Cost
This was my first trip abroad so I will include the cost of my flight for estimated costs with hopes this may help someone who might be deciding whether they can afford to travel abroad, as I was at the time of figuring out a rough cost to take an international trip. Cost was my biggest concern when starting research on this trip, since as long as I can remember I have been told it is crazy expensive to travel abroad by many people! For a roundtrip flight and a little over week stay in the Netherlands a price of $1,200 was the deal I could grab. I was a bit bewildered since I thought it would be crazy expensive to travel abroad and I won’t lie, it isn’t cheap by any means, but the experience is worth every dollar spent. There are many ways to accumulate the cash needed for any trip!
I budgeted about €150 each day since this was my first trip and I figured that would cover most museums, meals, drinks, and transportation. Speaking of transportation, in Amsterdam I opted to get the weeklong pass for their metros and busses. This costed about €54 and I recommend getting this while there. You can purchase this from kiosks or your hotel may have a nice deal on this pass.
A typical lunch or dinner will range from €10 to €30 for one. Which in comparison to meals in the U.S., it was about the same price. The food I had here was delicious; you should try bitterballen, fried cod, their frites, poffertjes and definitely try out some of the beer! A typical pint of beer will run €4 or €6. The beer was very good and I drank some with every meal. If you are able to, I highly suggest you try their beer and alcoholic beverages.
Keep in mind, on average the Euro is worth more than the US Dollar. When planning this trip keep an eye on the USD to Euro conversion to ensure you lock in a great price to convert USD to Euro. A bank should be able to do a transfer for you and when you land, there will be ATMs to withdraw Euros from. However, unless you see a downward trend for the Euro it is best to lock in a rate with your bank before going. Most of the metro and trains stations use card instead of cash, keep that in mind when creating a budget for your trip. There is a stand to purchase tickets at the station with cash, but it is faster to use the kiosks and pay by card. Since this was my first trip using another currency, I pulled extra cash and winded up using my card for the train rides for Utrecht and Rotterdam. It was not much, maybe €15-€40 roundtrip for each train so it shouldn’t break the budget. Definitely keep in mind conversion rates and if your bank charges an international charge fee per purchase.
With my roundtrip flight and week stay in Amsterdam costing $1,200, I also pulled €1,200 just to ensure I wouldn’t need more Euros while there and I maybe used €650 of what I pulled out to use. Overall, the trip was less than $2,000 for visiting attractions, eating, transportation, lodging, airfare and buying souvenirs for my family and myself.
Overview
December 14th – 21st, 2019
This escapade will forever be one I hold dear to me for it is the first one I planned internationally. After years of longing for international travel, in 2019 I decided to finally do it. I did some research and asked around about what country would be great for a first time out of the country experience. I was ecstatic after I had my flight and hotel booked for this trip since it would be the beginning of my journey of exploring other countries and diving into my passion for travel.
If you have not traveled internationally, I also recommend The Netherlands to be your first destination. It is an easier language to learn compared to others, most people know English and will be glad to help you out, and the transportation system here is great for travelling to other places within the country or if you plan on going to check out other European countries. The food is pretty good, the sights are amazing and to me, it felt as if you were in a fairy tale, and it was not very expensive to take a trip here. I plan on returning here to see the tulip fields and enjoy this beautiful country in another season. In the cold weather of December, it felt very good and I enjoyed it very much.
When I first landed at Amsterdam Schipol it was about 4:00AM and while I learned a little bit of the language, I was not ready to read their signs for transportation! It took some time to adapt and start understanding what I read, and by the end of the trip I had a good understanding. I do encourage you to learn some of the language, while most of the Dutch know English, learning some phrases will do you well. They will appreciate your effort of learning the language and it may help with understanding the signs around the country.
Amsterdam
My first day in Amsterdam was spent walking around the immediate area of the hotel and then I made my way to the main attractions in Amsterdam such as the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum and the surrounding area to enjoy what Amsterdam had to offer. I walked around the city, enjoying the art, buildings and just enjoyed the scenery of a new place! I came across Vondelpark and it was such a nice park with great views, lots of cycling, and it added to the excitement since I enjoy exploring various parks.
The architecture put me into a state of fantasy. Every moment here, I did not feel as if I was in the real world. Listening to the Dutch language was soothing to me, and for some reason I felt at home throughout my stay. I enjoyed the Van Gogh museum quite much and found it to be an amazing experience. If you enjoy art, I highly recommend stopping at the Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum. I did not go into the Rijksmuseum but I did look at it from the outside and it is a beautiful building. Next time, I shall go in the Rijksmuseum and see what it has to offer. In close proximity to both museums is the Anne Frank House which is one of the top attractions in Amsterdam. I did not have the chance to enjoy this piece of history since it requires online tickets in advance and gets booked for an entire week. I will make sure I have tickets for this attraction next time I visit Amsterdam. If the Anne Frank House is on your itinerary, purchase them WELL in advance to avoid the possibility of it being sold out and missing out on this attraction.
Another day in Amsterdam, I went to the Amsterdam Lookout and got a great view from here. This was also the day where I went to the Heineken museum and got to enjoy my first Heineken. Previously, I didn’t drink much beer but while here I drank beer with just about everything I ate. The Amsterdam Lookout was a great experience to have, mainly for the view of Amsterdam from atop a building. The Heineken Museum was good with three free samples of Heineken while you explore the history of the manufacturer. The first sample is a sample cup and then you get tokens to use for 2 free glasses of Heineken included with admission. If you like beer, I suggest paying the Heineken museum a visit to get some history and a few glasses of Dutch-made Heineken fresh from the country. Even if you are not a big fan of beer, the museum is still very nice as it explores the history of Heineken.
On the topic of beer, just about every beer I had while in The Netherlands was absolutely delicious. The only beer I did not enjoy while there was Grolsch, bargain brand Heineken, and just mentioning the name brings a bad taste to my tongue. While in the area of the Rijksmuseum there is a stand with the name of KEK!, they offer about 16 drinks, and they are at a very good price. You give them a deposit of €5 for a glass, and each glass of beer purchased is about €4. They have a grand reputation for beer tasting and I highly recommend visiting one for some delicious drinks. Once you finish drinking, return the glass and you’ll get your deposit back. It is worth checking out if you enjoy alcoholic beverages. There is also a nice stand to purchase poffertjes nearby, which is basically mini pancakes with something different in the batter, but they are oh so delicious. (pictured above)
Nightlife in Amsterdam is one to consider. There are bars to enjoy, clubs, and of course the infamous Red Light District. For respect of the workers in the Red Light District, I did not take pictures while I went around with my friend. However, it is something I encourage you to take in. Maybe not participate in the activity associated with a Red Light District, but go check it out and take in the sights. There are some nice bars nearby to enjoy some drinks, and while I personally did not participate in the district’s offering, my buddy enjoyed his time there. Blue lights in the district are used to denote a tran-sexual worker. Use that as you will if you decide to browse the district.
Utrecht
I caught a train from Amsterdam Centraal to Utrecht Centraal to enjoy a nice day in Utrecht. My buddy and I decided to check out a comic store while here since we came across it. I enjoyed the feeling of the city and thought it was pretty nice. There was a good bit of art around the area, underpasses, side of buildings, there was some form of art to look at as you go through Utrecht. My main reasons for Utrecht were Dom Tower and Castle de Haar.
I tend to have a loose itinerary plan just in case unforeseen circumstances occur. As I approached Dom Tower, it had scaffolding around it and was closed for mainteinance during my stay. This disheartened me but I did get pictures of this beautiful building. After checking it out, I walked on to the next possibility before going to the castle. I was still happy with enjoying the view of Dom Tower.
After walking around we made our way to Castle de Haar via bus, and the castle was an amazing experience! It has a moat, a beautiful garden, and the inside is absolutely beautiful! It was great listening to the history of the castle, what it was used for, and how it is used today for wedding venues. This castle has an amazing garden to browse and it is very nice inside. They do offer guided tours in English or Dutch, and sometimes they will offer special tours of rooms that may normally be closed. A trip to the Netherlands requires a visit to Castle de Haar!
The tour guide we had for the castle was the best. He was humorous, insightful and he did show us extra parts of the castle. I didn’t take many photos inside because I was just trapped in the moment but this was my favorite attraction I visited on my trip to the Netherlands. I loved the aesthetic and I have always loved castles.
Rotterdam & Zaans Schans
I paid a visit to Rotterdam and Zaans Schans in the same day. I did not do much in Rotterdam except for visit the Euromast, Swan Bridge, and enjoy a nice dinner of veal here. I walked around just enjoying a relaxing evening with the Euromast at night being my main reason for coming here. I was fascinated by the view from the Euromast and enjoyed the swan bridge, which I walked across. I ate dinner at a restaurant with a veal casserole and it was divine!
Visiting Zaans Schans left me with a feeling as if I was dreaming the entire time here. This is the famous place with the tulips, clogs, and windmills. It is a village with the windmills still in use. I had to purchase a pair of clogs here and I got to witness a pair being made. There is also a cheese shop where you can sample the cheese. The cheese was delicious and helped me appreciate good cheese. I am okay with cheese from America, but most of it is processed and I don’t care for most of it. I know I said earlier that Castle de Haar was my favorite, but Zaans Schaans was a very close contender for my favorite spot. I plan on returning again during tulip season to see the fields in their prime.
If you like what you see, please leave a like. Also, please leave some feedback on how this could be better or if there was something you enjoyed! Thanks for checking this out and as always, It’s Turtle Time!
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