10 Tips on traveling to Germany: part I

It's funny how manifestations work, right? Ever since last year, I've been saying "we (my husband and I) are going to Europe next year". This isn't just something I was repeating to myself, it's what I was telling family and friends. The plan was actually to go to England and Scottland, but that's not what I was saying. I was just saying "Europe". The Universe heard me and granted me the grand opportunity to visit the European country of Germany. That's the thing with manifesting: you got to be specific. But honestly, I'm glad I wasn't.

To say my week in Germany was incredible is an understatement. I didn't know what to expect since I had never looked into Germany travel, but at the same time, it surpassed any exception I may have had. Since this was my first time ever traveling to Europe, I certainly learned a lot about what to pack, how to plan, and what to expect. In case you are planning to travel to Germany (or Europe) in the near future, these are my tips for a hassle-free trip.

1. Verify if a travel visa is required: lots of countries are requiring that tourists travel with a travel visa. Additionally, some countries are beginning to limit the amount of tourism to reduce large crowds, such as Japan and Italy. Neither of these were an issue during the time when I was traveling to Germany (May 2025), but there is the possibility of this in the coming years. Passports are required regardless, so make sure you still have plenty of time left before it expires. Take a picture of your passport and email it to yourself should you lose it.

   
   

2. Notify your bank, credit cards, and mobile plan: it is important to alert your bank and credit cards that you are booking an expensive flight and traveling out of the country to prevent them from blocking your accounts [fraud prevention]. While we were trying to purchase our airfare tickets, we had to spend some time talking to the credit card agent to approve the charge. Also, make sure you have an international mobile plan. This was also an issue for us as we thought just having WhatsApp would be enough for international communication, but without setting our phones to an international roaming plan, we couldn't even get Wi-Fi. Kind of important when you need your phones GPS.

   
   

3. Flight suggestions: airfare costs may influence this, but if you can book a direct flight, that would be best. If not, make sure you have enough time between connecting flights. We had a connecting flight from Orlando to NY, 2.5-hours overlay, and then from NY to Munich. Plenty of time between flights, right? Nope. The flight departing from Orlando was delayed close to 2 hours, which only gave us less than 30 minutes to run like Olympians to catch our connecting flight. That's when I knew... I can't run like an Olympian carrying 2 bags. My husband had to run ahead to at least have the gate wait for me. Luckily, we made it. We were especially lucky when we found ourselves at the very back of the plane with no one else next to us. Meaning we were able to spread out and the stewardess area with all the food and drinks were literally right behind us. So, if you can't afford first class, sit either in the front row with extra leg space, or sit at the very back like we did. In your "personal items" bag, take a neck pillow, a blanket, earplugs, and an eye mask. As for attire, wear a comfortable dress. Avoid anything that may put pressure on your tummy as it will absolutely cause discomfort after a couple of hours. Accessorize yourself with a scarf to either keep you warm or cover your face when people around you sneeze or cough. Lastly, wear thigh-high compression socks to help with circulation.

   
   
   
   

4. Book museums, castles and tours in advance: Germany is home to many beautiful castles, including the most famous castle of all time, Neuschwanstein Castle. Thankfully, we booked our castle tour in advance. We were able to avoid long lines and potentially not being able to purchase tickets in person. Note: it is a very long walk uphill to reach the castle. You will want to take (German) cash to reserve a spot on the bus that drives you up. FYI: It was about $20 US dollars for 2 people, just the one way. Walking back downhill in what is known as the Black Forest was easy and enjoyable.

   
   

5. Exchange money at Airport: as soon as you have arrived at the airport, hopefully you don't have to go to baggage claim, go exchange your dollars to the local currency. We were lucky that most establishments accepted our credit cards, but that wasn't always the case. We had several instances where card was not an option, and neither was the American dollar. Going to a bank isn't going to work as they won't exchange your money unless you have an account with the bank. So, definitely don't leave the airport until you have exchanged some bills.

The second part of this post will cover tips for packing and food recommendations, so be on the lookout for that. Additionally, I will be sharing more details about this trip, just not as a blog post. Truely, the best way to tell the story is through a little eBook. Is this something you would purchase? Let me know in the comments and what your thoughts are on my 5 tips thus far.

XoXo,

Mrs. Ladybug