Get detailed transportation instructions before you go

One of the things that I think is a great aid for orientation (other than a compass) is Google Earth. I print the page for the train station or B&B, better than a map cause you see the trees, and the fountains, etc.

Connie: Thank you for sharing your frustrations with travel. Many of us can identify. There seems to be a tendency for people to share their successes but not so much their difficulties or frustrations--and for that reason it's very helpful when someone like you also shares the difficulties, so that others can be better prepared.A small pocket compass used with a good street map helps in European cities. Another option is the smaller GPS units they're making now that have an "on foot" option/mode, these are no bigger than a point and shoot camera and fit in your pocket or day bag--but it has to have a European map.

I had a GPS but it either didn't work well in Europe (had new Europe maps) or it just wasn't working well.

I had made some maps when we were within walking distance of our hotels from stations but several times we had to take a couple of modes of transportation first. It was navigating stations or finding metro stops, or finding the correct bus ticket office when several companies use the same lot, etc.

Ex. We took the Roissy bus at CDG airport in Paris. I knew to go to Terminal 1 but once there, there were no signs for the Roissy bus. I asked the TI, who did not speak English very well, and she said to go to the 2nd level. We waited and waited. Finally, we asked a man washing windows where to go and he pointed one floor up. Then, the bus takes you to the Opera and you are supposed to get on the metro at Opera. We walked around the Opera twice and asked two different people and never did find the Opera stop. Everyone pointed to a nearby metro stop so we took that and then had to switch at the Opera stop, which was only seconds away. All that took precious time away from our first day in Paris.

Yes, we were very tired but it seemed to be that way on every travel day. I will say I have learned a lot and will be better at it if I ever get to go back. Until then, I'd like to help other people and plan to write up detailed instructions for the areas we visited.

I know there are easier ways to get around by using taxi's but they are usually very expensive. We didn't mind the challenge of using cheaper transportation but more info. could have made it much easier.

As I look back over my travels, even the times lost were good travel. I think using your wits, working to figure out where you need to go, and all the sights along the way are part of travel rather than a distraction. Certainly the better honed your skills are, the better, and more information never hurts. But no amount of detailed instructions will prepare you fully for the fractured backstreets of Rome where a seemingly straight street changes names every other block, or places where street signs are all but non-existent. Patience, Persistence, and that little restaurant that you stumbled on along the way are their own reward.

I totally agree. We just returned from our first trip to France. When we arrived at the Gare Nord on the Thalys from Belgium is was so huge and confusing! I went to the info booth and they printed out nice directions but even then I could have used more details. I didn't know how to take the RER C to the RER A even with the tickets I bought from her. With some perseverance we got to our stop and then went above ground to a view of the Arc (C DeGaulle stop) that knocked us out. Once we found our hotel, loved Paris! Would have loved it even more if I had better idea of using RER vs. Metro. Anyone needs help, just e-mail me.

Perhaps I'm just old fashioned, but this is exhibit one in evidence why I think that tried and true skills like the ability to orient one's self on a map shouldn't get shoved aside in the GPS era.

I agree but maps didn't always help either. I'd say the hardest part was navigating airports and train and bus stations and figuring out how to get from there to the hotel. I had information on it but it usually didn't work out as easily as it sounded.

I THOUGHT we had detailed instructions on how to reach Haarlem from the Ferry terminal. Even the terminal gave me directions (and we are usually NOT directionally challenged!). They were "walk down the street until it ends, probably 2 blocks, make a left and the bus stop is right there. WRONG!!

We found the best solution. We asked a local how to get to the bus stop and he said he was going to Haarlem and hop in. We did, and we were enjoying a cocktail in the square within about an hour!

Don't be afraid of connecting with the locals. We talked to so many and had a much more enjoyable time, because we did!

Connie, the method I use is to copy and enlarge the Map from Rick's book, that shows the location of my Hotel (since I usually stay in one of Rick's recommended lodgings). As I'm most often arriving by train, it's fairly easy to get oriented outside the station. I also have the address and phone number of the Hotel listed on my Itinerary.

I certainly agree, travel days can often be a bit more tiring than one anticipated. On those occasions when I'm tired and not in the mood to walk to the Hotel, I just use a Taxi. Lately I've been packing a GPS unit around also, but I'm still learning how to use it (I got really lost in Rome one day, and finally resorted to a Taxi - my feet hurt and I decided that I was NOT walking any more that day!).

Cheers!

after getting totally lost in Rome one year (and I thought I was following the map, I just somehow got turned off my path) I bought a small GPS unit. It doesn't have a map, but it has an arrow and you can set waypoints. Now in large cities I mark my hotel and turn off the unit. If I get lost later, at least I have an arrow pointing which way to go and how far.

On a trip to Europe in 2000, I managed to waste an hour in the Paris train station before I figured out I was supposed to hop on the Metro. There was 1 TI with a mile long line (1.6 km long queue).

Lesson learned. I just returned from a trip to Europe in May, and prepared my itinerary on the assumption I would be tired, groggy, and disoriented at each stop (often the case).

Before I left, I asked each hotel for travel directions from the nearest train station (in one case I wrote to a TI office for travel info). Then I used that information (and travel info from the RS guidebooks) to add detailed sections to my itinerary just for getting to the hotel from each stop.

As far as signage goes, I honestly didn't have a problem with it. As long as I knew I needed to take the metro to X or the bus to Y I was fine.

It worked pretty well for me. In a couple of cases, the hotels gave me less than adequate instructions, but I was always able to get out of the train station and at least into the vicinity of the hotel in a reasonable time.

I'm a woman, I just ask for directions, when I can't figure it out! My husband would walk in circles for hours before he would ask. I have always found anyone I asked to be very helpful. It helps to have the address of the location you are looking for written on a piece of paper along with the phone number. Several times I have had the person I asked for help call the number and get directions so they could help me. What seems easy for one, isn't always easy for someone else. But seems we all manage to get there eventually, as the old saying goes, there are a number of ways to skin a cat!

Connie, I can definitely relate. Even when you plan in advance, you can get double-crossed by circumstances. When we arrived at the train station in Budapest, expecting to take the Metro to our hotel, it turned out that the Metro was out of service for renovation and replaced by a bus. The problem was, the only sign about this was in Hungarian, and no one could tell us which bus was the replacement bus for the Metro. In fact, we couldn't find any English speaking assistance at all. So, laden with backpacks and sweltering in August heat and humidity, we wandered back and forth between several bus stops before we finally found the right one. Then we couldn't get across to the driver where we needed to get off, so we ended up getting off a couple of miles from where our hotel was. Needless to say, this was time, energy, and discomfort we would have preferred to skip.

Another example of "some day we'll laugh about this," though not that day...

Connie,

I had to laugh because I had nearly the same thing happen a few years ago in Paris! I thought I knew exactly where I was going and how to get there. I actually found the Roissy bus fairly easily but it was an accident because I just kept walking through the airport and suddenly it was there. After arriving next to the Opera House, though, I also walked around that HUGE building 2 or 3 times looking for the sign indicating the Metro stop. I asked some folks in a store and they pointed to the big intersection in front of the Opera - but I didn't see anything except lots of traffic. I was so tired and jetlagged that I just started crying. Finally I realized that out in the middle of that intersection there were people going down a stairway. I found it!! Then I had to buy a carnet, figure out how to insert the ticket, and find my train. When I got off, I thought I could easily find my way to the hotel, but there were no street signs and I got all turned around. It took about 20 min. of walking in circles before I got to the hotel. When I arrived and got to my room I started sobbing. I was so tired that the stress of just finding the hotel set me over the edge. I can look back and laugh now, but at that time I was ready to head back home. I also got lost trying to find a certain Metro station to go to Versailles and ended up with only a couple hours to see that site. I'm headed back to Europe next year and I'm hoping that it will be easier this time!

I'll add my own 'hopelessly lost' story...it happens in two parts.

My plane landed in Rome at 7am, and since I only did carry-on, I was one of the first off the plane and out of the airport. Found the Leo Express and bought a ticket, no problems. Got to Termini, wandered around a bit trying to figure out where the metros were, solved that and took it out to the Musei Vaticano stop by my hotel. Was feeling pretty proud of myself at this point!

Exited the metro station and started walking, following my RS map and the directions the tour had provided. There was a slight flaw in that the directions simply said 'turn right' as opposed to 'sharp right' (U-turn) and I ended up walking about a mile in the wrong direction before I decided to turn around and go back to the metro station and try again. I hadn't figured out where the street signs were yet (up on the buildings), but there were signs pointing to the Vatican Museum which I figured would get me close enough, and it did.

Second time getting horribly lost was on the same day. I had dropped my bag at the hotel and decided to go explore the area. I had a hotel map in addition to the RS map, but I ended up so horribly lost that I wasn't on EITHER. After an hour of wandering the streets trying to find something that looked familiar, I spotted the Vatican walls (though I didn't know what they were at the time) and decided to head for that. Got myself back on the map and to the hotel in about 10 minutes.

Moral of the story: use landmarks and pack a compass/gps. Maps won't always save you.