My Best Travel Tips

Traveling is hard, but it is so worth it! Below are some of the most helpful travel tips I’ve picked up along the way, and I hope they can help you make the most of your travel adventures!

street signs in Italian in Florence

Packing

• Pack light. This will make your life much easier in airports, train stations, and on the street when you’re dragging yourself to and from your hotel.

• Do laundry. You have options:

  • On shorter trips, I use travel packets of detergents designed for use in a sink, plus a travel clothesline that I hang in my hotel room. Every night, I wash two or three articles of clothing in the hotel sink, so I never have to do a huge load. This works for leggings, socks, undergarments, and most shirts. Hotels will sometimes do laundry but it will be super expensive; save this for emergencies.

  • Hostels will have washing machines and drying racks for you to use, sometimes for a fee, just remember that there's a chance the dryer will basically be useless so you'll need to air-dry everything.

  • Depending on where you are, laundromats might be rare, but it's worth a search on Google Maps. Speedqueen is a laundromat chain in a couple of European cities that's good. If you're in Tbilisi, go to LaundryMania! And pet the cute cats!

• Figure out if you'll be able to buy toiletries on site, especially if you are going on a long trip. When I studied abroad in Denmark, I brought SO much shampoo, only to realize that I could buy the exact soap I use around the corner from my apartment in Copenhagen. Save yourself the space.

• Use an e-reader. I’m a huge reader—multiple books a week—and using an e-reader (I use a Kindle) saves you a ton of space. Plus, if you run out of books, you know you can get more. When you’re traveling, your selection of English-language books might be limited. Get a library card at home and use it to borrow e-books for free!

• Some helpful things to pack that you may not think of:
  

  • Travel clothesline and detergent

  • Small bag or purse for walking around. Don’t just bring a suitcase and a giant backpack
    

  • Portable charger (I always have this with me during the day)

  • Earplugs (helpful for hostels or if you have to sleep with the window open)

  • Umbrella! Rain will sneak up on you!

  • Bag to hold your dirty laundry

  • Hand soap (if you're on a super long trip like me right now, I am SO glad I brought this)

  • A teeny handheld fan. This is currently saving my life in Greece.

  • Bonus: an AirTag to put in your checked luggage.

Amsterdam: where they sell tulips at the airport

Saving Money

• Use your student ID to get a discount. If you are a college student with a student ID, you can get discounted tickets to museums, cultural events, performances, and train tickets. Even if you've already graduated, they'll still accept your ID so long as it hasn't expired :)

• Do your research; sometimes museums will be free on certain days of the week or there will be a free festival or concert in a park somewhere.

• Carry a little bit of cash, especially when outside of Northern Europe. Get the cash from an ATM that is preferably far from the airport, to get the best exchange rate.

• Go to the grocery store. You can buy cheap wine, beer, snacks, and some meals. If there is a fridge where you are staying, stock up!

• Research if tap water is safe to drink where you are. If it is, just refill your bottles in the sink and don't waste money on bottled water. At restaurants, also ask for tap water to avoid being charged for bottled water.

• Take public transportation if it’s available. It is so much cheaper than taxis, it’s often safer (you’re not stuck in the car at the mercy of a stranger), plus it’s a great way to get to know the city and how the locals live. I promise it’s not as scary as it seems. If you get lost, don’t panic, just take a deep breath, get off the train or bus, and find a map. Google Maps will have information if you're in Europe. If you're in...Uzbekistan...find a map online and screenshot it so you can access it offline.

• Make sure your checking account/credit card doesn't have foreign transaction fees. I have a CapitalOne checking account I use while traveling for that reason--no fees.

a roasted chestnuts stand at the Santa Croce Christmas Market in Florence

Planning Your Trip

• Before every trip, I create a map on Google and pin everywhere I want to go: cafés, museums, parks, important buildings, etc.

• I go on a walking tour early in my trip to learn more about the city, get my bearings, meet other travelers, and get recommendations and ideas from the guide. Sandeman’s offers great free walking tours in many cities across Europe (bring some cash to tip your guide), and you can use FreeTours.com to find a tour with good reviews.
  

• I use the website Rome2Rio to plan transportation--you put in your destination and they'll show you all the transit options (bus, train, ferry, plane, etc.) with price estimates and travel times. Don't think you have to fly everywhere--public buses and trains are great, less stressful options that will often get you right to the city center.

the banks of the Arno River in Florence

Safety Tips

• Try your best not to seem like a tourist in public. Try to dress simply and somewhat conservatively, don’t walk around staring at Google Maps, and don’t wear a big backpack or fanny pack. Walk with purpose, like you are someone important with somewhere to be (you are!). Don't talk loudly on the phone in English. 90% of blending is in attitude. The other 10% is not wearing stupid clothes.

• Just tell panhandlers/buskers/people selling stuff "no" and then ignore them and keep walking. Don't be afraid to be rude.

• Be aware. This is obvious, but a lot of people don’t do it. Don’t text while you walk and only jaywalk if you see other people doing it (for example, everyone jaywalks in Italy, but no one jaywalks in Denmark). Keep an eye on the people around you.

• Don't make a habit of telling tons of people you're traveling alone. Sometimes I lie and say my dad or my brother is back at the hotel because he's not feeling well. Just use good judgement.

• When I'm walking around, I carry my stuff in a black purse that zips up, and I usually keep my hand over the zipper. It's basically pickpocket-proof without a lock. Do lock your luggage when transiting though.

• Bring copies of your passport and credit/debit cards. When you travel, keep these copies in a separate place from the originals. Also, bring more than one debit/credit card! My debit card was destroyed by an ATM in Tallinn.

• Start early and end early so you’re not wandering out late at night by yourself.

• Be aware and alert, but don’t be paranoid! Most people are good people.