Travel FAQ

That said, if you want to really see a country, unless you have a few spare years to kill, you won’t be spending a whole lot of time in any one place. More often what happens is that travelers end up breaking one trip into several one-to-three day stays in individual cities. While this is a fantastic way to see and do as much as you can, planning a half-dozen trips in a foreign land can be difficult, and can easily get you confused, frustrated, and wondering about whether you’ve forgotten or missed something. Here, we’ve attempted to alleviate some of this stress by answering five questions you’ll face when going abroad.

 

Google Maps is an invaluable aid here. Before departing, be sure to look up your cities to get a good idea of where everything is, both in terms of landmarks in the cities and the locations of the cities themselves. A quick glance over the map could mean the difference between staying three blocks or three miles from the city center, or missing a fantastic little village half an hour outside the city that you didn’t even know was there.

Tip: Always check out the tourism office in every city you visit. They’re run by locals who know everywhere you need to go and, often, will provide you with a free map of the city with major landmarks and sights highlighted. Before you leave, be sure to ask one of the employees what their favorite restaurant is. When it comes to foreign chow, always ask the locals; they’ll steer you towards better and cheaper fare than you could find on your own.

 

In Europe the most popular and easiest mode of transport via the railways. While airlines still reign supreme for long trips, taking a train means no hassling with security, no sneaky luggage fees, and no arranging transport to and from the airport (Sants station in Barcelona is smack in the middle of the city, while the BCN airport is a 45 minute train ride or 30 Euro cab fare outside of town). Each country has their own website dedicated to train travel (Renfe.es for Spain, Trenitalia.it for Italy, Bahn.de for Germany, etc.), so be sure to research timetables before you depart.

Don’t immediately rule out other methods of travel, though. Budget airlines like Vueling and Clickair are often cheaper and faster options than trains, particularly when booked well in advance. Buses can also a perfectly valid (and cheap!) option, particularly in areas where high speed trains aren’t widespread, like the Basque territories in Spain.

Regardless of your mode of transport, making arrangements well in advance is definitely a good idea. Though it’s not always noted, many airline companies only accept US credit cards in person or over the phone, and some train companies only accept them in person. Booking in advance also allows you to hammer out any mistakes in the reservations—a necessity for international travel (I was unaware I was travelling with a Katb Colinf from the United Arab Emirates, but our agent saw fit to make a flight reservation for her instead of her good friend Katie Collins from Atlanta).

 

While you might want to purchase a travel guide for a long stay in a particular city, Wikitravel is a fantastic tour guide for short trips. Where Wikipedia typically pays more attention to history, culture, politics, and current events, Wikitravel focuses entirely on sights to see, things to do, and anything else a traveler might want to know.

Hostelworld.com and hostelbookers.com are the two most popular websites for booking hostels and budget hotels. These websites provide users with large lists of possible accommodations and allow them to search for a place to stay based on type, price, rating, and a few other criteria. They also have a map application, and the most important bit of advice we can give is use it.  If your accommodations look too nice for their price, it’s most likely way out in the boondocks. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, it should be taken into account. Would you rather spend an extra ten Euros a night and avoid daily train rides into and out of the city? Or vice versa?

The two most common places to stay are hostels and budget hotels, and both have their pros and cons. Where a decent hostel typically costs around 25 Euros per person per night, a budget hotel is a little more expensive (30-40 Euros), but gives you your own room and a private or semi-private bathroom (both of which are much less common in hostels). Hotels generally expect you keep to yourself, which is great for kicking back and relaxing after a long day, but means that you won’t get a chance to meet many other travelers. Hostels, on the other hand, are great places to meet other backpackers, and typically have a common area to socialize and discuss your travels.

 

Travel light and, when in doubt about something, avoid packing it if you can. Remember that if you forget to bring something you can easily buy it in Europe.

 

A few absolute necessities include back-up copies of your passport (which make getting a replacement infinitely less painful), an adapter or converter for electronics (know the difference!), and multiple methods of payment. Don’t just carry a single debit or credit card; if something happens to the card itself, or the account gets blocked (not altogether uncommon while travelling), having a backup card and a stash of emergency cash can be a lifesaver.