Now that I have been home for a few days and have had time to think about my trip, I offer these reflections on Budapest and travel in general.

The Hungarian people have had a bad rap for much of their history.  They aligned with Austria to form the Austrian Hungarian Empire, then lost much of their territory after World War II.  In World War II, the Nazi’s used their military strength to persuade Hungary to align with them.  After World War II, they were under Soviet influence.  It is just in the past 20 years that they have gotten out of communism and come into a democratic nation of their own.

I found them for the most part to be friendly and genuinely wanted to help a struggling tourist find his way.  Many spoke English.  I found the Hungarian language difficult to understand with no real structure to words.

The Hungarians are a very proud people with a wonderful capital.  Nice Gothic looking Parliament and other Baroque themed buildings.  I felt safe there.  There were times where I walked down dark streets on the way to my hotel, but had no one harass me.

Five days is truly not enough time to see all of Budapest.  I wish I had a couple of more (sunny) days.

Some tips while traveling:

Pack light.  I try to do it with no checked luggage.  You don’t need that many clothes for a one week’s stay.  You don’t need to be lugging a big suitcase down the streets of a foreign city.  And I personally do not bring back that many souvenirs.  If I see something that is too large to fit in my suitcase, I would consider mailing it back.

Along the same lines I would say keep electronics at a minimum.  I brought way too many cables.  I needed probably 2 USB electrical plugs.  I had probably about 4.  I did not bring a laptop and honestly didn’t need it.  My camera card held more than enough photos.  I did have a portable 1 TB hard drive card reader, but didn’t need it.  I had a iPad as well, but really didn’t need it.

Use public transport.  Most all large European cities have great networks of buses, trams, and metros (subways).  Use them.  Don’t be afraid to get lost.  You can always find your way back to your hotel again by studying maps.

I personally look for a hotel with a free breakfast included.  This way I can load up on breakfast before touring for the day.  My hotel also needs free wifi for keeping up with friends at home (and posting updates for family and friends back home).  Also I need to be near a subway, bus or tram stop.  With this particular Budapest hotel I was near all forms of public transportation.  The only problem was that I never seemed to use the same transportation mode to get back.  So I was constantly having to figure out how to get back to my hotel after I got off the bus/tram/subway.

Google Maps is your friend.  If you need to go somewhere just get near a free wifi signal, type in the name of the place you want to go, and Google Maps will tell you exactly how to get there with public transportation.  It will even tell you how many stops it will take.  It works even after you loose the wifi signal.  I used Google Maps more than what I had ever used before this trip.  Google Maps has truly come of age and I’ll continue to use it for my future trips.

Get a good travel book and study it.  Rick Steves is my Bible when I travel.  It tells you exactly where to go and how to get there.  There were times I deviated from Rick Steves’ recommendations, and found myself lost thinking I should have listened to Rick!

Just go with the flow.  Don’t worry if you miss an attraction.  I was there for the experience.  The best thing about traveling alone is there is no complaining.  Who would I complain to?  Still, even though I am an introvert, I found myself longing for human interaction.  The members and American missionaries at the Budapest Church of Christ fulfill those needs to some extent.

This was my first vacation alone…not related to business.  I am thankful I was given a great opportunity to visit a wonderful country.  I hope for many more trips in the future.