10 Europe Travel Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To)

I’ve made enough trips to Europe over the years to know that some travel mistakes you only make once.

The lessons learned usually came with a wasted experience, a loss of time or money, high levels of anxiety, or a general sense of discomfort (that I wouldn’t want others to go through themselves).

I remember the first time a peddler approached me on the street and I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do. Do I politely say no? Keep walking? Engage with them? I was so caught off guard that I probably gave them far more attention than I should have.

I’ve since learned that when someone approaches you with something to sell, sign, give you, or help you with, you don’t owe them a conversation.

I’ve also learned some very practical lessons about what to actually pack. Take my trip to Évora, Portugal.

I showed up with a perfectly reasonable piece of rolling luggage, only to discover that the charming historic streets are covered in cobblestones that seem specifically designed to destroy suitcase wheels. After about five minutes of listening to my bag rattle and bounce behind me, I eventually gave up and carried the thing in my arms.

Cute little European streets? Yes. Appropriate terrain for rolling luggage? Absolutely not.

Of course, the mistake I hear about (and frankly, see constantly in the news and on my own IG feed) is pickpocketing. At this point, you’ve probably seen the videos: crowded metro platforms, someone bumping into a tourist, a distraction happening at a major landmark, and suddenly someone’s phone or wallet is gone.

The good news? Most of these mistakes are ridiculously easy to avoid once you know about them. Before you board that flight, here are the mistakes I want you to avoid on your next Europe trip.

This post may contain affiliate links. You won’t be paying a cent more, but in the event of a sale, the small affiliate commission I receive will help keep this blog running/pumping out useful and free content. Thanks a lot!

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1. Going to landlocked cities in the summertime.

Yes, the European summer is an ever-popular aesthetic and a good look indeed, but that’s just in the photos.

What you’re not seeing through the pictures? Sweaty, swampy, hot, and humid. Sweat mixed with sunscreen. Legs stuck to chairs. Clothes stuck to skin. BLECK.

Oh, and don’t underestimate how little air conditioning there is in Europe. Surprisingly… (especially if you are North America-based) not all hotels offer AC!

If that’s your vibe or if that’s the only time you’re able to travel, by all means, do it! There’s certainly some pretty great hot weather travel gear to help make summer travel to humid destinations less uncomfortable.

OR, you could choose less hot/humid destinations in Europe altogether like coastal Portugal, northern Spain, Ireland, the UK, or the Nordic countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

Northern Europe in particular is a great option if you want long summer days without the sweltering temperatures you’ll find farther south.

What about other times of the year? Well, I’ve been to Portugal and London in March. It ranged from wet/cold to freezing. The month of May seems like a decent time to go to Europe, but every time we go during that time of the year, we’re always getting rained on!!

Our favorite time to go? September/October.

2. Trying to eat and explore during the post-lunch hours.

This tip is especially relevant if you’re traveling to a small or less-touristy European city or town.

In some places, shops and restaurants close for a few hours in the afternoon, giving employees time for lunch and a break before reopening for the evening. This is particularly common in Spain, where the traditional siesta is part of the culture, but similar midday closures can be found in parts of Italy, Greece, France, and Cyprus.

We learned this lesson the hard way in the Alsace region of France.

Papu and I decided to do a full-day countryside bike ride on our own because we wanted the freedom to take our time and stop for a million photos whenever we felt like it. And it was a great idea! Until we rolled into the town of Riquewihr a little before 2 p.m. absolutely starving…

We figured we’d simply find a restaurant and grab lunch.

Except nearly every restaurant was in the process of closing for the afternoon and wouldn’t reopen until dinner. We walked around looking for anything that was still serving food, but our options were basically nonexistent.

The only thing we could find? A pretzel from a pretzel cart. 😓

Don’t make the same mistake we did.

If you’re exploring a smaller European town, check the local dining hours before you head out for the day. Shops and other businesses may also have their own midday closures.

Obviously, heavily trafficked tourist areas are less likely to completely shut down, and you’ll usually be able to find something open. But if you’re venturing into smaller towns or planning a DIY day trip, don’t assume you’ll be able to grab lunch whenever you’re hungry.

BEFORE YOUR TRIP: Before heading out, do a quick spot-check on Google Maps to see what time the restaurants and shops in your destination typically close. If you’re somewhere where afternoon closures are common, eat lunch before 2 p.m. and/or pack a backup snack in your bag.

Don’t get me wrong, a pretzel is delicious. It’s just not a great substitute for lunch after you’ve been biking all day.

3. Being a sightseeing robot.

Unless you absolutely love history, art, and museums, you don’t need to see the Louvre, the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the Musée d’Orsay, and every other famous museum and historical site in Paris, Rome, etc. all in one trip.

You also don’t need to cram your days with long lines, being indoors reading placards, and standing among huge throngs of crowds just to snap your own photo a damn painting (there are plenty of them available online).

I’ll never understand this type of travel, but maybe that’s because I’m not a fan of museums (they tend to make me very, very sleepy lol). And for historical landmarks? I’m probably not doing it unless I have a local guide telling me stories about it to bring the history to life.

“Well if we don’t do any of that stuff, what’s the point of traveling, what would we do instead???”

The answer? A lot, actually.

Papu and I love walking around neighborhoods, trying new coffee shops, going to farmers markets, enjoying the atmosphere of the piazzas and other local gathering spaces, going on food tours, strolling through parks, exploring local products from the grocery shops, doing day trips from our base city, and visiting the occasional historical landmark or museum.

If it’s the right city, we might even try to catch a musical, play, festival, or other local event. (Yep, seeking out these limited -time events is part of my research when we travel!)

We just try to take in the culture more than anything. By no means do we stuff our whole itinerary with the full list of “things to do” on TripAdvisor. Not even close.

You don’t need to see everything to experience a destination. In fact, trying to see everything can sometimes mean you experience nothing at all.

4. Booking attractions and tickets at full retail price.

Before booking individual tickets for activities, excursions, and tours, check out if the destination you’re going to is serviced by Go City. They’re super big in Europe, so there’s a good chance you’re going to a major city that has its own Go City pass.

Current European destinations include London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dublin, Madrid, Rome, Prague, and Stockholm, among others.

These attraction passes have gotten a lot better over the years! They used to be heavily geared toward the traditional tourist checklist (museums, cathedrals, landmarks, etc.) but lately they’ve been adding more experiences that let you actually experience local culture in the city.

In London, for example, you can use the Go City London pass for things like a guided bike tour, food and drink experiences, a brewery tour, afternoon tea, and even a scone-making workshop.

Paris is just as lovely. You’ll find newly added experiences like French wine and cheese tastings, pastry experiences, food tours, and wine-and-food pairings.

That shift is a big deal for travelers like us. I don’t necessarily want to spend my entire vacation speed-running museums just because I bought a pass. I’d much rather knock out a major attraction in the morning, spend the afternoon wandering around a neighborhood, and then use my pass for something fun like a food or drink experience.

For people who want to cross off as many landmarks as possible, the All-Inclusive Pass usually works out better. You choose the number of days and can visit as many included attractions as you can reasonably fit into that time.

We personally tend to like the Explorer Pass because you can choose a set number of attractions and spread them throughout your trip. That means you can do one or two activities per day without feeling like you need to run from attraction to attraction just to get your money’s worth.

We’ve used Go City passes all over the world (including Hawaii, Cancun, Bangkok, and more!) and they’ve definitely saved us some big bucks over the years.

The trick is to look at the included experiences first, then choose the pass that actually matches the way you like to travel. Don’t buy a pass just because it promises savings; make sure you’d actually pay for the things included!

5. Taking out cash before you land.

Unless you absolutely need cash immediately, I recommend waiting until you get into the city before withdrawing money. Yes, you can use an ATM at the airport, but this is one of those situations where convenience can come with a ridiculous price tag.

Airport ATMs in Europe can be super sneaky about fees and exchange rates. You might see an ATM that looks perfectly legitimate, only to get hit with a hefty surcharge or an unfavorable exchange rate once you get through the screens.

And it wasn’t even one of those fees that was reimbursable by the bank/ATM card either. I was so annoyed that I had to pay like 12 extra euros to take out $100 USD from the airport ATM!

I personally avoid getting cash at the airport whenever possible for this exact reason. Instead, I’ll typically wait until we reach the city and find an ATM attached to a legitimate bank. Those are much more likely to offer the standard withdrawal terms you’d expect.

And don’t automatically accept an ATM’s offer to convert the withdrawal into your home currency! If you’re given the choice, choose to withdraw in the local currency and let your bank or card network handle the conversion.

You don’t need to carry a huge wad of cash around Europe anyway. We typically use cash for places that are cash-only or for those little purchases that cost a few euros here and there (snacks, small souvenirs, tips, market purchases, etc.).

For pretty much everything else, we use our credit cards. Just make sure you’re using a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.

6. Not setting up a digital eSIM before your trip.

Don’t rely on the “free” international data offered by your phone provider.

It absolutely sucks. I’m talking about you, T-Mobile.

T-Mobile’s free international data used to work fine in Europe for me, then they throttled it WAY down (like all greedy corps end up doing to their loyal customers) and now you can barely get Google Maps to load. UGH.

These days, for pretty much all of my international trips, I ignore T-Mobile’s whole ‘free international data’ gimmick and just buy a digital eSIM. I personally use Airalo’s standard digital eSIM options (not the unlimited ones, those are pricier), and it has made international travel so much easier.

I have zero patience for hunting down Wi-Fi every time I need to pull up Google Maps, check a restaurant reservation, call an Uber, or figure out which train I’m supposed to take. I’d much rather spend around $20 on a data plan for the entire trip and just not think about it at all.

If you’re mainly using your phone for maps, messaging, restaurant searches, and basic navigation, 1GB of data per day is a good rule of thumb. For example, if I’m taking a 10-day trip, I’ll typically buy a 10GB plan.

You can always use Wi-Fi at your hotel when you’re there, but having cellular data working the second you land means you can navigate your way out of the airport without the hassle of having to hunt for Wi-Fi or ask strangers where to go at every step, which, in my opinion? Is worth every penny.

7. Underestimating the time needed to get to the bus/train stations.

One of the easiest ways to turn a perfectly normal travel day into an absolute hot mess? Treating your train or bus departure time as the time you should arrive at the station.

I learned this one the hard way in Portugal.

I had pre-booked bus tickets from Lisbon to Évora for a very specific departure time for my group (we were four total). We figured we’d have plenty of time to check out of our Airbnb, get ourselves to the bus station, and hop on. What we failed to account for was, well… basically everything.

We underestimated how long it would take to check out and lock up, get to the train station, take the train over to the bus terminal, and—most importantly—actually FIND the bus station once we got inside the terminal.

By the time we realized where we needed to go, we were sprinting through the station with all of our luggage, desperately trying not to miss our bus. Needless to say, it was a pretty terrible way to start the day.

Don’t make the same mistake we did! For trains and buses, I like to give myself at least 15–30 minutes before the scheduled departure time to actually be at the station.

This means giving yourself enough time to find the correct platform, figure out where you’re going, use the bathroom, grab a coffee or some food for the ride, and actually board and get situated without having a minor panic attack.

This is especially important at larger European train stations, which can be massive and confusing. You may need to find your platform, walk several minutes to get there, or figure out which section of the train you’re supposed to board.

Pro tip: Treat your departure time as your hard deadline, not your arrival time. I’d rather sit at the station for 20 minutes with a sandwich and a coffee than spend those 20 minutes running through a terminal dragging my dang luggage behind me.

8. Not taking pickpocketing situations seriously.

Pickpockets are always evolving; you’ve gotta evolve with them.

Europe has got to have the absolute worst case of pickpocketing —globally! In big cities like Rome, Barcelona, and Paris, there is no running away from it.

Tourists thought they became savvy when they started hanging their phones around their necks. Well, pickpockets now know exactly what to do to remove the phone from those neck lanyards without you noticing.

I don’t know what those travelers were thinking, especially when they were outwardly advertising their phones around their necks… tsk tsk tsk.

What you ought to do instead? Invest in a travel pouch that sits super close to the body or something that effectively hides your phone and valuables. If you’re a vest person, something like SCOTTeVEST’s travel vest is the way to go—they’ve got SOOOO many hidden pockets that even the most seasoned pickpocket won’t know where to start with you.

9. Find yourself a good packing list specifically made for Europe.

Europe is not the place to wing your packing list based on what you normally bring on vacation.

The way you get around, the terrain you’ll encounter, the things you’re allowed to wear into sites like religious landmarks, and even the weather can make certain things in your suitcase surprisingly impractical. Some examples below…

Europe = cobblestones. If you’re going from destination to destination by public transportation and on foot, you’d probably be doing yourself a HUGE disservice by bringing a wheeled check-in luggage or wheeled carry-on. Pack all your gear in a travel backpack instead.

You’ll want comfortable yet sturdy shoes for walking many miles on said cobblestones (my go-to for Europe are the ECCO Soft 7’s, they were practically made for uneven ground!).

For ladies planning on wearing dresses in hot weather, Thigh Society’s Cooling Shorties are exactly what you need to avoid swampy legs sticking to each other (and on seats).

You can use my handy dandy packing list for Europe as a starting guide on how to pack smart and be prepared for all the situations you’ll run into on your trip.

10. Take a well-insulated water bottle with you.

If you’re coming from the U.S., prepare yourself: ice-cold drinks and free water aren’t nearly as automatic in Europe. Ice is less common, and at restaurants, bottled water is often the norm. This can get expensive fast.

I always travel with my Hydroflask and fill it up whenever I find a public drinking fountain or refill station. A well-insulated bottle means you can actually keep your water cold for hours, which I personally appreciate when I’m walking around all day.

Otherwise, you could easily find yourself paying €3–€6 for a bottle of water every time you sit down for a meal. A few bottles here and there might not seem like a big deal, but over a 14-day trip? Those little purchases add up quickly.

A Few Other Tidbits To Avoid

Reading the date incorrectly. In the U.S., we’re used to writing dates as month/day/year, but much of Europe uses day/month/year. That can get confusing when booking trains, flights, tours, or hotels. Double-check the actual date and format before you hit purchase!

Assuming connecting flights are just as safe for your luggage as direct flights. Every time you add a connection, there’s another opportunity for your checked bag to end up somewhere you are not. If you’re taking a connecting flight, I highly recommend putting an AirTag inside your checked bag. And before you travel, familiarize yourself with your travel insurance’s baggage coverage so you know exactly what you’re entitled to if your luggage goes missing.

Not knowing your rights when your luggage IS delayed or lost. If your checked luggage doesn’t arrive, don’t assume you’re just supposed to sit around wearing the same clothes for five days. Depending on your airline, itinerary, and travel insurance policy, you may be able to purchase reasonable essentials and get reimbursed. Get a claim number from the airline and keep your receipts for the stuff you buy!

Being the rude American tourist. Remember, you’re visiting someone else’s home turf. You don’t have to understand every local custom immediately, but you should most def make an effort to respect it. Learn a few basic words, pay attention to how locals behave, and don’t expect everyone to speak English. You’re the visitor. Act like one.

Trying to see absolutely everything. Europe isn’t going anywhere. You don’t need to cram 12 museums, six churches, three neighborhoods, and a day trip into your 3-day itinerary just because they’re all on someone else’s top-10 list. Leave some room to wander, eat, sit, and just experience the place you’re visiting!

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