The most useful Advice I can give to travelers out there is do not fall prey to the one thing that can absolutely ruin your vacation to Europe if you are flying from the States, or any other points more than 4 or 5 hours ahead East of where you may be, and that is JET LAG.
The fatigue, the sleepy days and sleepless nights, a twisted, upside down, and completely contorted body clock can plague the most well-planned holiday abroad. Believe me, I know, and I've been traveling for years, and I should know better. In fact, I'm suffering from it right now, because I didn't follow my own advice this time.
One slip can catapult you into a week of wasted days Sleeping past noon, or worse, past 3pm, and then finding yourself unable to fall asleep until 4, 5 or 6 in the morning. Great if you're in Spain, but for just about anywhere else, a big mistake. You can lose hundreds of dollars on missed excursions, and museum visits, not to mention, your precious shopping time. Banks will be closed by the time you wake up, and in some countries you'll find many places closing up by the time you venture out of your hotel.
My advice then?
Do not under any circumstances go to sleep when you arrive at your hotel. Do not even look at the pillow. You will be very tempted. You will be Exhausted because you stayed up watching movies on the plane you would never see in the cinema. Most likely, when you land at the airport it will be very early in the morning--the middle of the night your time, but do not even think about sleeping. Have a shower, go outside, take a walk, get some breakfast, keep moving!
Then, once the sun sets, earlier than your Normal bedtime, sometime after dinner, when you are so exhausted you can't keep your eyes open, then, and only then, should you get into bed. You will sleep like a log and wake up feeling quite normal and ready to enjoy a well-earned vacation for the next two weeks, rather than sleeping all that money away.
