Travel and Leisure
When we first started going to Europe, we did virtually no planning at all. We'd have our plane tickets, passports, and hotel rooms booked, but that would be about it. We've gotten lucky for the most part, as we've received good advice from friends, colleagues, and hoteliers. Like the time we were in Rome, and the owner of the B&B gave us advice on where to get tickets for the Forum & Colosseum without having to wait in line for hours. But there were also many frustrations, like trying to navigate our way to our hotel in Toledo, without a map, GPS or internet connectivity to guide us. Of course, if you're going to do a guided tour or maybe a river cruise, you don't have to worry so much about all the little details, but there should still be some pre-trip organisation on your part. So as we start planning again for the return to travel, I thought I'd jot down some of my travel planning methodology and organisation that I was using pre-pandemic for a trip to France (that we ended up cancelling). In our experience, a little bit of preparedness can make the trip that much more fulfilling; it's also kind of fun to help get into the excitement of a new trip.
With the proliferation of social media, Tripadvisor and other travel sites, you can do a ton of research, long before you head across the Atlantic, all from the comfort of your own home. I like to start with my friends who have visited the country or places that are on the itinerary. Best yet, is if you have someone who lives there; the best travel memories I have, were from trips when I was able to experience the places like a local. Usually, the basic information you want to get early on are things like, "How many days would you stay in Paris?" or, "Would you choose Strasbourg or Colmar as your base for three days?". These are the basics that help you plan your days and time at each destination. Of course, everyone has their own ideas on how best to spend their time, but after a while, you'll be able to interpret answers and adjust accordingly.
Google and Google Maps
I know this seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how much information you can find on your own that will help you build your itinerary. For example, we don't like to spend a long time on inter-city travel. So rather than trying to do France in it's entirety, I Googled the TGV rail network and route durations to come up with a rough circular itinerary where each leg was 2.5 hrs or less. With 14 nights available to us and since we were flying in and out of CDG, we chose Paris, Reims, Alsace and Burgundy for general territories. Next, using same Google technique, I zeroed in on which towns and areas to visit and stay in. Then once we had established a basic outline, I started searching for attractions in the nearby area. Would these be accessible by train/transit, or would a car be necessary for getting to Bourges Cathedral? Using Google Maps, it was pretty easy to figure out when it made the most sense to hire a car, vs. taking the TGV. Which brings me to...
Getting Around
Once you arrive, it's nice to have an idea of how you're going to get to your hotel or next destination. Is the Metro/Underground going to get you where you need to go? (Tip: when using the underground in a new place, use Google Street View to have a virtual "look around" ahead of time, so that you can easily get your bearings when you come out of the station entrance). Or are you in a party of 4, where a taxi/Uber is going to be easier and more cost-effective? Bear in mind that using Uber or Lyft will require data services or Wi-Fi for your phone; we have found that most places have some sort of free Wi-Fi from a nearby restaurant or hotel. Something to look into prior to arrival, is a city pass; some large cities offer a combined pass for all-you-can-ride bus service, discounts or admission to major sites/attractions, and sometimes even city-wide Wi-Fi! Usually available in various multi-day options, these can be great, if planned for and used wisely. For example, the Firenzcard (Florence) can be useful if you are staying out of the core, and plan on visiting a lot of museums, as it will pay for itself in entrance fees (and allow you to skip lineups); free transit will just be a bonus. We didn't buy it however, as we stayed right in the town centre, and could walk everywhere.
Obviously, you can hire a car anywhere in Europe, but do you really need one? We avoid it wherever possible, as parking is usually constrained in the heart of the city, and navigating in a foreign country is not always easy. However, there are times when it really is the best way to get around, or perhaps you are in a party of four, and it works better than other transit options. We try to wait until we are well out of the major city centre before picking up our car, or better yet, take the train to our final area before renting. Make sure you either get a European SIM card for your smartphone to assist you with Google Map navigation, or you can use the maps.me app, as I find that it does a better job of route calculation in offline mode.
In the city centres, sometimes the overly touristy "hop-on, hop off" bus can be very convenient. They typically stop at all of the major attractions, and run from morning till night. With a flat fee for the day, this can be a great way to see a lot of the things that are on the periphery, without spending a lot of time walking, or taking individual buses or taxis. While the underground (or "Metro" as it is often called) is typically very efficient, it doesn't help you orient yourself in the bustling city centre, as you can't see major landmarks whizz by. On my first trip to London, we were stymied getting our bearings, as we had spent the first few days using the Tube; had we taken the Big Bus Tour on our first day, it would have really helped us for the rest of our stay.
We haven't tried it yet, but can't wait for the day that we get to a city that offers e-scooter sharing systems. Rather than tire yourselves out by walking up and down the hilly neighbourhoods of Lisbon, why not use an e-scooter? Available almost everywhere, e-scooters can be rented for around €10 per hour, and offer a fantastic way to scoot (see what I did there?) around the city. Again, since your smartphone will be required to download the app, find an e-scooter and hire it, you may need a local data plan or WiFi.
Rick Steves
I didn't used to be a guidebook type-of-guy, until we discovered Rick Steves. We have primarily been using Rick for basic, "how many days do we need in Porto?" kind of research questions, but loved his free
Audio Europe walking tours. His content seems to be targeted at budget to mid-range, American travellers, that may or may not have struck out on their own to Europe. A lot can be gained by watching the free, overview programmes on your desired destination (on his
website or his
YouTube channel), and more off the destination specific page on his site. Do you really need the guidebooks? I would say not, as you can get 75% of what you need from his free stuff, and fill in the rest with Tripadvisor and Yelp (e.g. hotel and restaurant recommendations). I ended up doing an ask on Facebook as to anyone that might have some France books, and got a pocket guide from someone. I picked up the full guides for Paris and France on eBay; while not current issues, most of the info is still pretty solid. Regardless, they make for great reading material to get you excited for your upcoming trip!
Day-by-day planning
This is normally something that we didn't used to do, and we'd make up our day-touring activities on the fly. Until that last day in Rome, where we didn't think to look into the Metro rotating strikes, and couldn't get to Ostia Antica. The things to look out for, are regional bank holidays, Sundays, and attraction closures. You don't want to be planning around being at Versailles on a Monday, or you're going to be extremely disappointed when you arrive. What activities can you group together on a single day? For example, although the Roman Colosseum and Forum ticket is a two-day entry, you can really do both in one day if you plan appropriately. What about those quiet Sundays? Some attractions or historical sites might be open, as well as cathedrals. It's also a good day for outdoor exploration, like a picnic in Florence's Boboli Gardens, or the Szimpla farmer's market in Budapest, which we stumbled upon by pure chance! And don't forget about the weather... what activities can you substitute if sky opens up and your Pitti Palace garden walk is ruined? You don't have to plan your days down to the minute, but by building a rough draft of your days in each city, you can avoid disappointment.
Where to eat?
As one who likes to get a good meal that reflects the local cuisine, I often go onto Tripadvisor or Yelp the night before to at least get an idea of what our food options will be where we will be touring. The usual spots that are in the tourist zones, or right on the pedestrian streets, are typically not very good, as they cater to those who make a last minute choice to sit down for lunch. But if you walk only a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the high street, you can find better food, and usually at a lower price. I like to create a trip within Tripadvisor, and then can tag a restaurant (or hotels & attractions) to it. If you input the dates of your trip, you can even put your saved items right into a day on your schedule. Thanks Kimberly for reminding me of this tip.
Using your mobile device
I wrote a more extensive
piece on using your phone in Europe, but it's not just a great picture-taking and navigation device. Obviously the aforementioned Google and Tripadvisor are great tools, but it is also nice to have your details handy, without having to carry around printed copies of your plans etc. I started using Tripit back when I was travelling a lot for work, and it allows you to create an itinerary simply by emailing your docs to plans@tripit.com. It works pretty well, and usually can automatically add the details into the app; for other specific info, you can add it in later (e.g. seat assignments, etc.). Other key apps that help organise me include Airbnb, and SeatGuru, but these can be used from a tablet or web browser, and aren't necessarily required to be on my smartphone. Other things that come in handy, are photos of your important ID documents, e.g. driver's licence and passport (and proof of vaccine); we like to leave our passports in the room safe while we are out and about.
Upgrading your travel kit
I also wrote about this recently. Another pre-trip planning thing for me/us, is to take inventory of the things that we will need for our next trip, and maybe make some changes. With a late summer/early fall trip upcoming, I started to think about some things that might be better suited to the weather at that time of the year. One thing that working as an Extra in the TV & Film industry has taught me, is that you can find great deals on used clothing and accessories using Facebook Marketplace. Maybe I need to get better footwear, and perhaps a more versatile jacket? Or since we're probably going to go to Croatia first, the 4-wheel spinners that we normally take for luggage might not be cobblestone-appropriate? Pre-planning ahead gives you plenty of time to keep any eye out for deals on lightly used, pre-owned kit. Or is there some travel essential that you missed last time, that you should really add to this trip?
I also wrote about that. With some time to spare before departure, you have a good window of opportunity to get items that you want off eBay and shipped in time.
It was Louis Pasteur that once said, "Chance favours the prepared mind".
