5 steps to the best hot girl summer in Europe
“Hot girl summer” might be a bit of a stretch, but four months of travelling across Europe, Africa and Asia certainly did not disappoint. Here are five steps that pushed me to become a #EuropeChangedMe gal.
hot girl semester is in full effect, let’s get this degree ladies
— claudia (@claaudiaamarie) August 28, 2019
Honestly, even with assignments and coursework looming over my head, I am glad to be back on the grind. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the absence of steady shelter, a proper wardrobe, and a home-cooked meal has definitely turned me into a homebody for the foreseeable future. Yet, I can’t help but reminisce on my sun-filled European adventures when I’m sitting at home typing up my latest essay. It truly was a time to remember, full of incredible highs and what seemed to be world-ending lows, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Step one: the world is your oyster
… and only by researching and planning where you’re going will you yield pearls. I structured my summer based off specific events that I wanted to be at - Oktoberfest, Sziget Festival, and a week aboard Sail Croatia. Then what followed was an intense 10-hour planning session where I tried to tick off bucket-list destinations in the most economically feasible way. While this did mean that I caught a few night buses, and on one occasion, slept overnight in an airport in Kraków, “roughing it” allowed me to save on a few nights’ accommodation.
What helped me make decisions was having a strict accommodation budget of 50AUD per person, per night, and Skyscanner, alongside showing prices per date, has a handy feature where you can choose “everywhere” in your destination search, which allows for an easy assessment on the cheapest places to go in between must-dos.
Step two: know before you go
Before your departure, check out the travel advice for each of your destinations on Smart Traveller, which will give you an idea of places that are less likely to cost an arm and a leg for travel insurance, and how to travel there safely. Smart Traveller is also a fantastic resource to use when checking if you need a visa for your destination - if you have more than one passport, check if one of them can go visa-free in areas that the other(s) can’t, it might save you a mighty buck. Be sure to check the weather and pack accordingly, and have a bit of a Google to see if there are any special events on when you’re travelling - whether you want to go to them or not, it will affect your transportation and experience.
If you’re planning on hiring a car, double-check the minimum age requirement to hire, and everything that entails - in the Republic of Ireland, for example, they will hire out cars to under 25-year-olds, however drivers have to have had their full license for at least four years. Having got my full license only a year ago when I was 20, you can imagine my displeasure when we showed up and were denied the car we had already booked and paid for. And my further displeasure at, after some verbal finangling, being charged an exuberant young driver insurance fee to commence our journey. Which segues into my next piece of advice: have a fair bit of money tucked away when you’re travelling, and don’t touch it unless it’s an emergency. I can guarantee that there will be hidden (and legal) additional costs to things that you thought you had already paid for in full.
Step three: are you really going to carry all that?
If I could get in one gripe about travelling non-stop for 16 weeks straight before I get called out on my privilege, it’s that I would have saved so much money on checked-baggage fees had I not exceeded the one litre liquid limit due to the excessive amounts of sunscreen and moisturiser I was insistent on carrying throughout my sojourn. I briefly considered titling this how to travel 15 countries with nothing but hope - because even if you think you’ve got everything, I guarantee that you don’t. And even if you do have everything, it doesn’t matter. One look at my photos from Budapest and Sziget Festival is a testament to this - it didn’t matter that I dropped hundreds of euros on the ability to carry an almost infinite supply of sunscreen, after-sun and moisturiser, for burn my skin did.
However, I definitely do have some packing tips and tricks. As a general rule, I like to live my life by Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong, but doubly so when travelling. Thus, alongside my LBD, rain jacket, cozzies and hat, I packed some Imodium, a first aid kit (with extra band-aids, nurofen and panadol), two phone chargers and I left my laptop behind. I also did a bit of research into the weather and terrain of my destinations, which affected my decision to use a trekking backpack (ick) rather than a suitcase, so I aimed to pack for each climate as lightly as possible, for I may be thicc but I am not strong.
Here’s my complete packing list:
Enough socks and underwear for a week
Hostel-friendly pyjamas
One pair of Birkenstock sandals and one pair of Converse. I do wish I brought a pair of runners with me (and workout gear), and a pair of thongs and my boots, however I was packing lightly. Thongs are a must, though, especially when you’re staying in questionable B&Bs.
Kathmandu 3-in-1 jacket: perfect as a rain jacket, and also for colder weather.
Three dresses: one for the beach, a LBD and a sundress.
Five t-shirts (I am a pale gal, so I stayed away from shoulder-exposing singlets for fear of second-degree sunburn)
Two long-sleeve shirts
Two pairs of jeans: one black, one blue
One denim skirt (I am not a shorts gal, unfortunately)
Three swimsuits
Accessories: hat, belt, sunglasses, spare hair elastics
A micro-fibre towel - I use this one from Decathlon.
International adaptors - I got gifted a universal outbound travel adapter, which I highly recommend.
Two phone chargers
Obviously toiletries are very personal, but I did find that the following came in handy based on what I needed, what was not provided and what was hard to find when travelling: any medication you need, pain-killers, Imodium, a first-aid kit, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, sunscreen, moisturiser, skincare (cleanser, toner, facial moisturiser), argan oil, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, nail clippers, tweezers, make-up wipes, tinted moisturiser, paw paw cream, and mascara.
ME REGULARLY: *uses the same 3 things at home*
— Michael Halloween Name🌶 (@Home_Halfway) October 9, 2019
ME PACKING FOR VACATION: I wonder if I'll need 4 French horns or 5
Sweaty girl summer hack: If you’re prone to chafing, buy a stick of deodorant and apply it to your usually affected areas before you leave for the day. Trust me, it’s a lifesaver, and it’s also carry-on-friendly.
Step four: ???
I can’t tell you how to travel in the best way, for everyone’s experience is different. On one hand, planning everything to a T beforehand is probably the easiest way to travel - money-wise, time-wise and safety-wise - yet, some of my fondest memories are when I threw caution to the wind (so to speak), and went on a spontaneous adventure. I do have some sneaky hacks though:
Go on a walking tour in each city you visit - it helps you get oriented and decide what else you’d like to explore further during your stay. Keep a day or half-day open to go to things that you may not have known about when you were planning your itinerary.
If you have something specific that you’d like to see, for example a landmark such as La Sagrada Familia, even if you’re going in the off-peak season, it is worth researching before you go whether you need to pay for entry and if you can buy tickets online, as often famous attractions are sold-out a few days in advance. If worse comes to worst, usually there are tours available that include entry into these sites, however, expect to pay a hefty fee to join one.
When purchasing something at a shop or restaurant, or taking money out of an ATM, always, always, always choose to be charged in the currency of the country you’re in, instead of a conversion to AUD, as if you choose to be charged in AUD, the institution will use their own conversion rate, which will end up costing you more money. If you choose the foreign currency (for example, euros, pounds, or Hungarian forints), your Australian bank will convert the currency at a more favourable rate. If you have an ING Orange Everyday bank account (and corresponding Visa card), any international transaction or ATM fees will be refunded to you.
iPhone users: invest in iCloud storage for your photos - if your phone gets lost or stolen, it’s an almost surefire way that your photos aren’t gone too.
Try to have a “home-made” breakfast each morning - we carried Nescafé coffee satchels and made hard-boiled eggs every morning - filling, and cheap!
Keep a note in your phone of family-friendly anecdotes that you can whip out at gatherings where someone will inevitably ask about your trip. Similarly, have a list of what not to mention. Just don’t get them mixed up and you’ll be right as rain.
Step five: profit
Sit back, relax, and live vicariously through your own queued Instagram posts. Don’t forget to use #EuropeChangedMe and say ciao bella in your caption to really make yourself feel better when you’re posting a #TBT during STUVAC from your study pod in the library. Also, invest in some presets by Lizardy Travel to spice up your feed.
