Waiting for your Trip

It may seem like it's far away now but trust me, it will suddenly rush up on you. Have a wonderful time!

Just enjoy yourself until your trip, and dream about what you want to happen. Although every trip over the pond is enjoyable, I have never quite matched the sheer joy of that first time my plane landed at Heathrow.

Hi Kristen. I know how you feel. For one of my trips to Europe, I purchased the airline tickets nine (9) months before the travel date. If you have done all of the practical preparations for your trip to Europe, I suggest : do not think about Europe, for a while. What I do, is : try to prepare my body for the physical exertion of being a tourist in Europe --I do much walking up stairs, and up hills, in Europe. I suggest : eat nutritious foods and nutritional supplements. I eat nutritional yeast flakes -- it helps the human body produce more red blood cells. Swim in an indoor pool, three days each week. Do physical exercise in a fitness club. And, if I go to a country in which the language is not English, I enroll in a course in that language for travelers. For example : I will travel to France in May. I will begin attending classes : French for Travellers, at a community college here, this month (February). And, at some universities, some students who are learning a foreign language ( French, or German, or Spanish) meet in the student lounge one evening each week, for conversation in that language. I guess that a person who is not a student at that university could join that group. Talking in a European language is not necessary. But being able to correctly say a few phrases of the language of the country I am in helps make the trip more enjoyable. And being able to easily hear numbers (prices) in that language, helps the experience of being at a market or cafe be more pleasant.

Kristen - I feel the same way. At this point I'm trying to figure out how to pack light, breaking in my walking shoes, and taking a French class!

Ron, I also purchased by airline tickets early (8 months in advance). I bought RS phrase books to practice before my trip. I wish Rosetta Stone was cheaper, $500 to $600 I would like to spend elsewhere.

Boy that sounded rude, I am sorry. I will definitely take the suggestions on learning some French and Italian.

Ron gave you the best advice! I should follow it. Maybe I'll make it my mantra. I will cut it out and place it on the fridge! It is so true!

My advice: take a break from the trip and focus on some other things. You can continue to work on your language skills while you do that, but just put everything else aside. I have had trips where I "over planned" and it was hard for the trip to meet the expectations. It's hard to explain exactly why- I had a great time. But it just harder to "stay in the moment" and let things flow. Planning is really 1/2 the fun, but you don't want it to become 3/4 of the fun. Hope this makes sense-it is a hard thing to explain.

I know what you ae going thru. I purchased airfare in Oct and don't travel until this Sept. Most of my pre-R/S tour stuff is done but 9/8 seems so far away. I do study German and read all the info on the helpline that I can. With just over 3 months to go, it will be here before you know it. If you are using Rick's pack light agenda, pack your bag and go for a couple hikes with it on your back so you are used to that. Now that people are really planning and booking vacations, this site will really be busy for the next several months and always fun to watch the helpline. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

I would suggest starting a walking exercise program if you don't already do a lot of walking. I found that in Europe I stood and walked so much more than I do at home so I had some aches and pains especially at first. There were more stairs (in metro stations in Paris) than I thought. I always try to get on the treadmill and do more stairs before i go to Europe, but I don't always stick to it. I agree with those who suggest eating healthy before your trip, take your multivitamins. Rest up before you go. If you haven't decided on what to wear on the trip, try handwashing what you plan to bring to see if it dries overnight. Rick suggests packing your bag and taking it on a test drive in your own hometown to see if you can easily carry/pull it with what you plan to bring. I have never done this myself, but I have test packed a week or 2 before leaving to ensure I can fit what I need into my bag. I take books out of the library related to the country I am visiting whether it be fiction or informative subjects, like art, wine, or food. I am now reading Da Vinci's Kitchen which is a great book about his inventions for the kitchen and food prepared in Da Vinci's time; I am going to Italy in April. I am a big fan of books about people who have purchased properties in foreign countries and their adventures related to fixing up their new homes. They are usually quite entertaining and have some humour in them also. I am probably driving the people I work with nuts by talking about my trip and soon I will bore them with the countdown to the number of days until I leave for Italy!!!!!!!!! Have a great trip.

I think I would spend some time online researching some of the places I was going to, delving deeper into their history, learning more about the artwork, buildings, architecture and so on. Guidebooks are great, but should not be your only source of information. An in-depth research project can keep you occupied and enrich your travels unbelievably.

Jo has a great idea. I did a lot of research, but when I got back home, I found out some stuff about Berlin I didn't know before I went- or stuff I forgot. I also recommend you study the heck out of the maps. Unfortunately, I found Google Maps isn't as good for Europe as here, because that would have helped me a lot if I could have gone to a street view to prep my bearings. The number one problem I had was getting slightly lost. Even if I had maps and directions, sometimes it's hard to figure out which was is north when you come out of a train station!

I also put daily packets in my folder. One the front page had the itinerary (from Excel) and then each packet had all the info, vouchers, etc. for the day.

I prepped a lot and I still ended up busy the last couple of days and forgot a couple of things, too! (My address list for post-cards, my phrase books- doh- and my road maps- double doh! I speak enough German but was hurting in Italy without those books!)

Kristen,

You've received some great suggestions and advice so far!

I also find waiting to be one of the most difficult parts of "travel", and that doesn't seem to change from one trip to the next. I'm planning on heading to Europe again in May and June on yet another RS Tour, but don't have all the arrangements in place yet so I still have lots to do. I contacted my Travel Agent to book the flights on Friday, but those aren't confirmed yet.

I spend the waiting time just "fine tuning" my arrangements. I always re-check my Itinerary a number of times and often make a few minor changes, check my packing list (especially to see where I can pack lighter), re-check my transportation routes and Hotel reservations, etc.

As my trip will primarily be in France this year (with some time in Italy), I'll be doing the same as others here and have registered for a French Level I course at the local college. I can manage reasonably well in Italian, so not too worried about that part.

Planning your next trip is good too. I've always got a few trips "on the drawing board", so I've always got something to work on to take my mind off the waiting. You'll probably find when you get back that you'll really be interested in planning your next trip!

Don't worry, departure day WILL arrive.

Happy travels!

(BTW just for my curiosity, where are you going on your first trip?)

Wanted to add one more thing: Try a small road-trip in your area if you have it in your budget. We had to go to a family reunion in Yellowstone this past summer, so it distracted me for awhile, as I was doing the planning for that, preparing for it, going on it, and then dealing with my pictures from that.

I see you have London and Paris on your itinerary. Bottomless wells!!!!! While I can't tell from your post of how deeply you have already trolled the Internet, I usually go hunting in cyberspace until I know every train connection, the opening hours and admission fees of every place I want to visit, every historical fact I can unearth and all the restaurants and fun places in my reach.

I also order free brochures via the Internet, study maps and go marauding the local libraries and second-hand book stores for everything they have on my destinations.

for some reason, I am having a difficult time being able to post to this particular thread, some error keeps occuring . .

Kristen,
I know how you feel! :-))
A good friend of mine is coming in March, her 1st trip overseas. We have even installed a little count-down do-hicky on our desk-tops ;-))
And of course, I know from myself how hard the waiting can be!

Ron is on the right track (Chapeau, btw, Ron!):
Start walking and working-out a little bit. You won't believe how much you will be walking once your feet hit European ground!

Like Ron, I also tackle the language, even if it only amounts to a few polite phrases, and being able to read signs.

I make myself cue-cards with pertinent information, especially train connections, laminate them, punch a hole into the cards and tie them up with a ribbon, so I can fan them out when I need the info during my travels. I then take off the ones I don't need anymore along the way.

I collect little things like postcards and pins to take along and give away as gifts. I print out sheets of address labels and cut them them to size, to take along for sending postcards and gifts back home.

I familiarize myself with my destinations with the help of maps and the Internet. I check out EVERYTHING, just for fun. I even read the local online newspapers and listen to local radio & TV stations. I read novels about my destinations, I research their cultural and culinary traditions, even study the online menus of the places I want to eat at, the list is endless, and you get the idea ;-))

In German we say:
'Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude',
(anticpation is the grandest of joys)

Great post, Kristen. It's helping me with my count down too. You're leaving a week after I am. Along with many of the suggestions, I keep checking the Graffiti Wall for any new sights or experiences not to miss. (For example last year I learned from Bea about the Terracotta Warriors being in Paris and immediately made needed reservations.)

I review my packing list and make sure I'm happy with the clothes I've chosen; if not, I start searching for alternatives.
The last week I actually pack and at least once go for my 4-mile hilly walk with my pack on. (I try to do that when not too many people will see me--haha!)
I already have my hotel confirmation emails drafted and ready to send about 2 weeks before I leave.
Right now I feel like a little kid...I'm ready to go NOW!

"I wish Rosetta Stone was cheaper, $500 to $600 I would like to spend elsewhere."

Let me give my opinion of Rosetta Stone. For the average traveler popping over to Europe every once and a while, it isn't worth the money. Although I think it's a good tool for thoroughly learning the mechanincs of a language, despite their claim of "The Fastest Way to Learn a Language", it is not fast at all. It took me almost 2 years to move through level one and two of Dutch.

Yeah, that is a lot, considering there are all kinds of free websites to download, or buy one secondhand. I just don't think I would spend that much.

For some languages (like Dutch), however, your options are limited, so in those cases it makes sense. For French, German, Spanish or Italian, there's so many other sources out there.

I try to read as many books as I can about the place I am going. I like books with the history of the country, but novels that take place in the country are good too. It makes the trip more interesting and fun.

Carroll, I am reading Roma by Steven Saylor. Fantastic book.

I like reading novels about the places I visit. For England I really enjoyed "London" by Edward Rutherford. For Wales the historical novels by Sharon Penman are great, start with "Here be Dragons". For Venice try something by Donna Leon. For the Netherlands, read "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier. For Germany I'd suggest something by Bernhard Schlink, not just "The Reader" he also wrote some very interesting mysteries with a protagonist called "Self". Or Jakob Arjouni "Kismet", a gritty mystery novel that gives a good idea about today's Germany. For Switzerland try to get a hold of something by Martin Suter.

Watch movies that play in the places you're visiting. There are a few threads here with suggestions. I just gave a neighbor some suggestions for Germany, especially if you're visiting Berlin:

• Good Bye Lenin

• Run Lola Run

• The Tunnel

For Italy "Under the Tuscan Sun", "La Dolce Vita" (I got a restored version on DVD at our public library that was just brilliant!)

I agree, Sharon Penman is also a great author. I have the whole series.

Beatrix, add The Lives of Others to your list. It is an amazingly powerful movie about life in E. Berlin. (We watched Run Lola Run again the week before we left. Now, I need to watch it, again, to see if I recognize any areas!)

I like the movie or novel set in your destination idea.

Another good idea is to use your three months to study language. An hour a day won't make you fluent but it will enable you to read menus and signs and feel better oriented whereever you go.

-"The Tunnel": I just saw this movie for the first time over the weekend. What an amazing film! Why isn't this movie more well known in America?

I had planned my Dec 2008 weekin London trip for two years as well. Start walking at least an hour or two per day to get yourself ready for A-LOT of walking. Im glad I did.
I also made sure to google-map directions for all the little places I wanted to visit that werent on the main tourist map i.e. the Globe Tavern used as Bridget Jones's house in the movie (yes im a girly dork). Im glad I googled it because it was under an archway and was Not on the map.

Tom, because you usually seem to give very solid advice on this forum, we took your movie recommendation to heart and just "Netflix-ed" it. But if it isn't good, we're coming to you to get that 167 minutes of our lives back...

(EDIT) Oops - just noticed Beatrix also recommended it. So 100% of the pressure is off you, Tom. :)

Kristen,

Enjoy this time!! In my opinion, the two best parts about going on a trip are the time leading up to the trip, and the memories you have after the trip is over. The time leading up is so fun because you are really excited. You have alot to plan and think about. You get to discuss your upcoming trip with people. There is alot of daydreaming going on which is one of the funnest things for me. After the trip is done you have all the great memories that you will never forget.

The trip itself is great but I really cherish the time before and after the actual trip. The daydreaming and memories always seem to be a little sweeter than the actual events for me. Enjoy it all.

Well, I could have given you a LOT more suggestions for German movies - I have close to 100 DVDs here myself (though half of them are kids movies). Just tried to limit myself ... but "The Lives of Others" is definitely a MUST SEE. If you can (I don't know if it's available on the US DVD, mine is from Germany) listen to the commentary of Ulrich Muehe on the DVD. He played the Stasi guy and unfortunatly died last year of stomach cancer. When he accepted the Oscar with the director in LA he actually left within minutes of the ceremony to go back to Germany and have surgery - and nobody outside his closest family knew ...

"The Tunnel" is not that well known outside Germany because it was originally a made-for-tv movie. It got very limited exposure overseas. But it's one of the very few movies my Canadian husband watched with me and really really liked. The movie has some amazing performances and is a bit of an action thriller.

If you're interested in getting a better understanding of what soccer means to Germans watch "The miracle of Bern" about the World Cup in 1954. It's a fictional story but it also includes an interesting scene that shows a guy named Adi giving the team some new kleats - that is the founder of Adidas and that's the invention responsible for his business success.

But one of my alltime favourite German movies is "Head on" by young director Fatih Akin. I actually love ALL his movies but his earlier ones are very hard to find in Northamerica. This one I usually don't suggest in a broad forum like this because it is a very serious and violent (physical and sexual) movie. It is R rated for very good reasons. But the actors are just incredible and it gives some ideas on the issues of Turkish immigrants living in Germany - but also in a more universal way about love as a creative AND destructive force.

"but "The Lives of Others" is definitely a MUST SEE. If you can (I don't know if it's available on the US DVD, mine is from Germany)". I'll second that recommendation, one of the best movies of the decade. Yes, it is available in the US.

And I'm also eagerly awaiting the DVD release of "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex".

Tom, I know the DVD is available in the US. I just don't know if the extras are the same. If you have the DVD on hand I'd be interested to know.

Ulrich Muehe's commentary on my DVD is in German, I don't think he knew much English. The director speaks English very well and I know his English commentary is on the US DVDs. But von Donnersmarck's commentary is very different from Muehe's because Muehe relates his real life experience as an artist in the GDR to the making of the movie. Von Donnersmarck grew up in West Germany and he's much younger. He was only 16 years old when the wall came down.

I would love to see "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex". They were at their peak (1977) when we were living in Germany (Mainz) the first time and were responsible for my early awareness of terrorism (we had to check under our car for bombs before we went anywhere.)

Another good movie is 'The Counterfitters' (Die Fälscher), for which Austria recently received an Oscar.

I agree on the movie angle. I took Herself to Paris and London this Xmas...her first time.

We researched all sorts of movies set in both places and made a point of seeting Sat night aside for "Paris movies". It helped take the edge off for the months leading up.

It all came back the day we were standing on the Pont Neuf. I turned to Her and said "Remember that Bourne movie we watched. He was watching the assasins gather, from up on a rooftop?" I turned and pointed to the old Samaritiane dept store and the sign on the roof he was hiding behind in the movie.

made it just that extra bit special.

Lots of great suggetions Kristen but the anticipation for some never diminishes regardless of how many miles may be on your passport; and I'm one of them. Got two trips to Europe planned, one in April one in September, and am already champing at the bit.

Another suggestion. Someone mentioned Google Maps and IMO they're great. That said, Google Earth is a totally different (and better) bag of snakes. Because of some history research I'm doing involving the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain, I'm on to Google Earth just about every day. If you aren't 'signed up' with them I suggest you do their free download and get to know some of the finer points of their website.

Some of the areas of Europe are clearer than others and in a few cases you can zoom in and almost tell what people are eating or reading at outside cafe tables; almost..... Before a trip I always check out the route (if I'm not already familiar) from, say, the train station to my hotel. I 'walk' the route on Google Earth, zoom in and out if something catches my eye, and for more information or a visual
'feel' for the area, click on the photo or Wikipedia icons that may appear on the GEarth image I happen to be studying.

You can 'tilt' the landscape if you're walking/driving 'in the country' and trying to determine the terrain; follow the altitude 'counter' at the bottom, centre of the image to see elevations as you move your mouse around; and, of course, punch in an exact address to see what it looks like from the air (your hotel/a sight/train station/etc.).

Lots more on there and I warn you it can become addictive. With GEarth, by the time I arrive in a 'new' place and I've done my homework, it's almost like I've been there before.

105 days puts you in Europe end of May; you'll be there before you know it and a great time of year to be doing it. Have a grand time.

So many good ideas being posted.

I am big on the "get in shape" and "work on language ones".

Here a night course in Italian for Travellers at our local community college was only 135 dollars, so don't dismiss the idea of a course as being too expensive. Bonus was our instructor was an Italian lady who was willing and able to offer lots of tips on travel and customs in Italy.

Kristen - I'm in the same boat. I leave in 134 days. Like some of the suggestions, I'm learning basic french phrases. I pack my carryon at least once a week. I'm doing some walking, at least an 1 hour a night, and at least 2 hours a day on Saturday & Sunday. I'm also driving my wife nuts, now I admit that is an unexpected bonus. I'm like a little kid at Christmas.

Kristen, today I went to the symphony in Nashville. Itzhak Perlman was there and a wonderful concert featuring Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Mozart. Now I am even more excited and still have 6 months before I go.

I agree with Beatrix, I love to read about the places I am going and rent movies about those places. We watched Tea with Mussolini before our trip to Florence then watched it again when we got home. Learning a little of the history can make a trip so much more meaningful.

Hope you have a great time on your trip.