Lessons I’ve Learned While Travelling Around Europe

I’ve had the lovely experience of travelling the world at a young age. For the past three summers, I have travelled to Europe and I’ve visited almost 15 countries! Some of my favourites were Italy, Montenegro, Switzerland, and Greece. Throughout my journeys with my family, I’ve learned some tips and tricks that I thought would be good to share with someone who may be travelling to Europe for the first time! 

Bring a portable fan

For some reason, my family and I were caught in a heat wave in Italy not once, but twice. When I visited for the first time in 2023, it was the hottest summer it had been in decades — even the Italians were surprised by the heat. Obviously, as Canadians, we weren’t equipped to handle the hot weather, so we were all struggling. I would find myself filling up my baseball cap with water and putting it back on my head to keep it cool — desperate times called for desperate measures. When we visited a second time the summer after, my mom brought a portable fan from Amazon and we all fought over it on our outside excursions. Lesson be learned: if you’re travelling somewhere hot, pack a portable fan. It can help you avoid heat stroke and keep you cool and comfortable.

Pack light – you’ll have more room to bring stuff home 

I feel like many people have the habit of overpacking, even for a short trip. This isn’t necessarily always a bad thing as it’s nice to be prepared for anything, however, if you’re traveling around Europe, chances are you’re moving around a lot. You will most likely be living out of your suitcase for convenience, as it doesn’t make sense to be constantly unpacking it. To make things easier, don’t pack your suitcase to the brim before you leave. This leaves room for you to bring some keepsakes, because come on — what’s better than bringing mementos home from vacation? 

Know a couple of words in the language 

This skill is useful before travelling anywhere. While you might have time to use Google Translate when ordering from a menu or directing a taxi, you won’t have the same luxury when in a pinch. When you’re walking by something or greeting someone, it’s nice to know a few common words to make communicating easier. I think it’s also nice to immerse into the culture and respect their language by doing some research beforehand. 

Euros sound cheaper but they’re actually not

€30 may seem to equal $30, however, it’s actually almost $50 Canadian. When it comes time to exchange your currency, you quickly realize that things aren’t as cheap as they sound. 

Remember this while shopping abroad. This easily forgettable fact may lead to you overspending on an already expensive trip.

Travelling can be fun, but it can also be a super stressful and expensive activity to partake in. Depending on where you’re going and your familiarity with the place you’re travelling to, these tips may not apply. But for those travelling far to a country they’ve never been to before, it helps to be prepared. The first time I travelled to Europe, I felt very anxious to be in a new place with different laws, languages and currencies. But it was an experience that I had to learn, and with every destination, it became easier. Safe travels! 

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