Sightseeing

Hawk Hill — View of the Golden Gate Bridge + downtown SF

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bR8uVcRiTxvXA8nf8

Twin Peaks — View of SF
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6XscQ9L1zDuU4EiM6

Baker Beach — Good view of the Golden Gate from a good picturesque angle

Palace of Fine Arts — Greco-Roman style, great for pics

Fisherman’s Wharf —Lots of shops

Ferry Building — Farmers market and nice

Lombard Street — Classic zig zaggy road

Golden Gate Park — Great place to rent a scooter and ride around

Boba Spots:

Boba Guys — Strawberry Matcha Latte is apparently Simu Liu’s favourite, Mango Matcha Latte is the best

SF Restaurants:

Surisan — Great brunch spot, American + Korean fusion — pork belly goes hard

Dumpling Home — on the pricier side but pretty good comfort food

Taniku Izakaya — Pretty dece ramen place, it’s v new

Dumpling Kitchen — In SF Sunset (West of SF) but prices are very reasonable and very homey food

Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup — Good dinner spot, get cheese, all the toppings + purple rice, great for larger groups of 4–6 ppl each bowl

Burma Superstar — V good burmese food, definitely worth a try

K-Elements BBQ — AYCE K-BBQ

South Bay Restaurants:

Sweet Maple — Dece brunch place, really good Ube latte, def a bit pricey compared to Vancouver but still dece and they plate food nicely

Ramen Nagi ( Palo Alto) — Pretty good ramen, better to go early to avoid the line

Pho Ha Noi — Few locations in South Bay, amazing pho with generous sized proteins. I would recommend getting the brisket with bone in

Bars:

The View Lounge — great view of the city, feels like you’re in a WW2 bomber

https://maps.app.goo.gl/VFCK55ctdXQzTftt6

• Booking accommodations early (2+ months before) — Most hotels were fully booked when we tried to book a month in advance
• Book Shibuya Sky 3/4 weeks early for 2/3PM slot so you can get day shots and night shots of the city
• Booking Omakase 1+ month ahead

Food

— https://tabelog.com/en/ — anything 3.5+ stars is the equivalent of 5 stars on Google Reviews

Kyoto

Food

Maccha House — Really tasty Matcha

Sightseeing

Yasaka Shrine — Iconic shrine in Kyoto, great place to rent kimonos and take pics

Fushimi Inari Taisha — Must go, great hike, need to go early (6/7AM to get pics without people in the background)

Kinkaku-ji — Golden temple

Shibuya

Shinjuku City

Food

Nabezo Shinjuku Meiji Dori

Nara

Food

Tekisui — Amazing traditional Japanese Cuisine https://maps.app.goo.gl/3bHsGEPyEfirEoVMA

Sightseeing

Noborioji Park — Deer park!

• Part 1 — General tips for Europe
• Part 2 — Day by Day — UK, Italy, Germany
• Part 3 — Day by Day — Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Athens, France

Overview

(Part 2)

Day 1: Departure from Calgary

Day 2–3: London, United Kingdom (May 2 — May 3)

Day 4–6: Naples, Italy (May 4 — May 6)

Day 7–9: Rome, Italy + Vatican City (May 6 — May 9)

Day 10–12: Florence, Italy (May 9 — May 12)

Day 13–14: Venice, Italy (May 12 — May 14)

Day 15–18: Munich, Germany (May 14- May 18)

(Part 3)

Day 19–22: Prague, Czech Republic (May 18–May 22)

Day 23–24: Vienna + Salzburg, Austria (May 22- May 23)

Day 25–27: Budapest, Hungary (May 24 — May 27)

Day 28–31: Greece, Athens (May 27 — May 31)

Day 32–35: Paris, France (May 31 — Jun 2)

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 19: Prague Day 1

Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Highlights: Architecture, partying

Activities: Transit day, partying

Restaurants:

• U Červeného páva — Authentic Bavarian food. The goulash was a bit small but delicious

Places visited:

• Drunken Monkey Prague Pub Crawl — Went with the hostel group, it was a vibe, all-you-can-drink + admission to clubs for about $30

Practical Tips:

• Download a good movie to watch on the bus ride

Recos for future travelers::

• Wear pants for the pub crawl; some venues won’t allow you in. Ended up meeting some really cool people

Day 20: Prague Day 2

Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Highlights: Walking tour,

Activities: Transit day

Restaurants:

• Havelská Koruna — A canteen-style restaurant with a low-key vibe, serving local foods. Definitely worth a visit
• U Rudolfina — An underground Bavarian restaurant;the food and beer were great

Places visited:

• Prague Free Walking Tours — 100 Spires City Tours — Very genuine tour guides
• Vyhlídka na Letné — Viewpoint of Prague

Practical Tips:

• Walk along the river and through the city. We saw the castle from across the river, and the vibes were amazing, the viewpoint that’s called Pamětní deska a busta Mikoláše Alše

Recos for future travelers:

• Definitely try more canteen-style restaurants; they have a great atmosphere, and you’ll find many locals eating there

Day 21: Prague Day 3

Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Highlights: Rest day

Activities: Sleeping, chill, booking tickets

Restaurants:

• Pho Duong Anh — It was alright, but being in Europe, our expectations were high because we’re from Vancouver haha

• Bruxx — Had their daily seafood special, swordfish, and it was incredible

Places visited:

• Drunken Monkey Pub Crawl again, first time was fun but second time was kinda wild haha

Practical Tips:

• Check out a nice view of the city Vyhlídka na Letné

Day 22: Prague Day 4

Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Highlights: Chill day

Activities: Sleeping, chill, booking tickets, chillin with hostel mates

Restaurants:

• Las Adelitas (Americká) — It was alright Mexican food

• Ali Baba Kebap — Really tasty kebab platter

• Atmosphere Cafe Pub — A chill pub

Places visited:

• Charles Bridge
• Viewpoints from the previous day

Practical Tips:

• Grabbing drinks and chilling with other people at the hostel was a lot of fun. We learned about each other’s cultures and shared experiences

Recos for future travelers:

• Visit more pubs and try some drinks that originate from the area

Day 23: Vienna Day 1

Location: Vienna, Austria

Highlights: Train ride, sight seeing

Activities: Sightseeing

Restaurants:

• Regiojet — Food on the train from Prague to Vienna

• Kurkonditorei OBERLAA — Very tasty sachertorte

Places visited:

• Schönbrunn Palace — Gorgeous views of Vienna, and the palace was very extravagant
• The Hofburg
• Sisi Museum
• Maria-Theresien-Platz

Practical Tips:

• Purchasing a first-class seat on the train was well worth it. It included unlimited coffee, tea-type drinks, very affordable food, and more spacious seats

Recos for future travelers:

• Spend a couple more days in Vienna to check out the main market and experience living in Vienna (it was ranked the world’s most livable city)

Day 24: Salzburg Day 1

Location: Salzburg, Austria

Highlights: Road trip, transit day

Activities: Sightseeing

Restaurants:

• Hotel breakfast — Had a huge selection for a continental breakfast

• Sternbräu — It was alright; I wished I had tried different types of their dishes. I got the Wiener Schnitzel, and it tasted average

• Landzeit Mondsee — Probably the vibiest gas station, hotel, and restaurant I’ve ever been to. Amazing views, and the food was decent

Places visited:

• Öffentlicher Badeplatz Kohlbauernaufsatz — A beautiful and peaceful lake
• Badeplatz am Sportplatz Loibichl — A swimming lake
• Salzburg
• Melk Abbey
• Untersberg Mountain Range

Practical Tips:

• Renting a car was very enjoyable; Austria had some of the most respectful drivers, and driving on the roads was very pleasant.

Recos for future travelers:

• Spend a night in Salzburg or drive to another country because they’re not that far apart

Day 25: Budapest Day 1

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Highlights: Road trip, transit day

Activities: Sightseeing

Restaurants:

• Belvárosi Disznótoros — Király utca — Good selection of Hungarian food

• Belgian Brasserie Henri — Wide selection of beer, the best fruity Belgian beer I’ve ever had

Places visited:

• Gellért Hill Vista Point
• Castle District
• Hungarian Parliament Building

Practical Tips:

• Going up to Gellert Hill Vista Point during sunset was a vibe

Recos for future travelers:

• Spend more time checking out the night life in Budapest

Day 26: Budapest Day 2

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Highlights: Booze cruise, pub

Activities: Booz cruise

Restaurants:

• Central Market Hall — Large selection of restaurants

Places visited:

• Booze Cruise — A cruise with all you can drink that takes you around attractions along the Danube River. Super fun with a friend
• Szimpla Kert — Huge pub with old mismatched items, very cool vibes

Practical Tips:

• Get a bus pass; the tram and bus network is quite extensive

Recos for future travelers:

• Szimpla Kert was beautiful; I wish I had a chance to stay at a hostel and meet other people to go out with

Day 27: Budapest Day 3

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Highlights: Booze cruise, pub

Activities: Booz cruise

Restaurants:

• Quán Nón Restaurant — Pretty decent pho

• Belvárosi Disznótoros — Király utca — Back again

Places visited:

• Margaret Island — A huge park with a lot to see
• Kolosy Fountain — Window shopped around, grabbed a few Somersby ciders and chilled
• Heroes’ Square
• City Park
• Az Apostolok tornya
• Széchenyi Thermal Bath

Practical Tips:

• Get a pass to use the city bikes; it’s super convenient for sightseeing and visiting landmarks
• Try a thermal bath

Day 28: Greece Day 1

Location: Athens, Greece

Highlights: Walking tour, museum,

Activities: Rick Steve’s audio tour, sightseeing

Restaurants:

• Budapest airport lounge

• Kostas — Amazing gyros

• Maiandros Restaurant — Very friendly staff

Places visited:

• National Archaeological Museum — Rick Steve’s audio tour
• Rick Steve’s audio tour of the city — Monument to the Unknown Soldier, The Mitropoleos square, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Library

Practical Tips:

• Living near Monastiraki subway station was super convenient and a huge blessing
• Safestay Athens Hostel was beautiful and had a rooftop with a view of the Acropolis
• Bring lots of sunscreen and a sleeping mask; Athens gets very hot during the day (high 30°C even in May). We slept during the day and went out at night.

Recos for future travelers:

• Try more types of Greek food

Day 29: Greece Day 2

Location: Athens, Greece

Highlights: Acropolis

Activities: Sightseeing, barhopping

Restaurants:

• Kostas — Amazing gyros
• Street Souvlaki — was good but wasn’t as good as Kostas

• Tzitzikas kai Mermigas — Pretty good grilled fish

Places visited:

• Ikea — Good A/C
• Acropolis — Rick Steve’s audio tour
• Kerameikos — Bar hopping in the area

Practical Tips:

• Going to the Acropolis an hour or two before closing (right around sunset) was a vibe. It was cooler during the day, and you can get some very nice golden hour pictures. Also had an amazing sunset

Recos for future travelers:

• Go out clubbing and do more bar hopping; you’ll get a chance to meet a lot of really cool people

Day 30: Greece Day 3

Location: Aegina Island, Greece

Highlights: Exploring Aegina Island

Activities: riding an ATV, trying everything pistachio!

Restaurants:

• Tropics — Dece, fast food gyros

• Psarotaverna Aeginitissa — Incredible mussel pasta with a glass of white wine, the sunset was a vibe

• Eakion — Decent pistachio gelato

Places visited:

• Zenobia Beach
• Paralia Vigla
• Temple of Aphaia
• Agia Marina Beach
• Paralia Agios Vasilios

Practical Tips:

• We tried renting an automatic transmission car (on day of) but there was no availability, but it was a blessing in disguise because we rented an ATV and it was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. Super fun to just stop and take in the moment as the water was incredibly blue and clear, it was very dreamy
• Aegina Island is known for its pistachios because of its ideal climate and soil composition. We bought a couple of jars of pistachio butter, and it had a much stronger pistachio flavor compared to store-bought ones in North America

Recos for future travelers:

• Purchase more pistachio gifts to bring back
• If I had more time, I would spend a night there and visit more islands

Day 31: Greece Day 4

Location: Athens, Greece

Highlights: exploring Athens

Activities: Sightseeing and hanging out with new friends

Restaurants:

• Kostas — Amazing gyros

• MS — Beautiful rooftop bar, highly recommend going at night

• Krasopoulio tou Kokkora — Very homey food

Places visited:

• Athens National Garden
• Prasini Tenta, Lykavitos
• Mount Lycabettus — Gorgeous hike
• Little Kook — Alice in Wonderland themed bakery/dessert shop

Practical Tips:

• Buy some fruits at the fruit stand at the Monastiraki station and eat them on a rooftop; incredible vibes
• Wandering at night with a group of friends from the hostel was really fun; we went bar hopping and met some really cool people. We ran into lots of locals practicing their dance routines; it was very lively for a Monday night

Recos for future travelers:

• Go to Mount Lycabettus during sunset
• Go visit more hills/mountains for the views + bring some beers and snacks

Day 32: Paris Day 1

Location: Paris, France

Highlights: Caprice Cafe

Activities: Flying, lounge, sightseeing, souvenir shopping

Restaurants:

• Athens airport lounge — Pretty alright; most food was individually packed probably because of COVID

• Caprice Café — Despite it being called a cafe, they serve incredible Mom and Pop-style, very homey food. Would definitely go back. Had the salmon, and the dessert was amazing; service was very nice

Places visited:

• Auchan Supermarket — Okabé Auchan Hy — Absolutely huge grocery store
• Notre Dame — Too bad it was still under repairs from the fire
• La Rôtisserie d’Argent — Walked by the restaurant that the movie Ratatouille was inspired by

Practical Tips:

• Get the Navigo pass to ride the trains, trams, and buses in Paris. Make sure you have a passport-sized printed photo of yourself so you can attach it to your Navigo pass. You can find automated photo booth machines at the airport. Without the photo, the Navigo pass is deemed invalid. Had friends who did not attach a photo to their pass, and they were fined by transit police. It can absolutely kill the mood for the day.

Recos for future travelers:

• Book hostels further in advance that are closer to the city center and subway because we booked very last minute and had to commute a bit away

Day 33: Paris Day 2

Location: Paris, France

Highlights: Versailles

Activities: Sightseeing, Rick Steve’s audio tour, eating

Restaurants:

• La Fournée des Isséens — Pretty dece baguette sandwich, great croissant

• Le Paris Paris — Tried foie gras, snails, pâté, it was pretty good but the price wasn’t that worth

Places visited:

• Palace of Versailles — Rick Steve’s audio tour
• Arc de Triomphe

Practical Tips:

• If you aren’t already, wear comfortable shoes when visiting Versailles because there is a lot of walking.
• Must visit the Arc de Triomphe; go right before sunset so you can capture golden hour and a 360-degree view of Paris. Absolutely stunning view of the Eiffel Tower and the city.

Recos for future travelers:

• Try as many bakeries and restaurants as humanly possible; it hits different in France

Day 34: Paris Day 3

Location: Paris, France

Highlights: Eiffel Tower, Louvre paintings

Activities: Sightseeing

Restaurants:

• Pierre Hermé — Known for their macarons, but low-key feel like it was a bit overhyped. Many locations around Paris
• L’As du Fallafel — Incredible falafels, extremely fresh; by far my favorite falafel place

Places visited:

• Eiffel Tower — Of course you have to go. Go see it during the day and night
• Louvre Museum — Rick Steve’s audio tour; honestly, it’s so massive; you could spend 5 days there, and that might not even cover the whole museum
• Tuileries Garden — Very chill vibes

Practical Tips:

• Have a picnic below the Eiffel Tower at night; bring some drinks; the vibes were surreal
• Touristy places, especially the Eiffel Tower, have an organized ring of pickpockets, so stay vigilant

Recos for future travelers:

• Book Eiffel Tower tickets in advance; otherwise, you can show up right before it opens to avoid a huge line. It’s worth it to pay to get to the very top

Day 35: Paris Day 4

Location: Paris, France

Highlights: Flying back to Canada

Activities: Last minute shopping, flying

Restaurants:

• La Kremlinoise — Tasty bakery

• Airplane Food

• Elevation Lounge in Calgary — So far, it’s been the best lounge in Canada; can order via QR code and wide selection of food and beverages

Places visited:

• Calgary

• Part 1 — General tips for Europe
• Part 2 — Day by Day — UK, Italy, Germany
• Part 3 — Day by Day — Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Athens, France

Overview

Day 1: Departure from Calgary

Day 2–3: London, United Kingdom (May 2 — May 3)

Day 4–6: Naples, Italy (May 4 — May 6)

Day 7–9: Rome, Italy + Vatican City (May 6 — May 9)

Day 10–12: Florence, Italy (May 9 — May 12)

Day 13–14: Venice, Italy (May 12 — May 14)

Day 15–18: Munich, Germany (May 14- May 18)

Continued in Part 3!

Day 19–22: Prague, Czech Republic (May 18–May 22)

Day 23–24: Vienna + Salzburg, Austria (May 22- May 23)

Day 25–27: Budapest, Hungary (May 24 — May 27)

Day 28–31: Greece, Athens (May 27 — May 31)

Day 32–35: Paris, France (May 31 — Jun 2)

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Departure from Calgary

Location: Calgary, Canada

Highlights: Plaza premium lounge at YYC

Activities: Check-in, clear security, and board the flight to London.

Practical Tips:

• Have a Nexus card to breeze through security and lounge access (Amex Platinum card) to chill out before the flight

Day 2: Arrival in London

Location: London, UK

Highlights: Seeing tower bridge, learning about pub culture, biking around London, general sightseeing of English architecture

Activities: Walking, transiting, biking

Places visited:

• Tower bridge
• Outside of Sky Garden
• The Shard
• London Bridge
• Borough Market
• Millennium Bridge
• London Eye
• Big Ben
• Palace of Westminster
• Westminster Abbey
• Parliament Street
• Buckingham Palace
• Chinatown
• Lidl grocery store

Practical Tips:

• Rent a Santander bike! Super easy way to get around the city, about $5 for 24 hours

Recos for future travelers:

• Book tickets well in advance (3 weeks) for the Sky Garden, try Fish n Chips + Butter Chicken because it’s some of the best food they have in London
• For more inspiration, check out this 2 day itinerary https://www.globeguide.ca/2-days-in-london-itinerary/

Day 3: London Day 2

Location: London, UK

Highlights: Early exploration on a bike around London, tried latte’s, proper English breakfast, AMEX Centurion lounge

Activities: Sightseeing, biking, eating

Restaurants:

• E Pellicci —English Breakfast, tried fried toast for the first time and it was very interesting, very friendly owners, made me feel at home!

• American Express Lounge Heathrow — By far my favourite centurion lounge (only been to ones in North America before this), high quality and great selection of food and cocktails. Loved the afternoon tea + local beer, it was quintessential, capturing the authentic essence of English cuisine and ambiance

Places visited:

• Covent Garden
• St Paul’s Cathedral
• Kensington Park
• Albert Memorial
• Mayfair
• University College London
• British Museum (Rosetta Stone!)
• London Heathrow Airport
• AMEX Centurion Lounge

Practical Tips:

• Rent a Santander bike! Super easy way to get around the city about $5 for 24 hours

Recos for future travelers:

• Book tickets well in advance (3 weeks) for the Sky Garden, try Fish n Chips + Butter Chicken because it’s some of the best food they have in London

Day 4: Italy Day 1

Location: Naples, Italy

Highlights: Pompeii

Activities: Sightseeing, audio tour

Restaurants:

• Le Delizie Pompei via Roma 83 — I initially thought it was a tourist trap due to the extravagant signage, but they delivered delicious $5 pizza and soda

• Pizzeria Scugnizzo Trattoria — Really nice local mom-and-pop restaurant, very delicious pasta

Places visited:

• Pompeii

Practical Tips:

• Choosing an Airbnb near the main train station (Napoli P. Garibaldi) made it extremely convenient for getting around
• Be cautious as some areas can be sketchy; avoid walking with your phone out on the street. I met tourists who had their phones snatched by people on motorbikes
• Download Rick Steve’s audio guide for Pompeii

Day 5: Italy Day 2

Location: Naples, Italy

Highlights: Amalfi Coast, Positano

Activities: Sightseeing, window shopping

Restaurants:

• Attanasio — Ristorante tipico napoletano e Pizzeria — Decent dishes, pretty delicious seafood pasta

Places visited:

• Sorrento

• Amalfi Coast

Practical Tips:

• Take the train from Naples to Sorrento, then a ferry to Positano
• For the return trip, use a bus from Positano to Sorrento and then a train to Naples

Taking pics from the dock of the entire village

• Taking the iconic Positano photo from, Capture some stunning photos from the dock, offering a panoramic view of the entire village https://goo.gl/maps/w6NWWTi4hvYQencM7

Recos for future travelers::

• Consider spending a night or two along the Amalfi coast to fully immerse yourself in the breathtaking views and explore the villages east of Positano. Visit Solerno, Italy
• Explore the area around Quartieri Spagnoli, west of Naples

Day 6: Italy Day 3

Location: Rome, Italy

Highlights: Bus to Rome

Activities: Sightseeing

Restaurants:

• Peri Peri Grill — Known for its excellent chicken biryani and chicken burger; I visited this place three times

Places visited:

• Rome

• The Space Cinema Moderno Roma

Practical Tips:

• Taking the bus cost us 7 euros from Naples to Rome and we reached Rome faster than the train

Recos for future travelers::

• Consider exploring a more diverse selection of restaurants in Rome.

Day 7: Italy Day 4

Location: Vatican City

Highlights: Exploring Vatican City, GELATO

Activities: Sightseeing, Rick Steve’s audio tour

Restaurants:

• Peri Peri Grill
• Palazzo del Freddo Giovanni Fassi —This place offers the most heavenly gelato. I recommend it to every visitor to Rome. My personal favorite is the pistachio flavor

Places visited:

• Vatican City
• St. Angelo Bridge

Practical Tips:

• Book Vatican City tickets well in advance to skip the lengthy walk-in line
• Rick Steve’s audio tour will be your trusted companion
• Don’t forget to snap some photos of the beautiful architecture around St. Peter’s Basilica
• Trying the local Italian beer, Peroni, is always a cool experience

Day 8: Italy Day 5

Location: Rome, Italy

Highlights: Colosseum

Activities: Sightseeing, Rick Steve’s audio tour

Restaurants:

• La Famiglia — It was decent, but nothing particularly memorable
• The Gelatist Via Nazionale 160 — It’s good but not as authentic as Fassi
• Palazzo del Freddo Giovanni Fassi — (as always)

Places visited:

• Colosseum + Arena
• Roman Forum and surroundings

Practical Tips:

• Wear comfortable shoes as there’s a lot of walking, often on uncomfortable cobblestone
• For the Colosseum, it’s worth paying extra to access the arena; you’re already there
• Booking a hostel/hotel near the train station proved to be super helpful and saved us a lot of time

Recos for future travelers::

• Try to visit the Pantheon (it was closed when we attempted)

Day 9: Italy Day 6

Location: Florence, Italy

Highlights: Tuscan Cuisine

Activities: Sightseeing, Walking tour

Restaurants:

• Da Nerbone — heir tripe sandwich was incredibly tasty. It was a moment of realization about the uniqueness of Italian food, as I had only experienced tripe in Chinese dim sum before. It made me appreciate how Italian cuisine utilizes all parts of an animal, much like Chinese cuisine
• Osteria dell’Oca — I tried the boar pasta here, and it was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had. The Florentine steak is a must-try; they serve it on a hot plate, creating a crispy outer layer. For dessert, we savored the Crema Ricotta, which was also delightful.

Places visited:

• Central Market
• Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
• Streets and surroundings

Practical Tips:

• Consider taking a walking tour! Unfortunately, I forgot the specific company, but we booked it via Eventbrite (there are many companies): https://www.eventbrite.com/d/italy--firenze/walking-free-tour-firenze/

Recos for future travelers::

• Spend more time exploring the variety of restaurants and embrace the opportunity to enjoy more vegetable-based dishes, as Tuscan cuisine can be quite hearty

Day 10: Italy Day 7

Location: Florence, Italy

Highlights: Shopping, Rest day

Activities: Shopping

Restaurants:

• Ristorante Dante e Beatrice — Their ravioli is simply amazing

• Gelateria La Carraia — The gelato here was pretty tasty, though not as good as Fassi in Rome. We couldn’t resist coming back twice
• Mattacena — Offering Tuscan cuisine, this place serves a very good Florentine steak

Places visited:

• Clothing stores
• Ponte Vecchio

Recos for future travelers::

• Be open to trying the local dishes; it can be mind-blowing how tasty certain dishes can be

Day 11: Italy Day 8

Location: Florence, Italy

Highlights: Resting

Activities: Sleep

Restaurants:

• Antico Mercato Ristorante Pizzeria Napoletana — Fried Pizza

Places visited:

• Hostel

Day 12: Italy Day 9

Location: Florence, Italy

Highlights: Alla Vecchia Bettola, Sunset from Michelangelo Plaza

Activities: Shopping

Restaurants:

• Alla Vecchia Bettola — Offers excellent vibes and unique food choices like fried rabbit. It’s a bit of a hole in the wall, and we even shared wine with the locals sitting next to us. My favorite restaurant in Europe

• Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato — A decent gelato place, although it might be better known for its chocolate

Places visited:

• Piazzale Michelangelo — Offers an amazing sunset view; bring a beer and perhaps an outfit change

Practical Tips:

• Must visit Michelangelo Plaza

Recos for future travelers::

• Trying more dishes at Alla Vecchia Bettola

Day 13: Italy Day 10

Location: Venice, Italy

Highlights: Bus from Florence to Venice

Activities: Walking around, taking the ferries around Venice, eating

Restaurants:

• Da Nerbone — Enjoyed a tripe sandwich once again before leaving
• Trattoria Ca’ Foscari al Canton — Very polite service, and the food was aesthetically pleasing

• Gelateria Gallonetto —They make fresh gelato daily, and the service is also very pleasant. They seem genuinely passionate about the art of gelato

Places visited:

• Lido Venice Beach
• Walking around looking at the canals

Practical Tips:

• Purchase the multi-day pass for boats and buses around Venice; it offers great value.
• Walking around at night is very pleasant.

Recos for future travelers::

• Consider limiting your time in Venice to 1 or 2 days, as it’s filled with many tourist traps. There’s a lot of shopping from big brands, and while the canals are cool, they can be a bit too commercialized for some tastes

Day 14: Italy Day 11

Location: Venice, Italy

Highlights: Exploring Venice

Activities: Ferry riding, walking around

Restaurants:

• TRATTORIA PIZZERIA PAN E VIN —Offers pretty decent pizza, and the service was incredible. They even offered all of us a shot of wine on the house
• GELATOTECA SUSO — A higher-end gelato shop that’s quite good
• Da Michele — Loved the pizza and bolognese pasta. The al dente fettuccine was on point, and they have 400mbps up/down WiFi

Places visited:

• Rialto Bridge — Famous bridge that Venice is known for
• Burano Island — Known for its colorful houses
• St. Mark’s Square — An incredibly architected town square, although it can get flooded during different seasons
• Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute — Pretty baroque church
• Ponte dell’Accademia — A beautiful bridge to take photos at around golden hour

Practical Tips:

• Blood orange juice from CO-OP was actually pretty refreshing

Day 15: Munich Day 1

Location: Munich, Germany

Highlights: Transit day

Activities: Flying

Restaurants:

• Venice Airport Lounge

Places visited:

• CCC container Collective — right by the hostel, very hip and lots of people

Places visited:

• CCC container Collective — right by the hostel, very hip and lots of people

Practical Tips:

• Have some Aeroplan points on hand so you can redeem for flights (flew from Venice -> Munich)

Recos for future travelers::

• Do some research about events happening in Munich before your trip

Day 16: Munich Day 2

Location: Munich, Germany

Highlights: All you can eat brunch

Activities: Touring

Restaurants:

• Wirtshaus Rechthaler Hof — We were fortunate to find this place on a Sunday when they were serving an all-you-can-eat brunch. Plus, we got a 50% discount using The Fork app. Amazing service and really authentic German food

• Khanittha Im Werksviertel — Decent Thai food

• Lidl grocery store — beer

Places visited:

• Dachau Concentration Camp — A very humbling experience to learn about the history and see it in person

Practical Tips:

• Meet people at your hostel! We met three Canadians who were staying in the same hostel and shared our experiences and recommendations

Recos for future travelers::

• Watch a documentary about Dachau before visiting to gain more background information

Day 17: Munich Day 3

Location: Munich, Germany

Highlights: Walking Tour

Activities: Touring

Restaurants:

• Wirtshaus Rechthaler Hof — Went back again for their beer + lemonade mix and Bavarian food

Places visited:

• Marienplatz — Rick Steve’s audio walking tour
• St. Michael München
• Hofgarten — Met some locals who recommended us to visit a beer monastery, and it turned out to be a great recommendation!

Practical Tips:

• Meet people at your hostel! We might 3 Canadians that were living in the same hostel and shared our experiences and recommendations

Recos for future travelers::

• Try to surf in the Munich river

Day 18: Munich Day 4

Location: Andechs, Germany

Highlights: Beer Monastery

Activities: Transiting

Restaurants:

• Andechser Bräustüberl — Monks used to serve beer to people because filtering water was very difficult. This brewery continued the legacy to serve the public

• Wirtshaus Rechthaler Hof — Went back again for their Bavarian food, haha

Places visited:

• Andechs Monastery — Recommended by some locals in Munich

• Wombat’s City Hostel — Partied with some other hostel folks, and I ended up meeting up with one of them in a different city!

Practical Tips:

• Be open to asking strangers for some tips and places to visit

Recos for future travelers::

• Explore the country side a bit more and try more local restaurants in those areas

Continued in Part 3!

This is the beginning of my three-part series “30 Days Exploring Europe: Adventures, Food, and Tips”

• Part 1 — General tips for Europe
• Part 2 — Day by Day — UK, Italy, Germany
• Part 3 — Day by Day — Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Athens, France

Embarking on an international journey can be an overwhelming task, as the nitty-gritty details of traveling abroad can leave you feeling lost. If only I had been handed a comprehensive guide filled with invaluable tips and tricks, so I hope this guide will be that tool. In this guide, tailored for first-time travelers, I will share the preparations I made and the invaluable lessons I learned during my unforgettable month-long expedition through Europe in 2022. From navigating bustling cities to uncovering hidden gems, I aim to provide you with a wealth of insights and practical tools to ensure your next trip is a seamless and rewarding experience.

Overview:

• Booking Hostels vs Hotels/Airbnbs
• Booking Transportation
• General Tips
• Money
• International Driver’s License (IDP) + Renting/Driving in Europe
• Packing
• City by City Highlights (in Part 2)

Hostels vs. Hotels/Airbnbs

We booked a combination of hostels, hotels/airbnbs throughout our trip. Try to book close to a train station, usually TONS of businesses and resources around there

Pros of staying at a hostel:

1. Cost-effective: Hostels are generally much cheaper than hotels. Some hostels provide communal kitchens where you can prepare meals or snacks.
2. Social atmosphere: Hostels often have communal areas like common rooms, kitchens, or bars where travelers can meet and socialize with other guests from around the world. We met many new friends, shared our experiences, learned about many other cultures, and got first-hand advice on where to visit. Sometimes we would bump into the same person/people in a new country along our journey and meet up to sightsee together.
3. Activities and events: Many hostels organize various activities, such as city tours, pub crawls, or group outings, providing a chance to explore and share the experience with fellow travelers.
4. Local knowledge: Hostel staff members are usually well-versed in the local area and can offer valuable tips, advice, and recommendations for sightseeing, dining, and off-the-beaten-path experiences.

Cons of staying at a hostel:

1. Lack of privacy: Hostels typically offer shared dormitory-style accommodation, where you’ll have a bed in a room shared with other travelers. This means limited privacy and the potential for noise, especially in larger dorms (4+ people). Some hostels provide gender-specific dorms which can provide more privacy.
2. Potential for noise and disruptions: It’s not uncommon to encounter snoring, late-night arrivals, late-night party-goers, or early departures, which could disrupt sleep.
3. Limited amenities: Shared bathrooms and basic room furnishings are common in hostels.
4. Less security: While most hostels have lockers or storage facilities for valuables, the overall security may be lower compared to hotels with features like in-room safes, 24/7 reception, or security personnel.

In essence, if you want to maximize sleep and comfort (you have a busy itinerary, want rest days, sightseeing a lot, with friends that have a similar taste in exploration), choose a hotel. If you want to maximize social events (partying, clubbing, etc.) and want to immerse yourself into the city with fellow travelers, opt for a hostel.

Booking Hostels

We mainly used Hostelworld:

• Identified 8.5+ star rated hostels
• + 1 if they have bed curtains
• + 1 if they had the option for private rooms
• + 1 if they have a locker

Generally, we browsed photos, reviews from other travelers, Google StreetView of the place, and proximity to transit or sites we wanted to visit. We usually booked a week or two in advance, but if we had more time, we would have booked even earlier because highly rated hostels often sell out. We tend to avoid anything with a rating less than 8 stars because it could affect our sleep, livelihood, and overall mood of the trip.

Hostelworld - Explore the world's best hostels

Booking Transportation

You have the option to purchase the Eurail pass, which gives you unlimited train rides across Europe for a certain number of days. However, we learned that booking a combination of train, bus, flight, and ferries was the most cost-effective and provided the most flexibility.

Flights

We used a combination of Westjet, Air Canada, British Airways, Ryan Air, Wizz Air, Lufthansa. We used flights.google.com I would highly recommend looking at using loyalty programs such as Aeroplan. I used my Aeroplan for my flight from Venice, Italy to Munich, Germany and saved me 13 hours on a bus

Trains/Busses/Ferries

Omio—Helps find various modes of transportation and consolidates prices from multiple providers. You can directly buy tickets on it, but always compare prices with the actual transportation agency to check the timetable + save on booking fees.

https://www.omio.com/

Flixbus — Inexpensive and flexible bus tickets. For some reason, booking on flixbus.ca (Canadian version of the site) waives the booking fee.

FlixBus: Convenient and affordable bus travel in the US from $4.99

Citymapper — Hands down my favourite transit navigation app. It shows incredibly accurate times and pinpoints exactly which stop to get on/off and even which cross-street exit you take (useful for subways)

Citymapper - The Ultimate Transport App

General Tips

Rick Steve’s Audio Tour

Download Rick Steves’ audio tour app. This was an absolute blessing. He offers FREE pre-recorded audio guides for popular tourist sites, museums, and walking tours in cities. We used it probably more than 7 times across Europe, and he was fantastic at giving the highlights of each destination. You can download the iOS or Android app and bring earbuds

Rick Steves Audio Tours

Phone Plan

I went with iliad, an Italian cellular provider when I landed in Naples, Italy. It was sooo much cheaper to purchase it when I landed compared to purchasing esims on esimdb.com

I paid €25 for 150GBs of data. The cool thing to note is that EU consumer laws mandates cellular providers to offer free roaming across EU, meaning we only had to use one sim card across all of EU. However, Switzerland is not part of the EU and could be a bit pricey. But always double check the cellular provider to ensure it fulfills your data needs. We definitely had some nights where our Wi-Fi was spotty or slow and having cellular as a backup helped tremendously.

Washrooms

In contrast to North America, most public washrooms in Europe require a form of payment, and they typically cost €1–3 per use. If you go to a restaurant/cafe you typically need to be a paying customer in order to use it.

Water at Restaurants

A huge difference we noticed was that restaurants in Europe typically charged €7 for a bottle of water! Make sure you ask the waiter/waitress before pouring the water, and they will usually take it away without a problem. Hilariously, you can find that many restaurants offer beer for a lower price than water

Tipping Culture

We generally tipped at hotels, however at restaurants, tips are usually included into the price of the menu.

Splitwise

Use Splitwise to split costs when travelling in a group!

The Fork App (Discounts on Restaurants)

We used this app to book reservations at restaurants, usually getting 20–50% off our food. Would highly recommend searching up the restaurant on Google maps reviews/Yelp beforehand because even though some restaurants are 50% off, the quality of the food could be poor.

Book the best restaurants in Europe | TheFork

Money

This section is tailored to Canadians, but the same methodologies apply to whichever country you’re from. Ideally, you want 1x debit card to withdraw at an ATM with zero/low foreign exchange (fx fees) and 1x credit card with zero/low fx fees and 1x backup credit card.

Tangerine Debit card — To get cash at other countries at a low rate

Tangerine will waive the International ABM Access Fee and Global ATM Alliance members will waive any terminal convenience or usage fees for any withdrawal transactions performed at Global ATM Alliance machines with your Tangerine Client Card. “Free Access” does not apply to Scotiabank ABMs in Costa Rica, Haiti, Panama or Uruguay.

• https://www.tangerine.ca/static_files/wwwroot/pdfs/en/en_fair_fees_schedule.pdf
• https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/ways-to-bank/manage-accounts/global-atm-alliance.html

Use my orange key 55581206S1 to get $50 when you sign up for a Tangerine account! Full details here:

https://www.tangerine.ca/en/referafriend/terms-and-conditions/index2.html

Brim Financial World Mastercard — 0% Foreign Transaction Fees

Get $10 when you sign up:

https://brimfinancial.com/?code=84167

American Express Platinum Card — Great for lounge access (can bring up to 2 companions), especially if you plan to be flying a lot

During this trip, I used it 7 times, across the following airports:

• Vancouver, Canada (Plaza Premium)
• Calgary, Canada (Plaza Premium)
• London Heathrow, UK (Amex Centurion)
• Venice, Italy (Priority Pass)
• Budapest, Hungary (Priority Pass)
• Athens, Greece (Priority Pass)
• Calgary, Canada (Elevation Lounge)

For more information about credit cards, I would highly recommend the /r/churningcanada subreddit

r/churningcanada

International Driver’s License (IDP) + Renting/Driving in Europe

If you plan to rent a car, you’ll need an International Driver’s License (IDP). I paid around $50 to get an IDP so I could rent a car in Vienna, Austria. The process was simple, I booked an appointment on BCAA website, completed some paperwork and took a photo at the BCAA office, paid $65 with the photo and I walked out with my IDP in hand. There was no test or anything, the IDP is basically your driver’s license translated into many languages. When I got to Europe, I was surprised that many rental agencies only had manual transmission cars available, so it would be a huge plus to know how to drive stick shift because the automatics would get sold out quite frequently.

For more information on IDP:

International Driving Permit | BCAA

Renting cars in Europe

When I rented the car in Vienna, Austria I chose to go with a big company like Enterprise where my credit card would cover damage to the vehicle. Make sure you read the insurance coverage of your credit card to ensure you’re covered. Some credit card companies may not cover smaller rental agencies or peer-to-peer car shares like Turo. There’s generally 2 types of insurance:

1. Collision Damage (if you or someone else damages your car)
2. Liability Insurance (if you damage someone else’s car)

Collision damage is generally covered by your credit card as a secondary insurance. More information on the difference here:

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/primary-vs-secondary-car-rental-insurance-coverage/

Liability insurance is “usually” mandatory by law but there may be exceptions depending on the location. This is usually included in the cost of the rental but always ask and double check if they have it. I haven’t seen a credit card cover liability insurance so always make sure you’re covered.

Driving in Europe

Driving in Austria was probably the best driving experience I’ve ever had in my life. Drivers in Austria were super respectful, ALWAYS yielding to pedestrians, sticking to the right side of the road and only passing on the left when needed, slowing down at construction zones.

Tips:

• There are hidden, automated speed traps (which was completely new to me) so make sure you don’t overspeed. Had some pretty close calls but the Waze app was very useful
• Try learning some road signs in Europe to ensure you’re familiar with the signage before renting
• Make sure you have offline maps in case you’re in an area without signal

Packing

Pack light. You won’t have to worry about lugging around a heavy suitcase, and you’ll be less likely to lose anything. Plus, you’ll save money on baggage fees.

Packing Cubes — A literal game changer, helps organize and compact all clothing

Osprey Farpoint 40 (backpack)— sized to meet carry-on requirements so you don’t have to pay for checked luggage, large enough to carry everything in one bag

Amazon.ca : osprey farpoint 40

I brought (including what I wore):

10x Underwear

4x T-shirts

2x Long-sleeve shirts

1x Sweater

1x Waterproof shell

1x Black jeans

2x Shorts

1x Ultra-boost shoes

1x Flip flops

Accessories:

1x Sunglasses

1x Fanny pack

1x Baseball cap

Electronics:

1x EU to NA charging adapter

1x Power strip

1x Portable charger

1x Pair of earbuds/AirPods, etc.

1x iPhone 13 Pro Max

Misc:

1x Covid test kit

1x Combo lock (for hostels)

Stonks is the new hobby. With quarantine lock downs and all the buzz with the financial markets, I noticed a lot of my friends have quite literally been “stocking up their portfolios” ;) So when I asked them what brokerages they use, I was appalled by how many people didn’t realize they could be getting ripped off in commissions so here’s a quick comparison on brokerages I’ve used in the past and present and explain which brokerages.

TLDR: Are you buying Canadian Stocks/ETFs?

I would use Wealth Simple Trade. Otherwise, I would use Interactive Brokers for US or international stocks/ETFs

Buying and selling stocks charging a fee appears simple enough but I find that sometimes there are hidden prices.

Great, thanks Stanford for the graph. Why does this matter?

Well let’s say I have a Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) and want to purchase a stock that returns 10% a year over 30 years. Assume that I can only contribute $6000 annually:

Now after 30 years you decide to SELL that stock. With compound interest, the total returns would amount to $1,091,660.55

Just to make things simple, let’s just assume that the price of each stock was $100 throughout 30 years (This wouldn’t benefit Interactive Brokers because they charge based on number of shares). That’s roughly 10917 shares.

Cost to SELL:

$38.21 — Interactive Brokers (0.0035 * 10917)

$10.00 — Questrade

$16374.91 — Wealth Simple Trade (1,091,660.55 * 0.015)

$10.00 — RBC Direct Investing

Having another account with 100k in USD equity at IBKR would clearly show that IBKR is the winner.

Now let’s look at Canadian only stock:

As you can see in chart 3 and 4, Wealth Simple Trade is the way to go.

Bottom line:

These scenarios may not be in-tune with everyday behaviours of a typical investor as they are likely to make more trades and diversify between stocks and ETFs.

But the takeaway is that you can open 2 accounts.

For Canadian Stocks, use Wealth Simple Trade.

For US/International Stocks if you have over 100k USD in equities or make frequent trades, then Interactive Brokers is worth considering. Otherwise, Questrade.

For Canadian ETFs, use Wealth Simple Trade or Questrade. Questrade has Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) whereas Wealth Simple Trade does not. One advantage with DRIP is that you don’t have to worry about manually buying ETFs when you receive dividends. Questrade will automatically reinvest it for you so it’s a more hands-off approach.

For US/International Stocks if you have over 100k USD in equities or make frequent trades, then Interactive Brokers is worth considering. Otherwise, Questrade is reasonable.

Promotional Links:

https://www.questrade.com/campaigns/qbaffl50t102

Questrade: Get $50 in commissions https://www.questrade.com/campaigns/qbaffl50t102

Wealth Simple Trade: Get $10 to trade https://my.wealthsimple.com/app/public/trade-referral-signup?code=0BVS4Q

Interactive Brokers: Get $200 https://ibkr.com/referral/stanford741 (sadly doesn’t apply to Canadians)

Disclaimer: The content in this article is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice or an opinion of any kind. You are advised to seek specific legal advice by your own legal counsel regarding any specific legal issues. The author does not warrant or guarantee the quality, accuracy or completeness of any information on this blog. The articles published on this blog are current as of their original date of publication, but should not be relied upon as accurate, timely or fit for any particular purpose.

The topic of cell phone plans came up with a number my friends and thought I’d make this post so more people can learn about it.

Things you will need:

• Be a Shaw internet customer to get these rates.
• Live in Alberta/British Columbia
• Take a hard credit inquiry on your credit score to open new lines
• $20 one-time activation fee for a new line
• Sign up by end of November

Highly recommended:

• Have an unlocked phone that supports active dual-sim (All iPhone XS and later have this capability)

Be aware:

• Test the coverage of Shaw Mobile in your area before switching by buying a pre-paid one month plan with Freedom Mobile (Shaw owns Freedom mobile and are on the same network and frequency)
• Shaw could increase their prices any time (but highly unlikely), the alternative is to use pay $15 a month for the phone service (don’t need to be Shaw internet customer) or switch to Freedom Mobile for ~$11 / month ($129 /year) by paying for their yearly subscription
• You can switch your current phone number to Shaw mobile

Cell Phone Plan

Cost savings:

Traditional Fido — 2Gbs unlimited talk Canada , unlimited global text

— $45 / month + $0 one-time fee

My Shaw mobile + Fido plan — 3Gbs, unlimited talk Canada , unlimited global text

— $0 /month + $20 one-time fee

The idea is to use a dual sim phone, you make calls/text on the Shaw mobile sim card and use a tablet plan (you can choose any carrier of your liking but I went with Fido because I was already with them) for when you need to use data, both are active and can be used simultaneously. If you don’t have a dual-sim phone, you can use an old phone to hotspot your current one, a bit of a hassle but it can work.

My phone: iPhone 11

Sim Card 1 — E Sim:

Shaw Mobile — Unlimited global texts, Canada-wide calling

• $0/month
• $20 one-time activation fee
• My main phone number is on this sim card

Sim Card 2:

Fido Data Only plan — 3Gbs LTE data

• $0/month (usually $10/month)
• I don’t use the phone number on this sim card

How to sign up

Shaw Mobile:

• I signed up by going to Walmart cellphone department and opened 5 phone lines at once (crazy guy I know) because I didn’t want to take 5 separate hard inquiries on my credit score. The maximum number of phone lines was 6 but in my case, the store limited to 5. You can find the location nearest to you via the link below
• Was provided a temporary number and contacted Shaw mobile support via iMessage with the following information from my previous carrier (Freedom Mobile) when I got home

Full Name of account holder

Account number

Number wishing to port

• In about 15 minutes, my old phone number was ported over to Shaw. It depends on the carrier but because I was switching from Freedom mobile which is a subsidiary of Shaw, I didn’t expect the wait to be long

How To: Activate Shaw Mobile service

Fido:

• They no longer allow new customers to sign up for a data-only plan. So if you or a family member is still on Fido with a cellphone plan, they can open as many tablet-only plan with Fido as needed (no need for a credit check if you’re already a customer, I did it in person for a free tablet offer as well) and then transfer over to Shaw mobile afterwards.
• I signed up a while ago when they allowed new customers to sign up for data-only plan and paid $15/month. About 3 months into paying, I called them telling them I wanted to cancel and retention gave me 2 free years of data.
• Note: You can choose another carrier, I went with Fido because it was a no brainer, who wouldn’t pass 2 years of free data?

Home Phone Plan

Cost savings:

Before: iTalkBB voice over internet home phone — Unlimited talk Canada

— $15 / month + $0 one-time fee

Shaw mobile + Fido plan — Unlimited talk Canada , unlimited global text (but can’t really use because I’m using the phone adapter)

— $0 /month + $20 one-time fee + ~$72 one-time fee for the home base device including tax

The idea is to plug a Shaw mobile sim card into the ZTE MF723 device and connect that to your home phone devices around the house

What you will need:

1. Check the coverage in your area
2. Purchase the cell to home-phone adapter — ZTE MF723

Checking the coverage in your area.

1. Go to settings in your phone and set it to only use 3G
2. Dial this number*3001#12345#* to open a network diagnostic tool n your phone
3. When connected to 3G UMTS, go to Phone > *3001#12345#* > UMTS > Serving Cell Info > freq_band_ind or wcdm_band and check for Band 4 (1700/2100 MHz)

Purchase the cell to home-phone adapter — ZTE MF723

You can find this device on Craigslist, Facebook marketplace. I went with Fido because they have a free 15 day return policy. Note: Since I already had an account with Fido, they didn’t need to perform a hard credit inquiry.

1. I called into various locations in my area and asked to open a home phone line and if they had the home phone adapter (ZTE MF723) device available
2. I went in person to sign up for a new home phone line, paid ~$72 for the device (ZTE MF723) and then paid $18 /month + $40 one-time activation fee.
3. Then, I brought it home, plugged in my Shaw sim card instead of the Fido one.
4. I cancelled the Fido home phone line plan before 15 days of activating it and told them I was keeping the device so they refunded $18 + $40 one time activation fee

After helping switch my family over to these methods, we collectively saved over $2000+ a year by just switching our phone plans!

EDIT: As of Apr.17, 2020, I’ve transitioned to using terraform and with preemptible VMs to save on costs, instructions on how to do that are in the readme here:

https://github.com/StanfordLin/terraform-folding-at-home

Folding@home is a 20+ year long project long running project focused on disease research using distributed computing. As of April 2, 2020, this project has directly produced over 223 scientific papers and they recently launched a number of projects related to finding a cure for COVID-19.

Google provides $300 in FREE trial credits for 1 year to use on Google Cloud Platform, so if you weren’t planning on using it anyway, now would is a pressing time. With about 30 minutes of your time, you can join the fight in finding a cure for COVID-19!

Since Google charges per hour, you can stop the project at any time you deem fit.

Prerequisites:

1. Credit card (just needed for verification, no actual charge to the card)
2. Google account (gmail)
3. Chrome Browser

Steps:

1. Go to https://cloud.google.com/ , press “Get Started For Free” and fill out the info and you may be asked for payment info.

2. Once you’ve setup your account, create a new project and give it a name, doesn’t matter the name

3. The free plan does not include GPU Compute. Trying to create a slot with a GPU will result in an error. Therefore: At the top of the page there should be a banner with a gift box. Click on upgrade and upgrade your account to a payed one. Don’t fear you will only pay when going over the free budget. As mentioned above, simply terminate the machines in time. If you do this you wont have to pay anything

4. Great, your account now has the opportunity for a GPU (or several). However, support has to unlock it for you, they usually approve 2–3 business days, they will email you. To request GPU, search for “Quota” then search “GPU”, select “GPUs (all regions)” then select Compute Engine API and edit quotas:

5.We’re going to use Windows Datacenter for this image because it’s fastest to get setup and has a graphical user interface. If you’re more comfortable with the command line, I would recommend using Linux as there are no licensing fees and much less bloatware. Using Linux at a savings of $0.04 USD per hour or approximately an 11% savings. You can find a guide on https://foldingathome.org/support/faq/installation-guides/linux/manual-installation-advanced/. But don’t sweat if you don’t feel comfortable using the command line.

Create the instance:

• Add GPU, we’re going to use Nvidia Tesla T4
• Boot disk: Windows Server Datacenter 2019
• Allow HTTP/HTTPS access
• Wait patiently, can take around 5 minutes to get this setup

https://youtu.be/yjjiNXy3hb0?t=55

6. Set windows password, copy this to somewhere save. You can connect via RDP (will require you to install the Chrome extension) or connect using Windows Remote Desktop which is built in on Windows. If you’re a Mac user, download Windows Remote Desktop.

https://youtu.be/yjjiNXy3hb0?t=80

7. In Server Manager, set the IE Enhanced Security Configuration to “Off”

https://youtu.be/yjjiNXy3hb0?t=80

8. Install Nvidia Graphics Drivers for Windows

Download the latest official NVIDIA drivers

9. Install Folding at Home for Windows

Start folding

10. Begin folding! Optionally join a team

Being fascinated with Teslas, I found myself spending a lot of time watching review videos. Instead of watching hours of videos from owners, here are some of the things I’ve noticed that can be improved on Tesla’s software. Although I don’t currently own a Tesla and Tesla’s dashboard software is not open source, I think it’s important that spreading awareness could help and make Tesla better and their owners happier.

Super Charging Queue Implementation:

A big problem with popular superchargers is that people have to wait. While it may not be a big problem now, in the future, a queue implementation that’s calculated based on an ETA would save drivers lots of time from waiting in their car. They can be running errands at a nearby store while they are waiting their turn in the queue line or spend time with their family.

Better explained here: https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/supercharger-queue-management-community-app

Another potential solution is to be able to book out a spot to charge.

Mockups I created on Figma:

The queue could be tweaked to:

• Allow people to allow the person behind to go ahead.
• Use location to verify driver’s distance to the queue. If they are still far out, then the queue will automatically allow others to take their place
• Select a specific spot or automatically give larger spots to vehicles who are towing things in the back

Inspired by:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndqVW4b0Y1c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFSXDhBXUQg

Customizability:

The banner and many of the buttons should be customizable.

Reason: The homelink section is too far to the right, drivers have to reach really far to reach to open their garages/gates

Click on the battery icon to change between percentage, range left, and

Inspired by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErE-UnQO-DE

Vehicle Configuration Synchronization:

If you’re on a road trip and your friend who also drives a Tesla might want to switch with you or when Tesla taxis roll out, they will probably still need a driver at the front. With that in mind, since Tesla drivers may be switching from car to car, wouldn’t it be nice to to walk into a car, login with your Tesla credentials and the car would readjust to the user’s configuration from the cloud?

Obviously the Model X and S would have different configurations, but the idea is still there. Drivers can have different profiles that can be saved.

Features that could sync:

• Mirror settings
• Dashboard configurations (if implemented)
• Seat configuration
• Web browser bookmarks
• Car bluetooth settings
• Units (imperial/metric)
• Vehicle settings (Brake regen, locks, brightness, etc.)

Improved Navigation System with superchargers:

A common problem with long distance travel is that the auto routing to superchargers tend to leave a more conservative amount of battery. It would be very useful to have customizability integrated in the system. That way, drivers can potentially reach their destinations faster, mitigating driver fatigue, and reducing stigma behind buying an electric car (range anxiety). Currently, a solution exists on the following website:

A Better Routeplanner

Understandably, climate conditions and other various factors could reduce range, however I feel like drivers should be given more control as to how they plan their route and utilize their Tesla’s maximum potential as well as allowing drivers to take the risk if they so intend to.

Credits:

Tesla Model 3 Figma UI kit - FigmaCrush.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiBftPFmkBA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vo9e8dXoIg

Being fascinated with Teslas, I found myself spending a lot of time watching review videos. Instead of watching hours of videos from owners, here are some of the things I’ve noticed that can be improved on Tesla’s software. Although I don’t currently own a Tesla and Tesla’s dashboard software is not open source, I think it’s important that spreading awareness could help and make Tesla better and their owners happier.

Super Charging Queue Implementation:

A big problem with popular superchargers is that people have to wait. While it may not be a big problem now, in the future, a queue implementation that’s calculated based on an ETA would save drivers lots of time from waiting in their car. They can be running errands at a nearby store while they are waiting their turn in the queue line or spend time with their family.

Better explained here: https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forums/supercharger-queue-management-community-app

Another potential solution is to be able to book out a spot to charge.

Mockups I created on Figma:

The queue could be tweaked to:

• Allow people to allow the person behind to go ahead.
• Use location to verify driver’s distance to the queue. If they are still far out, then the queue will automatically allow others to take their place
• Select a specific spot or automatically give larger spots to vehicles who are towing things in the back

Inspired by:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndqVW4b0Y1c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFSXDhBXUQg

Customizability:

The banner and many of the buttons should be customizable.

Reason: The homelink section is too far to the right, drivers have to reach really far to reach to open their garages/gates

Click on the battery icon to change between percentage, range left, and

Inspired by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErE-UnQO-DE

Vehicle Configuration Synchronization:

If you’re on a road trip and your friend who also drives a Tesla might want to switch with you or when Tesla taxis roll out, they will probably still need a driver at the front. With that in mind, since Tesla drivers may be switching from car to car, wouldn’t it be nice to to walk into a car, login with your Tesla credentials and the car would readjust to the user’s configuration from the cloud?

Obviously the Model X and S would have different configurations, but the idea is still there. Drivers can have different profiles that can be saved.

Features that could sync:

• Mirror settings
• Dashboard configurations (if implemented)
• Seat configuration
• Web browser bookmarks
• Car bluetooth settings
• Units (imperial/metric)
• Vehicle settings (Brake regen, locks, brightness, etc.)

Improved Navigation System with superchargers:

A common problem with long distance travel is that the auto routing to superchargers tend to leave a more conservative amount of battery. It would be very useful to have customizability integrated in the system. That way, drivers can potentially reach their destinations faster, mitigating driver fatigue, and reducing stigma behind buying an electric car (range anxiety). Currently, a solution exists on the following website:

A Better Routeplanner

Understandably, climate conditions and other various factors could reduce range, however I feel like drivers should be given more control as to how they plan their route and utilize their Tesla’s maximum potential as well as allowing drivers to take the risk if they so intend to.

Credits:

Tesla Model 3 Figma UI kit - FigmaCrush.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiBftPFmkBA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vo9e8dXoIg