Disillusioned when traveling to Europe for the first time

On social networks, Joey Hadden, who lives in New York, often sees photos of backpackers posing amid majestic natural scenery or ancient cities, along with inspirational stories about their trips to Europe. However, when thinking back to his first trip to Europe four years ago, Hadden saw the opposite.

Hadden visited Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Milan and Zurich. She sleeps on night trains or in cheap Airbnbs. At first, the female tourist felt like she was living the life of young people who spend time exploring the world. After a few days, reality made her “disillusioned”.

According to Hadden, the difficulties of backpacking rarely appear on social networks. The first disappointment came from arranging luggage. Even carrying the largest backpack, most of the space is taken up by laptop, camera, lenses, notebooks, chargers and personal items. In the end, she only brought two polo shirts, one T-shirt, one long-sleeved shirt, three pairs of pants, one sweater, one blazer, one dress and two thin jackets.

Because he brought so few clothes, Hadden had to do laundry almost every place he stayed.

“I’ve never seen anyone share about washing clothes while backpacking. But in reality, I almost have to do laundry in every Airbnb I stay in,” she shared.

She only stays one or two nights at each place, so the first thing after checking in is washing her clothes so they can dry before checking out. After a whole day of exploring on foot, what awaited her was a room less than 10 square meters wide with damp clothes hanging everywhere, making the space even more cramped and messy.

Another frustrating experience for Hadden came from night trains.

She once thought that sleeping on the train saved time and money. However, the shared sleeping compartment was less than 7 square meters wide with 4 passengers, and the bunk beds had no curtains, forcing her to go to the bathroom to change clothes. The space was so tight that she could barely sit still on her bed.

The second night’s train ride was even worse as Hadden could only reserve seats. The shaking sound, cramped space and limited leg room kept her awake most of the night.

Lack of sleep causes female travelers to often arrive at new destinations exhausted. After the train ride from Berlin to Vienna, she had to find a hotel to catch up on sleep as soon as she arrived. The time she seemed to save by taking the night train became meaningless because on the first day she couldn’t do any sightseeing.

“I feel like I wasted two days just because I didn’t get enough rest,” she said.

Having to carry a heavy backpack for many hours every day causes Hadden pain in his shoulders, back and muscles. She began to doubt whether a backpack was really more convenient than a carry-on suitcase. If she uses a suitcase, she can carry more things and her body will also feel less tired.

Crowds at popular tourist destinations also make the experience different from expectations. Initially, Hadden chose to go in October because he thought this was the shoulder season (between high and low season), the number of visitors would decrease compared to the summer. However, from Rome to Zurich, she still had to weave through the crowds of people. Female tourists often have to stand on tiptoes to see famous buildings and almost every photo has a crowd in the background.

Although the trip was not as perfect as he had imagined, Hadden said that the journey still brought many valuable experiences. Berlin leaves an impression with its green spaces, murals and street artists, while Vienna delights with its labyrinthine gardens and architecture straight out of a fairy tale.

“If I return to Europe, I will avoid night trains, shared accommodation and choose a time when there are fewer visitors to enjoy the trip,” Hadden said.