Steve and I just recently got back from Aachen, Germany. It was a super awesome trip as always but there were a few things had I been better prepared I would have done differently.
As an american I think we take some things for granted – like what the term 3rd floor means. In the US it means 2 flights of stairs. 3rd floor. In Europe some evil (super fit person) decided the floor where the main door is is called the ground floor and the next one up is the 1st.
So when your airbnb listing says 3rd floor, it means 4th. It also means don’t bother going us unless you bring your bags. Trust me, after being in the car for 4 hours & getting up at 5am, an extra 4 flights of stairs is killer.
Also – check and see what kind of bed the room/apartment has. If they don’t have photos – ask! Steve and I spent 4 nights sleeping on a double/full size mattress on a pallet on the floor. To say it was a rough sleeping holiday is an understatement.
In hindsight I should have
- Ask for pictures of the bed
- Verified 3rd vs 4th floor
- Packed an air mattress
- Brought less clothes / packed more strategically
It was still a fab trip but I’ll know better for next time!
If you’re curious here’s the airbnb we stayed in.
England It's Not You, It's Me 