Europe was my first experience with fast paced travel, and what a different experience it was from our South American trip! In short, our summer Euro trip can be condensed into 11 countries, 7 flights, 16 trains & buses, 13 apartments, and 1 mansion. 80 days and 80 Instagram posts. And several lifetimes worth of memories and experiences.
I can vividly recall the day I flew into London as a wide-eyed wanderer, and how I ooh‘ed and aah‘ed at everything. As the days, weeks, went on, and our list of countries visited ticked higher and higher, my eyes became a little less wide, and I don’t dole out the wow‘s quite as generously. Traveling so fast is undoubtedly more stressful and more exhausting. But at the end of it, when I had packed up my bags one final time, I found myself not ready to leave and wondering how the hell this summer went by so quickly?!
And this is what strikes me with fast paced travel. We’re so much on-the-go that memories of faces and places are constantly being replaced with new ones, and before I knew it, we were sitting on a plane flying home. And sometimes, I’m shocked to think back on our trip and realize that I have actually forgotten about certain places we visited. The time has truly flown by in the blink of an eye, and most of it in a hazy blur. But at the same time, when I really think about all that we’ve seen and done, it feels like that I’ve lived several lifetimes.
I guess I will still need to sit down at some point and commit all these memories unto paper (or, errr…unto blog). In the meantime, here are some lessons learned from 3 months of fast paced traveling through Europe.
1. D and I are definitely not hot-weather people.
This was a nasty lesson learned. When the sweat is dripping off our backs and our skin is disgustingly sticky, our heat-fueled fights are vicious. Like, “maybe we should break up” vicious. So ummm… remind me again why we’re chasing summer? I only hope we’ll stay sane in Southeast Asia.
definitely happiest when it’s jacket weather! (Tower Bridge, London)
2. And yes, Europe gets freaking HOT during the summer.
And most of the continent is very ill-prepared for the heat (made even more intolerable by added humidity). The best way to cool down is in the refrigerated section in a local grocery store. And it’s also the best place to get the cheapest bottled water.
3. It may be helpful to learn a little of the language.
It’s not OK to default to Spanish every time you’re spoken to in a language you can’t understand. I admit I was bad and didn’t really try to learn a little bit of the local languages (let’s face it, it’s hard to when you’re in a different country every week). But for some reason, my first reaction is to always start speaking Spanish “si, si” in response. (Anyone else do this?) Maybe because we had previously spent 3 months in South America, and maybe because that’s the only other foreign language I know. But yeah, that doesn’t help with the communication.
4. It’s OK to not do what everyone else is doing.
We went to Paris and didn’t go to the Louvre to see the freaking Mona Lisa, because I just don’t care. We didn’t go to Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam because we didn’t feel like standing in the huge line in the heat. We didn’t go to Pamukkale in Turkey (even though it was *right there*) because it was expensive and we were too tired. Maybe we missed out on some amazing things, especially since we probably won’t be going back anytime soon, but I’m perfectly OK with that and have no regrets.
this is as far as we got with the Louvre, and it was glorious!
Having a roller carry-on does not mean that I get to stuff it to the brim with heavy, useless stuff. Trust me, it is not fun lugging it up 6 flights of stairs, or rolling it over cobblestone for a straight mile. And really, I could have survived just fine with half the clothes and only 1 pair of shoes. It’s amazing how little you actually need on the road.
6. Keeping yourself healthy is no easy task.
Don’t assume that walking miles a day will automatically keep your weight in check. Long term travel is not a vacation, and there is no binge period and “undoing the damage” period. You’re going to be faced with new, interesting food to eat every single day. And so it’s important to actively choose to be healthy every single day by committing to some sort of exercise regime or diet. But that said.. this lesson is definitely learned too late, and I still came back wearing a few extra pounds.
7. On a related note, accept the fact that you just can’t eat everything you want to too.
This one is especially hard for a couple of foodies to grasp, because we truly live to eat. But then I realized that I don’t want to gain 20 pounds. Yes, all the countries have a few “must eat!” specialties that can’t be found anywhere else. But if you know it goes against your diet guidelines (like gluten for D) and you’ll feel like a blob afterwards, then don’t eat it! In all honesty, you’re probably not missing out on much.
8. Learning to read metro/bus maps will be your most useful skill.
I kinda learned how to get around if a city has a decent metro system, but I honest to god cannot read bus maps. We ended up walking a lot all over town, which was good for exercise, but obviously limited our sightseeing options based on how far we were willing to walk. I can’t help but think that we must have missed out on a lot of sights.
Hofberg Palace (Vienna)
9. You will really appreciate the little things that makes your life easier.
Having to do laundry by hand in a sink is a b*tch, and neither of us wants to do it (even though I always end up with that chore… begrudgingly). Our relationship greatly improves whenever our apartment comes with a washer. Oh washer… you are a wonderful invention and I will never take you for granted again!
10. Allow time to relax and simply observe life.
When you only have a few days in a city, you may be tempted to run around and see all the major sites. We did that in Paris. We exhausted ourselves, but really, only a couple of sights stick out in my mind now. It’s the classic case of seeing a lot, but at the same time, seeing nothing at all. Personally, my favorite travel moments are when we’re not doing much. One of my fondest memories of this trip is one afternoon in Istanbul, when we allowed ourselves to be persuaded to take a seat at a random alleyway shisha joint. We spent the entire afternoon blowing smoke and chatting with the waiter while he taught us how to play backgammon. Those are the kind of memories that last the longest.
relaxing in the Szechenyi medicinal baths works too! (Budapest, Hungary)
11. But it’s still necessary to plan a little bit.
For me, planning is my most dreaded task. I just don’t have the patience to do research. But this is necessary, especially when you have such a limited time to soak in a new city. Since I was so lax on the planning, we often arrived at a new place with no idea of what things to see. I just figure that we can aimlessly wander around and come across cool things… except this isn’t really a solid plan when you have no idea which direction to head off in. Needless to say, this resulted in a few wasted days and a few arguments.
12. You may get tired, but you will never get tired of travel.
Fast paced travel can get tiring, and there will come a time when you’re just not as excited anymore about seeing another church or the sights in a new city. But it does not mean that you’re no longer excited about travel. The pure act of travel – of hopping on a train, of arriving in a new city, of trying a new food – will always fill you with a sense of joy and wonderment. Maybe you just need to slow down a little, or spend a day doing nothing, but the more you travel, the more you know that you will never want to stop.
What are some of the things you learned while on the road?
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This is such a great post and so honest too. I think you do feel pressured when you go to certain countries to check out every single tourist attraction ever but I think it’s deeply important to just do what you want to do. I know some of my greatest memories are the smaller things. I remember when my boyfriend and I were in Spain and my greatest memory wasn’t all the trips etc. but one night when we just got hammered drunk on a cliff top (not the wisest decision ever) and played cards and chatted all night. It’s the little things for sure. xx
Abby / Eärendil
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Abby! My favorite memories are the small moments too, for sure. And those are the ones I think of when I think about how much fun we had in a certain city… and not how much stuff we saw. Your story sounds like such a fun memory (but probably not the best decision to be on a cliff, lol!).
You know what, you did not miss anything with the Louvre (unless you are an art-sy person, which I take it that you are not). That shot of yours is the only one that people will take note of anyway. Most people actually do not know that the Mona Lisa sits inside the Louvre anyway.
For me, I am a very rigid person, I make plans and I hate my plans being derailed. Being on the road makes me realize that sometimes, it is good to go with the flow when our plans are thwarted and see what will unravel for us ;)
D is kind of like that. He at least wants an idea of what we’re going to do on each day. And he doesn’t like when a day is “wasted” because I didn’t plan anything for us. That afternoon in Istanbul, he was originally all mad at me because we were just wandering around aimlessly. But then we sat down at the random shisha place and ended up having the most fun day ever. So it’s so true that sometimes, you just have to relax and “see what will unravel for us”. I love that!!
I wish I could chase summer. . .haha, but like you, I absolutely loath wandering around in the heat/humidity. I definitely agree with #4. Some of those touristy places just aren’t worth waiting in line for. I went to the Louvre when I was in Paris, not by choice, and ugh, it was so boring. I’m really not a Renaissance art person.
My boyfriend and I backpacked around SE Asia a bit last year during my winter vacation. It was awesome, but I definitely learned that you can’t spent ALL your time with just one person. Towards the end, we ended up having a few stupid arguments (pretty much the only ones we’ve ever had) and I think if we had been staying in hostels and meeting people, it would have been better.
Oh tell me about it! We have stupid arguments all the time (mostly about doing laundry). Now that we’re back in Southern California, we’re not spending 24/7 with each other anymore and it’s nice to be apart for a bit, lol! And oh god… I’m excited about SEA next but so not looking forward to being in the heat!
Hey Anna
Loved your post so much. I have been to that bathhouse in Budapest..I remember it well. I love all that ‘spa’ type stuff. All your lessons were great. I particularly liked the one about just not doing stuff you didn’t feel like doing. That is a very helpful tip because it is easy to get that mentality where you have to do all the tourist stuff, or the signature activities, regardless of whether you want to or not.
For me and Ryan, we really don’t do that much of anything unless we really, really feel like it. Just being in an area and getting to know it is often satisfying for me.
Having spent most of my trip in SE Asia and other warm weather destinations, I have gotten more used to the heat and humidity. If you don’t like hot weather it will be a bit of an adjustment, or perhaps a lot, but you’ll get used to it after awhile to some degree. If you are sensitive to heat, just be kind to your body. You may feel like napping more because the heat takes a lot out of you and, it really is important to stay well-hydrated.
That is my favorite part of the world..can’t wait to read about your adventures there!
Thanks so much Kelli! The bathhouse in Budapest is so awesome! I could spend everyday relaxing there. We learned to only spend time/energy/money on doing things we really want to do too. Otherwise, we do like just relaxing and taking pleasures in the small things more!
I’m really excited about SEA. And I can’t wait to do some of the stuff I see in your and Ryan’s sidebars!!
You are totally right about the food, I wish there was a way to eat and try everything I want to whilst travelling.. I’m glad I have Dale with me, he is so good with maps and directions that I don’t have to worry about it anymore :)
Yeah! It helps to have someone who’s good with directions. Thank god I have D for that! But neither of us care to decipher bus routes lol!
I can relate to every one of these lessons!! And I totally agree, being hot and sweaty and tired does not make for the least cranky situation lol. And just like you, I am no planner. I need to do more research, and I’m trying to get better with that in New Zealand. Of course I arrived in Auckland 4 days ago and still have yet to look properly at a map lol. But now you have all these lessons under your belt for SE Asia! ;)
I don’t know why I have such a hard time with planning!! I’m totally just a “wing it” kind of person, which clashes with D’s obsessive planner personality. I’m glad to hear that other people are just as bad as me.
I can’t believe you’re in NZ already!!! How exciting! I can’t wait to read about your adventures there!
I know, I can hardly believe I’m here too!! And it’s already been 5 days!! My this time is going to fly by, and I still don’t have any concrete plans lol. Guess I’ll be winging it too! ;)
I can relate to every single one of these! Especially the Spanish thing, which I thought I was totally weird for doing. We’re in Thailand so it’s even worse, and I haven’t let it slip out yet, but I have “Si, si” on the tip of my tongue all the time. I blame it on the fast that it’s my only language besides English. I felt a little guilt about not going to the Anne Frank house, but took one look at that line and thought “nope.” You just have to stick to what you’re really excited to see!
Hahah!! It’s so funny that you also keep on wanting to speak Spanish!! We’re actually going to Thailand in 2 days, so it’ll be so interesting to go somewhere where we don’t know the language AT ALL. I feel a little guilty about not going to Anne Frank’s house too (since I feel like that’s just one of those places everyone should go see), but yeah, honestly we just didn’t want to deal with the line. And this is probably going to sound really bad, but I don’t feel like I missed out either.
I’ve been learning that yes, sometimes I really do need to plan – even though all I ever want to do is show up and assume it will just all work out!
And the food thing – oh, yes. I feel like I have an obligation to try all the best places and foods in a city if I’m really going to explore it – or at least that’s what I tell myself!
I know!! Planning is such a nuisance! The most I ever want to plan is just making sure I have a flight and accommodation booked. The rest, I wish I could just wing it. And don’t you just wish that our stomachs are big enough to eat everything we want to?!
I’m not really a hot-weather person either, I can deal with 25-27 degrees C but any more than that and I start losing my mind a little. In a way, the heat is much easier to deal with in South East Asia because most places have air conditioning over there. I live in Melbourne where it’s pretty common to get 42 degrees days in the summer and yet heaps of places don’t have air conditioning! WHY?
I totally relate to your other lessons too, especially #4. Before I visit a country I usually try to do a bit of research on the main attractions so I can actually see if it’s something I’m genuinely interested in or not. I also try to read local blogs to see if there are any fun activities/restaurants/events that might be off the tourist path. :)
Yeah! I was so surprised that most places in Europe didn’t have air conditioning!! That made it torturous everywhere, because you couldn’t escape the heat! We made sure that our apartment rentals in SEA all have air conditioning, so that’ll make it so much better!
I think I’m no longer going to do things unless I’m genuinely interested too. It’s no use spending time and money to do something that you’ll just feel “meh” about afterwards. And a lot of times, the things off the tourist path are the most interesting!
Sounds like an amazing trip! All good lessons too.
Thanks Lisa! It was amazing and I still can’t quite believe that it’s over!
I really like this list. I thought I was the only person who resorted to Spanish when attempting to speak any foreign language. I’m pretty sure the repairman in Malaysia did not understand my attempt to communicate with him in a mix of Malay, Spanish and English. My advise in SE Asia is to drape a wet bandanna around your neck to help keep cool. It’s a whole new level of sticky, humid, hot there. I still cannot seem to grasp the fact that I cannot eat everything that I want to and that I cannot reasonably exercise enough in a day to ever make that possible.
YES! I’m glad to hear that you do the same.. start speaking Spanish whenever you’re dealing with a foreign language… hahaha. Now I feel slightly normal. I hear you on the eating and not being able to exercise enough to work off all the calories. It’s a real struggle!
Anna,
Okay, except for the hot weather thing, which I don’t mind (although I’m a HUGE baby about cold weather), every single one of these was such a huge YES for me. Especially #4 and #9.
For me, traveling is more about the overall experience and vibe I get from a particular destination. I found if I tried to make it to every “must-see” I just got burned out.
And OMG YES about appreciating the little things. I will never take my washer & dryer for granted again. Or my car. I was surprised at how much I missed driving.
Happy to say that I’m now quite the expert subway/metro map reader. I may never get lost again. ;)
Great post! Hope you’re having a good week. :)
Mandie
Thanks Mandie! I hope you have a good weekend!
I totally agree that traveling is more about experiencing a new culture instead of just hitting up tourist attractions! At least, that’s what I tell myself because honestly I think I’m just too lazy to plan and run around town, hehe. I’d much rather park myself at a sidewalk cafe for an afternoon.
And seriously! I never knew I much I loved the laundry machines! I rented a car for a few days when I was back in SoCal, and I realized how fun driving can be too!
The first time I was in Europe, I did a lot of fast travel and then decided it wasn’t for me anymore. I just can’t handle all the fast and frantic sprint across countries. I do love your list though. I think I would probably feel fairly similar after a summer in Europe. You would not believe how much I complained about the heat. Even just thinking about it now I want to cry.
I’m not a big fan of fast travel either, and I don’t really want to do that again. I don’t like packing up every few days, and seeing too many things in a row. It’s so easy to burn out that way! But I think in a place like Europe, it’s so hard NOT to, because everything’s so close. I’d love to go back and see the other countries, but maybe not the summer, hehe.
Wow, that sounds like you’ve had an epic European adventure! Looking forward to reading more about your travels!
I can definitely relate with so much of this – like the fact that my default language when I’m in any country who’s first language is not English, is French. Which gets confusing in places like Germany when I automatically switch to French, am clearly not French, and English would be much more helpful!
And the eating thing is always a challenge for me. Especially since I totally agree with your point about slowing down and not having to go to every attraction – which means I enjoy sitting at a cafe, etc trying out some local specialties!
HAHA I love that your default language is French! And I’m the exact same way… I’d rather sit at a cafe all afternoon and eat the local food instead of running around to see attractions… which of course, means that I’m just getting fat, since I’m not being active enough to work it off!
Reply great tips! We have done our share in travelling and I especially like your comment about just relaxing more rather than trying to see everything. I do think it does come with the expense of fairly detailed planning and last minute improvising. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting Bill! I really appreciate it. For me, it seems that the last minute spontaneous activities always end up being the most fun and memorable ones! Happy traveling! :)
I love this list- know exactly what you mean about chasing the sun and then being grumpy when you’re too hot! Everything just looks so much nicer when it’s sunny though…
Thanks Katie! I think I need to stop chasing summer because I’m just miserable when I’m hot and sticky! I actually think it’s best when it’s overcast because then you don’t have to worry about shadows in your pictures, hehe.
Gorgeous post! I am so glad to hear someone say that Europe gets hot because lord knows no one believes me when I tell them it was 45c in Hungary when I visited last summer and I stupidly decided to continue on a walking tour in that heat! I loved Budapest tho’!
Also, kudos to you about the louvre- I have no intention of ever visiting there! Least of to be stood 10 people deep with a phone held in the air to see a painting.
OMG, I remember Budapest was SOOO deathly hot too when I was there!! Thank god for the flash thunderstorms that provided some relief!
I have no intention of ever going into the Louvre either! Haha! I know exaclty what you’re talking about about the people… I’ve seen pictures of that *shudders*. No thanks! D went inside the Louvre the first time he was in Paris, and he said he just walked through it really quickly because it was boring, lol.