What do you wish you had known?
Dec 2nd, 2002, 04:45 PM
#42
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Prior to departure, assume that your flight out is 24 hours sooner than it actually is. Then, leave the actual day of departure free to relax and unwind after all the flurry of preparation.<BR><BR>I've never actually managed this, by the way. Our last day is always a high-adrenalin last minute rush. Maybe next trip? : - )
Dec 2nd, 2002, 05:29 PM
#44
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Great thread. Wish I had known...that my boyfriend in 1979 was going to propose to me in Paris...and wish that I had known that I would say NO. We didn't marry, but the proposal and answer put a strain on the trip. Oh, well. Returned many years later with my current (and only) hubby and had a wonderful time...and the first proposal wasn't even thought of!
Dec 2nd, 2002, 05:47 PM
#45
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Just a note of caution that calling your credit card company before you leave is no guarantee. We notified Visa before we left for France, and used our card with no problem until out of the blue it was rejected at an elegant little restaurant in Provence. Fortunately I had a back up card I brought along for an emergency (my husband and I carried our cards separately for security.) The next day we called Visa and got our card reactivated. When we got home, we had phone messages from Visa warning us of "suspicious" activity on our account. So much for notifying them! A backup plan is never a bad idea....
Dec 2nd, 2002, 08:59 PM
#46
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First trip tip: Don't get so crazy about staying on your budget that you lose perspective. There are times when you need to spend an extra $20 -- just do it.<BR><BR>Tip for the financially stable: You never regret the things you buy, you only regret the things you didn't buy. (I've found that to be 99% accurate.)<BR><BR>Eternal tip: Pack less. Always.
Dec 2nd, 2002, 09:51 PM
#47
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We surely wished we had known that traveling by train with a large suitcase is not a great idea. Well, maybe if we had packed less clothes the suitcase would have been a bit lighter. There is no one to help you with getting your luggage into the train and there are a few stairs into the train that are really treacherous if you have to lift your heavy and bulky suitcase up those stairs especially with a pushy crowd behind you. My husband almost strained his back doing this feat several times as we traveled by train for a couple days transferring twice.
Dec 3rd, 2002, 06:35 AM
#50
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I wish we had known how to get OFF the train in England. We were the only ones in the car and were waiting by the door as we were coming to our stop. We did not know that you had to open the window on the door and reach around to the outside to open the door. There were no signs to explain the procedure. Luckily someone standing outside saw what was happening and helped us out. Those trains do not linger in the station for long!
Dec 3rd, 2002, 07:03 AM
#52
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My first trip to Venice, I booked through a supposedly knowledgable travel agent. The agent had us fly into Rome, with a stop in Milan, then change planes in Rome for a flight to Venice. Not only that, but the plane changing in Rome was at 2 different airports. The easier route would have been to get off at milan (where we stopped over anyway) and changed planes there. Since this trip, I book my own flights and hotels.
Dec 3rd, 2002, 07:12 AM
#53
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Some of the best memories we have of Europe is not the tourist things that we see but it is the unexpected things we run into that turn out to be fun. The people we meet along the way and the happenings we experienced. My advice: Don't so overplan and overschedule your trip that you do not allow time for just wandering around an area. Stop, go slower and enjoy Europe.
Dec 4th, 2002, 06:28 AM
#55
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Tin, you've got to be kidding me. A GPS? Isn't a GPS is mostly a toy, except perhaps for very rural or rugged areas, and for air/water and/or military navigation? I just can't see myself walking through paris with a GPS going, "ahh, let's see we are at ___ longitude and __ latitude, the Notre Dame must be over there". Couldn't you just look at a map or (gasp) ask someone if you get lost?
Dec 4th, 2002, 06:40 AM
#56
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I wish I had known how WONDERFUL Europe is. I would have begun to travel there even earlier in my life, and if I could go back in time and start again as a recent college graduate I would pursue permanent employment in Europe. It is so much nicer than here in the USA.
Dec 4th, 2002, 06:48 AM
#57
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The whole language fear. I was terrified that i would be a stumbling/bumbling tourist w/my limited knowledge of other languages. Though I've had a couple of moments, none have mattered & most are comical now. Do your homework, but don't get hung-up on not knowing a language fluently.
Dec 4th, 2002, 07:09 AM
#58
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tee ([email protected]): I do not use it to get to places just to find my way home when I am really lost, but I guess you always stay in touristy areas never far from the McDonalds. In rugged or open areas I never use it, then its easy. Thank you! But I really have used it a lot late at night.<BR>
Dec 4th, 2002, 01:05 PM
#60
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Write down (or learn) the number equivalent for your ATM password. I used letters and in Ireland the ATMs only have numbers. So, being the smart person I am, I said "I'll look on the telephone at the hotel and write down the corresponding numbers." Well, the phones have only numbers, not letters as do ours. I was afraid of the card getting swallowed, that I didn't try again after the first rejection. Luckily for me, my travel mate had hers and I paid her back when we returned. <BR>Also, never take surface vehicles (minivans, etc.) to Heathrow. My daughter and I missed the flight because of traffic. Now we use the rail.<BR><BR>The things we learn....
