Lessons Learned

We've been traveling around for a while now, and we've learned a few things 🙂 We've also changed a bit 😉... Here are some of our Lessons Learned 

Getting There

Trains:

- they are more expensive than they should be

- they are often late or cancelled; you can't plan around strikes or spontaneous "actions" like people sitting on the tracks

- you usually need to transfer, meaning you need to build in wait times in case one leg is late

- transfers can mean waiting in the weather (cold or hot, but often miserable) for hours

- not all stations have escalators or elevators to the platforms 

- other passengers sometimes have noisy children or pets

- Ouigo has unfortunate rules about what is considered luggage; I was almost denied boarding with my footlocker, but they let me break the rules just that once

- in Spain, you can't board with a knife in your luggage (I lost my favorite kitchen knife this way 😡) And just how do you think I got the knife TO Spain anyway?!? I'm not saying it's a bad policy; I just wish I'd known.

+ you can get up and walk around during the trip

+ you don't have to pay attention very much; I usually set an alarm near the end

+ the stations are often right in the middle of town, making it easy to visit by TERs (regional trains)

- however, TGV (high-speed trains) stations are more and more often out in the middle of nowhere

Planes:

There's the usual, of course - arriving early, getting to and from the airport, restrictions on luggage...

I was flying to and from Paris, Barcelona, and Toulouse, mainly because they were international airports and accessible by train. My last trip to California took an extra long time (bus, train, train, bus) and sooo much extra stress (massive train strikes!) because I took a train to Paris first. But having a car now means it's easier and faster to start at the Montpellier airport and transfer in Paris.

European airport signs are just different enough to throw you - arrows pointing down don't necessarily mean to go downstairs, rather they mean to go straight ahead...

Driving:

+ looser schedule; your timetable is your own; be aware of the timetable for the Sète bridges (at 10:30am, traffic stops!)

+/- you have to force rest-stops every couple of hours to stretch 

+ (and minus) you can take a lot of stuff! Including a kitchen knife...

- you have to pay attention, and plan the route. Old town centers are very confusing, especially when GPS fails (tall buildings, narrow streets...)

- you have to rely on Google maps to plan, and double-check everything! And (maybe) buy cell data and use Waze (still not perfect)

- you have to know when sunset is; it's best to arrive before dark; it's also better if you're not driving into the sun. But some things can't be helped...

- get to know how much driving you can handle per day. We originally thought 3-5 hours would be it, and made too many stops. With 7-9 driving hours (plus rest stops), we can get to Sevilla in 2 days, and home from Madrid in one. It's easier to return to a place you know, even after dark.

- you risk tickets (cruise control helps, once you figure it out)

- make sure your car is in good shape - take it to a mechanic before the trip. Make sure you have chains in winter, and new enough windshield wipers. Make sure the contrôle technique (similar to a smog check and certificate) will still be current throughout the trip.

- for a new country, find out what rest stops along freeways are called, and find a picture of the signs. Aire, Service, etc.

- prepare for tolls; different countries have different systems. Portugal uses a lot of automatic/unmanned/electronic tolls, requiring a device. 

+ Both Portugal and Spain can use the French "Bip" which can be purchased in advance under a number of plans.

- prepare for the environmental protection zones; these zones are closed to older cars. They include nearly every large city in France; Madrid and Barcelona in Spain; and Porto and Lisbon in Portugal. 

+ Fortunately, the French "CritAir" sticker is acceptable in Spain (I don't know yet about Portugal).

+ our car insurance is valid within the EU without giving advance notice 

+ our health insurance is valid within the EU via a free card (plus a utility bill proving our current address) tied to our French health card (we call it the EHIC). It's valid for 2 years.

+ gas in Spain is about 25¢/liter cheaper than in France; La Jonquera is about 2 hrs and 1/4 tank from Sète 

- staying in town centers, you have to find a parking solution

+ there are often long-term structures outside of the center that offer contracts (week or month); a short bus ride later, you can be all settled.

+ for two, even including parking, it's usually the cheapest method 

+ The drive time to La Cala de Mijas is about the same as to Sevilla

+ our car is efficient, usually 43 mpg (5.7 liters/100km)

Once There

Local transportation:

+ most cities have a good bus system; it's usually worth buying a card even for just a week; definitely read up on it before traveling to see where to buy and how to use it

- some cities won't take cash or credit card on the bus or metro; you have to find a way to buy a card (but you have to get there first!)

- most metros still require some stair-climbing; those that have escalators or elevators aren't easy to find in advance - and are often out of order or require a *lot* of side-tracking to use! (Buses are more certain). On the other hand, a metro can get you across the city in 10 minutes, where the bus takes 30!

- buses and metros can be crowded, so you can't count on a seat

+ Uber or a taxi usually works, but not always. If out, I use cell data to request the Uber - it can take a long time to arrive, so it gobbles data.

+ Citymapper is a good app to use, but you need a data connection. I used it with WiFi to plan, and turning on cell data only if needed. It's best to add favorites to the city in advance. Also helpful is to have a screenshot of probable routes.

Our pace has definitely slowed down. A good day starts in the late morning, after coffee and a long breakfast. We tour one site, and have lunch out, then *maybe* swing through/past an interesting building or small (really small) museum. Then back to our apartment for a rest before deciding on dinner. Sometimes we just hang out in the neighborhood.

One tour option is to book an Uber for multiple stops - this works well if there are several sites where you only want to see the exterior. The hard part is getting one to take the reservation. In some cities, taxis are reasonable too.

Dinner might be out, but more often is takeout, delivery, or cooked at home.

We look for ways to try local specialties - maybe in a restaurant, but also from a grocery store. I check the spice aisle, meat section, and the staples, then look up ways to prepare them. We try a variety of wines (of course). I also look for alternatives to milk products...

Sometimes it is smart (even necessary) to buy tickets in advance. But off season, there's usually no real line and plenty of places. Covid changed a lot of methods though - at least one site we visited only sold tickets online; no just showing up there!

I'm having trouble abroad with my phone lately - messages aren't getting through quickly (maybe a day late!), I can't pay for food delivery, and I couldn't connect via any public WiFi in Barcelona! I can connect via data, but my 2€ plan doesn't give me much, so I have to be careful. It's maddening, but I hope that it's due to my phone's age (it's stuck at Android 9). I have a new phone ordered, but I won't get my hands on it for quite a while.

~~~

Seat of the Pants Travel? Quite a few years ago, we spent 5 weeks traveling around with no set schedule - that was interesting, and worked well. Now though, we have a few more restrictions and requirements. We tried it again last year at the end of our planned trip, but we discovered a few things. 

- last minute hotels are more expensive (or unavailable)

+ you're not forced to stay if you'd rather move on

- you could encounter bad timing, and miss the open days of a museum or interesting site

- you have the stress of finding your next place to stay while on *vacation*

- there are fewer choices available at the last minute, and we have more needs now; no elevator?!?!

Short trips of 1 to 2 weeks

- Take 2 small suitcases (or one big). Small ones are better if using luggage lockers.

- Cane chair

- Day pack 

- Food bag

- Fill lots of water bottles- it saves some on buying water, and you don't have to bring a filter pitcher 

- Ice chest if driving 

Important for us, even for a short week:

- Kitchen: we like to cook and eat our breakfasts in, cook dinner sometimes, and reheat leftovers. We like the option of taking a picnic lunch with us (requires a fridge). We need a coffee machine handy - for longer trips by car, we bring our own.

- Air conditioner or heater (depending)

- Elevator

- Parking

- Shower instead of a tub-only situation 

- 2 beds or a big one

- No heavy, lingering scents or allergens 

- Washing machine or handy laundromat 

Unfortunately, these are almost all difficult to search for - there's no filter available for several of these needs, and sometimes even the photos don't tell you.