Travel Tips : Tips for Traveling Through Europe

October 23, 2014

Europe is one of those places in the world that will always be a tourist destination, whether for the history of the continent or the cities that are famous for so many reasons, Europe has it all. But with all the glory of visiting Europe (and believe me, it’s amazing) it also has its quirks and things that many people, Americans especially, have a hard time getting used to. All those quirks however are some of the best things about the continent if you can accept them and enjoy them. So today, here are my top tips for visiting Europe and how to get the most out of your stay there.

Enjoy the wait.

You will wait a lot in Europe, waiting for a server to bring you menus at a café, waiting in lines for public transport or waiting in a car in traffic. But waiting is all part of the European experience. For one, most of European countries are small but jam packed with people and cars and bikes and everything in between, there isn’t a lot of space to hold all the people that live there, so there is a lot of waiting. For another, waiting is often part of the ambience of European lifestyles, such as living at a slower pace and enjoying the moments while you wait. This is especially true at cafes and restaurants, you’ll wait a while for a server and a while for your food and then a while for your bill. But that’s part of the experience, sit and talk, sip a cup of coffee or just admire your surroundings, because they are well worth your admiration.

Ask for the Bill or Menus.

Europe, as I mentioned above, is about a slower pace and that includes having to ask for things at restaurants. In Europe it’s sometimes the opposite of the US, when we’re being rushed in and out of restaurants as fast as possible. In Europe, waiters don’t want to bother you while you eat and people linger longer. Don’t hesitate to ask for what you need though, like menus or the bill when you’re done. And don’t feel like it’s bad service if you have to ask, that’s commonplace in Europe.

Venture off the Beaten Path.

Europe is a master at “off the beaten path.” That’s often where you’ll find the best restaurants, the most picturesque scenes and the best spots to really take in whatever European country you’re visiting. You’ll be shocked at how different the “local” areas of Europe are from the tourist areas and you’ll be so glad you ventured away from the tourist sights for a bit to explore.

See what you want to see.

I hear from a lot of people often that they come back from a trip to Europe and are totally overwhelmed the majority of the time they are there because they are trying to fit in everything they are “supposed to” see, instead of just taking it in and enjoying the areas. The key to a great European experience is to see what you want to see and not worry about seeing everything. This is especially true in the big cities like London and Paris and Rome, which all have so much to see and do. Pick a handful of sites to see or things to do and don’t worry about doing everything in the guidebook. The key to Europe is to do as the Europeans do and enjoy life, take in the scenery around you and just be.

Exploring Copenhagen : A Day in Denmark’s Famous City

October 21, 2014

Our second day in Copenhagen, we slept in (after much needed missed sleep the previous days) and spent a quiet morning at our hotel. Venturing out only for Danish cinnamon pastries, which were amazing, and eating them in bed in our hotel was the perfect way to get going on the first full day of our trip. We spent the rest of the day wandering the city, starting first with Tivoli Gardens (which unfortunately was closed on Sunday), then venturing over toward Nyhavn once again, stopping for lunch on the way and then spending the afternoon wandering the waterfront and the Grand Palace. We had gorgeous weather in Copenhagen, with blue skies the whole time and weather that was chilly, but still pleasant. Eventually we made our way back to our hotel and headed to the airport for our flight to Amsterdam that evening. We really enjoyed our time in Copenhagen over all and while it’s not a city I would immediately rush back to, it was really enjoyable and interesting to experience Scandinavia for the first time.

Where to Stay in Copenhagen

Tips for Copenhagen:

-Lots of stores and restaurants are closed on Sunday, so work that into your schedule.

-Everything is so much more expensive than you think. I was prepared for the high cost of everything and was still blown away by how much money we spent while there. Bring more than you think you’ll need.

Traveling to Copenhagen?

Check out more about Copenhagen in our archives!

Exploring Copenhagen during an Evening in Scandinavia

October 20, 2014

Today we’re starting into all of our day by day travel posts from Europe, so grab a cup of coffee or tea and join me on your very own journey through Europe, starting today in Scandinavia!

When we arrived in Copenhagen mid-day after our flight debacles, we were exhausted. We grabbed a quick cab (though expensive, like everything in Copenhagen) to our hotel and spent a couple hours getting situated and napping. We headed out after a while and walked the 15 minute walk to the Nyhavn area of the city, the area that is the most photographed in Copenhagen and perhaps the most identifiable image most people know of the city. This charming little street centered around a canal, with colorful buildings up and down it is filled with cafes and restaurants and boats along the canal. We had dinner at one of the outdoor cafes and just spent a leisurely meal chatting and watching everything around us.

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel in the City Hall area near Tivoli Gardens and took the long way back, stopping at little side streets as the sun set over the city and finding hidden canals along our route. We wandered for an hour heading in the general direction of the hotel and got to see a lot of the city that way, at golden hour as the sun was setting. It was a lovely first evening in Copenhagen and so enjoyable just wandering the city and exploring.

Where to Stay in Copenhagen

Traveling to Copenhagen?

Check out more about Copenhagen in our archives!

What 27 Taught Me

October 15, 2014

Here we are again, another year, another birthday and sometimes when I look at the calendar I can’t believe how fast the time goes by and how another year has come and passed. I turn 28 today, a birthday that seems to have snuck up on me after a hectic couple months and an October 15th that will come and go, but it’s a day that I feel is a good one to see what the last year has brought and to look to the year ahead and what’s to come. I love birthdays as ways to measure the years, to remember what I encountered each year, what each year was filled with and how many moments were included in each one.

When I stop and think about it, 27 was a year of pursuing things I’ve always wanted to do. It was filled with travel, career steps forward, pursuing dreams for the coming year, fulfilling things I’ve had on my “want to do list” for a while. It was a year filled with memories with family, spending time with those that I love the most. It was a year filled with photos and moments, a year that I felt like I really grew as a person, as a woman and as a global citizen. I realized a lot about myself this year and I’ve also realized a lot of what I don’t want in my life going forward and what I won’t put up with. It seems as we get older, we realize what’s really important and what’s not. We realize the people that we want in our life, and the ones we need to let go. We realize that as we get older and as time gets more precious, we want only to spend the moments we have with those that we love and those that love us. 27 was a year that I realized that possibly more than any others before it.

As I look forward to 28, to another year that I’m sure will bring many more moments, many more lessons and many more memories, the one thing I can say that 27 taught me truly, is to follow your dreams and work hard for them. There is nothing out of our reach if we aim high and take the necessary steps to fulfill them. 27 taught me that dreaming big is not unrealistic, it’s a way of life to get to the point where you are fulfilled inside and out. 27 taught me that if you want something, you can reach out and take it. 27 taught me to dream big and as I look toward 28, I’ll be setting my heart towards reaching further into my dreams and seeing where the world can take me.

Northern Europe + Paris : Moments to Remember

October 14, 2014

After an amazing journey through four countries, I can’t help but look back on our past couple weeks through Europe with fond memories for so many incredible moments. I’ll be starting soon with our trip review posts including day by day posts of our travels as well as hotel reviews, travel tips and travel style posts and everything else, but today I’m reflecting on the moments I always want to remember from our most recent travels through Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Belgium and Paris.

After a very hectic journey getting to Copenhagen, we spent our first evening in the city wandering the streets, taking in the canals and watching the orange sun light up the sky as it set. That first evening wandering the city and taking in the twilight hours were so peaceful and lovely, it made it seem that all the travel issues from earlier in the day seemed to fade away into the sunset.

Amsterdam is a magical city, the canals, the bikes everywhere, the cobblestone streets and tiny alleyways, but seeing the first of the Fall leaves changing colors along the water in the Nine Streets area of the city was pure magic. I can only imagine how magical this area is when the trees are all bright oranges and reds.

Bruges is straight out of a storybook, with canals and brick castles, storybook facades and weeping trees. Even though our visit was cold and very rainy, we enjoyed wandering the little streets of Bruges and taking in all the fairytale-esque scenes of this little Belgian town.

The couple days before we arrived in Paris were pretty hectic, catching trains and seeing a lot of different sites, so when we arrived in Paris, it felt like we were coming home. We came up from the metro and looked around and Nick and I both let out a sigh of relief. Our arrival in Paris signaled a few days of rest in one of our favorite cities in the world.

Our final night in Paris, we ventured to the top of the Tour Montparnasse for views all over the city. It was our first time up there and I would highly recommend it for incredible views of Paris, especially as the sun set on our last night in the French capital. We stayed just long enough to see the Eiffel Tower light up, with its lights dancing over the magical city and watched the sun set behind Paris one last time before we headed home. It was a magical feeling, seeing Paris from above, lighting up against a twilight sky.

Not the Smoothest Journey (In the Beginning)

October 13, 2014

We are back home after our trip through Europe and while the trip itself was lovely, our journey there was not so great at the beginning. Our trip started out rough and to be really honest with you, I was wondering for a time if we’d even make it to Europe the way things were going. But we made it and while it wasn’t the smoothest journey, we learned a lot from it. Before I get into all my posts about the trip itself, I wanted to touch on some of the realistic and often agonizing travel experiences as well, because after all, travel isn’t all glitz and glamour. It’s obstacles and long hours and exhaustion too.

I hear a lot from people that Nick and I are really lucky to have had such great luck while traveling over the years, with very few delays or cancellations in terms of flights or reservations or anything else going wrong, both domestically in the States and abroad. And it’s true, we’ve had great luck but I also think it’s often due to good planning the majority of the time and sticking with tried and true airlines and reservations, as well as learning lessons when things do go wrong. We’ve had some issues for sure while traveling and even some nightmare trips like our trip to Rome a few years ago, but for the most part we’ve been lucky.

This trip started as one of those trips where nothing would swing in our favor. We arrived at the airport in Portland on a Thursday afternoon to find out that our flight to LAX was delayed 3.5 hours (a rarity on Alaska Air that hardly ever happens). This meant that we would completely miss our connection for our flight from LAX to Copenhagen on Norwegian Air, as in our flight from Portland would land at 7:01pm and our flight to Copenhagen would leave at 7:15pm, and to have to change terminals, check in and go through security again… there was no way it was going to happen.

Upon finding out about the delay, we immediately contacted Alaska Air (through our MVP mileage phone line) and tried to figure out if we could get to LA a different way, via other cities and connections and even checked into flying into other LA area airports and then driving to LAX. There were literally no options that would get us there in time. From there on, the panic set in. What would we do? How would we get to Copenhagen? And what would it cost us to change tickets/flights, etc.?

Long story short, we grabbed a table, pulled out the laptop and started searching other options. Nick was on the phone with Norwegian Air (our flight from LAX to Copenhagen) to check with them while I was on the computer looking up alternatives to see what our options were. It turned out that because it was an Alaska delay, there wasn’t much Norwegian could do for us and to change to the next flight from LAX-Copenhagen it would be a $500 change fee and we would have to wait until Sunday. By that point, we were were going to be in Amsterdam anyway, so it seemed illogical to do that. We searched every option possible, using some of our points on various airlines, using companion passes on BA we have saved and such, but at the end of it, due to times/days/other issues, none of it worked. The best option ended up having us buy new Iceland Air one way tickets from Seattle to Copenhagen via Reykjavik to fly the following day. So we jumped on decent fares (though still an expensive addition to our trip) and proceeded to dealing with changing our Alaska connections to Seattle instead of LA. In short, the only logical option to get us to Copenhagen without missing too much of our trip and salvaging as much as we could of our existing reservations was to book new flights and just hope it would work out.

It was expensive and annoying and a total hassle to book new flights and leave a day later, but it worked out. Though as the trip to Copenhagen was so full of issues, expending from the flights to breaking things along the way (both Nick and I’s sunglasses broke in transit), trying to salvage seats together since we booked so late and various other issues, we decided to end up just laughing about it instead of crying.

The lesson learned is this: travel isn’t always easy, it can be full of hassles and headaches and expenses but it’s how you deal with those that matters at the end of the day. I kept saying to Nick that at least we were together dealing with everything, thank goodness this didn’t happen on my Korea journey a few weeks ago when I was traveling solo. We were also lucky that all this occurred before we left Portland because we could just go home for the night and come back the next day, it could have happened after we got to LAX and then we would have had to deal with finding lodging and everything else. And thank goodness we could pull out our laptop right then and there and figure it out. So my friends, the glass is indeed always half full, we just have to see it that way.

I can’t wait to get into sharing about our trip and while our trip started off rocky, it finished off as an amazing adventure and I’ll be sharing all about it in the coming days and weeks!

5 Places That Will Change Your Perspective

October 9, 2014

The world is full of places that change you as you travel, places that you remember for different things or that move you, but certain places change how you see the world entirely, how you look at things in your own life or those around you. Certain places in the world make you see things in an entirely new light and those are the places that though are often harder to travel to, will change you in more ways than one. I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing lots of places like this, but these five in particular are places that once you visit, you’ll certainly look at things differently afterwards.

While Asia is such a broad category, I hesitated using it in this list but what I think is so life changing about visiting Asia, particularly SE Asia and the Eastern side of the continent like Korea is how millions upon millions of people live. There is nothing quite like Asia to burst a Western bubble in terms of space, as you walk down the sidewalk or eat at restaurants, Asia is packed with people and many of these countries don’t have very much land space, so everyone is packed in together. It’s a concept that takes some getting used to and one that really changes your perspective if you’re from the West, where we tend to like a large bubble of space around us.

Iceland is one of those places that will leave you breathless, literally. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, Iceland is a country that feels otherworldly, a place that makes you stop and really think about this planet we call home. It will change how you see the environment, how you see this planet because there is no where else I’ve ever seen like Iceland, a place so untouched and small, yet so vast and intoxicating. Iceland will challenge what you thought to be beautiful, what you thought this world looks like and have you questioning what we can do to protect it when you leave.

India is one of those places in the world that is entirely its own. It has specs of Asia and specs of Europe, its food is known the world over and I think everyone traveling to India has a sense of what they think they’ll find, but there is no way to prepare yourself for the overload of senses when you get there. India is a place that holds millions and millions of people, many living without any of the common things we have in the West, like running water, roofs over our heads or fresh food 3 times a day. It’s a country full of contradictions that will leave you thinking about it for months after you visit. It will change your perspective on what you need to live, what we need to make us happy and how at the end of the day, this country is filled to the brim with color and life.

For all of the preconceptions the Western world has about the Middle East, I can’t tell you how many times I talk to people either from there or who have traveled there and come back shocked at how different this part of the world is from what we hear in our media. We’re taught that it’s a part of the world filled with people who hate the West, that it’s dangerous and unstable, and while yes, there are some parts of the Middle East like that, there are also millions of people throughout this area of the world living just like us, welcoming travelers and willing to tell them their stories. The Middle East will change your perspective from what you’ve been taught about it, it will tell its own story instead of the one the Western media has published for decades now. It will show you its beauty and its hardships and welcome you more than you might think.

Rome is a place that changed me, and while our trip there wasn’t one of our best, the city itself had an effect on me and it’s a place that will truly change how you look at the history of our world. No where else in Europe is the history (the far history at least) so connected to the modern world than in Rome. We grow up in school learning all about the Romans, their victories and their defeats, their reach and their fall, but standing among their ruins, walking the halls of the colosseum where so many went to their death, where emperors and commoners alike watched, it’s truly overwhelming to stand there and remember that. Rome will change how you look at our history and how you feel about all that’s transpired for us to be standing here today.

5 Things NOT To Do While Traveling

October 7, 2014

When I travel I often note all of the things tourists do abroad that stick out, things that the locals look at and get annoyed with and things that are sometimes all too easy to fall in the habit of doing. But it’s really important to remember when traveling abroad that there are certain things you really just shouldn’t do, for your own sake and the sake of the locals. So here are some of the things NOT to do while traveling around the world!

Don’t believe stereotypes.
Perhaps one of the most important things you learn as you start to travel often is that stereotypes are often misguided. Not all the French are rude, not all Asian cities are dirty, and the list goes on of all the things we’ve heard over the years. Stereotypes don’t often help when traveling, instead they usually will make you realize quickly that you really can’t generalize huge groups of people. Make up your own mind on a country or a group of people and don’t rely on or believe the stereotypes you hear before you travel.

Don’t compare it to your native country.
One of the things I come across most with tourists abroad is that they are constantly comparing their new experiences in a foreign country to their native home. There is no point in comparing Paris to small town America or the food in Seoul with your Korean BBQ place back home, they just aren’t the same, nor should they be. Be open to experiencing new things and don’t compare it to what you think it should be or like it is back home.

Don’t expect everyone to speak English.
I’ll admit when I first started traveling internationally again as an adult with my regular trips to Seoul and South Korea for work, I fully expected to be able to get along in English during my travels. I’m not sure why I thought that, I just sort of did and quickly became very aware that there is still much of the world that doesn’t speak English, especially in the older generations. It’s important to be prepared and know a few words in the local language to help you get around and experience the local ways of life.

Don’t see only the tourist spots.
One of the things that so many people miss out on when they travel is that they never see the local spots, instead only staying on the well worn tourist path. So much of embracing travel is to explore like a local, to see the place the way the locals see it, to experience the back roads of Rome, the side street cafés of Paris or the local Korean BBQ spot down the alley. Get off the beaten path a bit and explore!

Don’t block the sidewalk or thoroughfare.
There is nothing more annoying than when those people walking down the middle of a sidewalk suddenly just stop to look at their map or figure out where they are! Don’t ever block the sidewalks or thoroughfares, move to the side and let everyone pass you. This also goes for things like escalators or public transit, don’t block the flow of people, locals especially. It’s more than annoying and makes you stand out a lot more than if you move to the side and figure out your way, then move back into the flow of traffic.

A Very Special Saturday

October 4, 2014

While I don’t usually post on Saturdays, today happens to be a special one, marking 9 years that Nick and I have been together. I love celebrating our “together anniversary” since we were together for so long before we got married, I always feel like those years are important too and define who we became as a couple. I often find myself awed by how so much time could have passed, how much we’ve been through together and that we’ve been together almost a decade of my life. And in all those years, in all those moments, we’ve had our fair share of ups and downs, of time together and time apart geographically, of adventures and of daily life.

I’ve found myself thinking lately about how much love changes you, about how love itself changes as we get older. Love offers us a way into someone else’s soul, a person that we love more than all the other millions of people on the planet. And when you stop and think about it, when millions of people are out there and it only takes that one to complete us, that’s a pretty incredible thing. Over the years I’ve looked at love differently, depending on stages in my own life, depending on circumstances. And in each different chapter of these past 9 years, no matter my view on love, the thing that always remained was Nick, that person I fell in love with at 18, the partner that’s been by my side ever since.

No matter what your thoughts on love, relationships or marriage, I think we can all agree that love, true and genuine love, changes us. And as we grow, as we get older, love also creates in us something that only strengthens, makes us better and pushes us. And while not without challenges, loving someone else fully leaves a mark on us that will further define us in our lives. And so today after 9 years together, I’m so thankful for the love I share with my husband, the adventures we’ve had and the moments in our apartment doing nothing but going about our daily lives. I’m so thankful for finding him so early in my life, for the obstacles we’ve faced together already and were made stronger because of them. I’m so thankful to get to wake up everyday and go to sleep next to him, to know that no matter what my day brings, he is that one person in the world that knows me better than myself. Love makes you see the world differently, it pushes you to be a better version of yourself and helps us approach our lives differently.

And so today, even though we’re still en route to Europe probably while you’re reading this and due to flight delays had to reroute our trip (I explained more on Instagram and will have blog posts on this whole ordeal when we get home), there is no one I’d rather go through all the hassle with than that boy I feel in love with all those years ago. And while we wake up together on our anniversary today landing in Iceland en route to Copenhagen, I just want to say, Happy Anniversary my love, I wouldn’t want to share this adventure with anyone else!

Travel Tips : Traveling for Work

September 29, 2014

I started doing work travel very early in my career and whether it was hopping from island to island in Hawaii for projects or making the trek to Korea often, I learned very early on that work travel is an entirely different experience than traveling for fun. This last trip to Korea made me think about all the work trips I’ve made there and all the things I’ve learned and would love to tell my younger 22-year-old self all those years ago. I’ve had some interesting experiences traveling with colleagues over the years and it’s definitely something that I’ve learned a lot from, so here today are my tips for anyone heading out on their first trips for work or that might do some travel for work in the future. It’s important to be aware and remember different things when traveling for work, so here are my tips!

1. Do research about the location before hand.

It’s really important to know a general lay of the land for the place you’re traveling to, particularly if you’re headed abroad. This is important if you’re going alone and need to grab a taxi when you land, or if you’re out with colleagues and decide you want to go back to your hotel before them, you need to know where you’re going. Do some research on your location, where you’ll be, where your work is there so that you’re prepared.

2. Know when to say no.

I’ve had some work trips throughout the years when colleagues wanted to do things I didn’t want to do when out and about. It’s really important when traveling for work to be able to say no to things that you aren’t comfortable with. Know what your limits are and stick to them. There is nothing wrong with going back to your hotel instead of out with colleagues when traveling, just be honest and know your limits.

3. Be polite, but don’t let yourself be pushed.

Especially when traveling to other cultures, it’s important to be polite but also to stand up for yourself and not let anyone push you into anything you don’t feel comfortable with. If you don’t want that next glass of Soju (they drink a lot in Korea, more than I’m often used to), then just say no nicely. Be nice, but don’t let anyone push you into anything.

4. Be professional always.

Being professional is always the key on work trips. This begins with how you dress on the airplane, how your luggage looks, the information you bring to meetings, how prepared you are and so forth. Being professional in how you act and look will leave a great impression no matter where you are in the world.

5. Be willing to try new things.

Traveling for work is different than traveling for fun in lots of ways, but one of the major differences is that you aren’t choosing what you do and eat and where you stay. Be open minded, whether that means a new food that your colleagues order for you or a hotel you might not necessarily pick to stay at. They are all new experiences, just treat them as that and be open minded. I’ve found some amazing things about Korea from my work trips because colleagues of mine have introduced me to them, things I never would have tried on my own, so be willing to try new things!

Travel Tips : Tips for Traveling Through Europe

Exploring Copenhagen : A Day in Denmark’s Famous City

Exploring Copenhagen during an Evening in Scandinavia

What 27 Taught Me

Northern Europe + Paris : Moments to Remember

Not the Smoothest Journey (In the Beginning)

5 Places That Will Change Your Perspective

5 Things NOT To Do While Traveling

A Very Special Saturday

Travel Tips : Traveling for Work

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