What I wish I had known before spending six months in Europe

You might think that because I’m a writer, I’d be pretty good at journaling. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. I usually find myself writing at the start of a trip, but then stop when exhaustion starts to set in.

However, towards the end of my trip through Europe, I discovered the beauty of voice notes. Instead of journaling in my room after a long day, I could pull out my phone and record a recap while heading back to my hotel.

This would have been useful on particularly hectic days, like when I was in Paris attending the Summer Olympics.

It’s the details that keep memories alive, and on my next trip, I look forward to documenting my travels even more closely.

As an American, I am impressed by the European rail system. Pay $40 to read on a train for a few hours and end up in another country? You can’t beat it.

However, my previous European rail experiences have always been off-season. Using the rail system in the summer was a whole different experience.

Of the twenty or so long-distance trains I took throughout the summer, almost all were delayed to some extent. To say this caused a few headaches is an understatement.

For example, my day traveling from Switzerland to Amsterdam went from a simple two-train excursion to a nightmare day. six different trains, ultimately adding five hours to an already long travel day.

This happened because my connection was 20 minutes long and my train was 25 minutes late. Next time I’ll try to give myself at least half an hour between trains.

When I was in England, it was music festival time – and the British know how to organize a festival. However, it wasn’t until some locals started listing the festivals they attended that I even began to look into the details.

Turns out Hozier was playing down the street from where I was staying – the day I left. My travel arrangements were not flexible, so I had to miss the opportunity to see one of my favorite artists (for a fraction of the price of his US tickets).

Next time I’m across the pond, I’ll be sure to do some research ahead of time to find out who’s playing nearby.

Having a big sweet tooth, I knew I was in trouble when I traveled to England and France. From Victoria sponge cake to scones, macaroons and éclairs, temptations were everywhere.

And the other countries I visited didn’t disappoint in terms of baking either.

Although I occasionally indulged in sweet treats (especially kolaches in the Czech Republic), I convinced myself that I didn’t need to splurge. Also often.

Now that I’m back in the States, I’m kicking myself for not trying more of the local desserts. Food is an essential part of a country’s culture, and desserts are a relatively inexpensive way to discover the locals’ favorite recipes.

I’m not naturally a morning person and I usually need a specific reason to get up early. On days when I didn’t have one, I often didn’t go out until 10 or 11 in the morning.

However, on the morning I left Prague, I woke up before dawn to watch the sunrise over the iconic Charles Bridge. I was used to the bridge being filled with tourists, but at 7am I had the place to myself.

Although it’s not my natural tendency, going out on the street early in the morning offers a completely different perspective of a city.

This story was originally published on December 15, 2025 and last updated on October 24, 2025.