We have “travelled” to Spain and Germany in the last few years, but you won’t find a stamp from either country in our passports.
We are stand-by travelers, so when we make plans to travel somewhere we don’t always get there. Our last trip we spent a couple of weeks planning, a day of packing, and we realized the day prior to leaving our flight was fully booked. So our trip to Germany ended up being strictly a virtual trip.
The Language
We spent a lot of time researching our trip. We even purchased Rosetta Stone and put the Duolingo app set to learn Deutsch (German). Our kids were walking around telling us “Guten Tag”. My Madchen und Jungen were excited to learn a new language.
Transportation
We planned our route. We would fly from Atlanta to Newark where we would board the 7 1/2 hour flight to Frankfurt. We researched our route to drive from Frankfurt to Cologne and Bonn. We learned what the road signs meant. We did find that the Autobahn is not just one interstate going one direction, but is a huge system of roads that we would be using for our journey. Our rental BMW was sure to show us a thing or two about having no speed limit!
The Sites to See
We found all the destinations we desperately wanted to see during our 4 day visit. We watched videos on Youtube. I became Facebook friends with a woman that is from the US and currently living near Cologne, and planned to meet up. I followed watched Instastories from Cologne and followed Instagrammers that are in Bonn. I filled my Twitter feed with tweets from and about Germany.
The Food
We have been to Helen, Georgia several times in the past. Helen is a beautiful Bavairan inspired town in the heart of North Georgia’s mountains. One of our most favorite things about Helen is the amazing food. We know how much we LOVE German food. We are frequent shoppers at Aldi, so finding good German vittles is easier than remembering to bring your own bags. Have some delicious German food was key in our virtual experience. Making some Pork Schnitzel, brats and having some Spatzle was a must. But I do have to admit while I can cook up some decent “substitute for the real thing” German food… I really crave and have yet to make real German potato salad.
The Customs
We also found online that Germans are more reserved and don’t care for shouting. They find punctuality very important. (I mean really… both of these are preferred by me as well.) They also prefer for you to keep your hands out of your pockets while talking.. not sure I do that, but noted it in case. When you are sitting at a table eating, they don’t like for you to put your hands in your lap. (I do this on the regular.)
Plan Your Virtual Vacation
It won’t be the same as actually going there, but planning a virtual trip can give you a real appreciation for a place. It is both budget friendly and great for those families that just can’t get the time off that is needed to see the world. I want to encourage you to go on a virtual trip somewhere using these tips:
Pick a destination.
Pick dates for travel and plan how you will get there.
Plan for the weather they will be having. (Are you going during a rainy season and need to postpone or plan more indoor activities?)
Begin learning the language.
Watch Youtube videos and learn the best ways to spend your time there.
Research those activities, learn the history of the landmark you want to see.
Find out the foods they eat and make it at home and enjoy it. Try and observe their table manners.
Immerse yourself in their customs as much as possible.
I hope you will take a virtual trip to a new amazing place. Let me know where you “go”! We are always looking for new adventures.
