The DON'Ts of Visiting Europe

hey there fellow Travelers Mark here with Walter's world and today we're in Athens Greece here in Europe and today we have you are the don'ts of visiting Europe and yes I realized Europe is a humongous place and it's really hard to have one kind of set list of Domes when going to such a very various diverse place like Europe and that's why the first stone I have for you is when you come to Europe realize don't think Europe is one homogenous place if you compare Portugal and Poland or France and Finland you have completely different cultures completely different languages completely different foods all kinds of stuff like that so don't think oh I went to London I saw Europe that's like saying you went to New York and you saw the U.S or you went to Beijing and you saw Asia it is not that way Europe is got is just chock full of cool countries cool cities cool cultures cool museums all kinds of amazing stuff for tourists to visit and to explore in all these different cultures and all these different regions so wherever you're going realize that having a vacation in Greece is going to be completely different than having a vacation in Norway way yes there's beautiful museums and beautiful nature in both of them but they're very different nature and very different cultures so do take that in there so just remember that don't think Europe is one hamacho's place yes some things are similar yes you do have some similar fashion among the use because h m and czar instead of areas and things like that are all over the place but just know you do have distinct cultures and distinct differences and that's why we have so many don'ts videos for the different countries if you're going to Greece we have dope videos for that don'ts for Germany don'ts for Spain don't for Portugal because there are so many differences that you can't have just one list of don'ts so that's why this list of donuts we do have is kind of General overall things and we'll try to like make some examples for the different countries that might fit into just to get you a better prepared for it so another don't of Europe is don't pack everything and the kitchen sink make it easy on yourself and just pack what you absolutely need because going to the pharmacy or going to the grocery store or going shopping for clothes or shoes is part of that cultural experience and that's why you're here that's why you're exploring this great amazing place if you have prescription medicines obviously those are things that you should bring along with you and maybe if you're going on a really long trip you need to get extra or get a doctor's note or something like that to bring with you but in general if if you need Tylenol or Ibuprofen or something go to the pharmacy you can get it here don't worry about those kinds of things just do it where you are also I'm a big advocate for packing light the less stuff you have the more Nimble you are getting around in little tiny places you make yourself less of a target for pickpockets and things like that it just and you have like some space restrictions sometimes on smaller airplanes if you're doing like hopping knit sort of things or on trains especially metros good Lord you don't want to get on a Metro with a suitcase that looks like a trunk so anyway just kind of keep those things in mind you don't have to bring everything in one or two suitcases you can bring something small and get things as you need when you're here and believe me that's her favorite thing when we come here is shopping okay so she comes with like two pairs of underwear and like two dresses and she goes home with a full suitcase it's nice because she only does it here so it's cool so this may sound stupid to some people but I think it should be said Europe is not a museum it is a living thriving continent full of incredible culture it's not just going to museums and seeing things and it's not just eating although we do like to do that there's so much more and getting into the places and like experiencing dinner with locals or just hanging out and having a beer with somebody there's so much more to these cultures than what's on the surface you know those tourist spots standing in front of the Eiffel Tower it's lovely but um meeting someone bumping into someone somewhere you know in my Mart and grabbing some bread and cheese and a bottle of wine and sitting down together that that's why you do this to make friends to experience what life really is it's not just about the museums and the art and those things although I certainly love those the people that's what makes it rich so now we're here in Ireland this is actually in Kinsale Island for our next Dome of traveling Europe and that is don't be scared to explore Europe the thing is is a lot of time when people travel they only want to see like Paris and Rome and that's it no go out and explore more yes Dublin is very cool and it's beautiful you should check it out but go out and explore not just the big cities but go explore the smaller towns and Villages around Europe because you can see beautiful places like here in conceal I mean we got some of the best food we've had in Ireland in a little tiny village on the water don't be worried about it because there's so much to gather when you do explore these countries and the thing is in the big cities it's like the big city in any country you have the same kind of things everywhere you go where's the small villages and the smaller towns and the smaller cities you get a better chance of meeting the people learning the culture getting authentic food and things like that so don't be scared to explore so you can actually experience a lot more of Europe and what's cool with that kind of exploring Europe is the public transportation here is is very easy to use and that goes into our next Stone and our next stone is don't skip out on using public transportation look Europe has done a fantastic job whether from Bulgaria to Berlin to you know Lisbon or wherever there's great buses trains Subways metros whatever to get you around town to get you to all the different places from the sites to getting to work to getting to shopping it's really easy to use but the thing is if you're done grow up with using public transport sometimes it can be a little scary and that's why it says look take the time to figure out the public transport when you come to Europe because it can get you everywhere you want to go and the thing is if you take taxis and Uber everywhere one it's significantly more expensive taking taxis and Uber than it is taking public transportation but sometimes like if you replace like you know Paris you'd be stuck in traffic forever taking that Metro to go places will speed things up so much and give you a much more authentic experience of going there because you see the real people going to work coming to school and all these kind of things and it is really nice so don't skip out on the public transport and some people freak out when they are on public transport and some of us say this don't freak out when you come to Europe look I know I talk a lot about pickpockets and back these and stuff like that in Barcelona or at the Metro near Coliseum yes these things happen they have it all over the world and what you need to know is Europe is extremely safe okay and so you're gonna be okay when you come here now having said that of course you have to pay attention you know if you're in Barcelona and you're going to be going around there are a lot of pickpockets there in a room there are pickpockets there but it's not just in the big cities that's anywhere you go you need to pay attention but the thing is you don't need to be overly freaked out just be a good tourist and pay attention to your surroundings and don't make yourself a Target and you'll be okay this Europe is extremely safe now next stone I have to talk to you about is about money don't forget to get a PIN number for your credit card and your debit card when you're going to come to Europe because some place not every place but some places do require to use a PIN number to pay and things like that and if you're going to Scandinavia they prefer cards I mean we were at a bar and they said sorry we don't take cash like what we don't take cash only car I'm like all right and I needed a PIN number to pay so definitely have that it's not everywhere but it is helpful another thing with the money side of it don't forget to carry some cash though because some places still don't take cards so you might need to pay for smaller things you know with money and and don't use big bills they really don't like big bills and you're if they like computers will pay with smaller bills now if you're in the UK or Germany paying a five-year-old thing with a 50 Euro Bill No One's Gonna mind but if you're here you know if you're going to Portugal and you're trying to pay something five years with a even a 20 people like do you have anything smaller so do try to have smaller bills there don't don't bring the big bills okay and kind of another thing with that is occasionally you might see this but don't be surprised if you have to pay to pee in like a bus station or a train station or maybe sometimes even in like restaurants in some countries the thing is is that's not everywhere that's getting less and less but it does happen but the thing is those places where you pay you're paying for the cleaning people to clean up the toilets so those are usually the nice clean ones you actually want to go and sit down on not the ones that you want to figure out is how can I do a three-point stance from five meters away okay so you do have that now my next stone is for my American Travelers I know in the U.S you the service is all about treating the customer like kings they're gonna fall over themselves to help you that over the top of service don't expect over-the-top service when you come to Europe there's different levels of service throughout Europe the way I kind of look at it is it's more people don't see it as like your customer is King okay what they see you more is this is my job I do my job professionally and that's the way it is so it does take longer to get served it takes longer to get your food things like that longer to get your bill and that's okay but you should know don't get in a hurry and don't get upset when you don't get you know service trying to kiss your butt because most of the time you're not tipping anyway so that's not what they're living off of they're living on their wages so does a different setup so don't be surprised with that another joke I have for you this is one I've had with some of the tour groups I've taken on is don't think your plugs in the US will work here in Europe they have different plugs here you can have the Continental two prong plugs or you might have the ones here in the UK which are like three flat things going on there look make sure you bring an adapter for the countries you're going to go to so you can plug your stuff in okay yeah the thing is is your phones and your computers they have the converters already on there so you're just changing the US you know slight you know things like this into the European ones if you've got like a hair dryer or something like that that's going to blow the fuse no matter what so make sure you're smart about those things because having a good converter does make a difference and you can charge multiple things that's why when I come I have actually like a travel converter that has a plug and USB ports so I can charge everything and I only need one different thing to change the US version to the European one to plug it in the wall so that's something to think about so now we're here in Barcelona and I think it's important to kind of add on from that is also realize that don't think you can always pay with cash I was in London recently and a lot of places did not accept cash at all I've been at airports they're like no no cash at all and so when you're going around Europe you know you I mean we have the Cassius King Mantra but now how things have gone the last few years the cashless the tap and go thing is a lot more popular if you go to Sweden you might show up in bars they're like no no cash tap and go only okay or credit card only so make sure if you're gonna be traveling Europe you do have a card that works here so MasterCard Visa card and make sure it has that little Wi-Fi signal on there so you can tap and go because it'll make your life a lot easier and with your here in Barcelona or you're in Greece or you're in Germany another don't I have you is don't forget to learn a few words before you come because seriously just a gracias or Danko or Messi a thank you will go a long way with people okay especially if you go into smaller country going to like Lithuanian you know the Achu means thank you they're like you do watch thank you oh cool and people are a little bit nicer look not everyone expects you to speak every single language in the world but they do appreciate if you know some you know some basic words it goes a long way so make sure you always know the pleases and the thank yous and the yeses and the no's that goes a long way and also good Good's always special nice special when you look at a food you go good they like that now whether you're using the local language or it's just speaking English my next stone for you is don't be loud on public transportation look I know when you get excited and you travel your voice gets up and you get excited you get talking louder and louder you need to bring it down a lot of places throughout Europe like the subway becomes like a quiet Zone public transportation on the train becomes a quiet Zone okay so remember that so don't get a little over zealous with your communication when you're on public transportation also don't raise your voice and just speak English louder thinking that people would understand you it doesn't work that way just because you speak louder it doesn't mean all of a sudden oh the English part of my brain works now no and another thing I think is important to remember when you're coming to Europe is don't forget about the regionality of Europe because yes people are Germans but they're really bavarians yes we're in Spain but here in Barcelona it's Catalonia we're catalans and you see a lot of regional Pride City Pride throughout Europe and that's what I always recommend when you're going to a small town or a region go find the regional Museum go find the Museum of Catalunya go find the the alsas region Museum Folk Museum in Austria you go there that the triolian you know Folk Museum in Innsbrook like the regional stuff here those Regional museums that Pride really comes out and that's why sometimes you might get a weird look we say oh you're Spanish like uh I'm Catalan oh you're German uh I'm from Bayern from Bavaria and so you have that so just be aware of it so now we're here in Dublin Ireland that's St Patrick's Cathedral behind me and our next dome for Europe we have for you is don't get discouraged what I say that is when you're traveling in Europe or you're traveling anywhere really you might have this idea of what a city is going to be like oh double is going to be this great thing with these pubs and friendly people and stuff like this and yes it is but then sometimes you'll see a bad side of a city I mean I know people I mean I love Paris and I'll go to Paris like at a drop of a hat I'd move there today but the thing is I know some people go they're like oh I expected so much more and they were so disappointed by it it made them not want to travel more don't get that way just because the city you were dreaming about doesn't live up to your dreams doesn't mean you're not going to find a place that goes beyond beyond your expectations so maybe Dublin is a disappointment but then you go to some place like Kilkenny or Waterford or or can sail and you're like wow these beautiful small Irish towns are so gorgeous and such friendly people and great food and and all these things it's such a great surprise so don't get discouraged if some town you go to doesn't live up to those expectations and that's why I always say is do a lot of research before you travel because a lot of the guidebooks only tell you the good stuff they don't tell you the bad stuff or the things you should be prepared for for when you go and that's what we try to do on our videos all right so here we are in London for a little more of our Downs on Europe now when you are traveling around trying to visit as much of Europe as you can you're going to find a lot of cheap airlines you have the ryanairs and easy chats and violanes they're awesome they're super helpful to get you where you want to go but my don't for that is don't think that the cheap airlines are always your best bet to travel I'm saying this because yes you can get a really cheap flight but then you got to pay for your luggage and then you get a fight to get a seat and then sometimes the airports they fly into are at the main airport so then you got to take a longer bus ride in or if you're getting like you have to fly out on a Sunday here in London for example and use a Ryanair or an EasyJet it's gonna be really expensive for you to get out to those airports at those wee early hours or week late hours so don't think that the cheaper airlines are going to be the cheapest overall price make sure you are checking the options I know for me but I used to live Lithuania I would check Ryanair and then I look at British Airways because in British Airways it was more expensive but I would get it at 10 o'clock in the morning versus you know two o'clock in the morning so it was like wait I don't have to pay for a taxi I could get in a normal hour it didn't make it a lot safer and a lot cheaper like overall for pricing so just just check that out sometimes the easy jets are great and it's perfectly fine but do leave your options open when you're looking for those another deal I have for you when you're coming here to Europe is don't think that all your stereotypes and all the food stereotypes and people stereotypes all the things you've learned throughout your life and you've seen in the movies and stuff like that don't think they're all going to come true I know a lot of people think I'm gonna go to Italy and meet the most romantic man ever and he's going to feed me spaghetti and meatballs and stuff like that well first off he might feed you spaghetti he might feed you meatballs but not together okay uh maybe you'd be like oh my dream and my dream of Paris was shattered because it wasn't as romantic as I thought it would be and Italy wasn't as crazy I thought it would be in England wasn't as British and I see a lot of people get kind of disappointed by that don't let that disappoint you realize Europe is all these cultures all these people it's a really great place to be and don't let kind of your your preconceptions ruin your experience when you're here go and enjoy enjoy the culture learn more about it because you might find out that you know what what my stereotype thought before I came here is totally different what I had and I love this version of Europe so much better so I hope that helps you know a bit more of what you don't do when you come here to Europe if you want to learn more maybe the don'ts that come into the U.S or don't go into different countries around the world check us on our website at waltersworld.com we're also on Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube Pinterest and we really appreciate your likes subscriptions if you like videos like this hit hit like this hit that subscribe button hit that notification Bell so you'll get videos of your feed every Wednesday and Saturday so we'll say bye from here in London

Channel: Wolters World

Views: 88,350

Keywords: travel, europe, wolters world, travel advice, tourist attractions, travel vlogger, honest travel, Walters World

Id: lWqLwzKtBw4

Length: 17min 1sec (1021 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 25 2023