Brunansky's Blog

When you have the time, plan your European vacation. It’s remarkable. The history, both ancient and modern, swirl together into a single moment of your being there. It’s quite the experience as an American traveller. It’s a world away, yet, while walking cobblestone streets in Amsterdam, enjoying beers in a German beer garden, or eating pierogis in a quaint restaurant in a rebuilt square in Warsaw, it still feels strangely familiar.

The cultures vary from country to country, but, the charm of each city pulls together a story that feels like part of us. It is similar to visiting a family member who you haven’t seen in a long time. You walk into their house and, although its been some time, it stills feels like a part of you.

Europe is many countries all woven together through a very complicated history. The alliances, the commerce, the marriages, the kingdoms, the religeons, the battles and wars, all flow through time to bring together this magnificent collection of life. It was completely foreign to me as a first time visitor, yet, still felt like I was visiting an old friend or relative. There’s something special about these places that is indescribable.

My personal story is part traveller. I grew up travelling to visit family. This evolved into holiday travels with family and friends. It continued with travels with girlfriends. It evolved into solo trips. At the time of this blog entry, I’ve been to almost all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. Since Europe was the longest solo trip I’ve enjoyed, it felt appropriate to share some tips from a lifetime of being on the road, a rail, in the air, or out on the water. Feel free to read all about my time in Europe.

When you plan your trip, you want to make sure you can enjoy all that your European destination has to offer. This means you don’t want to be burdened with trip details, or packing minuetia. You want to arrive ready to explore, eat, drink, or relax. The last thing you want to deal with is an unexpected thing that derails your time enjoying more important moments.

Here’s a few things that I have learned from my travels, both in America and abroad. May they help you as they have helped me.

First, decide what experience you want in Europe (or wherever you travel). Do you want to relax, enjoy the food and drink scene? Are you more active and looking to explore or golf? Do you prefer to mingle among the locals and sightsee? Are you hoping to get a tan on a nude beach while sipping mixed rum drinks? What is it that you want to enjoy while on Holiday? Once you decide the vacation objectives, you can now begin to choose your location.

The second question is a two parter. What’s your budget and how much time do you plan on spending in your room? Can you afford to take a month, or only a week to a few days? How long will you be able to comfortably spend on vacation? Is it better to book the glamorous five star accommodations or something more in the middle? If your flush with cash, you might be able to afford the five star accommodations even if you plan on spending the majority of your time away from your room. Trust me, there’s something wonderfully chill about waking up in a comfortable room with a great shower, and coffee to start the day.

Third, do you have everything in order while you’re away. This means, is your passport up-to-date? Have you notified your banking services that you’ll be travelling. Believe me, your card being declined because your bank put a fraud alert on it is a definite buzz kill. If you’re out with a lady you just met while travelling you don’t want your card to decline. Avoid these embarrasing moments by letting your financial institution(s) know you’ll be travelling. This will prevent those awkward moments that derail all the positive energy you have built up on your date.

Speaking of financials, have you spoken with your bank regarding travel? Some banks, and credit cards, offer special perks for foreign travel. You might need to open a new account, or get a new credit card, but the money you can save and earn while spending abroad is worth it. If you can make your money work FOR you, do it. Find cards that give rewards on day-to-day spending, tickets, hotels, etc. Find accounts that wave foreign transaction fees. There’s plenty of money already being spent. Put yourself in the financial position to spend the least and earn the most.

Also, make sure you carry cash on you. It’s best to stop by a local bank branch as soon as you know your departure date. Talk with a personal banker and have them order you local currency for your travel. This will save you exchange fees later on in Europe. Instead of converting American money in Europe, a Personal Banker can order you the appropriate currency you will need and the monies will arrive at the branch for you to pick up before you depart. This way, once more, as soon as you land you have one less thing to occupy your holiday time.

Fourth, now that you know what you want to experience and where, how much time you’ll be on holiday, and how much money you have to spend, you can start booking your trip. This is best done well in advance. The internet continues to be the reigning champ when it comes to locating deals. There are myriad sites that offer deals that will help you prepare for your holiday. The further out you plan, the less you’ll spend on what you’re already planning on spending. And, with your new cards or accounts, you will spend the least while earning the most for your trip, or next trip.

Now that your trip is booked, you can begin the fun part of planning your activities. While on holiday, there’s always something to do. Thanks to the internet, and your local book store, you can read over different things that might interest you. This assumes your personality prefers to plan ahead. If you’re spontaneous, you might skip some of this part. If you are both the planner and spontaneous traveller (like me), you might find comfort in having your “big ticket items” planned. Plus, you leave enough open time in your schedule to enjoy things you discover while there.

Ok, so your budget is set. Your travel and sleeping accomodations are booked. You have paid for certain activities in advance and still have time available for spontaneity. You’re all set… except you still have to pack.

Now, we ask ourselves a few more questions. I’ve spent a weekend with folks who need a gigantic suitcase full of clothes for two days at the beach. There have been other five day trips where people have a backpack full of clothes. What type of traveller are you? Is the backpack lifestyle comfortable for you? Do you need a different outfit, plus options, just in case, for each part of the day (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the evening)? Are you comfortable checking your luggage? Do you prefer a carry on flight?

If you decide that backpacking is acceptable, make sure you buy a pack that has a removable day pack. Also, double check your airline carry on sizes. This trip I used the Osprey 55L Farpoint. The detachable day pack made it easily fit into the carry-on for each flight to and from Europe. The removable day pack fit nicely under my seat on each plane. Additionally, the day pack served me well while I was out on the town. If you decide to backpack, make sure you grab one that will fit your travel needs.

Regardless of your preference, I’d like to offer you some universal recommendations. For each trip, there are a few key items that I find appropriate regardless of destination. You can never go wrong with (or without in some cases) these items. Plus, they might serve you better than you originally thought.

First, and foremost, an extension cord. If you’re travelling abroad, make sure you know what voltage adapter works. Europe doesn’t run on the same power grid as America. Europe doesn’t run on the same power grid as Europe. Western Europe has one voltage adapter. Eastern Europe has a completely different adapter. Make sure you know what cord you can utilize on vacation. I recommend no less than five feet or about 1.5 meters. This should get your devices close enough to you regardless of the plugs location.

This length was particularly helpful while in Europe. Some of the sleeping accommodations had the plug in the middle of the wall, literally. The regular length cord I had for my European burner phone wasn’t long enough to reach the bed. Thankfully, I had the extension cord. If not, the burner would have just dangled from the cord until it either disconnected or pulled itself from the plug. Always travel with an extension cord.

This one probably won’t surprise anyone. Packing cubes are a must for quick travel. If you’re stopped by security, you’re pulling out organized cubes quickly. Then, once through security, you’re putting those cubes back into your luggage quickly. When you get to your room, you unpack just as quickly. During travel, time is of the essence. Don’t waste time fumbling through piles of clothes. Buy the packing cubes. Need pants? That’s the big cube. Need socks or some sexy underwear for date night? That’s the smallest cube. Easy to identify. Even easier to pack and repack. Save your time for enjoyable things, people and places on holiday.

This one might surprise you. Do not bring liquids with you. Just… don’t. People have specific shampoos, soaps, or lotions they prefer at home. They even sell travel sized bottles for this specific reason. Forget that shit. Budget toiletries into your holiday spending. This lightens your travel load, plus saves time going through airport security. You can probably find whatever you use at home while on holiday at a local market. It also gets you out into some local spots to meet people.

I didn’t bring any soap, or shampoo. All three cities had stores, markets and shops that sold exactly what I needed to shower. Perhaps you don’t understand the language on the labels of the items. You still know what soap and shampoo look like. Plus, if you have an international phone plan, or have store WiFi, you can use Google Translate to figure out the ingredients and labels. Save space in your luggage. Save time going through airport security. Lighten your load. Buy these items at your local shops once you arrive or use whatever is provided by the hotel.

Next, a portable charger. This is useful regardless of what device you use on the trip. Are you a cell phone, or multiphone traveller? Do you have a tablet or laptop? Regardless of the device, a portable charger is a must. Make sure it has more than one charging port. If you need to charge your wireless headphones, device or something else, have the ports available. This will prevent you from charging on the go. That means, you can walk around the city or town without a cord hanging out of your pocket. 

An important item to reduce laundry, transparent shoe bags. If you travel with more than a single pair of shoes, this is helpful. You hike around the city, mountains, or wherever all day. Perhaps you spent the day walking the beach in your favorite flip flops. The shoes get dirty. You don’t want to throw them on top of your packing cubes full of clean clothes. Sand gets everywhere. It sticks and spreads like glitter off a strippers body. Slide them into the bag. Everything stays clean and organized.

Now, let’s get personal. It’s time to talk personal grooming and hygiene. Do you really want to spend time in a barber or stylists chair while on holiday? No. You want to be enjoying the place you’ve travelled to. Do you really want to worry about manscaping or shaving (ladies) while on holiday? Again, you do not. You want to enjoy your vacation. I personally recommend you get your haircut a day or two before you depart. I also recommend you go get waxed a few days before you depart.

Remember, if you want to shave and manscape, you have to bring extra items with you. Those extra items take up extra space. Those extra items add weight to your luggage. They could also take you from a carry on to checked bags if you have to use larger suitcases to fit everything. That checked bag could also cost you additional airline fees affecting your travel budget. If you manscape, or ladies if you shave, just get a wax.

A wax will last about 4 to 5 weeks. That’s a month. You’ll enjoy a smooth presentation if you meet someone. In my experience, the ladies I met appreciated my smooth, hairless, man candy. I had a “Man-zillian” (aka: a brazillian for men) wax, before I left for Europe. If you are unfamiliar, in a “man-zillian”, the hair off your pelvis, penis, balls, thighs, and between your butt cheeks is removed. All the important parts her hands, fingers, lips and tongue might want to explore. Not a single European girl gave anything but a big smile when they discovered how smooth I was on holdiday. Guys, go get your bits cleaned up. Leave the razors and trimmers at home. Ladies, you’re probably already getting waxed. Keep on enjoying the smooth skin lifestyle.

Alright, your budget is set. Your travel and sleeping accommodations are paid. You’ve packed everything in an easy to unpack and repack style. Your haircut is fresh. Your privates are smooth. You have some things planned and paid for, but still have plenty of time to enjoy new things you didn’t know about in advance. Now, all you have to do is fine tune.

This is the part where you might do some extra research on your location(s). You might also consider adding or removing a few things from your luggage. Did you load that book in your tablet or will you bring a physical copy? Have you downloaded your music, films and shows? Are you bringing familiar condoms with you or will you use the ones they sell where you’re travelling? Did you get your medications? For me, this meant allergy pills. Do you have enough to last your entire trip? This is the part of travel prep to look things over one last time.

Now that everything is set, paid for and organized, you’re ready to travel. Once you arrive, because you did all this prep work beforehand, you don’t have to worry about anything while on holiday. Sure, sometimes things occur and you must adjust scheduling and whatnot. For the most part, you are about to embark on a holiday that will be spent enjoying all you hoped for and possibly more. Your focus is now on the fun of your next trip!

Here’s to your next vacation. May your holidays be filled with enjoyment. You did the work. Enjoy the fun!

PS: If you have any travel tips, feel free to leave them in the comments.

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