So as you are reading this I should be well into my dance fest known as Tomorrowland. So let's keep the party going with this girl I've come to know and love: Erin from the Party Girl's Guide. Not only does she party, she knows a thing or two about travel.
Hey guys, I'm Erin and I run the show over at a little blog called The Party Girl's Guide.
Helene has asked me to guest post while she is off romping around Europe and I could not be more excited to be here. She claims I am here because I won some alleged contest….but I think we all know the real reason I am blogging for her today is because she knows I am the only other girl out there that can dance as well as she can.
The proof is in the pudding. (or in this case the pictures)
Another possible reason she may have rigged the contest is because I know a thing or two about the little continent she is currently dancing around on. You see I spent quite a few months drinking my way through Europe back in my college days, and more recently reeked havoc all over Spain and France. So today, I am going to share with you all a few tips to a successful European vacation…Helene has already got this covered, but some of you may need a few pointers. If you have never been, seriously go already. If you are poor like me, just charge it. You can see more of my financial advice here.
1. Travel with people you love. Helene has this one in the bag seeing as she is taking her stud muffin husband, but the last time I went I took my two best pals from college. It was seriously the best ten days ever. Make sure whoever you go with understands you, and is up for either doing the things you want to do, or letting you go off on your own to do them. You never know when you might be back so take advantage to see and do everything your little heart desires. I am a museum nerd, my friends are not, but they went along with me and I did the same for them. Be flexible but also insist on having the best experience you personally can.
2. Drink all the wine you can possibly find. There is not better way to immerse yourself in the European culture than by becoming a bar star. Lucky for me, I already was, and some of the best times I had were spent exploring the nightlife. I went to clubs, dive bars, fancy ass lounges, you name it…I drank there. Make sure you keep yourself a little bit in check though because ain't no one got time for a hangover on vacation.
3. Make sure you stay in the finest of hostels. Seriously if you are up for an adventure, hostels are so much fun. You will meet other travelers, save a ton of money, and it is just a really fun experience all around. I have stayed in several and no serial killer crap has ever even gone down. Though I did see someone get peed on in a hostel in Amsterdam…that is a story for another time though (don't do drugs kids).
4. If for some reason you are in a creepy hostel and you and your two friends all have the same dream that a man comes into your room, just barricade the door with some tape and your backpack. We all survived!
5. If you listen to me on #2, make sure you not only hang out in lots of bars, but also make friends with locals. I am pretty good at that so feel free to steal my moves (they are just be a total chatty Kathy and talk to everyone). We made friends everywhere we went and they showed us some of the coolest things to do. Locals will give you the non-touristy recommendations and that my friends is priceless.
6. Embrace the local flavor. In Madrid, there were weird ass pig heads hanging in many store fronts. I lied a little on this one, I in no way embraced that. No ham was consumed by me the entire trip. Though my travel buddies did nickname me Jamon (that's ham in Spanish) when I got a wicked sunburn.
7. Eat all the food. Do not, I repeat, do not play it safe and eat American food. Take advantage of all the delicious treats around you and you won't be sorry. Plus you will walk a whole lot so calories don't count. Treat yourself to one or two nice meals in the cutest place you can find. You won't regret it.
8. Last but not least, learn some tricks. There are street performers all over in Europe and they are pretty entertaining. I don't really know where I was going with this one, I just kind of wanted to share this picture because I really like it. This is a guy I saw in Paris…impressive, no?
