10 Tips on traveling to Germany: part II

Hallo! Wie geht es dir heute?

That's German for - Hello! How are you today?

When you travel, keep in mind that you are the visitor; you are a guest in someone else's home. Meaning that you should be well-mannered and courteous to your host, to the country that you are visiting. Do not arrive prideful of where you come from. Arrive with a sense of wander, excitement, openness to discover while also being humble, respectful, and considerate of their culture.

As my husband and I prepared for our trip to Germany, we made an effort to learn some basic German. Regardless of your travel destination, it's essential to know a few common words such as hello, good morning, goodbye, and thank you. I also looked into whether tipping at restaurants is customary, the weather forecast for that area, women's fashion, and similar topics. Although we were visitors, we didn't want to stand out awkwardly. Altogether, this is excellent advice, but now let's proceed to the remaining 5 tips.

1. How & what to pack: this trip definitely changed the way I will pack moving forward. Since this trip was both for pleasure and business, I had to take different styles of clothing. In a large luggage, I packed 6 dresses (casual and professional), 1 pair of heels, and 1 pair of ankle boots. That doesn't count the dress and sneakers I planned to wear on the to-and-from flight. My husband had suggested that I pack 1 of the 6 dresses into my carry-on bag, so I did. We both arrived at the airport with 1 large luggage, 1 carry-on, and 1 personal item. We checked-in our large luggage's and didn't even think that they would get temporarily lost in transit. The next time we held our luggage was during our 3rd day in Germany. We had to rotate what clothes we had by washing them in the sink of our Air BNB at the end of the day. The lesson here is that you can survive a week with just 3 outfits. If at all possible, avoid the large luggage. Pack light enough so that you can fit everything into your carry-on and personal item.

   
   

   - Clothes: pack 1 casual dress, 1 evening dress, 1 professional dress, and a scarf -not just for warmth, but to quickly elevate any outfit. Of course, this also varies on the time of year you visit.

   
   

   - Jewelry: keep it simple with just 1 pair of [lab grown] diamond stud earrings, 1 necklace, 1 bracelet.

   
   

   - Shoes: comfortable slip-on sneakers for passing through airport security quickly and for walking comfortably on cobblestone roads. Also, take 1 pair of heels and 1 pair of flat sandals that can easily go well with any outfit (nude tones work best).

   
   

   - Cosmetics: take only what you need. Make it all fit in a small make-up bag.

   
   

   - Medication: this may look different for everyone, but keeping your medications close to you is the best plan in case of any emergency.

   
   

   For my personal item, I used a laptop bag where I packed my ID's and hygienic items (mini deodorant, feminine wipes, toothbrush, sample-size perfume, etc.).

   In my carry-on, there was a dress, a nightgown, my undergarments, makeup bag, adapter, laptop, charging cables, neck pillow, eye mask, and a small blanket.

2. Hotel info: at Füssen, we stayed at an Airbnb and then at a hotel in the city of Mannheim. They both had 1 thing in common: the bedsheets. Regardless of the bed size, the bedsheets are split into two. Meaning you'll have no problems with "hogging the sheets". Where the Airbnb was wonderful and very comfortable, we had some unexpected surprises at the hotel. At the Motel One Hotel, the parking was at a parking garage located about couple of buildings left of it. We had bought fresh microwaveable meals before arriving at the hotel. However, there was no microwave, nor was there a mini fridge. Unheard of here in the US, but apparently it is normal in Germany. Something to keep in mind. Regardless, the staff was friendly, and the decor was chic and clean.

3. Foods to try: when traveling to a different country, part of the fun is trying new foods/dishes. I was excited to try an authentic German dish such as Spaetzle. We also noticed that the locals love ice cream at any time of the day. Since their dairy is richer, I really wanted to try their Chocolate and Yogurt. Other local items were their Beer and Wine. But don't just dine out and get room service, try shopping at the local market. We bought a couple of fresh premade sandwich that were delicious.

4. Supermarket: when visiting the supermarket, make sure to bring your own bags. Firstly, they don't have plastic bags (as they shouldn't). Secondly, you would have to pay for each paper bag. Since we didn't travel with any reusable shopping bags, we had to purchase the brown paper bags.

5. Apothecary/pharmacy: if you go out in search for allergy meds or baby powder, you will need to find your local Pharmacy. The supermarket will not have these types of items. You will not find convenience stores such as Walgreens for your medical/first aid needs. In Germany, you'll need an Apothecary.

That concludes my tips for traveling to Germany. Honestly, we still think about how wonderful it was to spend a few days there. If you have traveled to Germany, let me know if you have any additional advice in the comments.

Auf Wiedersehen,

Mrs. Ladybug