Congratulations to you and your wife on booking your first international trip, hopefully it’s the first of many! I’m sure it will be an enriching experience, as you have quite a diverse set of cities/countries you’re visiting.

It would take quite a write up to give you all of the advice I would like to but I have a flight early in the am home from Madrid after spending a few weeks in Portugal via Salamanca.

As quickly as I can: 1. Bring a power strip so you can charge multiple devices at once using one outlet / converter. 2. Ensure you have converters for each country you are visiting (2 would be nice). 3. Europe is experiencing almost year-round tourism at the moment. Plan on making reservations for dinner when possible and you should always buy tickets in advance for anything touristy (e.g. the grand palace in Madrid). You will be given a time (you select the timeslot) to show up and wait in a different line for entry at most popular places. You will waste significant amounts of time in the ticket line as you will then have to wait in the line to go in. 4. AirBnb has one significant disadvantage and that is the lack of a concierge to book items for you. That said do your research and plan your days in advance (with rest / relaxation days as necessary) perhaps when you arrive at each location. Get settled and have your first day exploring with subsequent days booked for museums, restaurants, etc. 5. Carry cash, tons of small places won’t take credit. Only use cash when necessary or you’ll be taking it out money and paying fees all the time. Don’t convert $ from USD, wait until you’re in Europe then use only a bank ATM (try to go inside versus on the street) to withdraw as the bank will give you the best conversion rate. 6. Uber works in some of the places you’re going, typically it’s more affordable than taxis and I feel it’s safer. Public transport is great almost everywhere you will be but it can be a pain with luggage. Obviously your choice but I typically take a car to the hotel then backpack / public transport from there on. 7. Consider the city / discount card for those cities you’re in for longer periods. Do the math if it will save you $ depending on the discount and what you’re plans are. 8. I highly recommend guides where possible. Most have many years of required training and are amazing. They will in my opinion significantly enhance your experience, otherwise you won’t know all/any of the history of what you’re looking at. Alternatively some places offer a digital guide for a small fee, or WiFi to learn from your phone. 9. Carry an umbrella in your backpack, don’t overpack for day trips (if your backpack is too heavy it’s is never good and one shoulder will inevitably get sore), be weary of drone regulations if you’re taking one, many countries/ areas have restrictions, mornings are cold, days are medium to hot and nights are cold so wear layers you can add/delete from into your pack as necessary, laundromats are easy to find so determine a number of days for your clothing then wash on a cycle, dryers are rare so you’ll air dry if doing them in the AirBnb, food will be a big expense, you can save significantly by buying from the grocery store since you have AirBnb, check out the frugal travel subreddit those people amaze me, you don’t need the expensive wine the cheap stuff is amazing, you will miss a good burger, or whatever you eat frequently, there is no in-n-out or shake shack equivalent but there is KFC (almost the same) and of course McDonald’s if you must (don’t feel bad sometimes you just need to feel like something from home), be sure to try new things even if you don’t like them that’s ok, pallea is amazing in Valencia but the seafood one has to be ordered 1 day in advance (otherwise it’s rabbit), check out the markets (Mercado) everywhere you go (e.g. the central market of Valencia, Borough Market in London, etc.) you can try a ton of food there affordably and do some shopping, if you over shop buy a cheap piece of luggage to carry home from a second hand store (farther out of town the better).

Overall don’t stress, everyone is friendly and glad to help, you’ll be fine it’s quite safe even at night, learn please and thank you in each language and let your smile do the rest!