Top 10 Things to Know Before Traveling

My weeks in Europe have finally come to the end, and I'm 9 countries wiser and about ten times stronger from lugging God knows how many pounds of luggage around for two months. I've laughed a lot, I've cried a lot, I've screamed and shouted and wanted to pull my hair out. But hey, I'm going home tomorrow. I've almost made it... With 4 bags of memories. I've learned a lot through my time in Europe and there's a few tips I'd like to share for the future traveler.

1. PACK LIGHT. I mean this in the realest sense. Even if you're going somewhere for an extended period of time, do not pack as if you're going to be wearing a different outfit every single day. You're not. Pack a few tops, one or two nice outfits, and pants/shorts. As much as you want to say you won't buy things while you're abroad, the truth is that you will and you gotta have somewhere to put it. You do NOT want to have to pay an extra $100 (or worse, $300) to get all your stuff back to your home town.

2. DO NOT BRING ALOT OF SHOES. Seriously. I brought over 10 pairs of shoes on my trip and I probably wore 3 of them. Bring a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of sandals, and a pair of your choice. But DO NOT bring high heels, wedges or anything of the sort. I'll tell you now: you won't wear them, they're heavy, and they take up space. Leave them at home.

3. DONT PLAN EVERYTHING. Some people say "Oh, you have to make sure you book everything in advance from morning to night" and it's not true. The only thing I planned in advance was my Eurail pass (see below) and we winged everything else. Accommodation, train reservations, sights we wanted to see... We did everything last minute and it worked out for us. We ended up getting a cheaper ticket in first class than it would have been in second class going to Prague because we made a last minute reservation. We ran into Pride parades and festivals, went last minute to other countries, and saw so much culture because we didn't plan everything.

4. USE AIRBNB. Really though. Airbnb is awesome. You get the comfort of staying in a home instead of a hotel (or hostel with about 50 other people in the same room). You get to experience the culture of someone who lives wherever you're visiting. And it's CHEAP. You can also meet some cool people using Airbnb... All of our hosts were awesome and we learned a lot from them!

5. STAY OUTSIDE OF THE CITY YOU WANT TO VISIT. Chances are, you want to go somewhere big and touristy. Those places are expensive to stay. I'd recommend staying in a nearby city and use the train to go to your desired city for the day. It's way cheaper to stay in outlying cities and you get to see a lot more this way, since you're not staying in the city you want to be visiting during the day.

6. USE EURAIL PASS. If you're going to be traveling in Europe, get a eurail pass. It's the cheapest way to get around everywhere and it's really convenient. You can also get discounts sometimes on cruises and other things if you're a eurail pass holder so overall it's definitely worth it. It's also a lot cheaper than flying and there are no luggage limits on trains (although remember you're supposed to be packing light!)

7. BUY 24 HOUR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PASSES. I know public transportation can be scary sometimes, especially for us Americans. Embrace the fear and use it. It's 10x cheaper than a taxi and you get to see a lot of the city if you use something like a bus or tram! It's much quicker than walking and 24 hour passes are usually pretty cheap. You'll thank your feet at the end of the day and you'll become a public transport savvy traveler. Very valuable.

8. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEE EVERYTHING. I kind of already touched on this but don't overwhelm your travels with trying to see EVERYTHING the city has to offer. Tourist attractions can be cool, but walking the city and finding a neat coffee shop can sometimes be even cooler. If you want to get to know a city, walk around. Go to a cool restaurant. Find a nice market. Don't make a strict schedule of waking up at 6:00 in the morning and trying to visit A, B, C, D, and E before dusk. You will have so much more fun and be so much less stressed if you do it this way, I promise.

9. IF YOURE AMERICAN, BE READY TO TALK ABOUT AMERICA. People in Europe meet Americans and want to talk about guns, politics, and pretty much everything else under the sun. They don't understand a lot of things going on in America and they want to get to the bottom of it quickly. Don't be rude. They don't live like Americans do and they have a strong opinion... And to be honest, they're not usually wrong. But that's a whole other story. Just be prepared for debate.

10. CALL HOME, BUT ENJOY EVERY SECOND. You get there and then you're gone. Take it from me, time goes by like nothing. While you're traveling sometimes it seems like it's going really slow, but I promise when you look back it seems like you blinked and it was over. You're gonna get homesick, you're going to be sad, and that's okay. But don't let it spoil your time. There is so much to learn from going abroad. Don't hinder that process because you're too caught up in what's going on back home. You'll be back before you know it so enjoy it while you can. You can't grow if you won't let yourself do it.

Going abroad is such an exciting adventure and I think everyone should do it. These tips will help you if you follow them, but I promise you you're still gonna make mistakes, get lost, and wonder what you're doing. ITLL BE OKAY. You'll find your way, fix your mistakes and realize what you're doing eventually. Enjoy the ride, it's shorter then you think!

Signing out... Here I come, Texas :)

Kendra