A Series of Unfortunate Travel Mistakes

Travelling is hard. Travelling on your own without parental guidance, pre-booked tours, or monetary help is even harder.
 
This past week, I took a week off from my study abroad program to travel through Europe. I spent a lovely nine days in Milan, Venice, Verona, and Amsterdam. While it was an incredible trip, it was not without its difficulties. Indeed, it was my first time having planned, booked, paid for, and executed a trip entirely on my own—and abroad, for that matter! Here are a few difficulties I encountered, lessons I learned, and things to watch out for: 
 
Booking flights and hotels
I made oh-so-many mistakes while planning my trip—they’re almost too painful to recall. But recall I must, because I don’t plan on making them again!
 
First, the cheapest airline ticket is not necessarily the best one. I was ecstatic when I booked a sixteen euro flight through Ryanair, aware that it was a less-than-quality airline but willing to sacrifice some comfort for my wallet. Unfortunately, I did not calculate the expenses correctly. Because my flight was early in the morning and Beauvais Airport is almost two hours from my dorms, I couldn’t take the Metro (which opens at 5 a.m.) as I had planned. Instead, I had to take a taxi, which incurred extra expenses. Further, I discovered that shuttle tickets were more expensive than I had thought. I ran into this problem repeatedly throughout my trip—though I had done extensive research, transportation tickets were always pricier due to inflation. Always be prepared to pay more.  
 
Another problem I ran into with Ryanair was luggage restrictions. Ryanair and most other budget airlines only allow one hand baggage and are very strict about its size and weight. My friend and I couldn’t find a scale to weigh our luggage. Lo-and-behold, it wasn’t until we arrived at the airport that we discovered we had over-packed. What resulted was a ridiculous scene of us kneeling on the ground, transferring objects from our one luggage to our one backpack (which thankfully hadn’t exceeded the weight limitation of 10 kg), slipping on extra clothes, and stuffing heavier objects like laptop chargers and jewelry into our coat pockets to get the weight down. I also had to smuggle my massive DSLR camera underneath my coat and looked pregnant because of it, but that’s another story.
 
All in all, the unforeseen transportation and luggage complications were not worth the cheap ticket. Adding in the taxi, shuttle, and bus expenses (budget airlines serve non-major airports far from city centers and thus require extensive transportation.) it wasn’t even that much cheaper!
 
Second, look out for a measure of unprofessionalism and sketchiness when booking tickets from budget sites. For example, Ryanair bombards you with advertisements and extra services (e.g., insurance and price conversion fees) on their website. Just keep clicking “No.” While I did not consider the spammy nature of budget sites a major issue, their overall sense of unreliability resulted in a few mistakes. Most notably, Ryanair, eDreams, and several other sites fluctuate their prices daily for no apparent rhyme or reason. This means constant refreshing to find the best price. It was amidst one such refreshing spree that I finally found the tickets I had seen a day before and, in a fit of relief and excitement, booked them without double-checking the information. I ended up booking tickets for the wrong date. Unsurprisingly, eDreams does not allow you to cancel bookings, only change them with an 85 euros penalty. It was a very sad day for my wallet, to say the least.
 
Scam artists
Always be extra aware and paranoid of your surroundings when travelling. This means having to be forthright and, frankly, a bit rude to most people that approach you. Does that mean turning down the old lady who asks for help crossing the street? Not necessarily. But if someone offers you a free service or gift—especially in tourist hot spots—that is a warning sign.
 
In Europe, a popular scam tactic is to make jewelry for you (such as tying a string bracelet around your wrist) or pour birdseeds into your hands. The scammer will smile and insist that it’s free. After you’ve accepted the offering, however, he/she will demand money. All sense of friendliness and warmth disappears. It’s tempting to just walk away, but their partners are often stationed around the entire area, creating a precarious situation. The best thing you can do is avoid the situation altogether by being overly cautious. 
 
Look out for pick pocketing in busy streets and markets, as well. Keep your bag zipped and close to your body, don’t flash large sums of money in public, and always keep copies of your passport, IDs, and credit cards somewhere safe. The last thing you want is to get stranded in a foreign country without any means of identification!
 
Local procedures
This one is a little more complicated to figure out. Every country or city has its own customs, practices, and nuances of which it’s important to be aware. In some places, such as Italy, this means validating your train ticket in specially marked machines before boarding to avoid extravagant fees. In others, it means knowing that ordering water at restaurants almost always means bottled, and not tap. Do extensive research before travelling somewhere to get to know the local climate. You could find out good tips, like waiting until happy hour, or aperitivo, in Milan to get a full, home-cooked meal for the price of a drink.