After 5 weeks traveling through Western Europe, I've picked up on a few great hacks.
I didn't find any of this advice in blogs I read online, and would have loved to know about these hacks before beginning my trip. I hope you find it useful.
1. Wifi at hostels typically sucks since there are so many people using it. On your first night at the hostel, get drink from a nearby bar or restaurant with wifi, and take down their password. You can use this for the rest of your stay.
2. Bring a USB power strip. Many of the cheaper hostels, particularly camping hostels, have one outlet per 8 residents. Your hostel-mates will thank you.
3. Learn to sleep anywhere using earplugs and an eye mask. There will be loud, drunk people in your hostel. Don't ruin your day with a bad night's sleep.
4. Store travel guides on your Kindle instead of buying guidebooks. A Kindle will fit in most pockets and purses, and is much easier to carry around than a book. As a bonus, you'll have your collection of books with you for long journeys.
5. Many regional trains don't need to be booked in advance. Whenever possible, don't book these in advance. Stay flexible!
6. If it seems like no one around you speaks English, look for children. Most European kids learn English in school. If this seems creepy, talk to a mom or dad and their kid will translate for you.
7. A charging pack is useful for a surprising reason. In many hostels, the only free outlets are in common areas. You don't want to leave your iPhone charging here overnight. Instead, charge the battery pack (which looks so shitty that no one will steal it), then charge your phone from the battery during the day.
8. Many restaurant use their phone number, without spaces or dashes, as their wifi password. I saw this across Europe, and this was nearly universally the case in Greece.
If you have any tips of your own, leave a comment!