I’m now in the back half of a 26-day post-graduation trip to Spain and France, and I’ve learned a few things about how I travel along the way. Here are a few of the things that I’ve learned. Obviously, how I travel is different from how others travel - in terms of what I like to do, how I want to spend my time, and the things I require to keep myself happy and upbeat. This is my personal travel tips list to myself for the next time I take a trip somewhere new.

1. Activities. Traveling through Europe entails being exposed to a lot of museums and churches - and it’s really easy for me to get tired of seeing that. During the planning stage, I had the foresight to mark all of the museums in red (as a way of guarding against accidentally loading up on museums), but I should have done something similar for churches. At this point, a lot of the museums have blended together (with a few exceptions) as have most of the churches (the Sagrada Familia being a major exception). I experienced something similar in Japan - I traveled with my parents and got dragged along to far too many temples, and yet only really remember one or two of them distinctly. Beaches are also easy to get tired of, though I don’t think I’ve ever hiked too much on a vacation. Pacing the trip is also super important - travel days are often not rest days. On that note…

2. Scheduling. Not every other country has the same pace as the US when it comes to certain activities. Dinner in France is a reliably two-plus-hour affair; restaurants might close after lunch or open later for dinner.

3. Payments. Not everywhere accepts American Express, so it’s helpful to carry a small amount of cash on me along with a Visa or a Mastercard (ideally, without foreign transaction fees). I made the mistake of withdrawing too much cash when I first landed in Madrid - I pulled out €500 but so far I’ve only used €20 (since I’ve either relied on my friends’ cash, or I’ve always defaulted to using my card for the convenience and rewards/protection it provides). If I were travelling alone, I might have used cash in more circumstances - but in general, it’s probably best to not shoot for just one cash withdrawal for the entire trip. Probably better to withdraw only $10 worth per day in cash and just withdraw more as necessary.

4. Food. My happiness level while traveling depends greatly (much more so than for others) on what I’m eating and how expensive it is. In general, getting three high-quality meals a day without breaking the bank is a big determinant of my mood, which in turn influences how I’m experiencing all of the other activities. The Michelin Guide and Google Maps are great resources; I don’t appreciate the value of just picking a restaurant blindly. Grocery stores are super important for grabbing water and snacks cheaply; roasted nuts are compact, tasty, and satiating.

5. Lodging. Some important things to consider: price, location (both for safety purposes and also proximity to activities), making sure everyone that wants one gets their own bed, and number of bathrooms (2 is worlds better than 1). It’s also important to check hostels, Airbnbs, and hotels to get a sense of all options.

6. Packing. The Away bag really is a rockstar - being able to take a carry-on bag instead of a check-in saves a ton of money. Clothes with zipper pockets that fold compactly and are easy to wash and flexible in how formal they are are well worth their weight (basically, most of the stuff I’ve bought from Lululemon). This down jacket from The North Face is also nice - I can remove the inner down jacket liner when I just need a shell for rain, otherwise I can use both layers on the plane to help me stay warm while I sleep (plus, I got it at an outlet for $100 or so). A small laptop (e.g. a Surface Laptop Go) is another great item to pack - being able to access a laptop for watching videos, planning activities, or buying tickets is a huge bonus.