No matter how much you plan or how well-traveled you are, you’re bound to make a few mistakes. That’s what my husband and I realized after our first trip together to Europe last spring.
Despite our best efforts, our almost-three-month adventure in the United Kingdom, France, and Spain included more than a few miscalculations — some of which happened before we even boarded the plane.
Before your nexttrip to Europe, you may want to learn from our mistakes to save yourself time, money, and stress.
Relying on rideshares and cabs instead of learning how to navigate public transportation right away
During our first week in London, we used the city’s famous black cabs and ride-hailing apps like Bolt and Uber. This cost us hundreds of dollars, and we also wasted a lot of time sitting in traffic.
We eventually figured out how to navigate public transit (with the help of the Citymapper app), and this was a huge time and money saver everywhere we went in Europe. I wish we’d done it sooner.
Not being more skeptical about rental listings
We booked a few rental spaces for our trip and didn’t realize until after arriving that we’d been duped by some of the hosts’ photos.
Turns out, many of them had been taken in 0.5 zoom, which can make spaces (especially bathrooms) look a lot bigger than they are.
We now scrutinize images on rental sites more closely, ask hosts specific questions about the space, and read all user reviews. Sometimes, we even request more photos.
Renting a car to cross countries
Part of the excitement of our European adventure was traveling by plane, train, and automobile.
We loved taking trains, butdriving through the south of France and northern Spain was more stressful than idyllic. We weren’t prepared to navigate the roads, from the expensive tolls to the confusing signs with symbols we’d never seen before.
Looking back, we shouldn’t have rented a car. From now on, when we’re abroad, we’re sticking to trains and planes.
Packing the wrong shoes and not breaking them in
My husband has an uncommon shoe size, so he packed two pairs of new sneakers. The problem was, he didn’t wear them much before the trip.
Turns out, there’s a big difference between walking a mile in Santa Monica and 6 to 8 miles a day in Paris and London. If he’d broken them in more, we would’ve known he needed replacement insoles.
Instead, by the end of our trip, we’d spent hundreds of dollars on moleskin pads and bandages — and my husband’s feet were so blistered and bruised that they didn’t go back to normal for weeks.
Next time, he’s making sure his shoes are effectively tested and broken in before going on a trip that requires a lot of walking.
Hiding our passports in our rental apartment … then forgetting about them
We didn’t necessarily want to carry our passports with us while exploring different cities and towns. So, in an effort to keep them safe, we’d hide them in some of our Airbnbs when a safe wasn’t available.
However, we forgot to take our passports with us while checking out of one rental in Spain — partly because we were in such a rush to leave.
To avoid making this scary mistake again, we now use a packing checklist and double-check that we have all of our belongings when we check out of an accommodation.
Not learning enough of the local languages before the trip
Though it was easy for us to get by in Spain with my conversational Spanish, it was difficult to communicate in France with our very limited French.
Granted, most locals spoke English, but our lack of language proficiency was particularly distressing when we ended up at a Parisian hospital trying to explain my husband’s headache symptoms and understand the doctor’s advice. (Thank goodness for Google Translate!)
With so many free language-learning apps and resources out there, we should’ve brushed up months beforehand instead of waiting until the last minute. That way, we could’ve navigated each country more comfortably, efficiently, and independently.
Assuming our Platinum Amex would be the only card we’d need
Getting the Platinum Amex Card was phenomenal for its sign-on bonus points and perks like car-rental insurance, $15 monthly Uber Cash, and no foreign transaction fees.
However, most places we visited in Europe didn’t accept American Express cards. Instead, we had to use our other credit cards that charged international fees.
Now, when traveling abroad, we don’t rely on Amex alone — we also take at least one Mastercard or Visa that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.
Booking a monthlong stay in a city we hadn’t planned on visiting
Initially, our European adventure wasn’t going to include a month in Donostia-San Sebastian, a seaside town in Spain’s Basque Country.
But a friend told us about the region, and we figured it’d be fun to visit this renowned gastronomic hub.
It was beautiful — but after 10 days of pintxos (local bite-sized snacks) and promenade walks, we got bored and left.
Knowing we wouldn’t get a refund for our rental was difficult, but we determined it was worth the extra cost so we could return to Paris and enjoy a city we truly love.
Next time, we’ll follow our instincts and also try a place out for a shorter period of time if we’re not sure we’ll love it.
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