DIY Vacation - Part 5

A TYPICAL DAY IN EUROPE

Try to leave the hotel by 8am. Start the first day orientating yourself by walking around the city and taking photos of various attractions. Morning is probably the best time for pictures as you still look fresh.

If you haven’t had breakfast, grab something along the way or sit down for a quick bite. At 10am, most attractions start operating. Head to a church and climb the church tower for a good view of the city. Spend 2 to 3 hours in a museum. By the time you are done, your stomach will probably be growling.

Try some street food, have a simple sandwich/wrap for lunch or sit down for some local cuisine. Sausages and buns are popular in Europe and are best washed down with a pint of beer. It is never too early for booze especially when you are on vacation.

After lunch, take a stroll around the main shopping area and/or old town, stopping for photos whenever something catches your attention. If you see something unique that you really like and it is reasonably priced, grab it. You don’t want to spend the rest of your holiday hunting for an item you spotted on your first day in some obscure shop somewhere in town.

Having said that, I normally leave my shopping to the end of the trip/day so I don’t end up lugging heavy stuff around. Do shop around for generic souvenirs. They are available everywhere, sometimes with significant price difference.

Visit the flea market and soak up a bit of local culture. Sit yourself down in a café and spend some time people watching. Go for a lake/canal cruise. Visit another museum. Buy tickets for a stand-up comedy show, musical, play, concert, dance performance for the evening.

Finish with a nice dinner at a restaurant with a good view (by the lake/river, on a hilltop, along the main street, in the old town) and enjoy a glass of the local wine. Head back to the hotel and sleep early to prepare for your next day.

WHAT IS IN MY DAY PACK?

Money and credit card.
Camera and handphone.
Passport. You will need identification when using your credit card and age verification when buying booze.
Lip balm, hand moisturizer, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, tissue paper.
Water*, sunnies and a hat.
Scarf, gloves, earmuffs and jacket if it gets cold** in the evenings. Maybe an umbrella.

*Water fountains are readily available in most parts of Europe and America so you need not worry too much about water. Boil water in the hotel and bring it in a small bottle. Water is also available in the gym. You can fill it up at fountains throughout the day. “Agua/Aqua portable” means water is safe for drinking. “Non portable” means the opposite. For most parts of the world, I drink boiled tap water. But for India and China, I drink only mineral water and will also boil mineral water if I need a hot drink.

** Check the daily weather (rainy/sunny/cloudy) and note the highest and lowest temperature. The iPhone Weather App provides a good hour-by-hour breakdown of the daily weather.


TIPPING

While you may feel that tipping and the amount you tip should be entirely up to you and dependent on the service standard, in some parts of the world, tipping is expected. I hate it, but that’s the way it is. And if you do not tip or tip sufficiently, you risk giving Asians a bad reputation. Silly right?

Some waiter in New York once reminded me that the tip was supposed to be 15% even though their service sucked. Needless to say, that was the first and last time I visited their establishment.

Regardless of the tip, shouldn’t service staff aim to do their best? It’s not like they are not already being paid a salary? You may find that some service staff do not treat you well or ignore you if they assume you are not going to tip much. I was pretty much ignored when I visited Planet Hollywood in New York.

Makes me feel that the only reason they are nice to you is because of the money that you are potentially going to hand over to them. How sincere...

So glad we do not have that culture in Singapore. And by the way, service staff in Japan get offended if you try to tip them because they take pride in their work. Shouldn't we all learn from them?

The going rate in US is about 15%. Other parts of the world, 10% is fine when sitting down for a meal. For taxis, you usually round up the fare e.g. if it is 57 euros, you pay 60. Or if it is US$12.50, you pay US$15. Tour guides expect about US$5/6 a day. Just recently in Nepal, we were expected to tip the driver, porter and guide US$4 each per day and per traveller.