10 Things I Love Doing On Every Trip

Every trip you go on is going to be different, even when I return to a city, it's never the same visit. There are 10 things I like to do to make my trips awesome, and we tend to do these almost every time we travel anywhere, because they are great ways to learn about your destination.

1. Get up high - As much as I adore seeing everything from the ground, you can see just how big of a place you are visiting, including all the landmark buildings and parks and water features, like rivers. It's like looking at a map but way cooler. Before we leave home, I look for places that can give me a view of the skyline, whether that's a giant Ferris wheel, like the London Eye, or a building that has 360-degree views like Skyspace OUE in Los Angeles, or even a restaurant like Seattle's The Loupe inside the Space Needle. 
2. Take an open-top bus tour - The Hop-On Hop-Off Bus is the best invention. Not only do you get some air, but you you also get a city tour that gives you cool information about your destination, and drops you off at all the major landmarks and activities. You can pay for a day or a multi-day pass. I like to make one full complete loop on the bus to see everything, and then get off and see things after that.
3. Take public transportation - You can learn a lot about your city by taking their buses, subways, and trains. Not only do you save money on getting around, but it gives you a sense of where things are, and it's like a very cheap tour. If you use your phone's Google maps, it'll tell you which stop you want to get off on, meaning you have plenty of time to look around while you're on your ride.
4. Take a walking tour - There are all types of walking tours in most cities, including free ones. We never really realized how awesome they were until we took ones through Walks.com in London, and now we try to do at least one anywhere we go. They can have different themes or can be general, and we've been on several free ones that have been better than paid ones we've taken. Make sure you carry cash for a tip at the end, have your phone charged for pictures, and do your research by looking at reviews before booking.
5. Eat at a recommended hole-in-the-wall - You know how much I love food. I will plan whole days around where I want to eat, but I always leave wiggle room. We tend to ask Uber drivers and hotel staff (not the concierge) where they like to eat. We've discovered some real gems this way. Keep an open mind, because some of the best places I've eaten do not look like much from the outside.
6. Find a great coffee shop - Coffee fuels me in more ways than one. I scope out the coffee shops around where I'm staying on Google and look at menus and reviews. We found two amazing ones when we were last in London. Both had excellent brews, but the food was also outstanding. I have a favorite one in Vegas (Bad Owl Coffee) and one in New Orleans (Avenue Cafe). 
7. Try the local food trucks - I love food and I love saving money. you can do both at the food trucks/cars. It's also perfect for travel in groups or families, because where there's one food truck, there's usually several. This means you can find something for everyone who might not be able to agree on a restaurant. We live in a city that is packed with food trucks, so we feel right at home when we eat at them in other cities.
8. Shop the farmers' market - Another thing that focuses on food, but it's also really affordable. Generally, we plan a morning to hit up the nearest farmers' market for snacks and weird things we've not seen before. It's a great way to stock up on local fruits for breakfasts, which is generally the meal we eat in most often. It means we don't have to get up early, and we save quite a bit of cash. Markets are a good place to interact with locals and ask questions (like where they like to eat).
9. Go grocery shopping - Maybe you think it's weird that adore a foreign grocery store. At home, I try to get in and out as fast as possible, but when I'm in other countries, I like to take my time checking out the different foods and picking out what I want to eat for breakfast and snacks. We've found a lot of new favorite things this way. 
10. Walk through neighborhoods - Taking the bus or driving is great, but it doesn't give you the same feeling as you get when you just get off the main thoroughfares and just stroll through some neighborhoods to see how people live. We tend to stay in Airbnb rentals and live in a city like a local, which means we are usually walking some blocks to get to a transit station. 

I'm sure you have your own favorite things to do on a trip. I want to hear about them. Tell me your musts for trips in the comments!

Planning Your Oktoberfest Trip

If we weren't in the middle of a pandemic, Oktoberfest would have started already. This year would have would have marked the 210th celebration, which I'm sure would have been something. We celebrated in our own way with a destination date night last week. You can follow my lead and put together a family, solo, or romantic Oktoberfest at home. 

Even if you don't like beer, Oktoberfest has something for you. It's based around a travelling funfair. Sure, it's a beer festival, but it's so much more. If you're looking forward to participating in the future, I've pulled together some important info for you:

When does it happen? 

Originally, Oktoberfest was celebrated in October and started as a celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria (King Louis I) and lasted 5 days, but it has since morphed into an enormous 16-day festival that has tons of food stalls, beer halls, fair rides and more. The festival ends on the first Sunday in October.

Where does it happen?

While you can attend an Oktoberfest celebration nearly anywhere now, the original and biggest is in Munich, Germany. You'll see great big beer tents that can have seating up to 6,000. The Mayor of Munich officially opens the festival by tapping the first keg. Each brewer has their own beer hall with food and entertainment. Upwards of 6-7 million people attend from all over the world.

Top foods to eat at Oktoberfest

Food is a big draw for visitors. As you know, I love trying new foods wherever I go, so this sounds like a great way to try a bunch of things. Here are some of the things you should look for if you go (or to make/order if doing an at-home celebration this year):

• Brezen - otherwise known as a pretzel, you can find these in every size wherever you look. they can be plain, served with mustard, or even split open and filled with things like butter.
• Fischbrötchen - a little bit lighter than most other fare on this list, fischbrötchen are basically little seafood sliders, usually using fish, shrimp, or crab.
• Hendl - these roasted chickens are smothered in butter, parsley, and paprika and in high demand at Oktoberfest.
• Knödel - a potato or flour dumpling that is often served as a side dish. Potato dumplings are a staple at any big eating event in my house. 
• Obatzda - a soft garlicky cheese spread that is often served with pickles or pickled onions, but it's awesome with a brezen.
• Ochs am Spieß - ox on a spit is a traditional meat kebab that has been around almost as long as Oktoberfest. It's often covered in a red wine sauce.
• Schweinshaxe - roasted pork knuckle that is generally served with sauerkraut and a potato dumpling, or other potato side.
• Spätzle - you're probably pretty familiar with this grated, boiled dough, though probably not the way they serve it in Munich: in a heaping helping and topped with fried onions and/or bacon, or even smothered in cheese.
• Steckerlfisch - a variety of different marinated fish that is grilled. Every stand has their own version with their own spices.
• Weisswurst - a white sausage made from minced veal and pork back bacon and various seasonings. Served in a pair in a pot of hot water with a pretzel, mustard, and a wheat beer.

I will tell you that portions are huge and you'll maybe want to split these with your companions, because otherwise you'll be dying before you even start. Perhaps that's why Oktoberfest is two weeks long. You'll need more than a few days to sample all these delicious foods.

Let's talk about beer, because there are 14 main beer tents, with only 6 breweries represented:

• Späten
• Augustiner
• Paulaner
• Hacker-Poschorr
• Hofbräu
• Löwenbräu

You must request reservations ahead of time if you want to sit in one of these tents. The larger ones can rotate through tens of thousands of people in a day. Each one has their own process and start at different times of the year. You also have to book a group reservation for 8-10 people. I don't know if this will change after this year, but it's good to do your research. If there are fewer than that in your party, you may want to show up early and see if you can grab a seat that isn't reserved.

How to save money

Like with everything, you can plan ahead to save money. 

• My number one tip for saving money is by limiting your beer consumption. This might be a bit easier for grown-ups who don't tend to go to pound drinks back to get as drunk as possible. A liter of beer can run you $10-13, but they also tend to have double the alcohol content of regular American beers (6% vs 3%). Bring along water to stay hydrated. You can purchase it there, but it will still run you about $7/liter.

• Try to hit up the festival on the weekdays, as it will be easier to find a seat in a tent than on the weekend, especially if there are only a few of you. Weekends are always the most popular days.

• Only bring the amount of money you want to spend, because it can be easy to lose track of your purchases. This makes it easier to budget.

• Stay outside of Munich or look for an affordable Airbnb on the outskirts, because the closer you get to Theresienwiese (the park it takes place in), the more premium the rates. Train travel is convenient and can be a lot more affordable if you're trying to save money. 

• Food portions are large, so look to split meals. Unless you're starving, you'll find it difficult to finish some of these entrees. You can always supplement with pretzels, which will also help you soak up some of that beer you've been imbibing in.

Staying safe

You never want to leave yourself open to unsafe conditions. This is always a concern where a lot of cash may be available and people are drinking a lot. Make sure you know what you're going into before you leave home:

• Drink responsibly. You already know this. Remember your limits. Remember to eat (and drink water!). Remember your budget. If you find yourself doing poorly, there are recovery tents available that help hundreds of people every day.

• Don't bring all your money. Bring cash, but bring just as much as you plan to spend, so you can't go overboard, but also because if you get robbed, you won't be screwed for the rest of your trip.

• Beer tents all have their own serveware. Do not take the steins/mugs. This is a crime. There are plenty for sale throughout the event to take home as souvenirs.

• Know your way around. Make sure to do your research, so you know how to get back to the train station and your hotel/rental. Keep a backup battery on you, because you don't want to get lost without a phone that could have all your important info in it. Get a multi-day train ticket and save yourself some money and hassle.

• Agree on a meeting point if you separate. There can be up to 600,000 people there at times. That's a lot of people, so don't lose your important people. 

• Carry your money, phone, ID and hotel key on you. Large bags are not allowed inside, so make sure you adhere to the rules.

• Bring all your belongings with you if you leave the beer tent. Often you can't get back inside, due to crowds. 

• Never leave your drink unattended. Someone could slip something into your beer in an instant. This happens everywhere. If someone buys you a drink (score!) make sure you are there when the waitress brings it.

There are plenty of other ways to make Oktoberfest amazing, like buying traditional dress and going with all your best friends and you have at least a whole year to plan your trip to Munich, or even a more local celebration. 

Oktoberfest By The Numbers

Last weekend we "traveled" to Germany and Oktoberfest on our destination date night. These Covid staycations have been a lot of fun for us, because it breaks up the monotony of staying home and sitting on the couch, but also because it gives us a chance to learn new things about places we haven't visited yet, and will help us relive some of our best vacation memories. With all the bad of 2020, these are things we need right now.

If you were thinking about a future trip to Germany to get in on Oktoberfest and all the cool things it has to offer, I'll be talking about that in my next post, but for now, let's look at some amazing facts about this celebration:

This year would have marked the 210th celebration of Oktoberfest.

Have you ever been to Oktoberfest or even a local celebration? I have and the music and the food is always great, wherever it is. We'll definitely make the effort to try to get to more local festivities when we can go out in groups again.

I've been taking some great suggestions for future destinations, foods, and activities over on Facebook, but I'd love any of your recommendations in the comments. 

Where should we go next? What should we eat? Let us know! 👇👇👇