This is an intense demonstration on the Research I do before I go on a trip to another country. Sometimes not as intense, but normally way more intense. When I do this kind of research I find I have a lot more connections with the place I am visiting. (Please note some of this stuff you can’t just google search. I have been to Germany and this is just an example of how intense the research should be.) Also, when I book trips for other people I do a version of this research so you can know a bit about where you are traveling to, but you get more out of research if you find the information yourself. Hope you enjoy!
GERMANY TRIP
This trip will be a cross cultural experience because I will be staying with locals and interacting with people from the country. I will rely on doing things like the locals, like ridding the trains, attending local events, and eating local foods. I will spend a whole lot of time with a local German family during Christmas. I will also partake in all of their normal holiday activities. The main goal for me on this trip is to experience what Christmas is like in this beautiful country, Germany.
Munich, and Stuttgart, Germany. December 20- January 2.
To get to Munich I will fly with Delta Airlines. I will leave USA at 3:30PM and land in Munich at 9:30AM the next morning. On the way home I will be flying with Air France. I will leave Stuttgart at 11AM and get in USA by 10:10pm. The total cost of these flights are $1,794.43. While in Munich I will use the U-Bahn and S-Bahn. I can purchase daily tickets online for $1.75. When I am leaving Munich HBF to go to Stuttgart HBF I will ride the DB ICE train for 47,90 EUR. Once I am in Stuttgart I will ride around with my host.
While in Munich I will be staying at the Soulmate Hotel for $112 per night. For the rest of the trip I will be staying with a host family at a camp grounds.
Some of the top places I plan to visit while in Munich are the different Christmas markets near Sendlinger Tor, the Neushwanstein Castle, Olympia Park Munchen, BMW Museum, and to attend an Opera at the Munchen Residenz Palace. While in Stuttgart, I plan to take a trip to Ludwigsburg Palace and take a tour of the Queens side. I also have plans to attend a Christmas circus with the German family that I am staying with. In my free time I plan on going to Fernsehturm, and the Mercedes Benz Museum. I also plan to explore my camp grounds. –Known from Personal experience.
In Germany, for currency, they use the Euro because they are a part of the European Union (EU). One Euro is equivalent to one American dollar and seven cents ($1.07). The value of most things in Germany are a bit more expensive for example cheap shampoo in America can be around $3, but in Germany cheap shampoo is about 5 EUR. McDonalds in America for one person is normally not over $10, in Germany it is normal for a burger and fries to be 15 EUR. -
Germany is 6 hours ahead of my local time. The weather is a bit like New York’s weather. It normally does not get too hot in summers. They actually normally do not have air conditioners. It is very cold in the winter and snows nearly every year. – Known from personal experience.
In Germany the food is the best part! They of course have typical Bavarian food; Schnitzel, Spätzle, Goulash, potato pancakes, and pretzels. They also have a large variety of other cultural restaurants; Italian, French, Thai, American, etc. One famous restaurant is the Hofbrauhaus in Munich that serves Bavarian and Swabian food. Another interesting thing is at the McDonalds in Germany offers shrimp and curly fries! The water in Germany, and most of Europe, is safe to drink, but most Germans do not serve tap water to their guest. Be careful to read to the label on the bottle though because it could be sparkling water, which is very gross! Also watch for the juices too because they are sometimes made with sparkling water. The host might think of you as a bit weird for not likening their fancy water, but they will certainly respect your wishes and dig up some still water. – Known from Personal experience.
Angela Merkel is the Chancellor of Germany since 2005. She is very Liberal. She has allowed an unlimited amount of refugees to come into Germany, even if they don’t have documents. A lot of people in Germany don’t agree with her allowing this, but a lot of people do like how open she is being. I personally think she is doing this to make Germany look good, compared to in 1940s when they wanted all refugees out of the country. Germany used to be one of the safest countries in the world, but since almost anyone can move into the country it is not as safe as it once was. Really no county is as safe as they used to be. Over all Germany is safe and a woman going alone who is smart and aware of her surroundings will for sure be safe. – Known from experience.
The main language in Germany is German, of course. A lot of people in the south can speak some French, and people in the north can speak some Dutch. There is a very big difference in the accent in the south compared to the northern parts of Germany. Locals sometimes have inside jokes about each other’s accents. Every local person in Germany can tell you a lot about the other side’s accent. Most young people in Germany, especially the northern part, can speak Basic English. It’s actually kind of sad to me because kids can now choose if they want to be taught in English or German. I am afraid that the German language might one day die out if this continues. – Known from experience.
Eye contact is very important in Germany, but be careful to not stare at people. Only “crazy” people do that in Germany. Also when you first met people make sure you keep an arm distance away from them to give them their space. Also do not touch people if you don’t know them very well. Sometimes when people talk they can sound quite angry to other languages but they do not mean to. The northern voice is softer than the southern Swabian and Bavarian accents which are more often spoken harder. Don’t get offended by this if you think someone sounds angry with you, it is probably just an accent. It is also normal to tip around 15%-20% at most restaurants. This is a new thing for Germany. For a while, tipping used to not be a thing, but it is gradually becoming more westernized. – Info known from a friend who lives in Germany.
In Germany, as I mentioned before, it is a very safe county. You of course need to watch for pickpocketers, just as you do in any city. There are also many hospitals and clinics just like here in America. Everyone in Germany is required to have insurance. When asking a German what could happen if you don’t have insurance, they don’t understand because everyone has insurance. They have a program called Social Insurance System. The medical insurance is 15.5% of your monthly income that automatically comes out of your check. Same with taxes, a retirement plan and unemployment plan. These are mandatory payments that come out just like how taxes come out of our pay checks in America. I plan on purchasing travel insurance through my travel agent in case of any insurance. – Info known from friend who lives in Germany.
To go to Germany I only need a passport that is valid for three months after my departure date. A visa is not required for me to stay only a few days/weeks. –Info knows from previous trip.
Important numbers to call are: American Embassy- +49 30 83050. Polizei (Police)- 110. Fire, rescue, ambulance- 112. –Known from Previous Trip.
There are no photograph laws in Germany for the general public. I will use my I Phone 7 Plus to take photos. I also have a travel blog that I will use to keep track of my daily adventures and conversations. – Known from previous trip.
Luxury Travel
Dec 20th – 3:30PM leave USA airport Munich Bound.
Dec 21st – 9:30AM land at Munich airport. Settle in hotel. Attend Opera at Munich Residenz Palace. Have dinner at Hofbrauhaus.
Dec 22nd – Visit Olympia Park Munich, BMW Museum, and Christmas Markets near Sindlinger Tor.
Dec 23rd – Trip to Neushwanstein Castle. Head to Stuttgart via DB ICE train. Met Host at station, then settle in at the hosts house.
Dec 24th – Christmas Day Circus in the morning, Host’s family will come over after the circus for a Christmas Dinner of Geschmolzener Kase and Christmas celebrations.
Dec 25th – Stay home, everything will be closed due to holiday hours. Host’s wife’s family will come over for their traditional extended family brunch.
Dec 26th – Day trip to Ludwigsburg Palace to meet my pen pal and his girlfriend. Have Doner for dinner.
Dec 27th – Free day by myself in Stuttgart. Visit Fernshturm and the Mercedes Benz museum.
Dec 28th – Head To camp.
Dec 29th – Chill Day
Dec 30th – Chill Day
Dec 31st -New Year’s Eve black and white party. Fireworks.
Jan 1st – Leave Camp. Go to host’s house for one more night.
Jan 2nd – Leave Stuttgart airport, USA bound at 11AM. Land in USA at 10:10PM.
When most people think of Germany they think of the famous Black Forest in the south western part of the county where all the fairy tales are based from, but there is so much more to this country! My favorite part of Germany is the Bavarian Alps in the southern part of Germany. This is where the famous Neushwanstein Castle is located (Which is the castle that inspired Walt Disney)! Also in the northern part of Germany there is the ocean. So you kind of get all kinds of landscape in Germany since it is in the middle of Europe. The most famous and longest river in Germany is the beautiful Rhine River.
The capital of Germany s Berlin. Berlin is full of hipsters, new technology and business men and women, but it is also full of so much history and hurt; for once this city was a divided city due to a wall that was put up in the neighborhoods that divided families and friends. Berlin is also where the government offices are located. Berlin and Frankfurt are the most political cities in Germany. Germany is a republic that has a parliament democracy and a bicameral system. Germany has a Chancellor and her ministers. The ministers come from the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) that is elected by the German people. They also have a president, but not the same type of president as here in America.
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