Traveling around Europe was always exciting for something who doesn’t live on the continent. It’s no wonder why so many want to visit it. There are a lot of different countries you can choose from. Many people don’t understand that there are more than 50 countries. Sometimes, choosing the one where you can experience all the things you need.
Certainly, among the most visited ones, you will see Germany, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. However, we can see that Germany attracts the most interest from all over the globe. If you know that it is the second-biggest of all of them, after Russia. We are talking about a place where you can see many different things. Plus, every region has its own, unique vibe, which certainly adds to the whole mix.
If you would like to take a look at some of the most important cities for tourists, be sure to take a look at everythingaboutgermany.com and inform yourself a little bit better. But, before you are ready to visit this beautiful country, you need to make sure that you understand a couple of things. Therefore, we would like to provide you with a couple of the most important ones. Without further ado, let’s go.
Contents
1. Obtaining a Sim Card
img source: beachsim.com
Whenever you land in a certain country, you will need to obtain a sim card. When we are talking about Germany, we would say that this process can be quite problematic sometimes. It needs to be said that having one of these can be almost impossible if you don’t have an EU passport. Especially when we are talking about T-Mobile.
When it comes to Vodaphone, a potential user will need to pay fifteen euros in order to activate it. Furthermore, you will see that Medimax charges ten euros. However, you will have the opportunity to self-activate it. However, we would recommend you pay for the activation. Otherwise, the chances of having an operative sim card are pretty slim.
2. Respect Even the Basic Rules
img source: techexplorist.com
If you know anything about the German mentality, then you know that Germans simply love to follow even the most basic rules. Since you need to behave like a Roman when you are in Rome, you will need to follow these rules. It should be said that you need to start with even the basic things, like crossing the road only at a green light.
If you don’t respect these things, you will see people walking around, shaking their heads in disapproval. Furthermore, when riding a bike, you will need to have both front and backlights for safety purposes. Not doing that can result in your receiving some costly fines. From these examples, you will see that following these rules can help with Germans having a positive opinion towards you.
3. Do Not Shop During Sunday
img source: supermarketnews.com
While it is perfectly normal to see that Sunday is the day when people go shopping. However, it needs to be said that Germany has different plans for that day. While you will be able to see that there are some shops, usually in the center of the city, you can see that supermarkets don’t work during that day. Germans like their weekend and almost nothing works that day.
If you have a bit of bad luck and you arrive in Germany on Sunday, you will have quite a hard time finding the open one. However, if you are lucky enough to spend more than a few weeks in the country, you will appreciate this approach. Sunday is the day when Germans are resting and all the activities are down to an absolute minimum. Take this time to have a proper rest, you’ll appreciate it.
4. Public Transportation
img source: expatolife.com
If you are not interested in wasting your hard-earned money on a taxi, you will be able to use public transportation. The reason why so many people avoid taxis is that their price can be quite hefty. Especially if you are in the largest cities, like Berlin or Frankfurt, you should use local trains and buses. Thankfully, there are a plethora of them and you will not need to wait for them for too long.
5. Recycle
img source: recyclesmartma.org
In the last couple of years, we can see that recycling has become a pretty big part of the mentality in this country. When you take a look around you, you will see that there are many containers aimed at recycling. At the same time, you will be able to see that every time you pay for a glass or a plastic bottle, you will receive a small refund for the amount you have paid.
Thankfully, you will be able to see that all the supermarkets have this policy. In most cases, this amount will be up to 25 cents with plastic. With glass bottles, the amount will be slightly lower. If you don’t have any recycling container around you, then you should put it near the dustbin, or on top of it. That way, it will be collected by the town’s services.
6. Speaking English
img source: basicenglishspeaking.com
Whenever you are traveling through Germany, you will see that the younger generation is perfectly fine with speaking English. Not only that, you will see that pretty much all of those who are working with the tourism sector speak this language exceptionally. However, if you are traveling to a smaller town, you can see that English is not so widely spoken in those.
However, you should invest your best efforts into learning at least some of the basic phrases in German. We are talking about words like “Bitte” and “Danke”. Surely, Germans are polite people and they would appreciate you being polite to them. That way, you will be able to make a compromise with the person in front of you and make communication much easier.
Summary
Since it can be pretty hard to be in Germany and not being aware of the most important aspects about the way of life in it. Here, we’ve provided you with the most important ones. Sure, that way you will have a much pleasant time.
