Lessons learned
Afterword. A trip of this magnitude cannot happen without changing the traveler. We have both learned a lot from this, and had a lot of what we know verified at times, and challenged at others.
Here are some things I've learned about traveling internationally.
Do as much planning as you can. I did a lot, and I could have done more. If I'd used Google Street View, I might have known more about some of the areas we were going into. That said...
Things go wrong. Some of our plans went horribly wrong for a variety of reasons. Always be willing to roll with the changes. The people you meet along the way will be (mostly) willing to help, so let them.
Don't be a dick. There were times we were in situations that could have gotten really bad if I'd been a dick. By being willing to spend money when it was necessary, by having a ready smile, by being able to adapt to change, I saved us a huge amount of hassle that a less adaptable traveler ("ugly American") might have encountered. In fact, twice we had fees waived, at least partly because I was perfectly willing to pay them if necessary but it worked out easier for the agent to just waive it and send us on our way.
Prepare for people who don't speak your language. In Dublin we needed a taxi to our hotel, which worked out fine since I could just tell the driver where we wanted to go. But at that point I realized that we wouldn't have that luxury going forward. So I got a pack of 3x5 cards and carefully wrote the address of every place we planned on going that we might need to tell a taxi driver. This included both the places we were staying, and also the stations we were leaving from. In many cases I did not end up using them, but in the occasions we did, they were wonderfully helpful.
Don't be afraid to try things. I tried a lot of foods I hadn't had before. Some I liked, some I didn't. I regret none of them.
Be appreciative and thankful. Tell people when you appreciate their help. Thank them for waiting on you, giving you a room, driving you somewhere, even driving the bus you're on. It costs nothing, and makes everyone feel a little better.
I'm sure there are more. I will edit this to add them when I think of them.
Here are some things I've learned about traveling internationally.
Do as much planning as you can. I did a lot, and I could have done more. If I'd used Google Street View, I might have known more about some of the areas we were going into. That said...
Things go wrong. Some of our plans went horribly wrong for a variety of reasons. Always be willing to roll with the changes. The people you meet along the way will be (mostly) willing to help, so let them.
Don't be a dick. There were times we were in situations that could have gotten really bad if I'd been a dick. By being willing to spend money when it was necessary, by having a ready smile, by being able to adapt to change, I saved us a huge amount of hassle that a less adaptable traveler ("ugly American") might have encountered. In fact, twice we had fees waived, at least partly because I was perfectly willing to pay them if necessary but it worked out easier for the agent to just waive it and send us on our way.
Prepare for people who don't speak your language. In Dublin we needed a taxi to our hotel, which worked out fine since I could just tell the driver where we wanted to go. But at that point I realized that we wouldn't have that luxury going forward. So I got a pack of 3x5 cards and carefully wrote the address of every place we planned on going that we might need to tell a taxi driver. This included both the places we were staying, and also the stations we were leaving from. In many cases I did not end up using them, but in the occasions we did, they were wonderfully helpful.
Don't be afraid to try things. I tried a lot of foods I hadn't had before. Some I liked, some I didn't. I regret none of them.
Be appreciative and thankful. Tell people when you appreciate their help. Thank them for waiting on you, giving you a room, driving you somewhere, even driving the bus you're on. It costs nothing, and makes everyone feel a little better.
I'm sure there are more. I will edit this to add them when I think of them.