A trip across Europe : It’s Not Always What it Seems

In Lisbon Portugal, above the Arco da Rua Augusta

So I along with two other ladies , I decided to travel from the Midwest of the United States where we live, to one country in the United Kingdom and four countries in Europe. It was a crazy adventure, that took months of planning , saving and praying before we actually left to enjoy it. I can say it was definitely an expensive trip and one of the most exhausting and stressful trips I’ve been on. It wasn’t my first time traveling outside of the country , but that was years ago and I went with family. I can definitely say I was blessed to be able to travel and see parts of the world I’ve never seen before. As a Muslim we should explore, discover and learn about the world around us that Allah created for us. I think more than anything my expectations of this trip were very human, expecting everything to go well and be perfect and for there to be no issues or problems. Boy was I wrong.

The main thing is this trip was a lot of learning about myself and I learned about what’s important when traveling. I remember sharing some things on social media of what I got to visit and experience and I would get messages from friends saying they were jealous. I would warn them and say , it’s not what it looks like , you’re only seeing a fraction of what’s going on , and a picture or a video doesn’t reveal the full extent of what people are dealing with. I used to envy people who would share photos on social media of their travels , they looked carefree and happy , having the time of their lives. Once I got the opportunity to travel abroad  and experience beautiful sights and food , I realized how my life isn’t theirs. Most people that have these travels might have access (because of money) to private jets or better homes to stay in or private guides and tours to sights with less hassle and less stress overall. rO if they’re someone average like me with not much money that their travels were just as exhausting as mine and that one photo can’t show the amount of emotional or physical pain they’re going through before, after or even during their photos being taken. 

My experience may also be different , I believe that the trials and tribulations we go through are meant to make us stronger people , to teach us something valuable and to make our connection with God stronger. One of the most important things I realized even when traveling with people is that you can feel alone , but no matter what Allah will be there for you. As humans we long for and need companionship to survive , it’s normal for us to lean on others for support and happiness. But also humans have flaws , the person you were or the person your friend is may change once you’re in unfamiliar territory and you are spending day after day and night and after night together. You may annoy each other and show habits or behaviors that you don’t normally display in front of your friends , your attitudes and feelings may change or grow. The same can be said for traveling with a romantic partner , classmates or family. Just really be aware that traveling is exhausting and be careful who you choose to partake in such a journey with because you want to be able to work together when there’s stressful or confusing situations going on. 

Another thing I learned ? If you’re traveling to multiple countries in the span of two weeks, DONT. Our plan was originally to spend a full week in England and the next week in other countries. It ended up changing and we were in London 3 days, and the other countries 2-3 days. Which if you like to rush things and not give yourself much time to rest , I suppose that can work for you! But with such short time you may not to get to visit all the sights you want and be able to get proper rest and exploration time in. Plus since you’re there such a short time you have to pack everything in one or two days which physically exhausts you because it’s a lot of walking around , getting lost and asking for directions which is tough if you’re in a country where you don’t understand the language. MAKE SURE TO WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES ! The streets in Europe are definitely tougher to walk on , they’re sometimes cobblestone or brick and there’s a lot more hills and slanted roads . Which is great for exercise and probably why everyone looks so healthy but not good if you aren’t wearing proper shoes which I don’t for the majority of the trip! 

Another struggle with the short period of time and visiting so many places is the many different transfers you will have to do. We had missed a flight from London to Italy which meant we had to buy new tickets (which is why it will come in handy if you have savings) which meant we spent more than we wanted to but it’s better than being stranded! PLAN FOR MISSED FLIGHTS OR ANYTHING WHERE YOU MIGHT NEED EXTRA MONEY. If you don’t you could end up stuck or very depressed ! Just plan for any issues so you don’t get overwhelmed and stressed ! Even if you have help back in your home state it’s good to know you have someone to count on or help you if you’re financially stuck. There’s also the exhaustion in general of sitting on a plane or bus for hours or for a full day, having to move your things from place to place , unpack and repack and the possibility of having so many transfers that you forget something. The less you bring the better because with more to keep track of there’s the possibility of forgetting something with so many places you’re going to.

I definitely would say if you’re able to learn basic words in the language of the country you’re visiting it could make things easier for your stay there ! We had intended to try to learn some Greek, Spanish and Italian but that was forgotten and so communication was tough but occasionally we would find people who could understand some English. Just don’t have an American mindset where everyone will understand English and talking louder to get someone to understand you if they don’t speak English. Use gestures and if you have access to internet on your phone lookup words to help! 

Speaking of phones , you’ll get charged if you have your data on which wasn’t something I knew or thought about once I left the US. Unless you want to rack up your phone bill once you arrive back home , which in some circumstances you might have to , it’s better to turn it off. Having access to internet will be important though because you’ll want to look up where you’re going and which bus or train to take when traveling in the city. Something I had to do often was lookup routes to walk or routes to take on the metro system and there wasn’t always access to WiFi. Also if you’re a person like me who doesn’t like to ask for help , you’ll have to get out of your comfort zone. You might get snuffed by some people or get someone who won’t know what you’re saying but it’s better than getting lost and most people will be kind and help you out ! 

The last advice and experience I would want to share is with places to stay, again with traveling so many different places you’ll have to accommodate different hotels, hostels or air bnbs for each place you visit. Even if other things go wrong make sure you have somewhere to sleep at night! We used air Bnb and for the most part we had a great experience! The only time we had problems where sometimes we couldn’t reach a host but were able to rebook a new place pretty quickly and get our money back from the places we couldn’t reach the hosts. Just make sure after you book an air Bnb to talk with the hosts before you leave for the trip TWICE (like a month before and then a few days before) and also once you land to your destination and once you reach the air bnb address. If communication is lacking contact the air Bnb customer service they were always helpful to get money back or contact hosts! 

Lastly I would say definitely enjoy yourself despite any issues or bumps in the road that happen, if you spent a lot of money, time and energy to get on this trip your deserve to have a great time ! Just plan for the unexpected and stay calm in an emergency and most importantly take care of your mental , emotional and physical health ! 

This blog post is just dedicated to my overall experience , ill write more about each city I visited later In Sha Allah ! May Allah guide and protect us all !