Useful Tips To Make Your Europe Trip Memorable

When I think of our Europe trip all good memories refreshed. Although, it needs some research and planning especially when you are planning a foreign trip. When we were planning the Europe trip, we were sceptical about where to start. I started reading blogs, watching Europe trip videos and foremost got some valuable inputs from friends who have been there before, which helped us to make our trip memorable. We had a great time in Europe. Here, I am sharing some of the tips from my experiences, which will help you to make your Trip enjoyable:

• Finalise the countries/cities you want to visit in Europe.  Europe is a vast continent with so many countries. So, first decide which region you want to visit in Europe. Set your priorities according to what you are interested in such as landscapes, architecture, history, beaches, countrysides etc and based on the budget for the trip. 

Incredible view of City from Effiel Tower, Paris

• Choose a season/ month suitable to travel to that country /city. In summer there is a maddening crowd causing long queue outside most of the touristy places in Europe. For example, you will have to wait in extremely long queues for getting a glimpse of Monalisa or get a ticket to Effiel tower. Spring and Fall season are suitable for visiting the touristy places.
• Finalize the entry and exit points in Europe. If you are visiting two or more countries, finalize entry/exit points in those countries. Decide the number of days you will spend in each country. This will help you to finalize the country, from where you have to apply for Schengen Visa for. 
• Check the terms of the issue of visa of the country, if it is too stringent, then you may change your itinerary to apply for the visa from some other countries. 

Photo with Effiel Tower is mandatory 😁

• For tourist visa apply well in advance. It's always good to apply for a visa as soon as you can to avoid all the last minute hassle. 
• Apply for  Schengen visa, if you are going to visit any country falling in the Schengen area. The Schengen area is an area comprising 22 European states that have officially abolished passport and all other types of Border control at their mutual borders. A Schengen visa allows the visa holder to reside in the Schengen zone for a maximum of 90 days.

• Book your hotels/bed and breakfast (Airbnb). Book hotels / BnBs with a refundable option or free cancellation. 
• Book B&Bs to get a homely feel. We have only booked the Bnbs through Airbnb site on our Europe trip and experience was worth taking a chance as we were trying Bnbs for the first time. Its an amazing experience living in the home of the local people in their home. They gave us valuable information about the place and people which enriches our knowledge about the place and helped us to visit the places without any hassle.    
• Book your accommodation in a close proximity to the public transport. 
• If you intend to travel by train within Europe, book train tickets in advance for inter-country travel. Intra country train ticket /regional train tickets can be booked instantly and do not need a seat reservation.
• Check out for the Travel passes according to the days you are going to stay in the particular place. Check the travel passes which will save your money on your trip.

The transport system is so good in Europe (In pic; Switzerland)

• Call your bank/credit card company to make them aware that you are travelling out of the country. So, that they don't block your card when you are making transaction abroad.
• Apply for a travel card from your bank. Don't take a big amount of cash with you, instead apply for a travel card and ask your bank to transfer the amount of cash you will be needing on the trip. They will give you two cards primary card and secondary card. Don't keep both the cards together. In case you lost your primary card you can always make a call or message to your bank and make them aware of the situation. They will instantly block your primary card and in a duration of 24 hours, they will activate your secondary card. You can use your travel card just like your debit or credit card with pin numbers for doing payment anywhere. 
• Take out some amount of foreign currency with you. Foreign exchange fee at airports and in the foreign country is high. It's better to take some foreign currency with you and later on for more use you can always use ATMs. In some places like Paris, Rome sales tax is high. So, below 10 Euros bill or in some places even with more bill, they don't accept debit, credit or any card. In such cases, it's always better to have some cash always with you.
• Learn few basic survival phrases in the languages of the countries you are going to visit. You will be astounded to see what a huge difference it will make to make your trip memorable. People like when you make an effort to learn their native language. A simple greeting 'Bonjour'; 'Bonjourno', Bye 'Ciao' will work and people will go out of the way to help you as you are respecting their language and it is always nice to learn a new language.
• Pack light. The transport system is amazing in Europe still you have to walk a lot. It's the best thing you can do to make your travel easy and enjoyable.
• Check the weather of the place you are going to visit. It will help you in doing the packing. 

Rainy day in Rome

• Dress in Layers. Weather is indecisive and it becomes difficult to think about how to dress. So, it's perfect to dress in layers.
• Make a list of places you want to visit in different cities. It will save your time and you don't have to look for the places when you are in Europe. Don't overdo just a little bit of research.
• Don't Rush to places and try to cover everything. Give at least 3 days to a particular destination to get its local feel.
• Don't eat near the touristy places. Restaurants near to tourist places are highly priced. So, it's better to eat few blocks far to the tourist spots. You will find a huge price difference and you will get authentic local cuisine.

  

  Yummy Italian Pizza in Rome
  
• Keep an Extra bag. Keep an extra foldable/ Duffle bag in case you are planning to do a little bit of shopping.
• Buy a battery bank. Keep it in the bag you will carry with you while visiting the tourist spots. It will come handy when your phone battery discharged.
• Beware of pickpockets in the touristy places, metros, train stations, subways and all other crowded places. Many countries in Europe are hotspots for thieves. Don't keep all your money and cards at the same place. Don't carry your passport in the touristy places. You can keep a photocopy of your passport, it will work. Always be cautious of your surrounding and your stuff. For ladies, it's better to carry a sling bag which you can hang crossbody facing on the front of your body and men can keep their purse in front pockets instead of back pockets. 
• Don't get involved in any games, tricks played by people near the tourist place and don't sign any kind of forms related to donations for any cause. Doing so can get you in trouble.  So, avoid all this.