15 Tips & Tricks For Travelers Heading to Europe This Summer

It may still be winter, but it's never too early to start thinking about summer trips to Europe because they will be here before you know it. Especially if you're one of the many people who book their vacations a year or so out, then your wait for that dream European trip is practically over. As the outlook for European travel in 2023 continues to be sunny, you can expect this summer to be one to remember and the following bits of advice are guaranteed to make sure that you have a great time, whether you are traveling independently or part of an organized tour.

There's a reason why this is number one on the list and come to think of it, it bears repeating: if you can buy tickets ahead for an attraction or experience in Europe this summer, then do it. Do it now. In fact, these days, once your trip has been booked, you should probably start discussing which attractions are must-sees for you and begin looking up whether or not they offer the option to buy tickets ahead. As a general rule, if it's a big attraction that most people have heard of (Sagrada Familia, The Colosseum and the Eiffel Tower for example), then they're going to be selling tickets ahead. Save yourself time and effort, because hot, sweaty and stuck in line is no way to spend your European vacation.

Yes, I know you're on vacation and you want to sleep in, but waking up early will help you avoid the hottest parts of the day-especially in places like Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece-and let you experience a more serene side of any destination. At least one day on your trip, try to get up around sunrise and stroll around before heading to a cafe to linger over breakfast and watch the world go by. Oh, and don't worry, you'll get to catch up on your sleep during siesta time, an honored tradition of laying low for a few hours in the afternoon in much of southern Europe.

If you haven't booked your summer trip yet and are still on the fence about dates, I've got two words for you: choose June. June has all the magic of summer in Europe, but since European schools don't tend to break up for the year until July, you're still beating a chunk of the crowds. Plus, the temperatures in June are slightly cooler than in July and August and it is also a great month for events as Midsummer takes place in Scandinavia, Feast Day street parties take over Portugal and music & folk festivals take center stage all over the continent.

Just like in North America, with every passing year, card and electronic payments are becoming more and more the norm in Europe. Therefore, you're going to be able to use your card almost everywhere this summer and increasingly also Apple Pay and Google Pay. On a recent trip, I used electronic payments for everything from Metro tickets to meals and runs to the local supermarket. Therefore, while it may be wise to show up in Europe with a small amount of the local currency, there's no need to bring a ton of cash with you. Enough money to get you from the airport to the hotel is probably enough and you never know, it might not ever end up leaving your wallet.

Different credit cards and banks offer different fees for international transactions, so you'll want to shop ahead to pick the best card or app to use on your trip.

Speaking of ATMs, when and if you use them, they will almost always offer you an option to "Convert to US Dollars" before they dispense your cash. Don't ever take that option, because you'll end up losing money. If you choose this, you'll get a worse conversion rate than if you let your bank do it. Always decline and choose the "Local Currency" option. Ditto if a restaurant gives you the choice. Anytime the option comes up, just remember to always choose the "local currency" one and you'll be fine.

These days, we're all connected almost all the time, but you'll have a more fulfilling experience if you put the phone in your pocket and embrace the moment as often as you can this summer in Europe. Better yet, don't switch your phone out of Airplane Mode once you land. Use it as a camera and on WiFi where available (there will be WiFi in plenty of places, trust me) but besides that try to keep it on the back burner. You'd be shocked at how much time you can lose in your hotel doing mindless browsing that you could do at home. Sadly, that time is never coming back.

If you have to send some social media updates or research restaurants and trip stuff, you could always do it from a cafe or bar, where WiFi is very common and you can combine screen time with savoring a genuine European experience.

Somebody started a rumor that there's no tipping in Europe, but as somebody who has lived here for nearly a decade now, I'm here to set things straight: there is plenty of tipping in Europe. It's usually not 20% like in the United States, but it's almost always something. Obviously, it depends on which country you're in, but a 10% tip at a restaurant is pretty standard and always appreciated. You'll want to do your research for the countries you're visiting of course and keep an eye out for the fact that some restaurants will include service. When service is included, there is no need to add anything extra to it.

You don't have to learn a new language before your trip, but knowing a few common phrases will come in handy and endear yourself to the locals. Some of the most useful phrases to learn in the local language are: "hello", "please" "thank you", "excuse me" and at least the basics of "asking for" an item at a shop or restaurant. You'd be surprised at how far a smile, a few phrases and gesturing can get you.

Personally, I like to always ask someone "is English okay?" in their native language before speaking to them. Even in countries where English is common, I find that this breaks the ice and at least makes you look like you're trying. On a recent trip, a bartender in Amsterdam told me he truly appreciated me at least asking if English was cool and not just blurting out my order in English like many other of his customers, so I'm sticking with it.

There is no rule that says you can only do a round-trip flight in and out of Europe. So-called "open jaw" tickets-where you fly into one city but return home from another-save you from having to double back to the start of your trip, saving you time and money.

Another thing to remember is that since the rail network is so efficient and widespread in Europe, if you find a good deal on a flight to a city "near" the one you ultimately want to visit, it might be worth it to go for it and then just take the train after you land. For example, if you want to go to Paris, but can fly into Brussels, Geneva or London for a couple of hundred bucks less a person, then chances are that the flight and train combination might still end up saving you a chunk of cash.

Ticking off a huge list of things to see and do on a trip to Europe can be thrilling, but it can also be tiring. Always remember to balance out pre-planned visits to famous tourist attractions with a couple of hours of relaxation where there's nothing on the cards in order to recharge your batteries. And for every sight or two that you put a checkmark next to on your list, make sure to build in times with fewer things to do where you can just wander around and stumble into serendipitous experiences because these memories just might end up being the ones you cherish the most.

Love films? Then why not think of seeing a movie in Europe? Never miss a Sunday service back home? Then make sure to stop into a European church. Live for live music? The Continent is crawling with music clubs. No matter what you like to do for fun back home, there's a way to experience it with a European twist on your summer trip, and you're bound to form a memory you won't soon forget.

Supermarkets are a great place to take the pulse of a destination and also grab snacks. Just walking the aisles and comparing brands and prices to things back home is an experience unto itself-as you'd guess, the pasta aisle in Italy and the cheese section in France are worth it alone. Even if you just grab a bag of chips and a local brand of soda, it will prove to be a trip memory and it will probably save you some money over the corner convenience store.

As the saying goes, "take half the clothes and twice the money" and while your budget is up to you, no one ever regrets packing light. Ever. Obviously, we all have our own sense of fashion and want to look good in those vacation snaps, but just keep in mind that if you're visiting in summer, you won't need a ton of thick clothes and the lighter your bags are the easier it is going to be to get around. And guess what? If you discover that you absolutely positively need something, it becomes an excuse to do some shopping.

You can't come to Europe in summer and not spend some time in one of the continent's sensational urban parks. From the English Garden in Munich to City Park in Budapest and Vondelpark in Amsterdam, seemingly every city outdoes the next with a peaceful urban escape made for picnicking and soaking up the season. Pack some snacks and some drinks, grab a frisbee and you might just make some new friends.

Last but not least, always remember that while Europe is indeed a wonderful place, big trips have lots of moving parts and things can go wrong from time to time. But you can't let it get to you. You might miss a train, or you might get lost, but almost always these moments of frustration turn into stories that you will end up cherishing almost as much as all those times everything went smoothly as can be.

And in most cases, any rough patch is short-lived and you'll soon be enjoying a magical European experience and laughing at dinner about the funny thing that happened to you earlier in the day.