What did you wish you knew before you went to Europe?

That most train tickets are valid for 1 or 2 months and that you don't have to use the entire ticket at one time. i.e. If traveling from Prague to Budapest, one can stop in Vienna and just pay for 2 reservations for the individual segments.

I thought all hotels were like Holiday Inn. I had no idea what en-suite was. Now granted this was in the 70's.

Some things that come to mind...

That it is easier to take the trams then walk everywhere in Amsterdam.

Some Italian train conductors can really suck.

You can see most of the big stuff in Venice in 1-2 days.

Before my first trip I didn't realize that clocks were on a 24 hour time. Also that dates were listed Day/Month/Year instead of Month/Day/Year.

I wish I had known : in England the Money exchange rate (U.S Dollars to British Pounds) can change, significantly, in one week. When I had been there several days the amount of British Pounds that I received when I exchanged money was much less. That means the amount of my U.S.Dollars that I spent was more than I had planned for.

Before my first trip o' those many years ago, I wish I knew how easy and affordable it could be to travel to Europe. I would have gone much sooner!

Granted this was when I was in my teens and very unworldly but it would have been nice to have been prepared for the vastly different types of breakfast meals each country offered: breads, fresh fruit, meats and cheeses threw me for a loop in Amsterdam. That taxis in Munich were Mercedes Benzes. That not everyone spoke English. That The Night Watch was huge! That train travel was great! What a bidet was for. Then again this was from a 1960's teenagers POV. Now it sounds silly. After 20 visits abroad I'm getting cocky.

I wish I had known how addictive foreign travel is. I would have chosen a higher paying profession.

I was always amazed by the rail system in Europe. Even in the 60's you could get on a train and go anywhere you wanted. Even the small towns had stations. You could, and still can do without a car which is wonderful. I worked in Frankfurt for two years, and went wherever and whenever I wanted. Once I walked a few hundred yards to the trolly stop in my neighborhood, I could go anywhere.
Most Americans go to the grocery and shop for a week. Europeans went to individual shops and bought what they needed almost daily. Most people did not have refrigerators or had very small ones. Everyone in every shop knew you and greeted you like family. Was and still is a great place to live and visit.
See you in September Jo.

How to pack. I used to bring WAY too much stuff. And none of the right stuff, either.

I wish i had known about this helpline. My first trips to Europe we're very nice, but i would have saved money, planned better, and i would not have backtracked as much. This helpline is great!

-I wish that I had known to call my bank/cretid card company before I left the USA. My banks thought that my card had been stolen and shut them off until I was able to call them and tell them I was in Europe.
-I've also learned that I can get use to using way less electricity while I'm overseas.
- finally I wish someone had told me exactly this: "Don't try to dress to fit in with the locals. No matter how you dress you will still not look European (or Italian in my case). Just wear what you like even if it is jeans and Nikes"

This is a very interesting - and sometimes funny - thread for me to read. If you grow up in Europe and have to take the train every day to get to school (I mean Jr and Sr High School!) it looses quite a bit of the fascination most of you experiene ;-)

That you have to ask for the bill at a restaurant. At our first time in a London restaurant, after our waiter cleared the dishes, he asked if we wanted anything else. We said "no". So our waiter disappeared. Thinking like Americans, we thought that we would get the check shortly. Finally when our waiter reappeared after 10 minutes and we still didn't have the check, we flagged him down and asked if we needed to ask for the check. His startled response was "Why, yes". After we explained how American restaurants try to push you out the door, he could understand our question. He was all set to just let us sit there for the rest of the night, chatting away.

Wish I had known which train station to get off of in Basel....still wish I had an easy way to see where the train stations are in a city.
Wish I had known that you don't need to be at the train station as early as for catching a plane!
Wish I had known the apt we first rented in Paris in the 7th arrondissement was close to nothing.
Wish I had known that old theory -- "If you find & and love it -- buy it then because you won't be back -- or if you come back what you found & loved the 1st time won't be there".

1) Sleeping aids are of no use to combat jet lag - they only make it worse. 2) Relax, this is not as hard as I thought it would be. 3) DON'T try to fit in, I won't, can't and why should I? which leads right into 4) never pack high heels for a trip like this - though I wear them at home all the time, they serve no purpose on a trip like this. 5) Always thinking I would eat somewhere that requires nice dress, I always packed something for that occasion and that occasion never came. 6) I WILL get into one big fight with my husband, but I love him anyway and would not want to travel with anyone else instead. 7) educate yourself on what the town/area is known for and don't leave without eating/drinking it. 8) and the repeat issue....I need to get in better shape for the next trip!

Since I love to picnic I read up on that in Rick's Europe Through the Back Door well over a decade ago. Still, when you're in first time travel mode you forget things like weighing your fruit, vegies, in the produce section and then sticking on the price tag. That and bringing your own bag. From reading Rick's book I was clued in about looking for a chain, a foot petal, a lever etc. to flush a toilet. In a very modern hotel in Hanover, Germany (we were guests of our exchange students' family) I was so stumped I had to go down to the front desk. There wasn't a nob, chain, indentation or squat (pardon the pun) to be found. Turned out you pushed down on the entire top the tank. Now toilet functioning and showers (how to work) are one of our favorite "guessing games" when we check in. I LOVE traveling.

Diesel fuel is called "gazole" in France. Be sure the gas station has an attendant because your credit card won't work at the pump. Don't expect your Parisian cab driver to know the location of every tiny hotel in Paris--print out a map that shows the location.

Latin

1. ask for your bill when you want to pay.
2. Europeans are way more stylish than North Americans. Never expected to blend in, but I wish I didn't pack so many hoodies and ultra casual clothes!
3. It's not as dangerous as some people make it out to be. Actually safer than my own city (murder/robbery/car theft capital of Canada)
4. Trains are easy to navigate and I much more prefer them than flying or driving.
5. People are friendlier than I thought and very willing to help out even if they don't speak English. It is amazing how far a few words in their language spoken and a smile can get you! 6 Expect the lineups if you go in the summer. You aren't the only one fortunate to go travel as well!
6. Go East! Cheaper, just as pretty, friendly and less frequented by tourists! I think I may be done with Western Europe at least for the next few trips. Strongly recommend going past your comfort zone a bit. You may be pleasently surprised!
7. Tap water for the most part is drinkable. Bring a water battle and refill it along the way.

When we went to Greece, I wish I would have known beforehand about not being able to put toilet paper in the toilet. That was quite the surprise!

My first visit to my new sister-in-laws apt. I went to use the bathroom and darn if I could figure out how to flush the toilet. After about 10 min. I went out and had to ask. There was a small knob on top of the toilet that you had to lift up. I had tried pushing it, but never thought about lifting it.

That, in the early 70's in Britain, "Way Out" wasn't an expression of amazement, but directions to the exit.

When in the UK, always look to the right first before crossing the street.

To "mind the gap."

I've been thinking about this because I first went to Germany as a student in the 70's. Of course, I wish I'd known more German, but I was taking a class there. I'm sure that there were a ton of other things, but I was with a group of students and if I didn't know how to do something one of the did! But, I didn't know enough history. I wish I had taken Western Civ before the trip. I took some modern German History while in Germany and since then I've read a lot, but I still regret not taking Western CIv. Maybe that's a good retirement project. Although, today, World History is being taught more and more and Western Civ is now being called European History in many colleges. Pam

Pamela: I liked what you said, and based on what you said, I have a book I think you might find of great interest:

The Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World View, by Richard Tarnas

It's not quite Western Civ but close and maybe better for what you're talking about wanting to know: the subtitle (above) says it all. About what you might call our intellectual inheritance from Western Europe, it focuses on Europe and how what happened there shaped the current world view.

Packing light is probably the biggest thing. Even though I had traveled a lot before my first trip to Europe, I still think I can live with less after each trip.

That I would end up coming back so often.

What I learned was...not to buy every trinket you see...there's PLENTY of stuff to buy at the airport on the way home!!! Flew into Switzerland on our way to Venice...I felt I "just had to buy some Swiss chocolate"...Well I lugged 10 pounds of candy all through Italy!!! Funny thing was the EXACT same chocolate was waiting for me at the airport in Rome!!!! Hello????

I wish I would have sat each day and stopped to breathe and take it all in instead of rushing to the next museum, train station, hotel, etc...

I learned to pray before I did anything as it calmed my nerves!! I was so nervous about my first train ride and prayed that I would sit next to a safe person! When I found my assigned seat, I was seated next to a nun!!

Pack what you know you will wear and wash it often (in the sink or laundry-mat). I take a backpack now and thoroughly go through my clothes and pick the minimum of what I know that I will wear and feel comfy in them!

Know where your lodging is located. While researching my stay in Salzburg, I wanted to be in the heart of old town. I found the "perfect" pension that was in "short distance" to Mirabel Gardens and Gerstreidergasse. I was hoping for a walking distance but it ended up being several bus connections away!

The drinking fountains in Rome are delicious!! No need to buy bottle after bottle of water. Just keep filling up the bottle that you already have! The water is clean and refreshing!

Sleep on the plane if you can! I have always battled jet-lag even though trying a different "solution" each time. This next time, it will work for me!

Prepare, prepare, prepare! There's nothing worse than not knowing the history of where you are going!

Enjoy the scones and clotted cream in the UK!!! Yum!

Get to know the locals. Go out on the limb and meet people of the culture and learn from them!

Learn a bit of the language and customs before going on your trip.

Don't stress out! Breathe!!! Enjoy!!! Take in every moment because the trip goes by pretty fast!

HAVE FUN!!!! :)

• You're NOT allowed to touch fruit at fruit stands. They get angry and want to choose the fruit for you. This is at odds if you want ripe fruit because you want to eat it immediately.

• At some hotels (and convents) the hotel key is HEAVY. You leave your hotel room key at the front desk when you go out for the day. This scared me because I store valuable electronics in the room and I worry that anyone could ask for the key (w/o any validation that they are me) and enter my room or at the convent in Rome anyone could walk over and just take it off the hook and enter our room.

Hi Jo,

I wish I knew that you need a percription for pimple cream in Germany.

Paula

I have learned to pack lightly, women don’t need heels; just comfy shoes, to always smile, to amble and bring silk undies (easy to wash and quick drying). Further, have a plan and try to study about the culture, art and food. (RS books surely one of the best resources).

I am planning my first solo, three week trip to Italy. From my past trips, I have gained the knowledge and confidence that I CAN do this with my new status as a single woman. Undoubtedly, I will experience Europe from a different perspective.

Happy travel adventures!

I wish I knew how addictive travelling to Europe would be!

Alas, I started as a teen out of High school and can't seem to kick the habit...sigh.

Great idea, Jo!

I wish I had known that the only difference between 1st and 2nd Class tickets on Italian regionale trains is that in 1st Class one pays a few additional Euros for the privilege of sweating to death.

Ciao!

1. That Rick Steves really is right about that packing light thing. ;-)

2. That nobody would have cared if I wore my comfy, well-broken-in (WHITE) running shoes!

As several others have said. That I would have to come back time after time after time after time.......