To whomever may be reading this; Hi guys I’m Nikki! For my blog I wanted to do a quick “Do’s and Dont’s” list of traveling around Europe. In my last month of traveling, I have learned a lot of lessons, and I feel as if it is only right for me to share. Let’s start with the “Dont’s” because I like to end things on a positive note.

“Dont’s”:
• Number 1: Don’t -expect water to be free. This goes for all European cities and towns unfortunately. It is inexpensive though, so no real loss, it’s just an adjustment.
• Number 2: Don’t -expect to be able to split the check. The only city I have visited that has been accommodating in that regard is London, which seems only fair to me considering how $$$ it can be.
• Number 3: Don’t -travel without cash. Whether it is splitting the check or paying for cabs, you don’t want to be stuck in either situation with your Amex because they will not except it. Which brings me to my next one,-…
• Number 4: Don’t -expect to travel without multiple forms of payment. Most cities don’t except Amex (except Copenhagen, Paris, and London) so make sure you have another card.
• Number 5: Don’t- just book the first Airbnb you find. Make sure the area is close to what your group has planned for the weekend because it might end up costing more with the price of taxis.

“Do’s:
• Number 1: Do -take the city metro. Taxis are expensive, usually only take cash and honestly are not efficient. Being able to learn a city’s metro is a really great skill to have and will save your group a lot of fun tickets at the end of the day.
• Number 2: Do -buy travel insurance on flights. Traveling is very tedious and even if every step is planned out plan out, things always happen that are not controllable. It might not be necessary, but when my flight from London got canceled, I was glad to have it.
• Number 3: Do -prepay your Votofone. It is way better to overshoot how much data you need, than to end up in a country
without a cell phone.
• Number 4: Do -make reservations ahead of time. Don’t get me wrong, one of my favorite parts of traveling is wondering around in a city and stumbling into an adorable cafe or boutique; and I highly encourage you to do that. But, if there is a specific activity or restaurant you HAVE to do like High Tea in London or a tour of the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, go ahead and hop on it as soon as you can.

• Number 5: Do – your research. Planning your trips around local holidays like St. Patrick’s Day or Carnivale are once in a lifetime opportunities. Also, take into account,- weather for beach trips or simply just planning your flights in advance so they are less expensive.

I hope you guys found these tips and tricks helpful. Honestly, there are so many more hints, but a lot of traveling is a learn-as-you-go process. Hopefully knowing these, you can avoid the expensive mistakes early on so your first few weekends go smoothly and are that much more fun!

Safe Travels,

Nikki Roberts