I’ve been travelling the world ……online!

I love to travel, explore countries and see cities. Taste exotic food and smell different scents. Watch and meet new people and immerse myself in other cultures. Unfortunately I can’t afford to travel at the moment, but still, I travel..... a lot…..online! I like to visit countries, resorts, National parks and I’ve discovered some great travelblogs on: travelblog and realtravel where you can accompany people on their journeys. Great sites for the travellers among us. You can find all sort of information on there but sometimes you come across funny or strange travel tips, like these 10 tips for people who want to visit Europe:

Tip 1: Pepperoni pizza does not exist, or at least not by that name. It is usually called The Americana, (or a spicier version of this is The Diavola). Pepperoni is referred to as salami and 9 times out of 10, it doesn't taste like the pepperoni from back home so just don't order it. Also, they don't slice the pizza before they bring it out for you to eat.

WOW! I am shocked!! Who can survive a holiday without pepperoni pizza!
First of all pepperoni is a altered form of peperoni, the Italian plural of peperone, referring to the bell pepper, so that ordering "peperoni" pizza (a pizza with bell peppers) in Italy is often an unwelcome surprise for North American tourists. To order the American version of pepperoni in Italy, someone would request salame piccante (spicy salami). So go ahead order a pepperoni pizza just make sure you ask for the right one. And don’t worry; they will give you utensils so you can cut the pizza all by your self..... come on, you're a grown-up now! On the other hand Italian cuisine is extremely varied, so why not go for something completely different and be surprised!

Tip 2. Air conditioning is another thing. Many hotels claiming to have air conditioning are either lying to get your business or do not quite understand what Americans mean by true air conditioning. A fan does not constitute proper air conditioning in 100 degree weather. Restaurants don't usually have AC either, so sit outside and hope for a breeze. Worst of all, public transportation also lacks AC. Being packed into a bus like sardines with sweaty people who don't use deodorant is not pleasant.

A lot of hotels and restaurants do have air conditioning these days because of the many heat waves we’ve been having. You just need to pick the right hotel or restaurant. But then again….what is wrong with eating outside or sleeping with the windows open, it’s all part of the European charm. I can agree with the public transport thing, but I would like to add that you can come across smelly people all over the world.

Tip 3. Europeans have no rules for boarding a bus. There is no such thing as 'first come, first serve'. No lines are formed. Whoever pushes hardest gets in first and is most likely to get a seat. If not, you'll be forced to stand up and hold on to whatever you can. European drivers go very fast and make quick stops. Hold on tight.

Oh, we Europeans are so rude! I know! Every European country has it’s own bus boarding rules though. You just need to figure out what the rules are in the country you are in. And they don't drive like maniacs, for instance the speed limit for busses lies between 31 and 49 MPH (depending on where you are).

When you buy cheap tickets to ride on cheap airlines (Easy Jet, MyAir, RyanAir, etc.), you get exactly what you paid for... nothing. The seats do not recline. Food and drink are not served (for free, at least). Assigned seats do not exist. As I mentioned above, push hard and you'll get a good seat.

On a cheap flight you get exactly what you paid for……a flight from A > B. And Europe is quite small, it’s not like they put you in a plane for 24 hours! So eat and drink before boarding or take a snack along and Bob’s your uncle.

Tip 4. Europe was built for small people. I've hit my forehead entering more doorways than I can count and I've slept on beds where my feet dangle off the edge. Elevators are tiny and most of the time only for one or two people. So take the stairs.

Yeah, we are all midgets or hobbits and we live in small tiny houses. BS!! As if American’s are that tall (a lot of them are large but that is a different subject), so either this is giant lady or she is exaggerating. Some elevators are tiny, but most tiny elevators are found in tiny hotels and are there for the elderly....so why not take the stairs

Tip 5. Showers don't normally have curtains around them. I don't know why...

I never encountered one. They either have a curtain or a glass door or a screen.

Tip 6. Crossing streets is as dangerous as driving on them, especially in Italy, where motorcyclists will come at you out of what seems like nowhere. My advice: run or become road kill.

Look around for traffic lights or pedestrian crossings and keep your eyes open at all times!!

Tip 7. Customer service does not exist. Americans sue for every little thing done wrong to them. In Europe, if someone (particularly a business) screws up, you're on your own. Suck it up. Complaining does not help, especially in restaurants.

We don’t like the “I am going to sue you” mentality, but we will help if we can. Complaining does help, just drop the attitude and be nice.

Tip 8. Italian men are very friendly and tend to be quite vocal about their friendliness. They honk. They yell. They whistle. Don't wear short skirts if you don't like male attention.

All part of the Italian, Spanish, Greek, Turkish charm and mentality…. If you don’t want the attention, dress accordingly. Oh, hold on, this doesn’t work when you are a blond ;)

Tip 9 Drink water all the time. The cost of a soda is ridiculous with no free refills.

She forgot to mention something here….. we don’t do Big Gulp sizes! Hooray, so much healthier for you!

Tip 10 In buildings, the first floor is actually what we consider the second floor. What you walk into on the level of the street is called the ground floor. When you get into an elevator, it’s floor 0. If they have an underground level, it's referred to as -1 (negative one). In our first hotel, I was assigned to the second floor. I walked up to what Americans would consider floor 2 which was actually floor 1 and spent about an hour trying to find my room.

We can’t help it! In the “old country” Europe we count differently. We always start with 0. No, just kidding there are 2 systems in use worldwide a) the British and b) the American system. We Europeans like the older British system….we are a bit funny like that :) But at least we do have hotels which have a 13^th floor or a room 13 :P

Okay, you must have figured it out by now. Most of these tips are rubbish! This lady visited two countries (Italy and France – Paris) and now she thinks she knows all about Europe, but Europe is so much more. Every country has its own culture, their own customs and religions and we are all different and that is partly why I love travelling through Europe!

Anyway happy travels and oh, I almost forgot, in my opinion there is one handy tip missing here. If/when you are planning a visit France (Italy or the Balkan) come prepared! You won’t find them on every street corner but they are still around in some places and to be honest, it surprised me a lot the first time I encountered one ;)