Mistakes I made during my first trip to Europe
In 2023 I took one of the best trips ever, I visited UK and the Balkan with my partner, It was my first time in Europe and my first time leaving Africa. I had crazy fun, met lots of amazing people, ate more pork than I’ve ever eaten, walked more because almost everywhere is walkable, and discovered more about me as a person. But of course there were some mistakes I made, some could have easily been avoided. I’m writing this article to help you avoid some of those mistakes. So let’s jump in and you’re welcome 😏.
Mistakes and tips from my trip
Packed for the wrong season
Don’t judge me! It happens to the best of us. I thought I had all my bases covered with research and questions, but the one thing I overlooked was a straightforward Google search on when summer ends generally in Europe. I packed a ton of summer outfits—spoiler alert, they pretty much stayed in my bag the entire trip. Ended up having to buy new winter outfits, which, thankfully, were cheaper than I expected. Lesson learned the hard way, and yeah, overpacking became my souvenir.
Takeaway: Pack for the right season 😂
Comfortable Shoes
Most countries in Europe are walkable so chances are you’d do a lot of walking, I traveled with my fancy shoes which made walking frustrating for me, At some point I started experiencing pains in my feet after a long day trip and I had to buy new comfortable shoes—adding yet another item to my luggage.
Exchanged dollars at the Heathrow Airport
Thinking back, maybe we should’ve changed our dollars to pounds back in Nigeria. The exchange rate at the airport was way off. Imagine exchanging 1000 dollars for 600+ pounds while on Google it was supposed to be about 790 pounds. But we did not anticipate the airport rates being that low, and to top it off, we had to pay a commission for the service. I was really upset.
If you find yourself heading to London, save yourself the headache— consider doing the currency exchange outside the airport. Another option is to withdraw cash from an ATM using your bank’s official rate. Keep an eye out for those free ATMs in London too.
Used Uber in London
Staying in London on a budget can be quite the challenge given its reputation for being pricey. The public transport is generally the go-to in London and Europe generally, but I was clueless on my first visit to London, using the Citymapper app was quite confusing (Or I was jet lagged from my long trip) so I resorted to using Uber for the first few days, but the last straw was when the app made an estimate of around 50 pounds for a ride. That’s when my common sense seemed to return from its vacation. All of a sudden the Citymapper app wasn’t so confusing, we figured it out and bid farewell to Uber.
Also, you should consider getting an oyster card if you’d be staying in London or using contactless payment cards like Apple/Google/Samsung Pay it’s cheaper than buying individual tickets for every trip.
Taxi scam in east Europe
While planning our trip to the Balkan we discovered that Uber or Bolt don’t operate in that region. Our Airbnb host warned us about the airport taxi situation. He wasn’t kidding. The first taxi guy told us it would cost us nothing less than 70 euros for a trip to our apartment, but our host said it shouldn’t be more than 30 euros. We ended up asking our host to help us call a taxi, and it was indeed less than 30 euros for a half-hour ride.
The next time we stepped out, to check out the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers, we didn’t really know how to navigate the city and everywhere seemed busy, The public transport was also not translated into English so to not waste time we decided to get a taxi, we spotted a taxi guy on the road, hopped in and for a less-than-10-minute ride, the meter was showing 30 euros 😓. Turns out, the taxi meter scam isn’t just an airport thingy; it’s everywhere.
Takeaway: When in the Balkans, have your hotel or Airbnb host call the shots on taxis. They know which ones won’t pull a fast one on you. Oh, and if you’re exploring the city, just walk! 🚶🏾♀️Lots of cities in Europe are walkable.
Ignoring speed limits
In Montenegro we decided to rent a car, to drive from Kotor down to Zabljak in the north to see the beautiful Grand Canyon. The drive was nothing short of spectacular—sun was out, weather was cool, and the autumn view was enchanting. With Noah Kahan’s Stick Season album playing, we were in our own little paradise. Life was good until bam! Police waved us down.
We thought it was a regular check, but nope, they pulled my partner out. Turns out, we had triggered a speed camera—oops! We saw the signs, but in Nigeria, we don’t deal with speed cameras, so I kinda treated it like a suggestion, you know? 😂 We ended up having to pay 47 euros, but it didn’t dampen our spirits too much. The breathtaking views made the rest of our slow drive more than worth it! It’s funny how different countries have their own driving rules and surprises
Not downloading offline maps
Downloading offline maps can save you from stress, especially when the internet decides to ghost you 💀. Or in my case, I got to the country later than I expected and I couldn’t find a sim card anywhere close. Speaking of, you should also download the offline version of the language on google translate if you’re travelling to a country where you don’t speak their language. Having that language backup offline can be a real lifesaver.
General travel tip: Always bring a universal adaptor plug. Charging your devices should be the least of your worries. I didn’t miss this, but I know people who did.
So there you have it, I hope you learned a thing or two from my mistakes and avoid overpacking or just minor inconvenience, What do you think about these tips, are there any other tips you’d recommend for smooth travels? Share in the comment section, I’d love to see your tips and stories ✨
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