It never crossed my mind that I wouldn't be able to do this European holiday as a solo adventure. I will admit that a couple of days before I left I did feel a little panic set in, but I pushed it aside. I think it was mostly due to language issues and being so far away. But now that the trip is over and I am home, I am so glad I didn't let anything, including fear, keep me from following my dream to go to Europe.
I learned a lot about traveling overseas and I learned a lot about what I can do if I put my clear-thinking mind to it. I got lost, I got sore feet, legs, knees, hips, and back, I didn't always sleep well, I had some difficulties with the money, and there was certainly the language barrier, but I worked through all of it. Calm acceptance really helped.
I kept track of a few things as I was traveling that I thought might be helpful to someone else in my position - traveling to Europe for the first time, especially as a solo traveler. I hope it helps!
Luggage – Weighty Matters
You have to carry your own luggage wherever you go. That has been my least
favorite aspect of this trip to Europe. My daughter was surprised at how light
my suitcase was when I left Seattle, and I thought I did a really good job
paring down. I am generally an over-packer, but I did really well in packing
for this trip. I’ve worn almost everything twice or three times since leaving
home 2-1/2 weeks ago. There is only one shirt I haven’t worn. I’ve done laundry
in the sink twice and had the privilege of having an actual washer and dryer in
Geneva and at the Airbnb in Paris (albeit, very small, washer/dryer one unit).
So, as far as luggage goes, I kept it as light as possible. My backpack held
the essentials, including my laptop and tablet, as well as my money and trip
information. I have since collected some souvenirs, half of which Brandon is
shipping back to the states for me and half I have purchased since Switzerland.
I am carrying these items in a medium sized tote which I can sling over my
shoulder.
All that being said, luggage is heavy when you have to haul
it up the stairs, and more stairs, and even more stairs. Of all the lugging up
steps, I only had ONE person offer to help, and that was a young woman in
Venice, Italy. Not another soul offered to help so don’t plan on it.
Overstuffed suitcases and large backpacks don’t always fit nicely through metro
entrances. And there are always steps
up onto a train. This morning, for instance, was a nice, cool Paris spring morning,
but by the time I hauled my suitcase and other belongings down the narrow steps
of the apartment building and across a couple of streets to the metro station,
pulling my suitcase down several sets of stairs, and, because I did not enter
the metro station at the best place, I had to pull that same suitcase up
several sets of stairs and then back down again. Then I hurried to catch the
metro, praying to God I was getting on the correct one. (I did.) I was a sweaty
mess! My shirt was clinging to my back where my backpack was pressed against
it, and sweat was running down my face. Did I mention that I hate to sweat?! I
hate it! I hate being fully dressed and drenched. It’s like fingernails on a
chalkboard for me. Not that I would have benefited from having a companion
because he/she might have had their own luggage, but when I went to Paris from
Switzerland with Brandon, he carried my large suitcase whenever possible. It
was so nice! So far the whole hauling luggage thing has been my least favorite
part of the trip.
Zippity Do-Da
Zippers! I used my big purple backpack as a carry-on when I flew to Europe and
on each train trip to a new destination. This backpack has FIVE zippers, so I
learned very quickly that if I didn’t want to always be searching in each
section to generally put things in the same place each time. The smaller
daypack I brought has only THREE zippers, so that was relatively easy to keep
organized. The small travel purse (Bagglini) I brought has SEVEN zippers! That
seemed to be the bag I was constantly having to do a lot of zipping and
unzipping. That got old right away so I tried using just the main sections and
cut the use of zippers down to three. It’s to have sections in your bags to
keep things separate, but I got a little tired of constantly unzipping and
zipping up. Oh, and my suitcase has FIVE zippered sections, and an extra zipper
to enlarge it. I’ve worked very hard not to have to enlarge it.
Shoes
In my luggage, I did bring tennis shoes – wore only once and my feet were
killing me that day; brand new, very expensive, dressier “mary jane” walking
shoes – got blisters on the backs of my heels after wearing them once; and a pair
of Birkenstock wannabe sandals that I wore twice and my feet didn’t fare well
in those either. When I flew out of Seattle I was wearing my well-worn Crocs
that my chiropractor recommended for my back, and I have worn these all over
Europe, even when I broke a strap. My feet fared the best when wearing my
Crocs! Doesn’t mean my feet didn’t hurt. In fact, they hurt every day. But it
was doable versus the serious pain that is unbearable. What I didn’t expect was
how bad my knees were going to hurt. Back home I would occasionally have knee
pain when going up or down stairs, but nothing like this pain. Then again, I
have climbed and descended enough stairs on this trip to last a lifetime. Be
prepared for lots of walking and lots of climbing. The knee pain kept me from
climbing the dome of Notre-Dame and a handful to clock towers in Italy. I’m
sure it would help if I were 50 pounds lighter, but I still think I’ve got
worse knee problems in my future. I did start on an exercise program three
months before my trip to make sure my heart could take all the walking and
climbing. I should have started a year ago!
Getting Lost
The other thing that has been a challenge traveling solo is finding places. The
Rick Steves’ maps I brought with me have been helpful for general directions,
but they don’t include all the little side streets. Google Maps worked for me
in Paris (most of the time) but it was a total joke in Italy, especially
Venice. Asking for directions from locals was helpful about 50% of the time,
and the other 50% they gave directions like I knew the area! Duh! I wouldn’t be
asking for directions if I knew where I was going! I was really good about
spending some time each evening scoping out where I would be going the next
day. All the research on MapQuest that I did before I left home – I hardly
used. So different when you’re actually traveling the roads for real. It would
be nice to have someone to help with directions. When we were in Paris, Brandon
did all the navigating which was good . . . and bad. Good because I didn’t have
to think, and bad because, well, I didn’t have to think. The one day I had in
Paris on my own I got lost coming out of the metro station because I simply had
not been paying attention for the previous 3 days. When I am on my own I am
very careful to pay attention to my surroundings and street names and the
characteristics of the buildings.
Eating Out Solo
Eating alone was weird in Italy has most of the servers always said “Only one?”
like they’d never seen just one person come into their establishment. I had
company in Switzerland and in Paris (for a handful of meals). When I was in
Paris on my own it didn’t seem to be a problem to eat alone.
At the Mercy of the Money Changers
I did pretty good with knowing Euros. The bills are easy, the coins
are a little confusing, but at least they are numbered. I never used Francs
(Switzerland). The money in London is a whole different story. Way more coins
and really hard to know which ones are which and how much they are. It’s more
by size than by numbers. For instance, you could have two 20 pence coins and
they are completely different in what picture is printed on them and you can
hardly see the 20. Oh, and the British call them “p” – 20 p. The bills are easy
enough. Way too many coins over here in Europe. I was always asking “how much
is this coin?”
My time, my schedule, my pace
There are a lot of pros for traveling alone. This really hit home after
spending three days in Paris with Brandon and Reagan. Believe me, it was
awesome to have their company, but I had to adhere to someone else’s schedule
and choice of places to eat. I didn’t realize that I would feel as much extra
stress as I did having to make decisions trying to make sure everyone was
happy. Brandon did not want to go to Pere Lechaise Cemetery and he made that
perfectly clear, so when we were there I went directly to Chopin’s grave and
then we left. There were other graves I wanted to find but couldn’t without
upsetting him and Reagan. I had no interest in going to a modern art museum,
but Reagan really wanted to see some Picasso and Matisse art, so we went. I
didn’t mind seeing the art and it was cool to see Reagan so interested, but
it’s not something I would have done. You do have to make compromises and
sacrifices when traveling with others. When traveling alone you can eat where
you want to eat, when you want to eat, what you want to eat, when to get
started for the day and when to end the day. I walk slower and look around me
more when I’m by myself. Whenever someone would ask me if I was traveling alone
and I said “yes” they would respond with “How wonderful! Good for you!” Those
comments almost always came from women.
Certainly having someone to talk to is nice, but quiet time,
reflection time, listening and journaling are all great to do alone. I can read
more information in the museums. I can stop and take pictures that someone else
might think is senseless. I can hear other people in conversation and listen to
the fluidity of their special language. On trains, I can sleep and not have to
have conversation.
There are risks in traveling alone and things might not seem
so scary at times (like when you are lost) if someone is with you. But I’ve
just been as mindful as I can be. I read and researched safety tips before ever
leaving home when it comes to money and belongings, cabs and scams. I guess
what I’ve really learned is that you have to prepare before traveling alone and
you have to think when you are out and about. Be aware of what is going on
around you. I have gotten less anxious as my trip has progressed. I’m not
nearly as nervous as I was when I got to Italy. I try to portray confidence and
a happy disposition.
Traveling alone is not for everyone. I never thought of
myself as brave or courageous, but my friend Jody says she is impressed with my
courage to do something like this. I look at it as an adventure that if I
waited until the circumstances were perfect (had a companion and had the money)
I might not ever take off and enjoy the journey.
Organized Routine – Only MY stuff to worry about
I found that some routine for the purpose of staying organized and not feeling
chaotic was very helpful to me. Every evening when I returned to my
accommodations, I would unload my entire day-pack or purse, whichever I took
that day. I would throw away all garbage – protein bar wrappers, tissues,
receipts (nope, didn’t keep them), and any directions or information that I
needed just for that day. I would keep all literature I received at the places
I visited and I would transfer those to a little travel journal a student gave
me before I left. I would then go through my “research and information” file
folder and review the information I needed for the next day’s adventures. I
would look things up on the map and figure out transportation. I would then put
everything into the day-pack or purse for the next day, with my glasses,
sunglasses, tissues, keys, chapstick, camera, phone, money, small flashlight,
selfie stick (which I never used) and umbrella and windbreaker (which I have
used) if the weather called for it.
When I moved from city to city, after spending anywhere from
3 nights to 5 nights in one place before moving on, I would do a total repack.
I would do empty out the daypack completely and after the tossing of garbage I
would start the transfer to the carryon backpack. To that I would also add my
neck pillow and a sweater and scarf. Then I would empty my entire, now jumbled
suitcase, and start to repack it neatly and compact. I used four 2-gallon size
Ziploc bags to keep my clothes organized, and an additional two of those bags
for underclothing. I would repack those and squeeze all the air out to make
them as small as possible. I then added back in the shoes and all the personal
make-up, haircare, hygiene products and vitamins and medications all separated
into their own little “make-up bags” or Ziploc bags. Everything had a place in
a bag and then in the suitcase. Then I had to decide whether to put my
purchases in my suitcase or in the medium tote I brought along for that
purpose, which also doubled as a laundry bag in-between washings.
Blogging Daily – Easier to do when traveling alone, but didn’t /
couldn’t always happen
Actually, before I even did the reorganize of the day-pack, I would plug my
phone into my computer and download all the photos I had taken that day. I
would do the same with my camera if I used it also. I would open a new folder
in my pictures file for that day’s pictures and then subdivide folders for each
attraction. This was very helpful when blogging and posting pictures to Facebook.
If I had good internet access I would write a post in my travel blog. Uploading
pictures to my blog is a slow process so while I was waiting for pictures to
upload I would do all the organizing of the daypack. After all the pictures
were uploaded, I would blog for a bit before uploading more pictures. I would
also choose pictures to put on Facebook. If internet access was not good or not
available, I would write my blog entry into a Word document to be transferred
when I had internet access. My train rides from city to city were good for this
purpose, unless I was too pooped to do anything but sleep!
All of this would take a few hours, so if I didn’t have a
few hours or got back late, it just wouldn’t get done. I took a shower every
night because all the walking up and down stairs, or waiting in lines on a warm
day, and people smoking necessitated a shower! It felt great at the end of the
day. Another part of the routine.
Used and Helpful
1.
Advil and Advil PM. Only a couple times
did I use Advil for a headache. The rest of the times I used it for very sore
and achy feet, legs, hips, and back. Take a full bottle if you are prone to
aches and pains. The headaches were due to lack of sleep, inconsistent eating,
and the cigarette smoke, which is EVERYWHERE in Europe. You cannot avoid it.
2.
The little blue, quick-dry washcloth designed for travel. No accommodation supplied washcloths and I love
to use one to scrub my face at night and to scrub the dirt of the day off in
the shower. I used my washcloth every day, and it truly does dry very quick.
3.
My Rick Steves daypack. You don’t
necessarily have to have the Rick Steves version, but a daypack versus a full
size backpack is awesome for daily adventures and tours. It’s a must.
4.
Electrical adapters . . . and the UK
takes a different one than Italy, Switzerland, and France. And you will need to
charge up the electronics on a daily basis, so it’s best to have two adapters.
Make sure at least one has a USB port.
5.
Antacid. The food has been very rich in
Europe, and oftentimes different than what you think it might be. When you want
to buy medicine in Europe, you have to go to a Pharmacia / Farmacie / Pharmacy,
and you will likely not get the product you are used to. I ended up needing
some more antacid in Paris and it’s interesting what I ended up with. :o)
6.
The strap that holds my glasses around my
neck. With my eyes, I could not see to read but with my glasses on, I could not
see ahead of me without it being blurry. I did not want to be digging for my
glasses every time I needed them, and I didn’t want them on my head all the
time due to sunglasses taking up residence in that spot. I put them around my
neck every day, like a piece of clothing.
7.
Bandaids
8.
Hand sanitizer. You will not believe how
many handrails you will need to use going up and down stairs.
9.
Rick Steves has a great list of items and I
followed that list and used most things he suggested, at least one time if not
many more. There are other lists online, but I found his to be the best.
Things I brought that I did not use:
1.
My selfie stick, which surprised me that I did
not use. I saw so many people using them and holding them out throughout their
whole tour, getting in the way of other people taking pictures, and even had to
be cropped out of several of my pictures. I just did not want to hassle with
getting it out of my backpack every time I wanted to use it nor did I want it
out all the time, so it never got used. A good friend of mine reminded me, “You
took the pictures so we know you were there.” That stuck with me.
2.
I did not read one magazine, I did not use my
tablet at all to read a book, and believe it or not, I never did watch TV. The
tablet was a little heavy so I could have left it home, but I thought I would read.
I always read on vacations, especially when flying. But I was so busy touring
and learning and then organizing pictures and blogging that I didn’t mind not
reading. I also did not seem to need the noise of a TV in the evenings.
Interesting.
3.
I did not use the extra flash drive I brought.
Doesn’t take up too much space, but my phone, camera and computer seemed fine
holding the over 1,000 pictures I have taken.
4.
I took both a money belt and a money holder for
around my neck. I never used the money belt. I decided I just didn’t want to be
lifting up my shirt all the time to get to my money. I did not put the money
“necklace” under my shirt either. But, I always kept my passport and my
driver’s license in protective sleeves and in this neck wallet. I also one
debit card and one credit card in protective sleeves in the neck wallet.
That’s where I kept paper bills and coins and metro passes. When I was carrying
a daypack or my purse, all of this stuff still stayed in the neck wallet. It
was used every day. The money belt – never used.
5.
I did not use my headlamp, but I took it with me
whenever I thought I was going to be walking home after dark. But even in the
alleyways of Italy, there was plenty of light. I did use the little tiny
mini-flashlight once, but that was to read something more clearly. Could they
make the underground map of London any smaller?! I did bring a small magnifying
glass but was too lazy to dig it out when I needed it. I had no problem asking
people for help if I couldn’t read something.
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