I LOVED this thing! If you're planning on staying at hostels, I would absolutely recommend this. It folds up really small and dries super fast. Some hostels might provide towels for free or charge a small fee, but most of the hostels I stayed in didn't provide towels.
Laundry - I washed all my laundry by hand. I only went to a laundromat once in Rome. It's a little hard to do your laundry when you're staying in hostels, but I mixed it up staying in hotels, apartments and dorms. I usually washed my clothes as I went so that I'd always have a fresh supply.
Headlamp - I found this especially helpful when staying in hostels b/c if you're getting back late, you don't want to turn on the light and wake everyone up. Handy for searching in your bag late at night. And also it came in handy when I was in the dorm in Annecy when there was a brief power outage.
Snacks - I brought a few snacks from home that lasted me the first week of the trip. There's always food around, but things in Europe are not open 24/7 like they are here. Once my granola bars and snacks were gone, I'd buy more at the grocery store for the next leg of the trip.
Clothes - This is the most challenging to pack. If I did it over again, I'd pack cuter clothes. Really. I didn't want to ruin any good clothes, so I brought things that were quick dry and were, more or less, dispensable. I felt very frumpy the whole time. If I did it again, I'd 1) Try on all my clothes before packing and make sure things matched and fit. I'd pack basic pieces and a few accessories for when you need to dress it up a bit. It's inevitable that you're going to do some shopping, so leave room for the things you accumulate on the road. 2) I sent a good size box of stuff home the first few days of the trip. In it were shorts, a sweatshirt, a day backpack and a purse. I also abandoned some stuff on the road too, like a hairdryer that went berzerk when I tried to use it and a few books, too.
Shoes - A good pair of walking shoes and flip flops. I debated bringing tennis shoes and heels, but there just wasn't any room for it. I'm glad I didn't bring it, though, because I wouldn't have worn them. If you need special shoes for an occasion, I'd suggest buying them when you're there. There are so many shoe stores or people selling it on the street that you can find a cheap pair and toss them if you can't bring them along.
Laptop - Some sites said not to bother since there are internet cafes everywhere, but I didn't run into that many internet cafes. If it's a short trip, maybe I'd leave it at home, but it really was indispensable for me. A lot of hostels provide free wifi, so I'd use it to skype home, make reservations, pay bills, check emails and watch movies when I was feeling lonely or bored.
Umbrella - I'm glad I brought this, especially in London.
------HOSTELS-----
Palmers Lodge, London
What the heck is a hostel? I had to do a trial run before this trip, hence the quick trip to Toronto in February to brush up on how they worked. They're not that big a deal, it's just that since I never stayed in one before, I didn't know what to expect. Were there rules? Do you have sheets? Are the rooms all female or mixed?First off, read the reviews. I booked them all on hostelworld.com and the reviews were really helpful. I booked places that were close to the train station, if I was arriving late at night in the city. Cleanliness and safety were top. And then I'd just rank them. Some of them provide towels. Some places include free breakfast. All the places, except one in Venice, provided sheets. I think the sheets in Venice were 3 EUR to rent.
Staying in hostels was a cheap way to go, and if you're traveling by yourself, a good way to meet other people. They also have a lot of helpful information for tourists. A lot of the hostels I stayed at offered free walking tours of the city. The tour guides work on tips, so it's not really "free," but it's a cheap way to get a grip on the city on your first days there.
Free walking tour in Paris
Hope you found some of that interesting. Maybe even helpful. I worried a lot about the logistics of the trip and if I'd be able to make it through with my budget. A lot of the worrying was when I was at home planning the trip, but once on the road, it's easy to adapt as you go.
When I stayed in Peru, I got to a hostel pretty late, found my bed, jumped in and slept. In the morning I had to get up early to catch my flight. Only then did I realized that I was in a room of about 5 middle aged men still sound alseep! Wish I had done my research!
ReplyDeleteGood advice! I'm guessing the hair dryer might have went wacko when you tried to use it because Europeans use a different voltage... so you'd have to buy an adapter to convert it? Or maybe it saw it's dying day? lol
ReplyDeleteThe hairdryer could switch back and forth between US and UK/European voltage, but it still went crazy...
ReplyDeletethis is great!!! such good advice. really like this!!
ReplyDelete