me
a massive drink, but I drank it all anyway. When I got to my layover in Vienna,
I was shaking and nauseous. I decided the only solution was chug a water
bottle. This meant a lot of bathroom breaks on my Vienna to Greece flight where
I had a window seat. PSA, it’s awkward if you try to crawl over the sleeping
lady next to you, who you don’t want to bother, and then she wakes up. Moral of
the story, just don’t mix travel and massive cappuccinos.
Tip #4: Just don’t use train ticket kiosks
I can recount many a crisis I had because of train ticket
kiosks. I missed two trains from Paris to Reims because of them. I had a near
disaster in London, when my dad booked my EuroStar ticket to be picked up at a
kiosk using the credit card it was booked with- but that credit card was in
America with my dad. All of these situations were resolved eventually and I
made it to all my destinations eventually, but it sure would have been a lot of
easier without those dang kiosks. Moral of the story, ticket kiosks complicate
your life, just deal with train tickets from in person vendors.
Tip #5: Don’t judge an AirBNB by its cover
I love AirBnB. I love getting to see into life in the city
by renting an apartment, plus I enjoy the extra privacy and the affordability.
So when my friends and I headed to Belgium last summer, we booked an AirBnB
without a second thought. We picked out one that was cute, affordable, and not
far from central Brussels. It also had no reviews, but we didn’t mind. That
meant it was new right? That was till we got there and realized we had no
running water or wifi. Let’s just say, it was a bonding weekend for us. On the
plus side we got our money back- so free housing in Belgium, right? Moral of
the story, read the reviews for your AirBnB (and if there aren’t reviews, find
a different one).
Tip #6: Location is everything
I was pretty pumped when one of my friend’s had a discount
for a hotel and invited me along to join in on a trip to Cannes during Film
Festival. However, we were both less than thrilled when we discovered that we’d
booked a hotel in “La Cannette.” We had thought it would be slightly out of the
center of town, but it was actually a suburb that was an hour walk up a hill.
During the hot, summer heat and with our backpacks, this wasn’t a happy trek to
make. Moral of the story, lodging locations make a huge difference. Before you
book a hotel, do a quick Google maps check to determine how long the walk will
be from where you are planning to stay to the places you are hoping to visit.
Tip #7: Be Prepared for Anything
Last year when I showed up in Paris, due to an
administrative error on Notre Dame’s part, we were told that we had no place to
stay. Cue panicking. A few months later, I was trying to take a bus to London
and my printer would only print out my bus ticket in a teeny tiny size. Cue
more panicking. A few months after that, I went to mass at the Vatican for Easter
Sunday on a sunny morning that turned into freezing rain. What? Anything can
happen when you travel and the longer you traveling, the weirder things will
happen. Learning to roll with the punches will help you be graceful about your
upsets. It’s all a great chance to grow as a problem solver. Moral of the
story, anything could happen- just go with it.
I have lots more travel tips based on my successes instead
of failures, which I’ll share in due time, but I must admit that my travel
disasters make better stories. I am without a doubt that new year abroad will
bring even more stories and tips based on my misadventures. Bring it on!
No comments:
Post a Comment