Lessons Learned: 21-day travel

Great info. Thanks for posting

I've lost count of how many trips we've made to Europe, but I still learn something new each time. Or, I get reminded of something I had once learned, but had forgotten. Also, new tools, sites, etc. keep appearing. It's quite helpful to other travelers to share your insights. Thanks.

I love honest and helpful reports like this. I've been to Europe more than a dozen times and still get tripped up with public transportation sometimes.

Thanks for posting! I, too, find public transport to be the most challenging after having spent a lot of my life in Florida (and yes, North FL, lol! with degrees from both both UF/FSU) and Idaho where there is ~none~.

Depending on how many people, your transport to CDG might have been less expensive via taxi, but you'll know that for next time!

Thanks for this post, too.
I always pack some callous cushions, the large round ones, in case I get a blister. (Dr. Scholl's makes the best ones, but Walgreen's are pretty good. CVS brand are worthless.)

"I guess not many on this forum live in or travel to NYC, DC or Boston in which taking public transport is how we commute to/from work, errands, outings, etc."

Nope. I have lived in 5 states over my long life and have never lived in a city with public transportation. Only a couple of times did I ever even take a school bus (either walked or went by car). So, yes, for me figuring out public transportation with trains/metro systems/buses is a huge challenge. I do have the Metro/Tube apps for Paris and London and as I've visited them a number of times and feel comfortable with them. I'm sure next time James travels it will be less challenging but if it's to a new area there is a learning curve.

Yet another great post, james. You're really good at this! Thanks especially for the lessons learned/mistakes portion; good to know not everyone is as savvy as a lot of posters on this forum and like me, still learning. I live near enough to Denver that I frequently use the public transportation system to get into the city and I am happy we FINALLY do have something other than buses-light rail. That said, the light rail system in the Denver area certainly continues to be a work in progress, a fact of which I am painfully aware of every time I travel to the big cities in Europe or the east coast. But we have something, finally, and I am grateful for that! Interesting about the Mobile Passport App. Thank you for posting.

Even when we travel in the US, figuring out the local public transport is a challenge. We live in a city which does not have a good bus system. We don't have subways. We have one commuter train that has one route which only helps the people who live along that one route. And the busses don't really get you to the train, even if you wanted to take it to one of its two travel points. Given that each city has its own quirks, public transportation is always the most challenging thing for us to learn when we travel - domestically or abroad.

I like taking public transport. I made a hotel concierge in Munich laugh when I told him I'd rather take the train than the cab so that I could learn how to use it. But public transportation is not ever an option for us locally and always creates a learning curve in a new location.

Thank you . This is all great information. I packed waterproof shoes for Scotland. Never would have thought to do that for Salzburg but of course it does rain everywhere!!!! I have heard good and bad on Mobile Passport. Did not seem to be necessary when returning through Atlanta.

Pam, you never took the bus in Gainesville? I remember taking it to class when my junky car wouldn't start. And that was a long time ago.

James, you probably learned the biggest lesson: No trip goes 100% as planned. Expect the unexpected.

Thank you James. Figuring out public transportation in a foreign country / city is my biggest challenge too. The only thing that makes me anxious. Very anxious. Thanks for sharing all your insights.

Now that I think about, every time I have been to Europe I have run into a train problem, usually my fault because of an unfamiliar station name, but one time an earthquake paired with a strike. Stressful and sometimes expensive, but have made my best travel stories, lol.

On the flip side, the only time we bring our own water is when we're planning longer hikes or there are environmental concerns (some US national parks ban the sale of bottled water inside the parks because the bottles generate too much trash there). Otherwise, there's always a kiosk, vending machine, snack shop, or convenience store within a few minutes of everywhere, and since it's generally doable to puzzle out mineral, spring, sparkling, etc. water from the labels on the bottle, even in non-English languages, we actually have fun picking different brands in different places.

Loved getting Vittel brand still water everywhere in France after seeing the company as a lead sponsor for the Tour de France for years.

Before I went to Europe I had been on a train twice as a kid which I barely remember, so basically never a train, never had flown, never had taken a subway since there was none in SF then, only the bus and tram. Tracking the German train system and working it turned out to be easy. The Tube system in London was easy, easier than the Metro in Paris, at least for me. The U-Bahn system in Hamburg wasn't too hard to manage, there was none in Munich or Vienna then. The rental car is not an option.

Drinking mineral water in Germany the very first time did seem a bit strange but I quickly got used to it. If "they" can drink it, I had better be able to drink it. If you want it without the carbonation, ie gas, look for "still" on the label, with gas you look for "prickelnd" on the label.