• I traveled to the UK, the Netherlands, and France during my recent European vacation.
• I planned a packed itinerary, and was pleasantly surprised that I fit so much into eight days.
• That said, I wish I'd booked our hotels sooner and done research into customs and security.

Ever since my first trip to France at 18, I've been enamored with Europe.

Don't get me wrong, I love exploring the US, but there's something about leaving the country that helps me dive into vacation mode quickly, since I'm an ocean away from life's daily stressors.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, I started feeling a familiar itch to travel abroad, so we visited France together two years ago. The following year, we upped the ante and headed to two countries: France and Italy.

When it came time to plan our annual vacation this year, I proposed our most ambitious one yet — three European countries in eight days with a travel day tacked onto both ends — then mapped out a whirlwind itinerary that included two full days in London and two and a half days in both Amsterdam and Paris.

It was an adventure of a lifetime, and we packed so much into a short period of time. Still, I made a few mistakes and learned several important lessons along the way.

I didn't do enough research on security and customs protocol

When we traveled from London to Amsterdam on the Eurostar train, it took an hour to get through airport-level security and customs. Since I anticipated a similar experience traveling from Amsterdam to Paris, we arrived at the train station extra early, but there was no security checkpoint.

This minor mistake only cost us an hour of wasted time, but I regretted it. I could've hopped on an earlier train to Paris had I known that traveling from one EU country to another is a lot easier than entering the European Union from the United Kingdom.

With a tight itinerary, minutes and hours matter, so I learned to pay more attention to security requirements during the planning stage.

I waited too long to book one of my hotels

When looking into Amsterdam hotels, I found one in the city center, right near the main train station. I usually book things well in advance, but this time, I took a gamble and waited to see if the prices would drop.

By the time I went to book my preferred hotel, no rooms were available for my travel dates. As it turns out, there were a few big events in town that week, so rooms filled up quickly.

I've had luck finding last-minute deals on Booking.com before, so I took a look and booked another hotel that was a quick train ride away from the city center. Everything worked out, but the experience taught me to always research whether there are major events going on in a city when you're traveling.

After all, you can always book the hotel when you see it, then cancel the reservation and rebook it if prices drop.

I learned you can't see everything in one trip, and you don't have to

When you only have a few days in a city, you're forced to home in on the must-see items on your bucket list rather than seeing every major tourist attraction. For instance, my husband and I aren't into art, so we usually skip art museums and seek out cool architecture, beautiful gardens, and meaningful experiences.

When we first started charting our own course on vacation rather than letting the fear of missing out guide us, we worried that we might regret seeing some of the major sights. But we quickly realized that it's freeing to pick and choose the activities that matter most to you.

In Amsterdam, we could've seen the Anne Frank House since it's a popular tourist spot. Instead, we spent an afternoon at the Heineken Experience in honor of my late father, who adored Heineken.

I don't drink beer, but it was still incredibly rewarding to enjoy an experience that he never got to have himself.

Walking is often the best way to see a city — but don't be a hero

Whenever I travel, I prefer to see new cities on foot rather than spending time (and money) on public transportation.

Since we only had two days in London, my husband and I took the scenic route to Kensington Palace and walked an hour from our hotel.

On a nice day, it would've been a lovely walk through a gorgeous park, but London's weather is unpredictable. It ended up being rainier and windier than we'd expected, making the stroll pretty miserable.

Sure, we could've popped into the nearest train station, but the intermittent rain lulled us into a false sense of security. Next time, I'll hop on a train instead, even if it means missing out on seeing a pretty park.

• The US Army's Bavaria base hosts over 16,000 troops ready for instant deployment.
• Its origins date back to pre-World War I. Later, it became a major training hub for the German Wehrmacht.
• Today, US troops train in trenches — rain or shine — honing skills for potential conflicts with Russia.

Just a couple of hours north of Munich, the US Army runs its largest training site outside the United States. Once a Nazi artillery training ground, the sprawling base is now home to more than 16,000 troops kept ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Soldiers train in trenches and with armored Stryker combat vehicles to maintain constant combat readiness "so they can answer America's call in an instant," said Hermes Acevedo, who was the command sergeant major and senior enlisted advisor to the garrison commander at US Army Garrison Bavaria when Business Insider's Graham Flanagan visited last April.

That readiness serves as deterrence. From Bavaria, troops can reach the Czech Republic within about an hour and Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, in roughly 18 hours by road. "By us being ready, by us being here in this location, [it] kind of sends a signal," Acevedo said.

He didn't name a specific adversary, but soldiers in the trenches know who they're preparing for.

As Russia's war in Ukraine continues, the US Army's presence in Germany is crucial. These soldiers could be the first ones in the fight, defending NATO's eastern flank.

From Nazi training ground to NATO backbone

US Army Garrison Bavaria's origins date back to pre-World War I, when the Royal Bavarian Army developed a training area for its own artillery forces.

That role expanded under Adolf Hitler, when the Third Reich used the same grounds as a major training hub for the German Wehrmacht — Nazi's unified armed forces.

At the end of World War II, US forces took control of the area. Today, it anchors US and NATO operations in Europe.

The installation spans four main areas, including Tower Barracks and Rose Barracks. It houses the 7th Army Training Command — which sets standards for US Army Europe and Africa — and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, a forward-positioned ground force.

"We're not going to deploy to an incident in Europe," Acevedo said. "We are already here."

Training for a potential war with Russia

Troops can leave their barracks and reach live training ranges in less than two minutes, Acevedo said. Once there, they train in all conditions — snow, rain, heat, and cold — to build what he described as instinctive responses.

"It's all about readiness," Acevedo said.

The base also runs an opposing force, or OPFOR, that mimics enemy tactics. "We're basically supposed to act like Russians," Spc. Aaron Jude said, noting they study the war in Ukraine sometimes through open-source material like social media.

OPFOR units use AK-style rifles and train in trench warfare, reflecting the realities of the conflict.

"That's what's so awesome about this unit," said Staff Sgt. Daniel Johnson, an OPFOR soldier. "Not only are we being able to train to our standards, but we're also training to Russia's standards. Honestly, to me, that's like a really good way to understand our adversaries."

Sensors across the training area collect data, allowing commanders to analyze performance and refine strategy. That constant feedback loop is central to the base's role, allowing it to test equipment and decision-making under pressure.

A self-contained military ecosystem

The installation is designed to support both troops and their families. It includes more than 3,400 housing units, K—12 schools, childcare centers, and recreational facilities. Many families live both on and off base, integrated into nearby communities.

Acevedo said that these support systems help ease one of the biggest challenges for troops arriving from the US: uncertainty.

That environment is part of what keeps the base functioning at scale. Soldiers can focus on training and missions, while families have access to services designed to mirror life in the US.

The result is a well-oiled rapid-response war machine that turns a historically significant site into a modern military hub, readying troops for a hard fight.

Business Insider got exclusive access to see how the US Army's Germany-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment is training for a possible war with Russia.

A group of soldiers known as OPFOR pretends to be the enemy, practicing the same style of trench warfare that has become commonplace in the Russia-Ukraine war.

An Army platoon must traverse mountainous terrain before finding the OPFOR's trench and attacking it.

• My husband and I sold our house in the US and moved our four-person family to a suburb in Spain.
• We made some mistakes, like not translating important documents and canceling our US phone numbers.
• Errors aside, I'm thrilled to be building a life for my family in Spain.

When my husband and I decided to move our four-person family from the US to Spain, we had roughly two semesters of college Spanish between us and zero experience living abroad.

We didn't let that stop us, though. Beginning in March 2025, we researched obsessively, read books, made spreadsheets, and put together lists of pros and cons. The more research we did, the more confident we became that Spain was the correct place for our family.

Five months later, we packed up our lives and moved our 6- and 9-year-old sons from Northford, Connecticut, to Las Rozas de Madrid, a suburb northwest of the Spanish capital.

Despite our extensive preparation, lessons awaited us. After all, there's so much to consider while moving abroad (especially with kids), and slipups are unavoidable.

That said, here are five mistakes I wish I'd avoided when my family moved.

I wish I'd started building my community abroad before we left

Between selling our home in Connecticut, finding a place to live in Spain, and figuring out where our sons would enroll in school, I deprioritized my new social life.

I assumed we'd naturally meet people once we got here, and we eventually did. But those first few months were lonely.

We arrived in August, a month before my sons' school year started, and many locals were still away on summer trips. Once school started, it became easier to connect with other families. I also joined a few WhatsApp groups recommended to me by other expats.

I'm still very much in the early stages of building a network here. If I were doing the move over, I'd join related regional and professional groups, connect with families in our area, and start building relationships before I even left the US.

Having even one friend waiting for me in Spain would've made a huge difference.

My husband and I didn't ask the right questions about our sons' school curricula

My husband and I planned to start our boys in an international school to ease their transition into a new country and language, with the goal of eventually moving them into a local Spanish school once they were fluent.

We selected an international private school that follows an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum with Spanish language support. It seemed like the perfect fit — until we realized we hadn't asked the right questions.

We failed to realize that our boys, who didn't arrive speaking Spanish, would be learning alongside native speakers rather than building introductory skills.

They're getting an incredible education in Spain, but it's not the foundational language curriculum we expected. We now supplement school with online Spanish tutoring twice a week to fill the gap.

To other parents moving their school-age kids abroad to Spain, I'd recommend asking specifically about language use and requesting sample lesson plans before enrolling to see what language support looks like in practice.

Translating important documents into the local language would've been extremely helpful

Four months after moving, I had to undergo emergency surgery. I felt completely unprepared as I relied on Google Translate and my husband's elementary Spanish language skills to communicate with staff.

We got through it, but "getting through it" isn't the same as feeling safe, understood, and informed.

The scariest moment in the ER was right before I went under anesthesia. I was crying because I couldn't understand what the professionals were saying, couldn't communicate my allergies or medical history, and didn't know what was about to happen.

Luckily, the staff took good care of me, but the experience was harder and more frightening than it needed to be.

Before I left the US, I should have saved a translated medical profile with my allergies, medications, and past surgeries on my phone.

I also should've researched how to access medical translation services, so that if something unexpected happens, I wouldn't have to figure it out in the middle of a crisis.

We didn't know that we couldn't rent a car without a special driving permit

Las Rozas de Madrid is well-connected, so my family doesn't own a car here. When we went to rent one for a holiday trip to Cádiz, we assumed we could do so using our US driver's licenses, but we were wrong.

Without an International Driving Permit, renting a car was off the table. We made the best of the situation, but we were restricted in what we could see and do in Cádiz.

I regret not getting an International Driving Permit before leaving the US. It's easy and costs $20.

Canceling our US numbers created a logistical nightmare

My husband and I both canceled our US phone numbers when we left the country, thinking we'd just use Spanish numbers instead. It was a big mistake.

Accessing our US banks and some key services required us to complete text verifications with our US numbers. So, we've gotten locked out of accounts, struggled with two-factor authentication, and spent hours on international calls trying to fix it.

Rather than canceling my number, I wish I'd ported it, which would've let me move it to an online service while keeping my number, to save us endless headaches.

Even with all the mistakes we've made, I'm glad my family made the move

Six months into our new life in Spain, one thing is certain: I'm so grateful for this journey.

Seeing my kids build new friendships, learn a new language, explore new places, try new foods, and gain confidence as their world expands has made every misstep worth it.

Now, we look back on them as part of our story.