Traveling is something that everyone wants to do at least once in their lifetime. I am lucky enough to have been able to travel to The Netherlands, England, and Germany many times in my life. My father is from The Netherlands, so my older sister, Amanda, and I have visited our family numerous times overseas. Our most recent trip we took to Europe was the summer before my freshman year of college.

This trip was different from all of our other trips to Europe for the sole reason that our parents did not come with us. We stayed with family in The Netherlands for a week and then traveled to England and stayed with relatives for another week. The trip was amazing and we learned a lot, so here are 14 tips I have put together based on our experiences in Europe by ourselves.

1. Don’t be afraid to travel

Honestly, traveling is kind of a scary thing. It is especially nerve-wracking when your parents aren’t there to help you along the way. Don’t be afraid to travel, though. The experiences you gain from going to different countries outweighs the nerves you might have about leaving the good ‘ole homeland.

2. Learn to be independent

Learning to be independent is a major part of traveling, especially when you are traveling by yourself. I was fortunate enough to have my sister, Amanda, traveling with me. Therefore, this meant that SHE needed to be independent and I followed her around. Amanda made the important decisions like which way the gate and terminal were, whereas I made the decisions like what fast food restaurant we were going to go to before the plane took off. It turns out that my decisions were much easier to make.

3. Try new foods

Try the gross foreign food because you might just like it! While Amanda and I were in England, we stayed with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. My aunt is Indian, so naturally she made us a true Indian dinner one night. We ate a concoction of traditional Indian dishes. The one dish that I was uncertain about but tried anyways was this potato fritter type food. This potato fritter was unlike any potato fritter that you have ever tasted.

When I bit into this fried piece of potato, I literally thought my mouth was going to combust into flames and burn off. It was hands down the spiciest thing I have ever tasted. Tears were streaming down my face and my nose was running all at the same time. I honestly thought that I saw God at that moment, but then I downed my entire glass of water and the burning in my mouth subsided. I’m happy to say I still have full use of my mouth and in the long run, I’m glad I tried that potato fritter.

4. You don’t have to spend $5 million

It’s true! You really don’t have to spend your entire life’s savings on a trip traveling the world. Just ask my dad who was very excited, to say the least, when he found out that Amanda and I had only spent about half of what he had given us for our two-week extravaganza in Europe. Granted we stayed with family, which really helped on the budget side, but we still spent significantly less money than we were given. We did everything we wanted to do and saw all of the sites in Amsterdam and London without breaking the bank.

5. Wait because it is worth it

Waiting is definitely worth is when it comes to sight seeing. Amanda and I really wanted to see the Anne Frank House while we were in Amsterdam. We got to the museum early in the morning, but apparently not early enough. We ended having to wait for a good three hours to even get into the museum. Once we finally bought our ticket and started to see the Anne Frank House, it was totally worth it. Seeing the history and knowing the story of Anne Frank just escalated our excitement about Amsterdam twenty-fold.

6. Do something you wouldn’t normally do

If you don’t normally go skiing, then go ski in the Swiss Alps. If you don’t normally go on safaris in the African Sahara, then go on a safari. Amanda and I don’t normally walk through the Red Light District in Amsterdam, but we did it anyways. If you don’t know what the Red Light District is, it is a part of Amsterdam where women stand in front of glass windows to sell their bodies. This is a world-renowned part of Amsterdam and my sister and I were there to see it all. It was an eye-opening sight to say the least. We actually stumbled upon the Red Light District by accident, but once we were in there we quickly found our way out and said that we had see it once and that was good enough!

7. Don’t do all of the touristy sight seeing

You don’t necessarily need to do all of the touristy sight seeing things that everyone and their mother does. One of my favorite parts of being in Amsterdam was that Amanda and I could just wander around the city at our own pace. We saw the canals and stopped to get a cup of coffee whenever we wanted. Wandering around the city on your own time makes the experience of getting to know a foreign place even greater.

8. Use public transportation

Public transportation is a life savor. Use the buses, taxis, trains, and subways as much as you can. It is ultimately cheaper to use public transportation than it is to rent a car. Plus, it is so much easier to just hop on a train that can take you from city to city than have to worry about where to park your car. Everyone uses public transportation and that doesn’t mean that you are a pauper if you do it too.

9. Dress cute, but don’t forget to be comfy

Dress cute while you are out and about traveling and exploring. Of course you want to look cute for all of your picture opportunities in a new city, but don’t forget to be comfortable too. Amanda and I dressed cute while we were abroad, but we didn’t exactly wear comfortable shoes. Comfy shoes are a must have when you are walking all day long. Also, a good purse is a necessity so that you don’t lose something important or have something stolen.

10. Don’t be afraid to splurge a little

Don’t forget to splurge a little. It’s okay to go to nice restaurant and have an expensive dinner once in a while. Experiencing the nice things in a foreign country is half the fun!

Bonus Tip: Experience the music

Here’s a little bonus tip for all of you overachievers. Experience the music, whether it is at an extravagant opera house or outside of a train station. In my case, my sister and I experienced the music outside of a train station in Amsterdam while waiting for our aunt to pick us up. We were standing outside of the train station when I heard the faint tune of the most recognizable song, “Memories”, from the hit Broadway MusicalCats.

I turned around to see a woman sitting on the ground playing the song on her recorder. It was such an odd sight to see this strange woman playing a hit show tune on her recorder that fourth graders learn to play in elementary music class. In that moment, I experienced the music and still laugh about the events that took place to this day.