Countdown to Europe: 5 Solo Travel Tips
The countdown to a vacation is worse than Christmas as a child. The closer you get, the slower the days go, and I’m constantly worrying that I’ll forget something. If there’s one thing I love to plan, it’s travel. And while that may not be as attractive as a last-minute flight to a new continent, it can save you a lot of time.
1. Make an itinerary
It’s not fun, but it’s a lot less fun to land in a city and have no idea what you want to see or what there is to see. It can go one of two ways: you see everything, make local friends, and everything is heavenly. Or you see nothing, hate the city, and wish you planned more. You can imagine which one is more likely, especially as a solo traveler.
I make a word doc with tables for each destination. Then I drop in the days I’m there for, and add in things I’d like to see, along with the price, the address, and any notes like opening hours or free days. Just because I say on Tuesday I’m going to Versailles and then to see a movie doesn’t mean I don’t wake up on Monday and switch those two days around. It just helps me divide up my priorities and checklist via geographic location, which brings me to:
2. Explore maps!
What I mean by dividing things up by geography is, building days based on areas. When I first went to Paris, we had to make a lot of trips back to neighbourhoods because we didn’t plan the geographics enough. Pour yourself a glass of wine and get on Google maps, your feet and time will thank you later.
3. Start packing early
I am an elephant with dates, information, and mental things. With physical things like my toothbrush and clothing, I forget it everywhere. After 27 years of this affliction, I’ve learned that I need to begin packing about a week and a half early. Do laundry and roll your clothes! NO folding! Pack your toiletries, too. Anything you won’t need before you depart, pack. I even make a checklist.
4. Print Everything Off
Itinerary, boarding passes, emergency contact info, address of where you’re staying, maps, online tickets for museums and sights, print it all off and pack that a couple days early too. Now that you have an itinerary a la tip number 1, you have the addresses of where you’re going. Bring this everywhere with you!
5. Money!
Never exchange money at a bank. In Toronto, I go to Calforex. Better rates, tiny service fees. Never ever use your credit card while traveling! Take money out of your debit card. Most cities will have machines where you can directly take local currency out of your debit card. Credit cards charge huge fees, ATMs charge a small fee.
A note on data: If you need data while traveling, buy an add-on from your phone provider before leaving. I got dinged with a 300$ phone bill when I didn’t do this. Try to find a hotel, AirBNB, hostel, or flat with Internet. Most cities have places with free wifi that you can pop into for a break and to catch up with friends. In Paris, most parks have wifi so I would update my friends, read a bit, and rest my legs. Just don’t forget to take care of this before you go!
Follow @cornerc on Instagram to follow my adventure through Amsterdam, Berlin, and Copenhagen!
While researching things to do in Copenhagen I found Det Kongelige Teater’s A Folk Tale. It was love at first sight, and I’ll definitely be going next month.
In the mean time, I painted a little bit of my ballet inspiration after YouTube’ing Nijinsky, Nureyev, and the always gorgeous Swan Lake pas de deux. Like it? Buy it on Etsy here:
www.etsy.com/ca/listing/211140981/watercolor-painting-of-ballet-dancer
Follow my progress and travels through Europe on Instagram: @cornerc!
xx
Sunday Night Custom Order
A custom order came through Etsy today (my first one!!) for an 11×14” size of the original emerald dress piece.
This was my first time using Arches paper and holy shit what a difference. Adding that to my Christmas wish list! It’s toothy, displays the colour way more richer, and it shows the dimension between layers of paint like a sweet, sweet Mille-feuille.
The original is still up on the site, and I’ve got some extra fancy paper to use so send me a message on Etsy if you’re interested!
After last night’s fondue party turned late night bed party with my girls, this is a pretty good way to end the weekend.
xo
Egalitè
Aujourd’hui: Si tu peux pas être payé comme un gars, s’habiller comme un gars.
Suivez @cornerc sur Instagram.
Tis the Season for…
Raspberry headband: $25 on Etsy.
Knit headbands!! Being Canadian, I experience some pretty cold days. That and I’m always freezing cold anyways. Last winter I was knitting a lot, and I rarely like “cute” things… except for knit headbands which I LOVE.
They’re warm, bright, and there’s just something about the look of a nice cozy headband with a scarf and a leather jacket. Kinda like a Canadian put-together look for these hellish winters.
Lilac headband: $25 on Etsy.
After Europe, I’ll get some more headbands done and up for sale 🙂 Is there a disease for people who just can’t stop taking up new projects?
Exactly 2 weeks left until I depart Toronto for Amsterdam. That is all.
Monday Inspiration
1. Halloween Creeps: Nachtmare by Henry Fuseli
2. Standing Tall: Barbara Kruger’s kind reminder
3. Intimacy portrayed in art: Sweetie by Cecily Brown
4. Giant thick swishes of paint.
5. Idyllic Winter daydreams AKA Neuschwanstein Castle
Returning to Oil Nudes
I think I’ve come to a realization: watercolours aren’t my thing. I absolutely adore the whimsical look of watercolours, the quick “hey I just did this in 5 minutes” kinda ones. But I’m just an oil paint kinda gal.
Today was an all-day paintathon starting with the classic watercolour struggle. Then, for the first time since I moved, I got out the oil paints and worked on two canvasses. This one above is actually from last year, when I spent a lot of nights exploring French wine and The Doors. Obviously I ended up painting a nude model. I left it unfinished, not knowing what to do with it so I tossed it in the “I hate this” pile.
I like the idea of modern swatches that reflect skin tones or other main colours used in an otherwise traditionally painted piece. I think once I finish the hair and probably perfect dat ass one more time, it’ll be ready for Etsy!
To continue my lucky streak of discounts (my points cards for Curry’s, Deserres, and David’s Tea all got me $5 off each last week), 30×40” canvasses were HALF PRICE at Deserres so I also started that today. it’ll be another mix of portrait and modern colour blocking, who knows what else. For now, it’s mint green and bubblegum pink with my bust smoking a cigar.
The journey will continue this week, in this perfect painting weather.
Courtney Corner 