Tips:
Pick pockets are rife in most European countries. Be aware of people asking you for money or distracting you on public transport as they never work alone. Do not allow anyone to put anything on your wrist or in your hands as they will demand payment for the ‘gift’. Make sure your bag is across your body and has a zip.
Location specific tips
France: Travelling to France by car, you need to make sure you have the correct items to Travel. You will need a valid MOT, Certificate of Insurance, Your driving license and European Breakdown cover. You must remember to get headlight adapters and a UK/GB sticker for the back of your car. You must also have a high-vis vest per person travelling and a breakdown kit complete with breathalyser.
Italy: When travelling around Italy, you need a copy of your passport (this can be a photo on your phone) and you need to validate your public transport ticket. It is a little machine that time stamps your ticket. If you do not do this and the bus inspector catches you, you can be fined and/or arrested. (Please see past trips – Rome for that funny story)
Tricks:
Extension leads. We always take 2 adapters and 4-way extension lead, so we have multiple outlets to use as most hotels have 2 or 3 plug sockets and when there are 5 people with phones, it’s just not enough.
Take a mixture of cash and card. I have recently got a Monzo card, and this allows you to spend abroad without any bank charges. We had an electronic outage recently and no one could use cards as a payment method. So, taking a small amount of cash is a good option.
Packing cubes are a god send! They really are great. It makes packing cases so much easier and tidier. It makes unpacking the other end easier too. I got mine off amazon for £7.99 I have 1 large, 1 medium, 1 small cube, 2 shoe bags and 3 laundry bags which can fit all your toiletries in. We also use the small one to pack a couple of outfits and undies in a pop those in a different suitcase in case one gets lost. At least then you have clean undies and a few changes of clothes instead of nothing!
Food sharing especially with snacks. This is a good way to taste a little bit of everything in a new place.
Ziplock bags for food (and your phone on wet rides at theme parks). If the snack you have bought is too big for you to eat, this is a good way to save it for later.