It’s a Cold World!!! Learn the weather

When planning a trip to any country its best to know the weather ahead of time. While this would seem pretty obvious my friend and I when taking our first trip abroad assumed that because it was August we probably weren’t going to be in danger of being too cold, Scotland(the very first place we arrived) proved us wrong immediately. The days were cold and the nights got freezing and we hadn’t packed anything more substantial than a couple of light sweaters. As two California girls we are just generally unprepared for cold weather and we are especially unprepared when that cold weather is in August. And while walking around town can definitely heat you up, it certainly is not enough to keep you warm when the sun goes down. Luckily, there were a bunch of shops around that sold the clothes we needed(scarfs, sweater, etc) with prices usually ranging between 10£-50£. There was also a mall right next to Waverley train station that had a variety of options to choose from where shopping was concerned. Now it’s not a bad idea to go shopping when you reach your destination, but it’s definitively more cost effective to come prepared beforehand(and you could spend less time being cold). Although we did get some really cute clothes out of it.

Lock it Down

When coming to Europe one of the first things you get warned about while researching are pickpockets. They even blast it over loud speakers in the terminals at some of the train stations to be on the lookout. At one point while travelling through Rome we had a small incident where a young man had invaded my friends personal space at the train station, we weren’t sure what he was trying to do or if he was even going to steal from her at all, but it certainly raised our alert level. However, the customer service desk was near and we made sure to keep a close eye on our items and eventually he walked away and we left the terminal to continue our journey. This story is just a reminder to be aware of your surroundings and to keep a close eye on your personal items, just in case. The ways we took care of our things and you can look after yours is listed down below:

1. Make sure you can lock your pack
2. Make sure you always have your pack close to you and faced away from people
3. Pickpockets tend to get into your personal space via face front or anywhere around you that may be vulnerable so make sure you leave them with no opening!
4. Be calm if you feel threatened especially if they catch you with your money or card out. Put your stuff back in your bag while you are talking, and put a safe distance between you and the other person
5. If you feel that you are being targeted notify the police and staff. This we never had to do but always better safe than sorry.

Offline? It’s Fine use Google

While in Prague another traveler told my friend and I how to use the offline feature for Google maps. Until that point we had been taking screen shots of directions when we had wifi and then using that to navigate to where we needed to go. Using the offline google feature is a little bit easier than doing that and is a good way to get a map of where your going and avoid getting lost. You can use this by:

1. Open Google Maps
2. Hit the menu button (top left)
3. Scroll down until you can see Offline Maps (click it)
4. Then press the plus button search for your map (or if you are already in the city then it will ask you if you want to download the location) and download

While traveling we downloaded a ton of cities and it has helped in more ways than just having a map. Below are the Pros/Con:

Pro:

1. Gps can locate you wherever you are in the downloaded map

2. You can look up streets and major sites

3. You do not need wifi to use the offline map.

4. If you have mapped out where you need to go via wifi….do not close the app keep it on when you leave wifi so you can still see the blue line, transportation, and destination (don’t click anything and you will be fine).

Cons:

1. Although it is offline, you cannot be shown the route of your destination (meaning no blue line or names of public transportation).

2. GPS tends to lag in both location and in the direction you have to go

3. It is useless if you don’t know the major cross street to your destination ( this is mainly for going back to your hostel, hotel, home, etc).

Now please remember to map out your destinations before you go. Screenshot your destinations so that they can be a reference for you or anybody you ask for directions.

Understanding Railways and Public transportation in Europe/UK

Overall, getting around Europe and the UK using the rail system was pretty easy. In the US public transit isn’t always as reliable , or useful, as you need it to be and the systems abroad turned out to be much more usable. Navigating pretty much all the systems is just a matter of knowing where your going and reading the signage along the way. Another key aspect is to ask questions, don’t be afraid to interact with people in the stations or along the way, it never hurts to ask for help. The first step my friend and I took when using these systems was to find the information desk and ask questions ranging from “Where is the tram, train, bus ,etc.” to what would be the most effective route. Remember to bring your phone and show the location of where your trying to go, I may not speak a ton of languages but most people understand a picture, a point, and a thumbs up. These information Kiosk are everywhere USE THEM. Also, give yourself enough time to get where your going so you don’t have to rush and can just take a minute to get your bearings and readjust if need be. After getting to a couple of destinations the transportation system in each country should get a little easier to navigate as you become familiar with how they operate. As I posted before, google mapping tends to make things a little easier because it tells you what bus, tram, or train you need to get on in order to make it to wherever your heading. In some cases it even tells you the price your ticket. Take note that there are multiple train stations that serve different purposes. There are the trains designed to take you out of the city limits, and country if desired, and there is the actual metro that takes you around the city. Finally try to be aware of whether or not the city your in has multiple zones within them that may require a different type of ticket. For example, when heading to Versailles we took a train thinking we had the correct ticket but it turned out not to be valid for the zone we went to and we were fined 33 euros. Now we know what to look for and can hopefully avoid making the same mistake next time.

These are just some of the things I’ve learned travel so far and will update as I travel more and get a wider range of experience. Hope some of this helps anyone looking to travel!