Summer is the perfect time for traveling. This summer, I spent June and July bouncing around Europe—it’s been the trip of a lifetime! Obviously, I’ve been trying my best to immerse myself in the different cultures, go on fun adventures, and learn as much as I can. Here are some tips I picked up during my travels about how to make the most of your trip.
Do Some Research
Get to know your future destination before you get there. Read about its history. Research what makes it so special. You could even see if there are any movies or novels that took place there. This makes it so much more meaningful once you’re actually there, to be in the presence of what you’ve been learning so much about.
Keep a Journal
Even if you’re not a writer, your future self will thank you. You want to be able to remember this trip, so try to write at least a little bit every day about what you’ve been doing, where you’ve been going, the people you’ve been meeting, the differences in culture, and more. It’ll be so much fun to read it again in a couple years.
Invest in a Camera
If you don’t already have one, I highly suggest investing in a camera for your trip. It’s so worth it. It will take much higher quality pictures than your phone will take, trust me. I even bought a vintage, printed strap for my camera from a street market in London, so now when I go exploring, I just wear it around my neck and it almost looks like an accessory. And because I wasn’t using my phone to take pictures, I would only check it every once in a while—it was so refreshing!
Live Like a Local
Even if you’re on vacation, try your best to immerse yourself in the culture. Chances are, the places you see online are the tourist spots, and a lot of times they aren’t as authentic to the culture as they seem. While you’re out and about, ask some people that live in the area where they would take their family for dinner, where their favorite spots around town are, or what they do for fun. You’ll get a much better look into the culture, and you could even make some friends abroad.
Live in the Moment
As much as you want to try to capture every single aspect of your trip in pictures, at some point you just have to accept that it’s not possible. Remember that the primary purpose of this trip is to experience new things, go on adventures, and make memories. So, find a nice place to watch the sunset, leave your phone and camera behind, take in the scenery, appreciate its beauty, and live in the moment. No matter how many pictures you take, nothing beats a pure memory.
Have you traveled anywhere this summer? Let us know in the comments below and tag @CFashionista in your summer adventures!
