To say I was clueless when I first came to Europe is an understatement. And yet, not even three years after visiting, I moved here. So one could say I am slowly becoming an expert, which is why I decided Tips for Traveling to Europe for the First Time was a great first blog post. I truly felt like a moron coming here the first time, and hopefully, this post will make you feel slightly more prepared for your European adventure! But don’t worry, I will have plenty more posts similar to this to get you ready for your next trip.
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The first time I went to Europe was in 2019, and I came here with very little knowledge of what to expect. I was completely naive to the differences between America and Europe. I never researched or asked what to expect when I got there, I just jumped on a plane to visit my boyfriend (now, husband) in Switzerland. I did not care about where I was going as long as I got to see him (soft I know).
To save you from the surprising and sometimes embarrassing moments that I had, I compiled a list of all the things you should know before traveling to Europe for the first time (especially France and Switzerland)!
Tips for Traveling
- The outlets are different… yes, like I said, I was completely clueless… luckily Kelvin lived there and had plenty of outlet adapters that I could use. But ladies, your blow dryers/blow dryer brushes will not work with a regular outlet adapter, and if you attempt to use it, it will likely start smoking. Just leave them at home, most hotels and Airbnb’s will have them supplied for you.
- Here are links to the adapters I use: France Adapter and Europe Adapter (this adapter is my favorite because it is changeable, meaning you can use it in multiple countries).
- Police officers will not pull you over for speeding, instead you will get flashed and the ticket will be sent to the owner of the car or the rental company (and then sent to you).
- People drive like absolute lunatics here (my sincerest apologies if you are European and offended reading this, but it is true).
- Coins are VERY valuable here, always have them on hand. You’ll need them for tolls, carts at the airport, shopping carts, getting into public restrooms, etc.
- Crossing country boarders is very easy, most of the time you will just drive right through without needing to stop – but, always have your passport on you just incase.
- Dinners are very late here, many restaurants don’t open until 7:00 pm.
- Breakfast is not common here and very few restaurants serve it. Typically, it is just a bakery item and a coffee.
- The coffee is a lot stronger here and much smaller portions (per Kelvin’s opinion, if you know me personally, you know I am not a coffee fan).
- It is very common to end each meal with an expresso and/or a “digestif”. I tend to stick to the “digestif’s” which is basically a shot of fancy alcohol that you sip slowly and is believed to help with digestion… whether or not that’s true, I am not sure but its popular in France especially.
- You will not find top sheets on beds and most hotels only have twin beds or two twin beds pushed together.
- You are charged for water at restaurants unless you specifically ask for tap water (“Carafe d’eau” in French). You will always be asked if you want “still or sparkling?” / “gas or no gas?” as well.
- Do not expect businesses to be open from 12:00-2:00, you will never find anyone working over their lunch break here – except for restaurants, of course. It still makes me laugh seeing everyone enjoying a drink on a patio before heading back to work.
- Learn a few basic words in the native language of whichever country you are traveling to – a little goes a long way when you are polite and attempting to speak their language. Google Translate is also a huge help, just make sure you download the language you will need prior to going.
So with that, book the trip and head to Europe knowing a little bit more of what to expect when you first arrive. I am still learning about all the different cultures here, but overall, it has been the best experience. I cannot wait to continue to share more about this journey!
