5 Tips to Travel through Europe

Hi guys,

I’m baaaaack! Vacation mode has been Deactivated! So, how have YOU been doing? Did you get a chance to take a break from work or school like I did since my last blog? If you did, I’d like to hear your vacation story (Comment Below), like where did you go, what did you do or any travel tips you may have. But, if you haven’t had a chance to take a break yet, you can share with us where you will like to go.

I had an amazing time traveling through Europe. I toured across 3 countries, starting from the United Kingdom (UK), going to Switzerland, then France and back to the UK. It was great seeing family, reconnecting with old friends and meeting new people. Our European tour spanned 6 cities in 6 days. We touched down at Chelsea London, Geneva, Paris, St. Raphael, Nice and St. Tropez and it was so much fun exploring the cities and learning their culture. I definitely leaned a lot on this trip which I’ll be sharing in a later blog post, but for today I’ll be sharing 5 important tips when traveling through Europe while I sort out my vacation pics to share with you guys.

Anyway, after all the fun and adventure, I’m glad to be home. As they say, there is no place like home. Home is what keeps me centered and grounded and home right now is Houston, Texas.

Here are my 5 travel tips for the day

1. Pack and Travel Light – I learned my lesson the hard way and I’ll definitely do better next time. I am always guilty of packing more things than I need on a trip and that’s what I did. I’m so glad I had my husband with me to help log that huge luggage because in between climbing stairs, getting on escalators, catching a flight, getting on trains and trams, I was exhausted. So, my advice is to travel as light as possible, because touring Europe requires a lot of ease moving around.
2. Comfy Shoes – You sure need comfortable shoes and the best is sneakers because you walk a lot in Europe. People do drive here but sometimes the traffic is too crazy. They have such a great public transportation system which makes traveling so much easier but that requires being on your feet a lot. Also, to enjoy the true European experience of walking, hiking, catching the bus, tram or train, you have to be comfortable while looking good. FYI, wearing sneakers with different outfits became one of my favorite European fashion tip.
3. Travel by Train – This is not the fastest way to travel across Europe but it is the best way if you want to enjoy the scenes of the city/country. For example going through the Alps was priceless. The view was beautiful and breathe taking as we went from France to Switzerland through the mountains, which we would have missed if we travelled by plane.
4. Have a Travel plan – This is very important to help organize and guide you in a new place. You can easily get distracted and lost, so having a plan, a Map/GPS, phone and translator app/book especially in a country that speaks a different language from you is important to help you navigate easily and it makes your trip less stressful.
5. Go to local hot spots and Mix with Locals – This is a way to enjoy the authentic sights and sounds of a city like their monuments, their historic sights etc. This is so important because part of the fun in traveling for me is discovering the culture and lifestyle of a certain group of people and a major part of people’s culture is their food and music. Also, I always advice people to mingle with locals. You can’t come to a new place and stay in a cocoon like an island and not learn from the locals.

I hope you enjoyed the read, please leave a COMMENT.

xoxo

Chigi.