After traveling Europe for 2.5 weeks, I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH. Honestly to the point I was hitting burn-out and we hadn’t even left the USA. BUT, I am an anxious traveler and I don’t like flying. Long story short, I was on a plane that almost went down and ever since then, if I feel a little turbulence, my mind automatically goes to, “We are going to die.” Yup, don’t you wish you can sit next to me on a Trans-Atlantic flight 😉

Anyhow, here is where I did my research:

1. TripAdvisor – from accommodations, tours and just things to do
2. Airlines – Kayak.com, Icelandair, Aer Lingus and your normal Expedia or Travelicity
3. Metro/Ground Transportation – Pinterest and travel blogs (by doing an internet search)
4. “Don’t miss foods or places” – see if 36 Hours in..[whatever location]… or Delicious Destinations by Andrew Zimmerman is on the TV or youtube
   1. Also don’t forget your local library or Amazon Prime

This is the beginning of a series of what we did and to what we learned while abroad, so keep posted for future updates. My husband and I traveled train, airplane, metro, etc. from Munich for Ocktoberfest, London, Paris and Amsterdam before heading back stateside.

To kick this Travel series off, here is what we learned:

1. Confirm the date and time with front desk upon arrival – We did not use our data plan while abroad and yes, I messed up on the dates; however, nothing detrimental like missing a flight occurred as we discovered the correct date before it became a hazard.
2. Leave some tickets open if plans change – meaning trains normally don’t run too late; however, we did buy train tickets that we could switch times as long as there was a seat available which gave us some flexibility if we wanted to spend more time in a city.
3. Double check each other’s work; especially dates and times before leaving – For instance, the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays while the Musee d”Orsay and the Palace of Versailles are closed on Mondays. Really, with the internet now and Google Translate, it is easy to plan ahead and at least get a general idea of what to do when. I used an Excel spreadsheet to make our itinerary (Mock European Itinerary) which was easier for me to insert, and move entire events to another day after figuring out some logistics. I was able to leave the itinerary with my family so they knew where I was on which days, in case something happened.
4. Keep a copy of everything with you – I kept a copy of our passports, to train tickets, confirmation of hotels, etc. Which made it easy upon arrival to train stations and hotels looking up my last name than trying to have people figure it out (as it doesn’t sound like it is spelled).

Stay tune for more…….