Things To Know Before Visiting Europe

Traveling to Europe can be very thrilling and exciting. Like I’ve mentioned in my other blog (Read: A Direct Flight to Our Dream Destination via Scoot) one of our dream destinations is anywhere in Europe and finally, we were able to fulfill that dream. In this rare opportunity, we tried to cover as many countries/cities as we could:

• Berlin, Germany;
• Amsterdam, Netherlands;
• Paris, France;
• Venice, Florence, Rome, Italy,
• Vatican City;
• and Athens, Greece.

We did everything on our own, no travel tours, no agents, just us DIY’ing everything. Which means we had to do extensive research prior to the trip.  But regardless of how much you research there are some small things that you might never think could be relevant to your trip.

Here are some things we learned during our Euro trip that you MIGHT need to know:

TRAVEL LIGHT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN

Whether it’s for the #OOTD or just purely terrified that you might run out of clothes to wear — most of us will always end up bringing too many clothes. Every time I’m packing for an upcoming trip, I always tell myself that I would just pack light. And I am very guilty for just saying it but never really doing it. For this trip, I tried my best to cut down all the things I wanted to bring but I still wished I tried harder. Because I swear, you really have to travel light in Europe, especially if you are planning to visit more than just one country by yourself. Why? Apparently, Europe is not luggage friendly, well, at least, in the countries we’ve visited. Majority of the public places don’t have ramps, particularly in subways. You have to carry your luggage up and down the stairs and when I say stairs it is like about 1-2 ½ stories high. Even one of our hotels doesn’t have any lifts and we have to carry it all the way to the 3^rd floor! It’s THAT much of a hassle, I must say. Yeah sure, there may be some lifts and escalators in some stations but you will always find yourself carrying your luggage and I already warned you.

Congratulations, now that you managed to carry your heavy luggage out of the subway station–welcome to the street made in pavements/cobblestones! Oh you can’t find your hotel/hostel? Sorry, you have to pull that heavy luggage over the pavements for 3 blocks more. Good luck!

STILL or GAS/SPARKLING?

I remember on our first day in Europe, after carrying my luggage around Berlin, I got thirsty as hell! We bought a large bottle of water in the nearby supermarket, lo and behold, I got sparkling water. Sparkling water is very common in Europe, I don’t know why but it’s very evident. If you are not a fan, make sure to be extra cautious buying. Ask the vendor if it’s “STILL” water or do a quick Google search if you are unsure of what you are buying. After our first mistake in buying sparkling water, we went to the supermarket the next day to buy again. We were staring for about 10 minutes at the water shelves because we don’t know which one is the normal still waters. There are little to none normal still water on the display shelves! Usually, it says “Natural/Naturelle” if it is still water, but it also depends on the country so make sure to ask.

In addition, bottled waters when bought from stores would usually cost you another €0.25 as a deposit and you can have your money returned when you return the plastic bottles.

LOCAL AIRLINES (INTER-EURO FLIGHTS) ARE VERY STRICT

In my whole traveling experience, I’ve always known that PERSONAL BAG is different from CARRY-ON luggage/bag. When we booked our inter-Euro flights, I am aware that we can only bring one (1) carry-on luggage–but again, based on how I understand it, I can bring my personal bag where I put my wallet, passport, etc. and another, the actual carry-on luggage. Apparently, in EasyJet, Transavia, and Ryanair, this is not the case. While we were dropping our checked-in luggage, the ground crew noted that we can only bring one bag on board, it doesn’t matter if it’s your personal bag or not. If you really need to bring a second bag, you need to purchase this via the online/app.

A PET-FRIENDLY PLACE

I have noticed this in all the countries that we have visited; owners can bring their pet (majority dog/s) everywhere.  Some of the countries in Europe are pet-friendly and very lenient in bringing your fur baby with you, as in, you can also buy bus tickets for them. So don’t be surprised if you see dogs inside the restaurants, or while you’re inside the train, or while you’re shopping at your favorite store. I love dogs and seeing them everywhere all the time during the trip added happiness to my vacation. However, I understand that not everyone is like me. If you’re one of those people who may have allergies, phobia or simply just not into furry creatures, this serves as a reminder that this should be expected.

SCAMMERS AND RIP-OFFS

You might have heard this a thousand times but it doesn’t hurt to mention this again. Our friends and relatives kept on reminding us to be mindful of our things and be careful of pickpockets, especially in touristy places. Some of them are pretending to be tourists, also lining up at the entrances or could be inside the train with you. You will never know. We’ve heard too many vacation-turned-disaster stories because of their belongings being stolen but rarely being told about the scammers. With that, we made sure we are fully aware. We read articles, forums and watched a lot of videos about these things prior to traveling. These scammers are very creative, I must say! If you are not well aware, you will really fall in their traps. Apparently, there are tons of scams and are too many to mention. So it is always worth it to do a bit of reading, there are many blogs and articles you can find all over the internet about these. You can read our own experiences here: When in Europe: Avoid at All Cost

PUBLIC TOILETS (WC)

Probably our number one problem during the trip was finding the public toilets. First, it is quite hard to find toilets around and second, you need to shed about €0.50 – €1.00 per use, regardless of what you need to do. Moreover, even it is a paid toilet, don’t expect it to be sparkling clean or a fully functioning throne. However, there’s an option to use toilets in some cafés or restaurants, that is if you are a paying customer. Might as well, just grab a €2 coffee and use their toilet (often cleaner than paid public toilets). Most likely, there are free toilets available inside the attractions you’ll be visiting, so be sure to pay a visit before leaving. Don’t forget to bring moist tissues, you’ll thank me later.

COPERTO (Service/Cover Charge)

When in Italy, don’t be surprised if you see a  “coperto/coperti” in your final bill when you dine in a restaurant or in a café. This is a per-person service/cover charge. Good practice shows the price on the menu; it could range from €0.60 – €2 or in percentage. These are charged when you sit and dine on the table. If you’re just going to get a quick coffee fix and doesn’t feel like paying for it, you can stand up and take your espresso at the bar.

TRAVEL INSURANCE IS IMPORTANT

For us Filipinos, travel insurance is a requirement when applying for a Schengen visa. This should be purchased separately (not the in-flight travel insurance that you see when booking a flight). However, travel insurance is a must and it is more than just a requirement. Regardless if you need this for a visa application, I highly recommend to get yourself insured when traveling–Europe or not.

In relation to my entry above, there is a high risk of getting your personal belongings being stolen. A colleague of mine got all her gadgets stolen (her kids’ mobile phones, laptop, tablets, etc.)  inside her BnB accommodation. I have a friend who got her wallet stolen on the first day of her travel. Another friend of mine got his bag stolen that contains all his money and his passport. All of them (luckily) were insured. Their insurance companies covered all their loss as well as the cost of the inconveniences caused. Moreover, I personally never knew the importance of travel insurance until I read the insurance policy. Most of the travel insurance will cover you from the pre-trip up to the post-trip. Commonly includes compensations for flight cancellation/delays, loss of luggage and personal belongings, medical and hospitalizations, and even death!

You can enjoy your vacation to the fullest when insured.

You can check AIA, AIG, MSIG, Sompo or your local banks, they should have a good package for you. For Filipinos, make sure that the insurance meets the requirement of the Schengen visa.

MAKE A DIGITAL COPY OF ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS

The reason is pretty much obvious. In today’s digital age, having a copy in your cloud or phone of your documents are equally important and convenient. God forbid, but in any case that you lost your belongings, you have your digital copies. Make sure to have ALL in your drive.

Note: These are only based on our experiences and on the countries we visited stated above.

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