Everything I Learnt While Travelling Europe For 4 Months
Everything I Learnt After Travelling For 4 Months
My forever favourite travel quote is “travel far enough, and you’ll meet yourself.” and it’s so incredibly true. The more you travel, the more you learn about yourself and it’s really such a wonderful way to grow and develop yourself as a human being! One of the positives I always mention to people when they’re contemplating a long term trip overseas is how much you learn not only about yourself, but about what you’re capable of handling.
There’s only so much growth that can take place when you stay in the same place you were born and raised, and I’ve always known this from a very young age. I actually did a 3 month trip to Europe back in 2014 at 18 years old where my character development saw me turn from a young girl to a young woman and I probably experienced the most change.
Last years trip saw learnings that were similar, but slightly different. Rather than discovering the adult world this time round I was discovering what I could handle as a grown woman. How could I manage 4 months of the same suitcase as a blogger who relies on new clothes for interesting photos? What would it be like travelling with a boyfriend? How will I cope with the partying this time round being 5 years older?
Well let me tell you, I have all of the answers now and I am so glad that I had the privilege of exploring the depths of my capabilities. Here’s what I know now.
Prepare to live a life that’s much less glam
A ‘holiday’ is glam, ‘travelling’ is not so glam. Wearing your underwear inside out because you couldn’t find a laundromat in time before your next train is not glam, sleeping in damp sheets in a creepy hotel room that feels like Dracula’s lair in Venice because it was a cheap option is not glam, screaming for the bus to Prague to not leave because you’re late is not glam, getting another McDonalds cheeseburger for lunch because it’s all you can afford 3 months into your trip is not glam.
There are going to be countless moments where you just feel plain gross, but you’ve honestly just got to see the in fun it! It teaches you to become less of a diva than you’d normally be and shows you that life can still be fun, adventurous and exciting without a fancy hotel room or a lot of money to spend.
There will be days where you’ll be exhausted beyond comprehension
We had so many days where tired was an absolute understatement because sometimes your travel schedule can cause some unexpected all nighters. For example, we stupidly only booked 48 hours in New York with a 6.30 AM flight out of the city. We overlooked the flight time and stayed out pretty late on our second evening in NY, as you do. We realised that of course we had to be at the airport by 4.30, so by the time we got back to our hotel at 12.30 there was pretty much no point in going to sleep. We made the same mistake on our last night at Sziget Festival in Budapest, basically just be very careful when you’re booking those early morning cheaper flights and make sure you’re prepared to do an all nighter if necessary!
Some locals will make you feel loved, some will make you feel horrible & unwanted
If you want to feel loved and welcomed, go to Italy, if you don’t care, book an extra couple of days in Budapest. There’s just always going to be those cultures that welcome tourists more than others, the French for example are well known for their lack of fondness towards tourists. I was really shocked by the experiences we had in Budapest by the Hungarian locals, understandably it was Sziget festival which brings in a lot of young tourists, and the years and years of oppression Hungarians have felt contribute to this, but the rudeness and verbal abuse we experienced for doing absolutely nothing was enough for me to never go back to Hungary.
You will bicker with your travel partner
Doesn’t matter if you’re best friends or a couple that never argues, you will bicker if you’re travelling together for a really long period of time. Make sure you discuss your boundaries, what upsets or annoys you and just ensure you communicate as much as possible to avoid any disagreements. Stay on the same page with your travel plans, the daily schedule and what you’re both comfortable spending money on. Make sure you empathise with each other, because so often you might be feeling or experiencing different things! Patience and love, people! You’ll come home stronger than ever!
If you find a good coffee, it’s a good day
It’s actually shocking how difficult it is to find a good coffee throughout Europe. Prepare to struggle in France, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece & Croatia, and make the most of the amazing cafes serving amazing coffee in Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Spain & Portugal. When in doubt, just go to the local Starbucks.
Get up early in busy tourist cities
The early bird gets the worm, especially if that bird is somewhere like Rome. We managed to have so many lovely experiences at busy tourist spots because we were up at 6 and out the door with a pastry in hand by 6.30. The lighting for photos is better, you don’t have to worry about pick pockets as much because they’re still asleep, nobody is in the background of your photos, and avoiding the mid day heat that can reach up to 40 degrees is a really, really good idea. We managed to have places like Brooklyn Bridge in New York, the Trevi Fountain in Rome and Krka National Park in Croatia all to ourselves because we were the ultimate early birds. Promise, it’s worth it!
You’ll pay unexpected taxes
Tourist tax.. oh how I hate you. Tourist Tax AKA City Tax is an unexpected pain in the ass tax you are asked to pay when checking into our out of any hotel or hostel across Europe. It can be up to 15-20 Euros per night, which is one of those things you never read about when booking your accomodation. We also had moments in Italy where you’re charged 'Coperto’. Coperto is an extra fee on top of your meal that is kind of like tipping, except you have to pay it. The better the restaurant and the closer you are to tourist attractions, the more the Coperto will be, which can often be up to 5 Euros extra on top of your drinks or meal. Moral of the story, always prepare to spend more than you need to when travelling through expensive countries like Italy and France!
You become a more patient & relaxed person
One of the things travel has taught me the most is to not stress over the trivial things in life. When you’re running late because of a late uber driver and you’re mentally preparing to miss a 5 hour train ride that will muck up your accomodation and put your travel schedule back by a day, you learn to not sweat the small stuff once you get home. I definitely have more of a “oh, it could be worse, I could be stranded at 3 AM in a random Polish town” attitude (that’s a story for a different day).
Keep a good balance of party and travel
Trust me, I’ve done a Contiki tour. It’s a bit shit when you get home and your mum asks how Rome was but you were too hungover to appreciate anything when you were there. When I was 18 in Europe I definitely over-did it on the partying, so when Liam and I travelled last year we decided we’d keep the partying for the festivals, meeting up with friends, and our sail week in Croatia, that left about 70% of the trip for early nights and early mornings. Plan your trip with a good balance of everything so you don’t get burnt out, or miss out!
You’ll become a better budgeter
Nothing teaches you how to budget like the fear of not being able to afford dinner! Assessing your money situation over a number of months, how much you’ve spent and how much more money you’re likely to spend teaches you so many great budgeting habits for when you arrive home and go back to ‘normal life’.
Have you learnt any good lessons after travelling?
Photos are taken in Lisbon, Portugal - my favourite Portuguese city.