Things I learned from a month backpacking through Europe:

–  Learn basics of the language (“hi”, “bye”, “thank you”, “sorry”, “how much?”, “bill please”) & general etiquette of the culture (e.g. tipping, how to handle yourself in crowds, what the driving culture is like if you rent a car)

–  Download the language on google translate for offline translation

–  Download offline maps for easy city navigation

–  Download transportation apps depending on location [Citymapper, Rome2Rio, Moovit, GoEuro, Maps.me (shows water fountain locations)]

–  use seat61.com for transportation guidelines in English (gives very detailed instructions on how to get anywhere in Europe by train or bus with multiple options)

–  Download taxi or ride-sharing app for the area if available (may be expensive, but is a life-saver if you find yourself in a sticky situation and need convenient transportation)

–  Long-term travel (4+ weeks): buy SIM card for 5G data (~40 euros for the SIM + data package)

–  bring small reusable bags to be used for groceries, dirty laundry, souvenirs, etc.

–  bring charging pack/battery pack to recharge your phone if it dies

–  instagram is a great platform for staying connected with the friends you make on the trip (even if you don’t use the app, I highly recommend creating an acct to stay connected w friends you meet for future travels/travel ideas)

– hang in the lounge at the hostel!! I’ve met a few people who are disappointed in the lack of community they’ve experienced on their solo travel trip, but they just sit in their room all day. Force yourself to come out of your shell and meet others in the lounge. You’ll get a sense for life in different countries and hopefully be inspired for more travels or life aspirations

 

Primary Apps I Used:

– Instagram, FB Chat, Whatsapp, Couchsurf (keeping in touch)

– Navigation: Moovit, Citymapper, or Google maps for more micro navigation/transportation, GoEuro, Rome2Rio, Skiplagged, Skyscanner, and Hopper for macro trip planning and options for next destinations, and Hostelworld + Hotels.com for lodging,

– Google Trips (allows you to scope out the touristy–and non-touristy–things to do in any given area and has offline capability for use off of wife)

– google sheets + maps for planning

– Google Translate (download the language for offline use)

– NordVPN (great for protecting sensitive information when using public wifi)

The Beauties of the Amalfi Coast

Never before having been to Italy, I took off to the Amalfi Coast to explore the beautiful beaches and colorful cliffside communities with my mom for my birthday. We flew into Naples from Basel and grabbed a quick bite to evaluate the hype around the most delicious pizza in the world–the reputation held true and we stuffed our faces by eating an entire pie each. We then took our rental car and zipped through the windy roads leading to Amalfi, surprised by the audacity of Italian drivers and navigating our way through the narrow streets in our tiny Fiat.

Amalfi itself was a beautiful town. The shop owners were all very kind, making for a very pleasureful and relaxing shopping experience. We made our way to Positano by ferry, noting the many stray cats roaming the area (and all of southern Italy, it seems). The cliffs of Positano were lined with gorgeously vibrant homes, making for a picturesque morning and an exciting hike up to the Path of the Gods. I stood in awe at the beautiful landscape before me, staring out at the city from the ferry boat.

Before our big hike, we stopped to lounge on the beach and take a dip in the ocean. I was surprised to feel how dense the Tyrrhenian Sea was. I could barely muster the energy to swim and simply sat there, floating and looking up at the colorful assortment of houses on the hill. After we dried off and my mom haggled a nearby artist for one of his paintings, we popped into random shops and art galleries. The paintings in Positano were painted so realistically that they looked like photographs. Past the shops, we made our way to the main road only to discover many roads didn’t have sidewalks and that we would have to share the road with traffic as the small European cars zoomed past us.

The Path of the Gods was a difficult climb, but worth every step. As we escalated higher into the hills, the views became even more astonishing. If I were to go back, I would definitely do it again. Although, I would do it properly and start at the top (from Amalfi), working my way down to end in Positano. Not having known the different options to attempt this climb, we decided to power through the difficult route (starting at the bottom and working up). This was fine, and provided a great workout, but our backs were to the ocean the entire time, forcing us to turn around to admire the views rather than having a screen-saver-worthy landscape before our eyes throughout the entire journey.

One thing I picked up on Italian culture from my time in Amalfi Coast: Italians are more than willing to help, but they are very literal. It could very well have been the language barrier, but when navigating the Path of the Gods, they would always answer our question directly without providing further insight. When asking how to get to the Path of the Gods, Italians would direct us to the nearest bus stop and give step-by-step instructions on how to reach the path from our current, exact location (disregarding the fact that there were much easier and faster routes elsewhere, had we known to walk a mere 15 minutes east).

Another thing that really grabbed my attention was how much Amalfi transformed between early morning hours and the buzzing evenings. Before noon, most streets were calm and quiet, with little movement and few stores open to peruse. However, at 5p, the square transformed with plenty of seating suddenly available for the restaurants lining the perimeter. People gathered for a bite and sat for hours, socializing and enjoying their food; in no apparent rush to be any place else until the end of time.

I really enjoyed Italy’s social culture and their laid-back attitude on life. The country has mastered the art of indulgence and taken to relishing in life’s simple pleasures. I could use more of that outlook in my own life.

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Basel: My Intro To Switzerland

I very much enjoyed the quaint town of Basel, although I only got to spend a couple days there. The architecture was a mix of European styles, with houses sporting a dutch facade and neighboring streets lined with tudor houses; a clump of houses lining the Rhine resembled those in France. I landed in Basel in the morning, having boarded an extremely early morning flight from Berlin. The perk to my morning flights was that I had the entire day to unwind and explore the town. I met up with a kind man from the couchsurfing app who offered to “host” me for the afternoon. He took me for a picnic on the Rhine and we exchanged travel stories and learned about each other’s cultures. It was so interesting to hear about life in Switzerland–most citizens speaking at least three languages, and often four or more. We soaked up the sun and watched as people swam in the Rhine, taking advantage of the warmth before winter hit as we transitioned out of fall. That evening, my mom and I had dinner at a delicious Japanese restaurant called NOOHN. Growing up with Asian immigrants as grandparents, I am pretty particular about Asian cuisine, but this sushi bar hit the spot. The chefs were also very kind. We started chatting with one of the chefs to hear his story and learned that he had moved to Basel to learn Swiss German, having already mastered Malaysian, two dialects of Chinese, and English.

Berlin: Sight-seeing, Architecture, & History

Berlin is often overlooked because the city itself isn’t exactly a spectacular sight—the buildings are all moderately new, having been built after the destruction of WWII bombings. In my opinion, Berlin is extremely underrated and the fact that people don’t think to come to this city is what makes it even more beautiful. The city does have its gems, including the cathedrals and the Konzerthaus, not to mention the plethora of museums outlining everything from the city’s history to Germany’s connection to the cold war to architecture and art. Whilst strolling through Berlin, I stumbled upon Rausch Schokoladenhaus, an incredibly delicious chocolate shop located in Gendarmenmarkt square in Berlin-Mitte (one of my favorite neighborhoods within Berlin). The hot chocolate was delicious and provided the perfect blanket of warmth to fight the oncoming cold. I highly recommend making a stop at this chocolate shop if you’re in the area!

Seeking Nature in England

I think a fantastic adventure could start off in Reykjavik, Iceland, which I’ve been told from travel friends is an excellent location for outdoor excursions as it has ties to Iceland’s viking history. From Iceland I would hop over to Edinburgh to explore Scotland and perhaps backpack through England if I had the time.

Friendships For A Lifetime

I once met someone who might have become a good friend…were it not for my pessimistic “realism”.  Rather than reciprocate his friendly goodbye of, “perhaps I’ll see you around” with something optimistic addressing the chance to meet again, I responded with something along the lines of: “probably not”.

He was offended, and rightly so. My close-minded outlook on life kept me from seeing the possibility of ever meeting again under any circumstances.

Solo travel changed that. I’ve met incredible people who I know will stay in my life. People who’ve connected with me on a deeper level despite the fact that we spent only a few days together. Over mere days, I’ve developed bonds with incredible humans who have taught me so much about worldly things. It’s opened my eyes and given me hope and encouragement to be better in life. Although I picked rather tame destinations, solo travel was intimidating…especially a full month of navigating abroad on my own. But I am so glad that I did and you can bet I’ll be doing more of it in the future. Sad that my travels are coming to an end, but so thankful for the experience. I love the friends I’ve made and am grateful for the relationships formed in these past weeks. My heart is full.

Back to Europe: Switzerland Adventure

Visiting Switzerland sent my mind reeling with the possibilities of more fully exploring Switzerland on a future holiday. I would set aside a couple days to visit my mom’s colleague, Reto, and his girlfriend, Monika, in Basel to visit the Roche tower and scope out the views (the Roche tower is apparently the tallest tower in Switzerland). After Basel, I’d give myself four days to enjoy Bern and soak in the creative, trendy culture. From Bern, I’d head to the Swiss Alps, spending a few days in Interlaken, a few days in Grindelwald, and giving myself a few days in another location within the Alps to tour the massive peaks and glimpse the stellar views (selfie with the Matterhorn, perhaps?).  From the Alps, I’d take 5-7 days in Zurich and complete the trip. If I had the time and resources, I would extend the trip further and make my way to Slovenia to check out Lake Bled and surrounding landscapes because I’ve heard (and seen via friends’ instagram photos) that Slovenia is a beautiful country. And to make the trip even longer, I would squeeze in Munich and some scenic tours of Austria before hitting Slovenia…but that would all depend on time and resources, of course. Oh, the possibilities are endless!

Meeting Up With Travel Friends in New Countries

Lucky for me, I met some incredible people within the first couple days of my month-long solo adventure. One of which would later meet me in Switzerland after having initially met in Berlin. Verity is an awesome girl I met on my Berlin walking tour and was coincidentally headed to Switzerland for the same period of time as I was. After touring Jungfraujoch, I met up with her in Grindelwald for some lunch and walked around to admire the views. Grindelwald is absolutely breathtaking, with the massive Alps looming over you and gorgeous scenery further exposing itself with each step. The whole town felt uniquely serene. The surrounding foliage lie still with the exception of an occasional subtle breeze, and the birds chirped melodiously to the chiming bells tied around the necks of the local sheep. Until we meet again, Swiss Alps.

Taste of the Swiss Alps: Top of Europe

My train up to the Jungfraujoch gave me much needed rest. I sat down in the most luxuriously plush chair, pleased to find fold-out desks and outlets available to charge my devices. About two hours into my ride, ticket enforcement walked the cabin to validate tickets and informed me that I was incorrectly sitting in first class (I had purchased a second class ticket). The woman checking tickets had previously helped me get onto the train and—knowing that I had absolutely no clue what I was doing—was lenient and allowed me to simply skip back to the second class cab rather than charge me a fine for riding in the wrong cabin.

As the train approached higher elevation within the alps, I forced myself to stay awake to admire the view. The hills were absolutely breathtaking and the scenery was so serene. A couple stops prior to Jungfraujoch, the train allowed us to get off and view the giant glaciers through huge, insulated windows. I’d seen glaciers in Canada on my solo trip to Banff NP, but nothing compared to the colossal mass of ice nestled within the crevices of the Swiss Alps.

My body protested as I stepped off of the train at Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe). I had just climbed 11,000ft in elevation within only four hours via train, and my body was not happy. I felt queasy and out of breath, huffing at every step. On my next trip to the alps, I’ll stay in Grindelwald for a few nights to acclimate before approaching the higher peaks in order to give myself time to adjust and fully enjoy the higher elevation without the restriction of elevation sickness. I’d also love to explore the Grindelwald area and hike around the Alps to soak in the beauty of it all.

Sadly the Top of Europe decided to throw a fit that morning and I arrived at the top to find it completely snowed over and stormy outside, with limited visibility (you could only see about 10 feet ahead of you, rather than all of Europe as shown in photos from Jungfraujoch on sunny, cloudless days). I enjoyed it nonetheless; how many people can say they’ve visited the highest peak of the Swiss Alps? The inside was cool as well, with the museum showcasing hand-made ice sculptures and fun Disneyland-esque attractions illuminating the creation and construction of the Jungfraujoch Funicular.

The Festival of Lights

Unbeknownst to me, the Festival of Lights began the day after I arrived in Berlin and continued on for about a week and a half. From 7pm-midnight every night, 90 (?) structures throughout Berlin are lit up with projectors to provide the public with artistic light shows ranging from psychedelic patterns to short clips representing the country of origin for the artists that created that particular installment. The shows are projected onto major buildings, transforming the architecture into a fantastic art piece. After viewing the East Side Gallery on my second day in Berlin, I spent the night navigating the different installments around the TV tower (including the gate, a couple museums, and the Berlin Cathedral). Two nights later, I explored the Festival of Lights even further, visiting the university and other buildings throughout downtown Berlin.