Step 6- Transportation… I could go on and on.
How you are going to get around when traveling is a very important aspect to work out beforehand. Understanding how the area functions before you arrive can really make or break the smoothness of the trip. Some cities are super easy to get around and some require quite a bit more thought and preparation.
How you are going to get to and from the airport is probably the best place to start. How far is the airport or train station from where you are staying? What kinds of transportation does the area offer? Can you take public transport, or do you need to get a car service like Uber?
Once you have gotten to where you are staying, you should decide what’s the best way to travel about the city overall, bus, metro, bike, walking? In our travels we have seen many different options: Rome- bus/Uber/walking; Milan- tram/walking; Amsterdam- trams/bikes/walking, Paris- metro/walking, Prague- tram/walking/Uber. Each of these cities had really great public transit offered but were just very different depending on lay out and how the city functions as a whole. Bus and metro line passes can be super cost-effective especially if you are staying bit away from main areas or plan to do a lot of travel across the city daily. In Paris, the Metro is the quickest and most convenient way to get around, there are several train lines and stops literally everywhere. You can get individual tickets, daily or weekly passes, and even a reloadable card (Navigo) for monthly uses. They also have a larger train system, RER, that runs outside the city to the airport and other main attractions like Versailles and Disneyland Paris.
Tip- If you have small children like I do, the simplest option is probably the best. Usually we would take the train from the airport into the city center, then switch to the easiest form of travel to get around day to day. With it being just me arriving in Paris with 2 toddlers, slightly outnumbered…oh, plus at least 2 pieces of luggage, I’m choosing not to overcomplicate things and just pay extra to take the easiest route—a car service. A big factor in using a pickup service is I’ll be able to avoid bringing any car seats since they will provide them for me. It’s a win-win.
Paris Metro 
Train from Paris to Milan 
Wondering through Amsterdam 
Bikes are the best in Amsterdam 
Step 7- Banking options
Getting your money sorted out before travel is super important because no friend or family wants to be wiring money or running from bank to bank to get your finances worked out. There are several options: Banks, Credit Unions, and of course credit cards. Personally, we go with our credit union because the fees are a lot lower than our bank. We also do this because we don’t want to run up our credit cards with impulse purchases while we are away. Plus, having our trip money budgeted in the Credit Union before our trip helps keep us accountable and on track with our spending. I do know that travel credit cards have perks and points so for some this is a great way to collect on those features. From hotel points to flight miles, it’s definitely something to weigh out and see if it would be a benefit to you and your trip.
Tip: Know the exchange rate before you leave, this will help you make the best money choices throughout the trip. You don’t need to get currency before traveling most places. Also, when you get to your destination you will get a better rate. If you can, make sure to do this at a bank—not a currency exchange, and especially not at the airport! Most places take debit which will be your best exchange rate overall but do take out cash to have on hand as well. Also, notify your bank where you are so they don’t freeze your account.
Step 8- A rough play by play
The travel style my family prefers is, have an idea of what you want to do but don’t plan. We really seek out the live like a local vibe for most of our travels. We aren’t the type to rush through cities, so we try to spend a minimum of 4 days wherever we are visiting. We have definitely been in places that didn’t need more than a 24 hour stop in, but we like to give all places a chance to open up and in 4 days we feel we can decide if we need to come back or maybe not. This was completely the case with our time in Milan. We absolutely love Rome so when booking the Milan leg of our last trip we thought for sure we would want a good chunk of time there, you know to eat and drink wine. We spent 5 ½ days in a city, we felt needed 1-2 days max. It was a bummer. Our time in Amsterdam was the exact opposite, we spent 3 ½ days in a city I could have spent weeks, and we fully intend on going back whenever we can. If weather allows, we may even try to get up there for a weekend when we are in Paris this spring. All that being said, in the research you do about the cities you are traveling to, find a couple of things you know you want to see or do and work around that. My advice: don’t plan for more than one activity each day allowing for time to just explore, let the city lead the way. Getting “lost” in new places is sometimes the most amazing way to really get an inside look at what the destination is all about. If you don’t see it all, that’s all the more reason to go back later.
Tip: Plan a park picnic; bring a blanket, get some food from the grocery (bread cheese fruit, treats), grab a bottle of wine or your favorite beverage, and lunch like the locals do. People watch, relax, and take in the area, it’s my favorite thing to do when traveling abroad.
One of our many picnics in the park
Step 9- Learn some language?
Learning even a small amount of the language where you are going can go a long way. Most countries take it as a huge sign of respect and a gesture of kindness. We try to get greetings, helpful words, and a few phrases down before we go.
Tip: Make flash cards to practice leading up to your trip. In the past we have done this and we would quiz each other a little bit each night, which helped out a lot.
Learn the language…. or get it tattooed on your body, either way.
Step 10- What to wear, what not to wear
Clothing is a huge part of blending in and really getting the local experience. Depending on where you are going, what you have in your closet could really be a dead giveaway that you aren’t from here. Which might matter to some and not to others, but sometimes, when traveling abroad, not standing out can be very beneficial.
Tip: Check out The Perfect ‘Fit page on the blog to see my style boards and travel capsules for inspiration and places to shop!
Bonus Step- Where will the wine go?
The last and final step, wine. My husband and I are big wine people and this was made especially true after our time in Rome…we would never be the same in the best way. Each trip we make sure to pack accordingly so that we have room to bring back several bottles; our high score is 9! On our first trip abroad together, we had to buy another small suitcase because, well, I packed way too many clothes and there was no room for anything else. So, in future trips clothes were important, but wine was the priority. Be sure to think about what you might want to pack back with you when you start prepping for your trip, considering total overall weight. More to come on what to pack in future blogs.
Tip: Always wrap your wine bottles in soft clothes and pad them very well. We have used wine bottle sleeves in the past and those have worked great too. So far (fingers crossed) we haven’t had any bottles break but do have friends who lost some bottles on their return flight. May the luggage handling be ever in your favor.
Enjoy your trip!
Wine shopping at Eatly Milan 
The House wine is the best way to go!
Cheap and delicious!
Rosé by the Seine 
Wine and pasta.. you can’t go wrong!
She's gone to Paris 