Random thoughts
This is a very personal decision, and one that takes a bit of research. It also depends on each person's unique situation. My philosophy is that we’ve already spent a ton of money on this trip, so it’s better to spend that extra few hundred dollars for peace of mind. We have taken other trips, however, (all within the U.S.) where we didn't purchase trip insurance. I see it as a case-by-case decision. I’ve used insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com to compare companies, coverage, and costs.
Trip insurance?
Some people love to keep journals. We are not members of that group (yet, anyway - working on it). I had all the best intentions in the world of doing a daily journal on our first Rick Steves' Europe tour in 2014, but I never once opened the cover. I was overwhelmed by the thought of trying to capture everything we did each day, not to mention the fact that we were always tired at the end of the day!
Recalling my regret at not doing one last time, this time around I stuck to bullet points, highlights, and key items rather than try to write a moment by moment account of the day’s events. Using this method helped tremendously in creating this website as well as my printed photo book. And this way I didn’t get overwhelmed by trying to recap everything.
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Here's what worked for me:
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Use bullet points
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Write names of places, hotels, landmarks, restaurants, stores, areas, streets, etc. that you’ll want to remember
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Record the names of your local guides
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Capture the daily language lesson your guide provides on the bus
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Select a few highlights from the day and describe them
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Describe a specific experience that impacted you, such as a spectacular sunset, music wafting across a lake, or a particular scene that moved you. These are those priceless moments in time that will bring your experience back to you in living color when you read your notes!
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Don't focus on just what you see (your camera can help you do that)...think about what you heard, smelled, thought, tasted, felt, etc.
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Prepare some prompts for yourself ahead of time. Just Google "travel writing prompts" and a ton of ideas will pop up. There are also lots of handy guidebooks and even some online courses designed to help you overcome writers' block and come home with some great stories.
We initially thought one smart phone and an iPad would be enough for us. We didn’t want to rack up huge roaming fees and intended to use free WiFi whenever the chance arose. That worked fine for a while, and I’m sure would work fine for two people traveling together who don't plan to go different directions. However, we found out the hard way that a family of three or more definitely needs at least two cell phones. We went two different directions one day, and missed each other at our meeting spot. Thankfully, one of the other families in our group had a cell phone I was able to borrow. Might not be so lucky next time!
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Be sure to check with your cell phone carrier before you leave home to see what international plans they offer. Some are good, some are not.
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A smart phone also comes in handy for snapping a picture of the daily itinerary your guide posts every morning or prior evening. This way there's no excuses if you miss a meeting time!
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These days, smartphone cameras can take some amazing photos...in fact, some of the photos on this site are from an iPhone 6 and some are from a Nikon 5500 digital SLR. For those of you who, like me, are amateur photographer-wannabes, I highly recommend bringing a digital SLR camera. I used two different lenses, a 18-55mm and a 55-300mm. I used the 18-55mm lens more than the longer zoom lens, but I'd still bring both next time. I'm also considering getting a wide-angle lens for next time. We also had a small digital point-and-shoot, but the quality of the pictures just doesn't compare to the iPhone or digital SLR.
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Camera straps can tend to dig into your neck, especially in hot climates where you don't usually wear collars. I found a scarf style camera strap that worked much better. See a picture of one on the Packing Tips page.
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Photo treasure hunt – One fun thing to do on your trip is to create a photo treasure hunt for yourself. Prepare a list ahead of time of things you and your family members can look for to photograph. This can result in some very interesting shots in addition to your typical scenery and building photos. Here's a link to a few ideas, but try to come up with some that are specific to the country you are visiting or a special interest you may have. Choose several from your list or concentrate on just one – for example, I took photos of interesting wood doors in Italy. This resulted in an entire page of my hard copy photo book devoted to doors.
Journaling
Cell phones
Digital camera
Smart phone apps
You always hear about the danger of pickpockets in touristy areas. Definitely be aware of your surroundings at all times and take precautions with your belongings, but don't let it deter you from anything. We didn't have any problems, but we've all heard the stories and may know people who have been victims in the past. I found some handy S-shaped carabiner clips (see them here at the bottom of the page) that I put on my backpack zippers. While not a foolproof security tactic, they do offer a bit of a deterrent to someone trying to quickly open your backpack zipper. Also, get in the habit of wearing your backpack on your front in crowds.
On this trip, we observed a heightened military and police presence in high traffic tourist areas. That didn't stop the street sellers hawking their knock-off designer bags, but we can hope that it prompts the pickpockets to curtail their activities a bit.
Here are some random topics, thoughts, suggestions and ideas that we considered before or during our trip. Scroll down or click on the menu to the left to see thoughts on trip insurance, journaling, cell phones, smart phone apps, successful trip tips, cameras, and pickpockets. Return to the top of the page by clicking the symbol.
"Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport."
~ Unknown
Pickpockets
There are a ton of travel-related smart phone apps available, and new ones appearing all the time. Here are a few that I found helpful:
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Dropbox - load documents such as photocopies of your passports, credit cards, itinerary, etc. in case you need them during the trip. This can save you from bringing a lot of paperwork with you
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XE Currency - to help make sense of what an item really costs
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Shutterfly - for uploading and storing photos
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Google translate
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Airports (such as Heathrow) - to help you navigate when changing planes
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Trains - some national train services produce apps that allow you to check schedules, order tickets, and more. SBB Mobile is the Swiss version.
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Your airline(s)
The Pre-Tour Planner tour members receive from Rick Steves' Europe has some very helpful checklists and tips. Take advantage of it!
A couple other thoughts...
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Be sure your credit cards don't charge foreign transaction fees, which can really add up and all you're doing is giving the credit card companies more of your hard-earned money. Capital One cards and the Alaska Airlines Visa card don't charge foreign transaction fees, and there are several others out there, so shop around.
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Debit cards are recommended for getting cash at ATMs. Again, look for one with no foreign transaction fees. Schwab Bank offers one with their Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking account. This one also doesn't charge ATM fees.
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Some of the items on the following list might be stating the obvious, but its always good to remind ourselves...
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Be prompt to group meeting spots
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Do a tour buddy check before the guide says anything
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Be flexible
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Expect the unexpected
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Wear sturdy shoes
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Don’t push yourself too hard
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Redefine "normal." Remember, you’re in a foreign country where behaviors that are “normal” to you might be seen as strange there, and vice versa.
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