Hey everyone! I am back from my amazing European adventure, and ready to share my experiences with you. For those of you who do not know, I traveled for roughly 2 weeks around London, England and Paris, France. I also did a couple of day trips to other areas in these two countries. I have definitely learned a lot about traveling abroad, especially since this was my first time (without my family). I have gained some insight into the famous cities of London and Paris, so I wanted to share my top 5 tips and tricks for how to make the most of your European vacation. Specifically, those of you who have never traveled to either of these two cities will definitely find these hacks helpful.
Tip #1: Your hotel does have an impact on your travel experience
I can honestly say that your hotel location has a huge impact on your travel experiences. For instance, my London hotel was in a great location, was close walking distance to a few attractions, and treated us with major respect. Our hotel was called The Franklin, and our stay there was amazing. The staff was super friendly and personable, which I contribute to the size of the hotel itself. This hotel was on the smaller side, but this led to an unforgettable experience. Additionally, this hotel did have some "boujee" aspects that spoiled us, such as free Champagne, heated towel racks in the bathroom, and other free perks that were left in our room each day. They even upgraded our "room" to an apartment-like layout, including a separate bedroom and dining space. I highly recommend staying at this hotel!
On the flip side, our Paris hotel was huge, crowded, and not in the best location. While I may be biased since our previous hotel was way beyond our expectations and provided more than we ever imagined, one aspect that does not change is the fact that our hotel's location was poor. There were not many cafes or restaurants in walking distance and it was a longer walk to the "touristy" parts of the city. Additionally, the larger, crowded hotel made the staff less personable. Personally, I found that this impacted our stay in Paris, and I wish we had chosen to stay in a smaller hotel that was closer to Paris' main features. I discovered that staying in a smaller, more central hotel abroad does provide a better overall experience. While our Paris experience was still amazing, perhaps a different hotel would have impacted our experience in an even better way.
Tip #2: Plan what you want to see and do prior to traveling
I started planning the second we booked this trip and I am glad I did. While some plans will of course change due to the weather, distance, and just simply how you are feeling that day, I found it so helpful to determine what I want to do while I am traveling. While abroad, especially in cities, there are too many things to do, especially in London. However, by choosing specific activities, tours, and sights that I wanted to do/see, I was able to save time while away. I suggest dedicating a small notebook for your itinerary, notes and tour confirmations, to use in order to plan and organize in the months leading up to your trip, and then taking this notebook to use as a guide while abroad. I found it extremely helpful, and I highly recommend doing this for any trip you are planning.
Tip #3: The hop-on, hop-off bus is a must
I know London and Paris both offer this tour, and I am sure other European cities also offer this experience. The hop-on, hop-off bus offers a great way to become familiarized with the city's layout, as well as provides transportation to all of the must see touristy spots. It is also cheap for the most part, and provides numerous different colored routes that take you to different sections of the city. Additionally, both London and Paris gave some free perks when purchasing this tour. For instance, both included free walking tours when your purchased a ticket, and Paris' tour even included different packages you can choose in order to save money. We decided to do the two-day bus pass, along with a river cruise tour!
Tip #4: Take advantage of the free walking tours
While in both cities, I found that there are numerous opportunities to participate in free walking tours, so take advantage of them! As I previously mentioned, these tours are often included when you purchase another tour, such as the hop-on, hop-off bus. In some cases, people also just give free walking tours in populated tourist areas, so be on the lookout. These tours are actually very insightful, informative, and fun. Most importantly, they are FREE, so why not do them? At the end of the tour, it is suggested that you do give the guide a tip, so based on how well you thought the tour was can be the basis of how much you give your tour guide. In my experience, these tours are great and a must do activity!
Tip #5: Do not be afraid to try new things
While in a foreign country, you can often default in what you want to do, especially when it comes to eating. I am the type of person who does not do well with change and trying new things, but in a European country, it is a must! While it can be difficult sometimes, trying new things will definitely improve your experiences in a new country.
I hope these tips and tricks for visiting a European country for the first time were helpful. In the future, I plan on posting specific Travel Guides for London and Paris. This will break down the activities I did in each country, along with specific tips and tricks! I believe this will be even more helpful if you plan on visiting one of these specific cities.
Many more posts to come(:
~Ashley
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