Lance and I are quite the world travelers. This wasn't always the case. The first time we went to Europe, we didn't know anything. We brought crap shoes, crap coats, no guide, no snacks, no medications and no sleeping pills. And we ate crap food and stayed in crap hotels. London was fab in many ways, but that trip was not great for all the aforementioned reasons.
We made a list of all the reasons that trip sucked, and have made up for it since. Here are the hard lessons we learned.
Murphy's pesky law is in full effect. If you don't bring Band-Aids, you will get blisters. If you skimp on the Pepto, you are guaranteed to have a horrible bellyache. If you don't bring Excedrin, you will be cursed with migraines. Now I bring "The Family Pharmacy" along and we hardly ever have to dip into it.
We buy and read guides for the country we're going to visit. This also has great food, shopping, sightseeing and hotel recommendations. Buy it, read it, use it. Your visit will be amazing. We used one to find the best food in France and it did not disappoint. See my travel bag? It's a Baggelini. I love that sucker. It's been all over Europe. You should never, ever bring a regular purse.
Snackies. Europeans know nothing of convenience stores. If you get hungry at midnight, you will starve until the next morning. I always bring nuts, jerky, chips, powerbars, trail mix, dried fruit, fruit bars, and candy. It's a lifesaver.
Good footwear. I just picked up these Hunter wellies, which I love because the forecast is a little wet and rainy. I feel so British. We're also a fan of Keen shoes--I have 2 pairs, and they have logged hundreds of miles across Europe.
A good jacket. It needs to withstand wind, cold, and rain. I got this at the North Face outlet in Berkeley. I AM NEVER GOING TO SHOP AT REI AGAIN. I got 2 jackets and a pair of gloves for under $300. This jacket alone was supposed to be over $300!
Books and magazines. I go for trashy, mindless reads. I'm sure War and Peace is great, but I'm not reading that on vacay.
Ipod. How did we survive before these babies??
Ambien CR. The best drug ever. Takes care of jet-lag and ensures a nice, restful night in the Land of Nod.
I'm so excited about Germany. Lance and I both (weirdly) took German in HS when everyone else was taking French and Spanish, and I've been wanting to go ever since. I'm looking forward to the sights, hotels, food and the boat trip on the Rhein. And, best of all, I'm excited for 2 weeks straight with Lancer.
I will post pics when we get back. Tchüss!
7 comments:
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles! über Alles in der Welt!
yes....what lance said.
have fun! can't wait to eat your treats upon return!
Have a blast on your vacation!!! And, good tips.
Great tips. I totally agree. It's so nice having what you need. I acquired Ambien CR for our redeye home from Hawaii. I am used to normal Ambien and was surprised when 1 CR did not knock me out prior to take-off. So I took another and then wanted to sleep for about 24 hours straight. I am a believer in guide books, even though I sometimes feel like a nerd using one. And I love the wellies. So chic! I can't wait to see pics and hear all about Germany. It's probably the place we want to go next. Other things I recommend are one of those plane pillows, plug converters (of course), and a couple cans of your beverage of choice in your suitcase so when you wake up your first morning in a strange country you can have your breakfast coke. Have so much fun!!! I am jealous.
Really good tips -- thanks! (Love the bag, boots and jacket, too.)
Do you have a particular favorite travel guide series? (Lonely Planet, Fodor's, Frommer's etc.) Which one did you like for France?
Great tips--all of them. I love the north face parka. What a steal. Have a great trip. I'm looking forward to a full report.
You two are such the jetsetters. Haben einen großen Urlaub!
Post a Comment