Its Thursday yal! I think it’s fitting that I start off my travel posts with a throwback to when we decided it would be a great idea to visit 5 countries in 10 days. Back when I also thought orange hair was a good idea. And just in case you are wondering why the hell someone would plan a trip like that, allow me to give you some background. My husband(then boyfriend) had just recovered from knee surgery and was eager to make up for lost time. He had taken some vacation days to heal completely so could not be away for long. Being someone that is always up for an adventure, I planned a 10 day trip to France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and England.Here are a few pictures from the trip.
FRANCE (PARIS)
ITALY (VENICE)
SWITZERLAND (WIL)
SWITZERLAND (ZURICH)
If I had to do this trip again, there are a few things I would do differently:
1.Plan ahead
I needed a British and a Schengen visa ( for France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland). The trick is to apply for a Schengen visa at the embassy of the country in which you plan to spend the most time. We picked France. Did I mention that I planned the trip two months before travel? Don’t be like me. Give yourself some time. There were not very many appointments available at the French embassy. Guys, if you plan to do this, please read the requirements thoroughly ( you can get more information here). I was sent home for additional documents a total of three times. I got my actual Schengen visa with three days to spare before our trip! The British visa was a more straightforward process and I was able to pay for rush processing.
2.Build in a day to recover from jetlag
Here is the breakdown of our 10 day trip: 2 days in London (Roundtrip flights from New York into London. So 1 day at the beginning of the trip and 1 day at the end), 2 days in Zurich, 2 days in Venice, 3 Days in Paris, and 1 day in Konstanz. I was exhausted yal! There was a 7 hour difference between these countries and New York. We were so eager to explore in the first few days that we barely slept. But sleep caught up to us later in the trip which meant that the last few days were a blur.You guys, I was such a zombie by the end of this trip. NOT my idea of a relaxing vacation at all!
3.Spend more time in each country
Travelling inter-country is easy and cheap with airlines like Ryan Air, Veuling and Easy Jet. It seemed like a good idea to see as many places as possible. We were like energizer bunnies from one country to the next. However, I do regret not spending more time in each country. Looking back, I really don’t think a couple of days is enough time to really get a feel for a place. Since then, I have planned trips where we spend more time in each country and instead visit different cities. I find that I like this better as the process of getting on and off planes is exhausting.
4.Pack a camera
I have no idea how this happened, but I found myself abroad without a camera. I somehow also forgot to pack my phone charger so I couldn’t capture photos on my cellphone either. This sort of goes back to item #1. Thankfully, my husband had his camera but all the pictures are from his perspective. We have really different interests so my main regret is not having my own camera to capture my experience. A perfect example to illustrate is the fact that we do not have any pictures from either London or Konstanz. He didn’t feel the need to take pictures in either city. I have never forgotten to take my camera on a trip again.
5.Write down my thoughts after each experience
Its been a few years since then. I was going through our pictures for this post and surprised to note that there were aspects of the trip I had forgotten about. Pictures are a great way to remember a trip but, writing down your experiences is always a great way to remember your trip in greater detail.
I didn’t want to bore you with details but comment below if you would like more information on transport, food, things to see, or perhaps our itinerary. I plan on addressing these items in more detail for future posts.
PHOTOS by Eke
You missed mentioning that you guys almost slept through your whole 2 days in Switzerland!๐๐๐๐โโ
Great insights though Dee!
Lol, jetlag is real! Thats why I added the bit about building in a day to sleep. You know you are tired when you sleep for 16 hours straight. ๐
Schengen Visa schengen visa…. You got to love the EU … Was in Belgium for a year and travelled one Europe was an amazing experience
Birthed my love for my profession (Architecture)
But none of the trips were planned … Mostly weekend trips
Slept through Monday classes… ๐
Thanks for the tips Dee …. You gotto make it worthwhile ๐๐พ
Yes! Schengen visa is a blessing and curse. Basically stands between you and the trip of a lifetime if you happen to need one. But I absolutely love travelling the EU. Magical place! And I can totally see how it would inspire a career in architecture.
Haha. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Good point about building in time to recover from jet lag.
Thank you! Yes, im definitely not making that mistake again.