Travel Learnings and Tips

We've learnt a few things on our Europe 2014 Trip, so I thought I'd start this page. Mainly so we have somewhere to store this stuff to remind us for the next trip!

• Get a good car. We almost said no to the upgrade as we didn't want to deal with a big car in the small towns. So glad we got the good car though as it made the driving much more pleasant (and faster!), and it was no problem in the small towns, especially with the onboard GPS and the reverse cameras.
• Build your itinerary, then add an extra day to everywhere! Now this isn't going to be possible most of the time, as it would make our holidays too long. But seriously consider whether it's worth staying longer at places and dropping something off. In saying that though, I don't know what's I'd remove from this trip!
• Stay a minimum of 2 nights at most places. The German section of this trip was amazing, but it was quite tiring packing up the suitcase every morning or every other morning to move on to the next town.
• Pack light. Pack your suitcase with what you think you need, then remove half of it. And consider buying more baggage for the way home! It really sucks not being able to buy nice wine as you don't have room for it in the bags. Also bring another bag you can use for carry on for the trip home. 
• Stay in the nicest place you can afford. It's so nice coming back after a massive exploring day or arriving after a big travel day at a super nice relaxing hotel where you get looked after. And if you can't afford to stay in nice places everywhere, pick a couple stand outs to look forward to, and for the rest pick something interesting or different.