- Don't listen to people who tell you that it's better to use a backpack for travelling around Europe. "Think about lugging a suitcase over all those cobblestones, Sarah," they said. "Think about all the stairs at trainstations." Well, you know what? They LIED. Cobblestones? Pssht. Your suitcase will just bump a little, and cobblestones aren't the Big Bad that people make out. And stairs? This isn't the Middle Ages. We have things called elecators now. And for those very rare occassions where the left isn't working or there isn't one, there's usually someone nice enough to give you a hand. Trust me. Dragging something along behind you is SO MUCH easier than hefting the weirght of that thing onto your shoulders. Not to mention the inconvenience of packpacks whilst riding a train and having to take up a seat with it. Maybe it's fine for travelling around Asia or South America, but it's not necessary for Europe.
- If you refuse to take my advice re. Backpacks, make sure you ignore your inner Scrooge (a relevant example given that I've just opened my second door on my Advent calendar) and go out and buy a good one and have it properly fitted. I went and looked at some backpacks, saw the $500 pricetag and ran straight back out. I used my brother's one. Good work. Yes, I kept my $500, but were the brised shoulders, sore back and bracing pain worth it? Essentially, you're carrying the next few months of your life on your back - even hobos use a trolley. I'm just saying.
- August is not a good time to visit Italy. You will develop a dirty, dirty tan, eat too much gelato in an attempt to cool your body down (although, whether such a thing as "too much gelato" exists is up for debate), and you will sweat profusely. Your photos will look like crap (and don't lie - we all know how important photos are), and you will end each day absolutely buggered. Plus, it's Europe: they're not so big on that crazy new-fangled invention called, "air-conditioning." Fools.
- You are never going to read those stupid guide books that you buy from every house/museum/castle you visited. Never. And you will have to spend a lot of money sending them home. You're an idiot.
- Just because your camera was under $200 and pink, doesn't mean it's going to be a good camera. Actually, because your camera was under $200 and pink it is not going to be good, regardless of the amount of megapixels. But you can always console yourself with the fact that you have a fabulous pink camera. Imagine if you'd bought it in silver - then where would you be??
- Bad idea: becoming friends with people in your hostel room. You don't actually have to become friends with the people in your hostel room. In fact, don't even bother being polite. The majority of the time it will result in you going laces your don't want to go, staying out later than you wanted (Sarah is great fun drunk at 3 am, not so much fun at 5 am when she has a flight to catch), and finding yourself in awkward situations. Because you are then stuck with them for them for the next however many hours or days. AWKWARD. (NB. It sometimes works out for the best and you have an amazing time and make some awesome friends. Risky though.)
- Meeting people in the breakfast room is actually a great idea. Nothing beats bonding over a shitty meal and crappy coffee.
- Don't try and be smart - take the bus that everyone else is taking. Even if you are starving and need to pee. Otherwise you might get stranded at a (most likely) haunted concentration camp in sub-zero weather in Eastern Europe. I'm just saying.
- Don't say the word "bitch" in a Dortmund nightclub as it will seem like an open invitation for some random to come up and tell you off about how you shouldn't say that word in Dortmund and blah blah and why is she even listening in to my conversation in the first place? Bitch.
- Take you umbrella everywhere. Leaving your umbrella in your hostel in LONDON is a STUPID IDEA. What is the one guarantee in the UK? It's going to bloody rain. And you will get caught in that rain so you need to take your umbrella everywhere. Otherwise you will end up forking out your precious money on a rain poncho from a tourist shop. And you will look ridiculous.
- Don't buy a travel rain poncho. Seriously. You wouldn't wear it at home, why would you wear it overseas? And then don't leave the already bought poncho in your hostel room next to your umbrella when you're in London. Idiot.
That's it for now.
