Im planning a trip to germany in '10 or '11. any advice or tips about traveling or language would be helpful?

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Wyatt Earp

Rebecca, if you're traveling to Germany, don't even bother with phrase books! Really. You can do without them, as Germany is one country in Europe where you can very, very easily and comfortably get around with just English. ALL Germans 60 years of age and younger have had a very good grounding in English at school. Believe me, I've been there several times and have several German friends. Gibt es keine probleme! Some words and phrases you'll no doubt pick up as you go. A very English-friendly country, that one! /;)

Punctuality is 'big' in Germany: talk about Swiss precision; Germany is right in there. And while German cuisine is not the most imaginative, it's only fair to go for German foods and drinks while there as it's part of the German experience: bratwurst, sauer kraut with kartofflen (potatoes)... good German beer, especially in Munich's beer gardens... you get the idea!

Above all, have a great time! (Oh, oh, oh, and visit their castles: Germany is famous for its castles, the most prominent of them being Schloss Neuschwanstein, the one that inspired the Disney fairytale castle!)

Couple of handy links for you:

http://www.indianchieftravel.com/en/germany/germany/great-castles-germany

http://www.indianchieftravel.com/en/germany/germany/best-beer-gardens-beer-halls-munich

Bernd the milkman II

hey rebecca I would suggest to invest some dollars in a lonely planet travel guide to Germany. There is every things you asked for perfectly explained and as a bonus they do have a part with important phrases in there too. Wish you a nice trip

Alwin E

Hi Rebecca!

If you already know a lot of German words, it should be easy for you to find out how to make them into a German phrase if you only dare use them -- and the Germans let you. Most people here speak some English, and they will notice that you're American and try and speak your language. So just don't worry.

Why should you worry about traveling internationally? The plane just takes longer, that's the only difference. They very rarely fall out of the sky. Longest time I spent on a plane was 15 hours, and I tell you, it gets boring, so take a book with you. Something like "The Lord of the Rings, complete edition", so you'll have at least something to read.

I agree that the Lonely Planet is a very good travel guide (I used it when I was in Asia), but you should also see the tourist sites of the towns you plan to visit in Germany on the internet; search for the town names on the English Wikipedia. The "link" section usually provides a link to their official site, and many of them offer an English version. But don't make too many plans: I planned my first long-distance travel to the last detail, and finally ended up completely elsewhere, as I followed the advice of the locals. I didn't regret it.

Joschkins

Depending on how long you want to stay, you should spend at least 3 days in Berlin and Munich each. Berlin is a great, diverse city with loads of culture, history and fun, open people and it's very easy to have great time there.
Instead of traveling through Germany, maybe a trip to Amsterdam, Krakow, Prague, Vienna and Paris might be an idea.

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