Mindy's ABCs of Weekend Travel

Hey everyone!  This post is purely informational and is based on my experiences in Cologne. When you study in Europe, you're going to be doing a lot of weekend travel.  While I was waiting for my train in Cologne to come home, I made this list of things you should remember to bring, see, do, or leave behind.   Any questions, please feel free to email me. But here's my list, from A-Z!

A - apps. Got an iPhone? These are the apps I recommend (sorry for Android and Blackberry users, I'm not familiar enough with your apps) :

• Hostelworld (download before you go and book on the phone to go paperless)
• Translate (there are many translator apps, most of them are good)
• TripAdvisor (for reviews of different things to see and do)
• Lonely Planet (if you want to buy guidebooks and phrasebooks)
• SmartTraveler (from the State Department)
• Blog Booster free (allows blogging on the go. It's what I used to write my Köln update)

These will all be useful for your travel and to keep everything in one place.

B - bag, bathing suit. Your bag should be as small as possible. Remember you'll be carrying it places, and you're gone for just a weekend. Pack as little as possible. I brought this huge stuffed backpack and didn't use half the stuff in there.  It's all about knowing yourself and being okay with reusing clothes that don't get dirty.  Bathing suit is on the list because in stead of pajamas, consider sleeping in your bathing suit! Depending on your location, you may want to have one anyway, and it also can serve as an extra pair of underwear should you need one. ALWAYS bring it. Ladies, if the idea of sleeping in your bikini freaks you out, bring the cover up too.

C - chargers, camera, convertor, computer. let's start with camera. You're going somewhere new. Don't forget a camera and everything you'll need for it. Like an extra memory card. Your charger for your camera and your trusty iPhone/ iPod/ other smartphone are a must. A convertor is also a good idea for obvious reasons, and if you're traveling from mainland Europe to the UK, remember that the plugs are different there too. I recommend buying an all-in-one convertor, since they last and you just never know where you're going to end up!  As far as your computer goes, if you have your smartphone/ iPod/ iPhone with you, you really don't need one. Most hostels have their own computer connected to the internet that you can use, and frankly, you can live without it for a weekend with enough planning beforehand.

D - directions and documents. Remember the planning I was talking about just a sentence ago? Yeah, this is most of it. Google the directions between your arrival location and your hostel, your hostel and your other activities, etc. If you have to change hostels, Google that too.  Print or write down or take pictures of all of your directions, maps, etc. This will make your life a lot easier and prevent people from getting mad at you for hogging the computer in your hostel.  Documents such as your train/ plane ticket, hostel booking reference, etc should be with you when you check in and check out, and you should keep the address of your hostel on you at all times, just in case you get lost.

E - essentials. Remember your shampoo, deodorant, etc. If you don't have to spend your first few hours in your new city looking for these items, you'll be much happier. Hostels are not hotels. They won't always have these things for you. You have been warned. ALSO, ladies - bring a tampon or two. You just never know, what with changing time zones, etc when your period will strike. you, also, have been warned.

F - food, flexibility, and friends. Food is an interesting topic, as every experience is different based on the hostel. Find out if your hostel serves any meals (mine served breakfast) and plan around that. As far as buying food, just watch your money. You'd be surprised how much money goes to food. Look for small stands, fresh markets, and even a grocery store. Most hostels will let you store your food, but make sure you put your name on it. Let's address friends next. If you want to travel alone, that's just fine! I did it and made a lot of friends in the process. If you want to travel with your friends, book the hostel together, and plan a lot of your stuff before you leave: what you want to see, what you want to eat, etc. Finally, whether you travel alone or with others, be flexible. If something cool is happening that weekend you didn't know about, wouldn't it be sad if you had to miss it because your schedule is so tight? Allow yourself the time to see other stuff not on the schedule and just relax!

G - great memories will be made whether you have a plan or not. You wanna do something, go do it! Just remember to take pictures and write the memories down.

H - hostelworld is magic. end of story. For a limited time, when you book there, you get some free Skype credit! Good to have in case of emergencies.

I - informed. Be informed about flight carry on limits, hostel rules, etc. before you go. Remember, BE PREPARED!

J - journal and jewelry. Let me address the ladies first: if you don't change jewelry much at home, don't bring it with you! There's no reason to bring all that much. Wear one set, and let that match everything. Now, for everyone: bring some sort of journal with you wherever you go. You may be without internet access, and you'll want to write everything down so you remember what to blog about!

K - keep. Keep you passport, hostel address, money, phone, hostel key, and camera on you at all times. Don't let this stuff out of your sight. Lock it away in the hostel lockers at night. If you lose any or all of these things while you're in another country, it's not fun to try and replace them.

L - lazy days, location, local stuff. Be prepared to be lazy. I spent a whole day on the bank of the Rhine tanning and writing postcards. You just never know. Local stuff also. If there's something going on, go! Also, try to do things like a local. I ate some German food while in Germany (and really could use another one of the amazing sausages they gave me. With mayo, ketchup, and fried onions on top. Delicious). Hostelworld gives little guides to cities when you book with them. Read up on the local culture, etc. before you go. Finally, location. If you want a beach, go to Spain or Italy. Don't go to London. Common sense in your location goes a long way. Know what you want, and know how long you have. You can't see Italy in a weekend. Trust me.

M - money. Tough topic. BUDGET. Know what you're gonna spend, and spend only that. Budget an emergency cushion of money in case something happens, but stick to a budget. Again, do your research.

N - "nobody cares, you're on vacation". Really. you don't have to walk around all made up with you hair straightened in designer clothes. nobody cares. Going clubbing? that's a bit different. But for the most part, you can get away with no makeup, jewelry, etc. 

O - opportunity. Don't forget, wherever you end up, you have an opportunity many people don't have. Learn from it and share your experience!

P - phone and personal info. Bring your phone with you. If you have international, it will be good to tell your parents you're alive, which they want to know. Trust me. If you don't, and you have a smartphone, it can still come in handy for various reasons I've explained. THE NEXT IDEA NEEDS TO BE WORKED OUT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE STATES. Your personal contact info is much more useful on a card than it is scrawled out on a napkin, map, etc. Make little business cards or take one of the free offers for 150 from Pandora or whatever. Just your name as it appears on Facebook, your Skype, twitter, etc. should go on the card, as well as your phone number if you want. Hand out the cards to the cool new friends you meet.

Q - quick phrasebook. What's that? You're going to Germany but sie nicht Deutsch sprechen?! Uh-oh. Make yourself a quick phrasebook. Things you'll want to know: hello and goodbye, please, thank you, sir, ma'am. Hostelworld includes one in their guidebook, but look at it and see if there's anything missing.

R - reading. Travel, especially cheap travel, involves a lot of waiting. Bring things to read, because buying them is expensive and you can't always find something in English.

S - sheets, shoes, space bags. Make sure your hostel provides sheets or allows rental of sheets. If not, I suggest finding one of these which won't take up much space. As far as shoes are concerned, bring a pair of cheap flip flops and your tennis shoes. Remember, where style is concerned: nobody cares, you're on vacation. Space bags seem like a good idea, right? WRONG. I was able to make my bag smaller on my return trip when i took everything out of the space bag than when I had everything in one.

T - towels. Your hostel doesn't always provide these. Find a good small travel one, or go without. 

U - underwear. Bring as few pair as possible. one trick I learned years ago was how to wash them in the shower so they can last longer. Only do this if you don't have enough, as you all are probably going "that's gross". How to do it: put the underwear to be washed on the floor of the shower. as you take your shower, step on it and let the soap flow off you onto the underwear. Once you're done, rinse it out and hang it up somewhere to dry. It'll be dry in the morning if you shower at night.

V - verification from bank. Some people I've talked to got to just tell their banks that they'll be in Europe until December. Not me. I have to let my bank know whenever I'll be in any foreign country. So, I have to call them a week ahead of time. If all you're doing is pulling money from an ATM, then you're fine. but if you want to pay your hostel/ hotel and whatnot with a card, your bank better know. Call them a week in advance.

W - Weather, water. Check the weather before you go. Pack accordingly, but always have a jacket, just in case. Water is expensive. Bring a bottle with you and fill up in sinks. This goes for being anywhere. Tap water is generally quite safe, but if you're worried, buy a water bottle with a filter in it.

X - eXtra time. Allow yourself a lot of time when traveling. Get to the gate early for flights, figure out where you need to be, THEN relax. If you do this, your travel is a lot less stressful.

Y - yourself! Don't forget to be yourself when you meet new people abroad. Being someone you're not is a tough charade to keep up. This goes for more than weekend travel, but should be put here regardless.

Z - zzzzzzzz...... make sure you're getting enough sleep. Know yourself and your limits, and accept that you won't see an entire city in two or three days. Alright, now go!