As I go through, what seems to be, a massive setback in my life at this very moment, I decide (putting aside actual facts behind this not-so spontaneous adventure in which I choose not to elaborate on in my blorg), hey, why not fly over the pond and check out the Republic of Ireland for a few days, alone? Yes, solo-travel again for me!
(Need not worry about me, I am handling my problems with grace. This was one of the ways of fixing my situation and IT WORKED. I'M VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT. It was a great choice to fly out to Dublin, seriously). Apologies for any errors in this post. I don't really feel like proof reading. :)
Thursday 12th February 2014
So I left for Ireland last Thursday evening and found myself in Dublin, looking for Jas's brother, Daniel, who happens to be studying medicine there. He was kind enough to host me (yay for free accommodation) and he also helped me understand the bus services and lent me his bus card (perks of being his sister's bestie ohoho). I'm very grateful for his help! I even met is lovely girlfriend, who's a cheeky little lady.
Friday 13th February 2015
Friday was my first full day in Dublin. From experience, I understood that the best way to get to know a city is by joining a walking tour! It was a good choice indeed (though nothing can beat the one I joined in Berlin). I joined the free walking tour organized by a company called Sandemans New Dublin.
Our tour guide (who's an Argentinian woman with a vast knowledge of Ireland and Irish history) brought us around the city centre and explained many funny things about the country and it's people like how they like to use the word "craic!" (pronounced crack). "Where's the craic?" does not mean what you think it means!! "Craic" actuallly means "fun" in Irish, so the locals get a good laugh when foreigners get confused over how much "craic" their having at the pub!
I'll be perfectly honest though, I was not super impressed by the free tour. It was really good, don't get me wrong, but I wanted to learn a bit more about the uprising in Ireland. I expected to hear more about that, seeing as it was a huge chunk of modern history for the Irish (perhaps because I liked the walking tour in Berlin a bit too much. Over there, the tour guide explained in so much detail about Hitler, Gestapo and the holocaust). But we were given a brief story-telling only at the end of the tour. What a bummer.
An even funnier thing is that one of the priests (or something) found a mummified rat and cat in their musical organ while restoring it, and it's still there til today, on display ... apparently it was inspiration for the creation of Tom and Jerry!
Saturday 14th February 2015
Yes, Valentine's Day was not spent with Gian next to me (usually this is something I wouldn't care for but it did bug me a little seeing so many couples surrounding me in a cafe, and I'm there eating my guts out thinking to myself, "I have a date with Dublin, yeah!" (haha). I mean, it's okay, err'day with Gian is like V-day (lots of cheese on this one) so it's all good. It was a well spent day regardless, cafe hopping, sun-bathing and watching the Ireland vs France 6Nations Rugby match (which was great to watch surrounded by Irish folk).
Above is a photo of a tombstone. This designer wanted to predict upcoming trends of our (and younger) generation and he asked, "What if our tombstones read and engraved data from our social media? What if that became our identity? Will this be what we are remembered as?". It's a bit scary to think of an alternate universe that would have such trends, and I hope that we wouldn't have to come to such practices. Thought-provoking eyh?
Sunday 15th February 2015
This period lasted for many years. The people of Ireland were literally dying of starvation. Approximately 2million (of the lucky ones) migrated out of the country to the US and probably 1 million died. The sculpture above symbolizes those of whom were headed towards the ships to leave the country, taking with them all of the belongings they had. And even if you were migrating, there was a high chance that you wouldn't make it to the US because the conditions you'd be in while on the ship were inhumane; the Irish were treated like animals.
Monday 16th February 2015
Tuesday 17th February 2015
I left Dublin in the afternoon to be (let's put it this way) happily welcomed by the UK with open arms! I'm extremely happy to be back home in Glasgow, with no more problems and stress! I felt (and still feel) a great sense of relief and a massive weight being lifted off my shoulders as I stepped in Glasgow with ease! I really must say that going to Dublin was one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. Not only did I solve a few of the problems that I faced, I also learned a lot, met really kind people and enjoyed the city (and the outskirts of it) very very much!
I'm definitely going back to Ireland in the near future, hopefully when the weather warms up a bit more. Maybe I'll go again next year since it will be the centennial celebrations of the Irish uprising! I'm sure there's gonna be tons to do! I'd also like to explore the south and west of Ireland, and also see how different it is up in the North where the British still rule (haha). A lovely experience it was!
I've come up with a few tips from my experience planning and traveling on my own, so I'm gonna put it on my blorg in case anyone who needs help randomly stumbles upon it. I'll keep adding onto to it as I continue traveling the world!
Tip #1
Use offline maps on your phone. I use maps.me! You can download maps of cities/countries and use it to navigate your way around, especially when you're on your own. I've never gotten lost thanks to this map! And you can bookmark cafes, landmarks etc beforehand so you know where to head to when you're in the city.
Tip #2
Best way to introduce yourself to a city is by going on a tour (not necessarily the ones on buses, mostly walking tours!). The best tours are always free (haha)! I really like free walking tours because the guides are generally enthusiastic, friendly and have amazing knowledge about the city/history/everything. They're the people to go to if you have questions and their the people that will help you familiarize and get comfortable with where you are.
Tip #3
Sometimes, you can consider bus tours, though not the best choice to get to know a country. But if you're on a very short trip, and want to see and learn a bit more about your travel destination, it's not a bad choice! Be friends with the guide and he'll tell and show you everything he knows!
Tip #4
Before a tour, I always make a point to go earlier so I can find the exact meeting point of where the tour guide will meet me or where my bus will pick me up. When I know where the location is, I'll wait over at a cafe nearby and chill out with a cuppa coffee before everything starts. It's a bit more relaxing and less stressful compared to being nervous and rushing to find your tour!
Tip #5
If you know someone in the city/place you're traveling to, try asking them for accommodation/help/advice/recommendations, anything. Chances are they will help you to the best of their abilities, and if they're not free to host you, it's ok, at least you asked!
Tip #6
For budget trips, consider Couchsurfing for accommodation. You get to meet new people (probably a local too) and you can sleep on their couch for free. It's a wonderful community! Everyone's there to help you out. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll arrive at a nice flat to bunk in or meet an enthusiastic Couchsurfer who will be your own personal guide/cook for you/bring you to parties! It's good fun!
Tip #7
I'm a bit of an itinerary type of person. I cannot wander off somewhere without an idea of what I will do for that day. So best thing to do is to look up travel blogs (not typical generic stuff like TimeOut or TripAdvisor, more like The Lost Londoner or Adventurous Kate). You'll find inspiration to roughly plan out your day/trip from people of experience! They might have recommendations of food/places to see in their blorg too, so that cuts down the research time for you.
Tip #8
Being my mother's daughter, I've unfortunately adopted (and further developed) anxiety for being late to fly out of a country. I use to complain about being 3 hours early at the airport and having absolutely nothing to do with my mother, but it dawned on me how significant being patient and waiting at the terminal is after experiencing a few misfortunes of my own.
2 of my very bad experiences include firstly, missing a flight (not because of me but because of my very slow Italian partner) which has never ever in my life ever happened to me before, and that made me ball tears of sorrow and fury which were then obviously directed towards Gian because it was his fault after all (lol sorrynotsorry).
The second one was at London Stansted, I had to wait 3 hours in a line before security check with thousands of other (upset) travelers because there was some stupid commotion happening passed the checks. I had my big (and at that moment, getting heavier) rucksack on my back and had literally traveled across London for more than 2 hours just to get to that shitty airport with the staff causing a 3 hour fuss and being rude about it. If I were there much earlier, I could've easily avoided the drama and tsunami of angry passengers who were potentially on the verge of missing their flights because of a silly delay (and yes, many did miss their flights and were fighting with the staff (almost physically). The delay was so bad that it made the news (read about it here!). I was literally in that crowd of people photographed in the article.
So to avoid anymore stress, disorganization and drama, I'm at the airport at least 2 hours earlier, to keep my heart at ease.
Tip #9
Bring a book or game or something to entertain yourself at the airport while you wait for your flight. Staring at the ceilings can become very boring.
Tip #10
Airport food is expensive so consider bringing snacks in your hand luggage/bag pack. I usually have some chocolates or chips to munch on in case I get restless. And of course, no liquids passed security check but empty bottles are fine, so bring that along and if there are water drinking fountains, clean tap water or free water from Starbucks, fill it up!
Tip #11
It's true when they say, you get what you pay for because when traveling with budget airlines, you can easily encounter the shittiest service or the most rude staff members ever. RyanAir is known for having really bitchy and unhelpful staff members (though so far, I've been lucky enough to have decent people albeit their rude demeanor). So please, make sure when traveling with cheap airlines, to read the fine print, especially about sizes and weights of cabin luggage, visa/passport checks, printing of tickets etc. Because if you get a very bitchy staff member, they will ensure that you will miss your flight or pay an extra 50euro just because your bag is like 2cm bigger. RyanAir charges 15euro if you forget to print your ticket yourself (for non-EU travelers) and I totally didn't know that. But luckily the counter lady was somewhat lenient and helped a girl out. I'm stretching my luck as it is so better safe than sorry!
Tip #12
When you have hand luggage and you're flying on a budget airline, it's best you become kiasu and get in the plane first, because chances are, if you're one of the last to board, you won't have space to store you bags in the overhead compartments. You'll also face really bitchy staff members that will roll their eyes at you. If you have no hand luggage, just wait for the kiasu folk to board first and relax.
Tip #13
Crying child on the plane? Remember to bring headphones to blast your music.
(Need not worry about me, I am handling my problems with grace. This was one of the ways of fixing my situation and IT WORKED. I'M VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT. It was a great choice to fly out to Dublin, seriously). Apologies for any errors in this post. I don't really feel like proof reading. :)
Thursday 12th February 2014
So I left for Ireland last Thursday evening and found myself in Dublin, looking for Jas's brother, Daniel, who happens to be studying medicine there. He was kind enough to host me (yay for free accommodation) and he also helped me understand the bus services and lent me his bus card (perks of being his sister's bestie ohoho). I'm very grateful for his help! I even met is lovely girlfriend, who's a cheeky little lady.
Friday 13th February 2015
Friday was my first full day in Dublin. From experience, I understood that the best way to get to know a city is by joining a walking tour! It was a good choice indeed (though nothing can beat the one I joined in Berlin). I joined the free walking tour organized by a company called Sandemans New Dublin.
Our tour guide (who's an Argentinian woman with a vast knowledge of Ireland and Irish history) brought us around the city centre and explained many funny things about the country and it's people like how they like to use the word "craic!" (pronounced crack). "Where's the craic?" does not mean what you think it means!! "Craic" actuallly means "fun" in Irish, so the locals get a good laugh when foreigners get confused over how much "craic" their having at the pub!
I'll be perfectly honest though, I was not super impressed by the free tour. It was really good, don't get me wrong, but I wanted to learn a bit more about the uprising in Ireland. I expected to hear more about that, seeing as it was a huge chunk of modern history for the Irish (perhaps because I liked the walking tour in Berlin a bit too much. Over there, the tour guide explained in so much detail about Hitler, Gestapo and the holocaust). But we were given a brief story-telling only at the end of the tour. What a bummer.
Here's River Liffey and a seagull, casually completing the composition of this picture. I admit that I sorta prefer Dublin partially because of it's strategic location around this river. A bit of a nerdy thought but I think that if Glasgow were a bit more developed around their river, the city could nearly be as exciting as Dublin ... but that's just my opinion.
First stop during the walking tour was at this underwhelming castle. I can't really remember what my tour guide was telling us about it, only because I was too distracted by my period cramps (ikr perfect timing. every. damn. time) I think it had something to do with the monarchy at some point but you can't rely on me for that information! The garden, as seen in the photo, was pretty nice though! I wish I had more time to explore the garden and the exhibition space next to it a bit more.
Here's like the oldest Catholic church in Dublin or something liddat. It funny cause back in the day, when they still used horses for transportation probably, the church didn't only use to be a place of worship, but it was also a whiskey distillery, pub, and a place for men to get things they "needed" from women. Ironic eyh, but seems like religion hasn't really evolved much from those days.
An even funnier thing is that one of the priests (or something) found a mummified rat and cat in their musical organ while restoring it, and it's still there til today, on display ... apparently it was inspiration for the creation of Tom and Jerry!
The bar seen in the picture above isn't the most interesting thing in Dublin, I assure you. It's more about that whole area itself, which is called Temple Bar. It's a pretty trendy place, kinda full of tourists but it's quite nice. A lot of nice pubs and cafes around the area!
The fun thing we learned while in this area was about the musicians originating from Ireland. Apparently U2 own a significant amount of properties in the Temple Bar area, including a hotel which was featured in their musical video Beautiful Day. Also, the most famous guitarist (of whom I didn't know about til that day) also came from Ireland and his name was Rory Gallagher. Apparently, Jimi Hendrix saw him as a role model.
With my lack of knowledge towards academic institutions deemed worthy of attendance in the world, I came to realize that day that Trinity College is pretty prestigious, second after Harvard, and was pretty much in awe at how beautiful the school is, while at the same time, wishing I could continue studying there (struggling between wanting to study more or just living independently ... maybe in the future?). I didn't know this school was at one time, home to the likes of iconic people like Oscar Wilde. How much did I not know of Ireland? Close to 0% at this point.
There's interesting history behind Trinity College. It was originally constructed to house students of royalty (especially British royalty), to keep them near home and to avoid the young getting "ideas of reform and revolution", quoted from my tour guide. Catholics were also banned from entering the premises and were banned from attending the school. The banning was implemented, not by the Queen at that time, but by the Irish Catholics themselves, because they didn't want anyone to be associated with British education and prevented the "conversion of Catholics in Protestants".
Once again, seems as though some parts of the world (ahem Malaysia ahem) haven't evolved much and are basically repeating history.
Saturday 14th February 2015
Yes, Valentine's Day was not spent with Gian next to me (usually this is something I wouldn't care for but it did bug me a little seeing so many couples surrounding me in a cafe, and I'm there eating my guts out thinking to myself, "I have a date with Dublin, yeah!" (haha). I mean, it's okay, err'day with Gian is like V-day (lots of cheese on this one) so it's all good. It was a well spent day regardless, cafe hopping, sun-bathing and watching the Ireland vs France 6Nations Rugby match (which was great to watch surrounded by Irish folk).
I went pretty far out to look for "the best cafe in Dublin", called 3FE. I quite liked it, though the coffee was a bit strong for me (similar to Dear Green in Glasgow). The space was rather nice though, albeit hipster-ish, but what isn't anymore right? The brunch was amazing! Huge portion and unbelievably good. Wold highly recommend having brunch here!
Above is a photo that I took like maybe a good 5 minutes to capture. I was focusing so much on the composition that I didn't realize a certain famous celebrity sitting on the right, casually reading a newspaper and sipping coffee. To my surprise, when he got up, I was just like ... omg. It was Eric Bana, the actor in Time Traveller's Wife, Star Trek and the Hulk.
What was this Australian doing all the way in Dublin? Probably a movie shoot or something. But typical me, after being star struck and instead of asking for a photo, I froze and just stared. In my mind I was like "Eh omg it's the Time Traveller! Fuck what's his name again! Shit no he's leaving! Omg am I making it obvious that I'm staring? Who cares, he's an actor! Nooo ok larh bye". Then I realized he was in the photo I took so long to capture so, it wasn't a loss! Lucky me eyh.
I was surprised to witness Dubliners going all out on Valentine's Day. I mean, it technically isn't even a holiday, but wow were they excited for it! There were people singing love songs while dancing, giving out free roses, taking Valentine's portraits ... it was quite coohl actually! And it was a sunny day too so I suppose there was no excuse not to have fun outside. The tour guide said that this year, the council decided that those of whom didn't have a Valentine, could go "on a date with Dublin" (LOL). I suppose she was referring to me.
The pedestrian bridge was decked out with flowers and Valentine's Day signage.
Walked pass this door way and was a bit fascinated by it. If you look at the blue blob on the right of the door, that is some sort of tit. Yes, tit. I think some street artist goes around pasting tits everywhere, similarly to Gregos who pastes his face anywhere he could. But I think I prefer faces more than a single tit. Why not a pair of tits? It would be more symmetrical.
I found myself strolling through Trinity College again, primarily heading towards the Science Gallery for an design/science exhibition. The campus ground is really quite nice, and was bustling with people outside. A sunny day on a Saturday? Most definitely will have crowds chilling under the clear skies, even though it was a bit chilly!
At the Science Gallery, there was an exhibition called Life Logging. It was quite interesting as these artists/designers interpreted what life logging meant to them; was it about the constant behaviour of sharing? Or monitoring locations? Are the different medians of expressing how you interact with your devices? It was awesome!
Above is a photo of a tombstone. This designer wanted to predict upcoming trends of our (and younger) generation and he asked, "What if our tombstones read and engraved data from our social media? What if that became our identity? Will this be what we are remembered as?". It's a bit scary to think of an alternate universe that would have such trends, and I hope that we wouldn't have to come to such practices. Thought-provoking eyh?
This is a fun one of a 3D graph that the designer made to show the relationship between wind patterns and how he response to it when he cycles/commutes outside. Basically a simple, fun way of showing how we and our actions react to nature outside.
If you'd like to read more about the exhibits being displayed, click here! There are really many interesting things and the way these designers chose to exhibit them is great! I especially loved one that uses a vinyl record and a turntable. He had turned data into audio/music! So coohl.
By the time I was done cafe-hopping and absorbing design information, it was almost time for the rugby match! I originally wanted to sit in a pub called the Stag's Head, but they only had 1 tele and no seats, so I headed to Porterhouse instead. 4 storeys and ample space for me to lounge around and enjoy the game, that's more like it!
Ireland beat France thday day, 18 // 11. It was such a close game! But the Irish are too good. I hope te defend their title. They really deserve it for being so strong and strategic when playing.
I was recommended by the tour guide to try hot whiskey, which is basically whiskey with hot water, lemon and clove. I don't normally like whiskey (unless it's super smooth) so I don't know why I thought I'd like this. It was weird, but I see a lot of women drinking it like it's tea. Unfortunately, it was not for me. At least I tried!
Sunday 15th February 2015
The next day, I took a trip to a fishing village 25 minutes away from Dublin with a bunch of nerdy Dutch engineers and a funny leprechaun (haha). Such a random bunch of people, but it was a super fun and entertaining day!
Above is a photo of sculptures that were gifted to Dublin by the government of Canada. It's quite depressing because these sculptures are of people who suffered during the Great Famine. I'll be honest, I only learned about this big chunk of history on that day itself and wow, well, it explains a lot of why things are the way they are today!
The Great Famine was a time in Irish history when people went through a dreadful starvation, disease and migration period. Their crops, mostly potatoes, were infected by a disease that turned everything black, inedible and poisonous; anyone who tried to eat the potatoes when it was infected would die.
This period lasted for many years. The people of Ireland were literally dying of starvation. Approximately 2million (of the lucky ones) migrated out of the country to the US and probably 1 million died. The sculpture above symbolizes those of whom were headed towards the ships to leave the country, taking with them all of the belongings they had. And even if you were migrating, there was a high chance that you wouldn't make it to the US because the conditions you'd be in while on the ship were inhumane; the Irish were treated like animals.
HARSH HISTORY YO. I'm still baffled by how much unexposed I am to this part of the world. I need to learn more more more!
Anyway, it was a day of walking up hills! While walking this route, I swear, I found a bag of weed on the ground. Instantly I was like, "CONOR (our tour guide) LOOK WHAT I FOUND". We were both like, "The Dutch are behind us. This couldn't have been theirs", and just laughed it off.
I didn't take it back with me of course because 1) I wouldn't be able to smoke that much of weed myself 2) I don't even know how to roll a joint 3) If I brought that to the airport I'd be fucked. So I left it on a branch of a tree for some other lucky fellow to find it.
On top of the hill overlooking Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was a perfect day! Not too cold, not too windy, surrounded by lame but hilarious people, what more could I ask for? Can you see one the Dutch guys practically hugging the rocks in the photo? He was trying to capture a panoramic photo, God knows why he's on the rocks to do that.
I quite like this photo of Ireland's Eye.
Here's a photo of me protecting myself from the windstorm and rain that suddenly hit us while we were cliff-walking. The tour guide insisted that I click a pic with the lighthouse, and so I did. Bless him for knowing how to take photos, really appreciate it. Random fyi, at this point, my jeans were like falling off my ass. These pants don't fit me anymore, and they're my favourite pair. :( It makes me so sad! I need to get new jeans, maybe from Forever 21 since they're only like 7pounds.
Anyway, I'm liking this experience of learning so much from countries I knew nothing about! I'm not sure if it's because of my Malaysian upbringing (and the system's lack of interest in educating students about modern world history/geography) or if I was clearly unaware of what was happening outside of Asia, but I've grown to be more curious about all stories from all countries, and I'm happy that I get to absorb all this information while I travel. For Ireland, learning about their culture, myths, viking history, the Great Famine, the uprising ... like wow. And I especially love how the Irish express themselves because, as the locals say, "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story". At some point, I actually believed leprechauns existed, just cause my tour guides was so convincing.
Monday 16th February 2015
On my last full day in Ireland, I planned on taking a tour of Wicklow. Not my number 1 choice for exploring a country since it's mostly a coach tour but, I was lazy to plan and I just wanted someone to talk about Ireland while I just sit and listen (haha). Malas liao tolong larh. To be honest, I was not in the mood to travel, seeing as I was stressed as fuck about my situation in UK, so sometimes during my stay there, I wouldn't feel too excited, which is why I opted for these tours, to give me an itinerary. But it all worked out well in the end and I'm super happy I went to Ireland!
Anyway, we stopped by the bridge that appeared in P.S. I Love You (?) which I didn't really care about. I was more interested in the river flowing under the bridge! The guide said that the water is really dark because of the type of soil in this area. So the locals like to say that this is where Guinness comes from, cause it looks like a river of frothy beer.
I can see the Irish fooling people with this Guinness story for sure. The river water did look a lot like the beer, and as you already know, the Irish are masters at story-telling!
Here's where the wind was so strong that I was genuinely scared I'd be blown off the cliffs.
It doesn't look like it in the photo but seriously, I was fighting to stand still! Luckily you can't see the tears forcefully falling out of my eyes! Anyway, the river before led to the lake you see in the photo! The water there is super dark too, like a massive pool of Guinness beer.
We had lunch at this Irish pub, with the most Irish food ever. I had the Guinness Beef stew, and I must say that it was satisfying to eat, especially after withstanding cold winds and practically freezing my limbs off. I ate the stew as quickly as possible so that I could take a sort walk by the river. I absolutely love seeing trees covered in green moss! It looks so fuzzy and nice. Probably because it reminds me so much of Ferngully. Could there be fairies there? Naw, maybe just leprechauns.
It was a nice, simple walk along the river. There were a few houses on the land surrounding it, and I wondered to myself, "Must be great to wake up in the morning hearing the sound of the river". I think I'd really love that!
Our last stop was at the Upper Lake. This was the holy area next to it. This area dated back to ... I don't remember ... probably thousands of years ago. That tower is made entirely out of granite and still stands today which is pretty impressive. I wasn't really interested in the religious history of it though. It's pretty much the same in every part of the British Isles.
The guide let us take a nice stroll towards the Upper Lake. It was nice, but nothing as breath-taking as landscapes in Scotland (sorry Ireland). I wasn't really fazed by the landscape as it was pretty underwhelming. Maybe because I've been to Isle of Skye? I don't know. But then again, I haven't seen the rest of Ireland so I'll continue keeping my mind open! For a place that's pretty nearby Dublin, it's still very beautiful and a nice place to get away from the city!
I still really like the colours you find in the landscapes here. They're really very different from what you see in the Mediterranean or the tropical part of the world.
Tuesday 17th February 2015
I left Dublin in the afternoon to be (let's put it this way) happily welcomed by the UK with open arms! I'm extremely happy to be back home in Glasgow, with no more problems and stress! I felt (and still feel) a great sense of relief and a massive weight being lifted off my shoulders as I stepped in Glasgow with ease! I really must say that going to Dublin was one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. Not only did I solve a few of the problems that I faced, I also learned a lot, met really kind people and enjoyed the city (and the outskirts of it) very very much!
I'm definitely going back to Ireland in the near future, hopefully when the weather warms up a bit more. Maybe I'll go again next year since it will be the centennial celebrations of the Irish uprising! I'm sure there's gonna be tons to do! I'd also like to explore the south and west of Ireland, and also see how different it is up in the North where the British still rule (haha). A lovely experience it was!
***
I've come up with a few tips from my experience planning and traveling on my own, so I'm gonna put it on my blorg in case anyone who needs help randomly stumbles upon it. I'll keep adding onto to it as I continue traveling the world!
TRAVEL TIPS FOR SOLO-TRAVELING
Tip #1
Use offline maps on your phone. I use maps.me! You can download maps of cities/countries and use it to navigate your way around, especially when you're on your own. I've never gotten lost thanks to this map! And you can bookmark cafes, landmarks etc beforehand so you know where to head to when you're in the city.
Tip #2
Best way to introduce yourself to a city is by going on a tour (not necessarily the ones on buses, mostly walking tours!). The best tours are always free (haha)! I really like free walking tours because the guides are generally enthusiastic, friendly and have amazing knowledge about the city/history/everything. They're the people to go to if you have questions and their the people that will help you familiarize and get comfortable with where you are.
Tip #3
Sometimes, you can consider bus tours, though not the best choice to get to know a country. But if you're on a very short trip, and want to see and learn a bit more about your travel destination, it's not a bad choice! Be friends with the guide and he'll tell and show you everything he knows!
Tip #4
Before a tour, I always make a point to go earlier so I can find the exact meeting point of where the tour guide will meet me or where my bus will pick me up. When I know where the location is, I'll wait over at a cafe nearby and chill out with a cuppa coffee before everything starts. It's a bit more relaxing and less stressful compared to being nervous and rushing to find your tour!
Tip #5
If you know someone in the city/place you're traveling to, try asking them for accommodation/help/advice/recommendations, anything. Chances are they will help you to the best of their abilities, and if they're not free to host you, it's ok, at least you asked!
Tip #6
For budget trips, consider Couchsurfing for accommodation. You get to meet new people (probably a local too) and you can sleep on their couch for free. It's a wonderful community! Everyone's there to help you out. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll arrive at a nice flat to bunk in or meet an enthusiastic Couchsurfer who will be your own personal guide/cook for you/bring you to parties! It's good fun!
Tip #7
I'm a bit of an itinerary type of person. I cannot wander off somewhere without an idea of what I will do for that day. So best thing to do is to look up travel blogs (not typical generic stuff like TimeOut or TripAdvisor, more like The Lost Londoner or Adventurous Kate). You'll find inspiration to roughly plan out your day/trip from people of experience! They might have recommendations of food/places to see in their blorg too, so that cuts down the research time for you.
Tip #8
Being my mother's daughter, I've unfortunately adopted (and further developed) anxiety for being late to fly out of a country. I use to complain about being 3 hours early at the airport and having absolutely nothing to do with my mother, but it dawned on me how significant being patient and waiting at the terminal is after experiencing a few misfortunes of my own.
2 of my very bad experiences include firstly, missing a flight (not because of me but because of my very slow Italian partner) which has never ever in my life ever happened to me before, and that made me ball tears of sorrow and fury which were then obviously directed towards Gian because it was his fault after all (lol sorrynotsorry).
The second one was at London Stansted, I had to wait 3 hours in a line before security check with thousands of other (upset) travelers because there was some stupid commotion happening passed the checks. I had my big (and at that moment, getting heavier) rucksack on my back and had literally traveled across London for more than 2 hours just to get to that shitty airport with the staff causing a 3 hour fuss and being rude about it. If I were there much earlier, I could've easily avoided the drama and tsunami of angry passengers who were potentially on the verge of missing their flights because of a silly delay (and yes, many did miss their flights and were fighting with the staff (almost physically). The delay was so bad that it made the news (read about it here!). I was literally in that crowd of people photographed in the article.
So to avoid anymore stress, disorganization and drama, I'm at the airport at least 2 hours earlier, to keep my heart at ease.
Tip #9
Bring a book or game or something to entertain yourself at the airport while you wait for your flight. Staring at the ceilings can become very boring.
Tip #10
Airport food is expensive so consider bringing snacks in your hand luggage/bag pack. I usually have some chocolates or chips to munch on in case I get restless. And of course, no liquids passed security check but empty bottles are fine, so bring that along and if there are water drinking fountains, clean tap water or free water from Starbucks, fill it up!
Tip #11
It's true when they say, you get what you pay for because when traveling with budget airlines, you can easily encounter the shittiest service or the most rude staff members ever. RyanAir is known for having really bitchy and unhelpful staff members (though so far, I've been lucky enough to have decent people albeit their rude demeanor). So please, make sure when traveling with cheap airlines, to read the fine print, especially about sizes and weights of cabin luggage, visa/passport checks, printing of tickets etc. Because if you get a very bitchy staff member, they will ensure that you will miss your flight or pay an extra 50euro just because your bag is like 2cm bigger. RyanAir charges 15euro if you forget to print your ticket yourself (for non-EU travelers) and I totally didn't know that. But luckily the counter lady was somewhat lenient and helped a girl out. I'm stretching my luck as it is so better safe than sorry!
Tip #12
When you have hand luggage and you're flying on a budget airline, it's best you become kiasu and get in the plane first, because chances are, if you're one of the last to board, you won't have space to store you bags in the overhead compartments. You'll also face really bitchy staff members that will roll their eyes at you. If you have no hand luggage, just wait for the kiasu folk to board first and relax.
Tip #13
Crying child on the plane? Remember to bring headphones to blast your music.
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