My wife and I went on a European vacation for August. We visited three countries by plane, train, automobile and ship. I haven’t actually added up all the cost of the trip and I probably won’t do it but a good estimate for business class flights from the U.S. to our first stop, hotels, cruise ship, inter and intra- country flights, trains, and lots of Ubers cost us about $23k or so.
We had a great time and as usual, are minds were opened to new experiences, people, food, culture, and so much more. We ate out almost every day as our hotels didn’t have kitchens and while we were on a cruise ship, meals were provided but thankfully it wasn’t a buffet style dining so our calorie consumption was mostly kept in check. Our son that lives in Europe joined us for part of the trip and that added a bit of cost as well.
Here are some general negatives about visiting Europe in August.
Poor/Low Service Levels
In almost every country we visited, we felt the service level was very low. I largely blame labor shortages for this and not necessarily the attitude of the workers. It was clear everywhere we went, there was lack of sufficient labor to deal with all the customers. This was true at hotels, restaurants, trains, ships and other places we visited.
COVID Devastation
We took Ubers everywhere and we like to talk to the drivers about living in the city/country and how their location has changed over time. Almost everyone told us that things changed dramatically when COVID struct and in particular the inflationary effects on the cost of everything: food, rent, energy, etc. Many had hoped things would return to normal but for many it hasn’t.
Over Crowding
Almost everywhere we went, we saw over crowding. We largely stayed around the large city centers and we saw hordes of people everywhere. Buses, trains, trams, and planes were often full as were good restaurants. I emphasis good because when we saw an eerily empty restaurant we immediately knew the food quality or service must be very poor for it to sit empty.
One unusual thing we didn’t expect was everywhere we went we were asked to either reserve a table in advance or specify which time we wanted to eat. This was true on our cruise ship and at our hotels. In our hotels, we were asked to specify what time we wanted breakfast at the restaurant. Options were 7 am, 8 am or 9 am and it was often difficult to figure out what time we would wake up but they did tell us we could always change our time.
Retirement Exploration
Part of this vacation was also an exploratory trip to visit potential retirement options and while we really liked one country, the taxation issue is still a core problem we will need to resolve before we make any decisions.
Share The Wealth
Did you go on vacation this summer? If so share the wealth and tell us where you went and how much you spent.