Figuring out Food.

Food. Man’s best friend. While traveling, food can be your best friend and your worst enemy, ranging from delicious gnocchi in Venice to some much regretted McDonald’s on the go. Food is a hassle regardless of where you are traveling. Where do we eat? What do we eat? When do we eat? How much should we spend? There are many questions that make such an enjoyable experience very overwhelming.

Order a water. One of the best ways to save money is to order a water as your beverage, in most restaurants the tap water is free, and while it may not be half as exciting as a cool, sophisticated glass of beer, it is much cheaper than said beer. Especially over a period of a couple days, this trick can add up pretty quick to a hefty amount. In addition, staying hydrated while on the go makes you feel better and can help you feel more satisfied after a meal.

Super-markets. Even though its totally not what you want to do, going to buy food at a supermarket is honestly the greatest way to save money. When I was on a ten day trip through Europe, me and 3 others bought enough food for all of us to eat for 2 days, for the amount it would cost just to eat one meal out at a restaurant. If you plan on doing any cooking, make sure you get the hotels or apartments that have a kitchen of some sort that includes kitchen supplies as well.

Find The Outskirts. If you are in a prime tourist area, like a hotel overlooking the eiffel tower, you are going to be spending a lot of money ion food. There is no way around it. That is why finding smaller cities or staying outside of the city center may be worth it because food will be much cheaper in those areas.

I will admit, when ever I am trying to decide on food, I find myself making decisions based on money more than anything else. Part of it is just way I think, the other part is that I usually don't have tons of money to spend. I will say there were a few times that I spent more money than I wanted to a restaurants, but it was totally worth it. I definitely encourage you to eat out a few times, especially if you haven't eaten the local food. The same goes for trying out local beers and wines, especially while traveling through Europe, a large part of why we go to Europe is to try the different selections of food and drink. So don't miss any opportunities by being to stingy with the pocketbook. Live a little.

-P

The Friend or Foe? (Finding the right people to travel with)

Traveling can be exponentially more fun if you get to travel with people. That being said, it can also be brutally more horrifying if you travel with the wrong people. Having traveled Europe with numerous friends I personally not only love traveling with friends, but traveling by myself has really proved to be a learning experience, one that should not go untested.

There are certain people who are not open to new experiences. They may deny it, and have no problem trying out the same thing over and over, but at the end of the day they are just going to hold you back and prevent you from living in the moment and taking in all the raw culture you have at your fingertips. Most of the time any opportunity to travel will be rare and brief. Don’t let someone mess it up for you.

1. Beware the Friends. Friends are great, but that doesn't mean that they are all good to travel with. Everybody has a different personality and thats okay. That’s the way we were made. Not to mention sometimes it’s healthy to try traveling with new people. Traveling is a chance to throw yourself into something new, so don't suppress it with old habits.

2. The half-friends. You don’t always have to travel with just friends. Traveling is a great opportunity to invite all those “half-friends” (people who have not yet made it into that inner circle of your life) and helps bring them to the next level. I enjoy meeting new people and traveling with someone builds powerful bonds. Some of my best friends were made traveling abroad. I can’t imagine not knowing them now.

3. Coasters. There is a certain breed of individual, that feeds off the hard work of others. Assuming this isn’t you, you are probably not looking to travel with people like these. Be aware of the personalities of the people you plan on traveling with, some really great and amazing people may not make the best traveling buddies. So take into account the potential overall dynamic of the group, before you jump into things.

4. Travel Alone. Some of my best memories are traveling alone from Barcelona, to The Netherlands, and then back to Austria. There is something very resilient in going out on your own and pushing yourself to be independent. Of course its probably going to be much more intimidating, but in the end it will be worth it, because it gives you a chance to do exactly what you want to do, without pressure from somebody else.

Regardless of who you end up traveling with, you learn from every trip. Thats the beauty of traveling. Everything can work out perfectly and you can have a great time. You can make plenty of mistakes and have crazy stories to tell. Even if its absolutely miserable, you will always remember that trip and (hopefully) you won’t make the same mistake twice.

-P