Above: Grassy tram tracks outside UPF in Barcelona, 2022

If you're planning a trip to Europe for the first time, you might feel a little overwhelmed. So much to see and do - where do you go? How do you plan your travel across the continent once you get there? 

Besides our custom travel plans, we have some advice for those planning their first European trip. Here are some mistakes first-time travelers make, and how to avoid them.

Problem 1 - Flying around Europe instead of using Flight-Free travel options

Above : Flying over Scotland

If you're visiting the continent from elsewhere in the world, you'll surely be flying in, likely arriving at a large airport like London Heathrow, Madrid Barajas, Frankfurt, or Paris Charles de Gaulle. 

However, don't feel the need to hop around the continent by plane once you're there - not only is this terrible for the environment, but you'll miss so much hopping over everything! Trains, ferries, and coaches also allow you to experience more scenery and form part of a place's local fabric in a way planes never can.

Problem 2 - Trying to do the whole continent at once

Above : Inside Karlsruhe Bahnhof

Europe is an entire continent - even if you're here for weeks, you aren't going to see all of it! Many are tempted to try and see everywhere when undertaking such a long journey, but you will end up rushing past everything if you're not careful.

It's the same in reverse - anyone visiting large countries like India, the USA, or Brazil would never be able to see everything in one trip unless they went for months or more! While many European countries are very small by comparison, they add up to make a potentially overwhelming range of destinations for the unprepared traveler.

Problem 3 - Only visiting the Big Cities

Above: Puigcerda, a small but fantastic town in the Catalan Pyrenees

So many visitors, especially first-timers, focus on big cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Rome, but these give very specific kinds of experiences. You can have a great time in these big capitals, of course, but you miss out on so much if you limit your trip to these cities. 

These global cities and national capitals tend to have a very different character to the rest of their surrounding nations. On the one hand, that's precisely part of their appeal - their unique qualities - but you need to take that into account when trip planning. If you want to see what Germany is like, you'll only get a fraction of that in Berlin, for example. It would be like visiting just New York and claiming to have 'seen the USA'. As great as that city is, you wouldn't have a full picture of the country at all!

Take the chance to see some villages, towns, and generally make the experience of visiting Europe all your own. Plenty of towns still have good transport connections and amenities for quiet trips, especially if you want to go hiking, swimming, or do other active pursuits.

Problem 4 - Debit/credit cards don't always work everywhere

Above: A cafe price list in Grenoble, 2023

Some countries across Europe are happy to take card payment for everything, while others prefer cash. For example, in the Netherlands and Denmark, electronic payment is accepted everywhere: Denmark is almost cashless. That said, the Netherlands doesn't like VISA cards very much - while this is improving, bear this in mind if you want to visit Amsterdam! On the other end of things, expect to use more cash when in Balkan countries like Serbia. Most of all, carry plenty of Euros when you're in Germany - it's common there for even city center restaurants to have very restrictive card payment policies.

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