Despite being one of the smallest countries in Europe, Belgium has a lot to offer travelers – medieval castles, modern architecture, a world-renowned fashion scene, great food, and more than 1000 brands of beer – really!

Belgium also has not one, but three official languages. Luckily, more than half of Belgians speak English, so it’s easy to get around – just be aware of the monolingual road signage (the language will depend on where in Belgium you are). Here are our top tips to help you make the most of a trip to Belgium.

1. Pack a raincoat

Influenced by the weather systems of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Belgium has a temperate maritime climate characterized by frequent precipitation and heavy cloud cover. The temperature rarely climbs above 22°C (72°F) in the summer, and thunderstorms are frequent – so you’ll want to pack rain gear, regardless of what time of year you visit.

2. Make the most of your trip by traveling around

There’s so much to see in Belgium, and it’s easy to travel from one place to the next by car or train, so we recommend splitting your time between several destinations. Get lost in the atmospheric streets of Bruges, hit the museums and fashion boutiques in Antwerp, lace up your hiking boots in Hoge Kempen National Park – the country’s only national park – and visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Grand Place in Brussels. Most cities are within a few hours of one another, making it easy to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.

3. Bring pocket change in case you need to spend a penny

In Belgium, free public restrooms are virtually non-existent. Most public facilities charge and few accept credit cards, so you’ll want to carry loose some euros and cents in change. Expect to pay around €0.50 (US$0.54) per visit – get into the habit of using the washroom before leaving the hotel or restaurant.

4. Swap taxis for public transport when you arrive in Brussels

Taxis in Brussels are among the most expensive in Europe – a cab ride between Brussels Airport and the city center will cost at least €3 (US$3.30) per km. While we won’t judge for splurging after a long-haul flight, the city’s excellent bus, tram and metro system will take you almost anywhere you need to go from 6am to midnight, seven days a week, including into town from the airport (for as little as €7/US$7.35 in total). For cheap, low-carbon transport, consider renting a bike through a bike-sharing platform, such as Villo!.

5. Don’t rush to rent a car

Belgium is car-friendly in many ways – you can drive from one end of the country to the other in a matter of hours, and nearly all the country’s motorways are fully lit at night. It’s also super easy to rent a car on the fly, thanks to car-sharing apps such as Poppy and Cambio.

At the same time, driving in Belgium can be quite an undertaking. Signage is mostly monolingual, and the names of places depend on which language is spoken. For example, the German border city of Aachen might appear on Belgian signs as Aix-la-Chapelle, the Flemish city of Ghent is also Gand, and Liège is also Lîdje, Luik and Lüttich.

6. When in doubt, speak English

Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. Dutch (specifically, the Flemish dialect) is primarily spoken in Flanders in the north, while French is mostly spoken in the southern region of Wallonia, and German is the default in eastern regions of the province of Liège. Brussels (also known as Brussel and Bruxelles) is officially bilingual, speaking Dutch and French.

With language at the center of Belgium’s knotty cultural identity debate, it’s best to speak English if you’re unsure of the dominant tongue wherever you happen to be. You’ll likely find that most people, especially in big cities such as Antwerp and Brussels, speak flawless English anyway.

7. Recycle like a Belgian

Belgians take recycling very seriously. In fact, the country boasts the highest recycling rate for household packaging in all of Europe (an impressive 94.9%). While you should always take care to recycle and reduce when you’re on the road away from home, you’ll want to be especially mindful of this when traveling through Belgium.

8. There’s no need to tip in Belgium

Tipping in Belgium isn’t a standard practice, nor is it expected, as most service staff are paid a fair living wage. Furthermore, most restaurants automatically include a 10–15% tip in the bill. If you think the service was excellent and want to leave more, you can always leave a few euros on the table after your meal.

9. Extend a hand in greeting

How do you greet people in Belgium? It depends on where you are. Most people in Brussels prefer a handshake, while most folks in French-speaking Wallonia will turn a cheek for a kiss. To play it safe in these Covid-aware times, we recommend extending a hand to test the waters.

10. Don’t leave your shopping for Sunday

If you need to stock up at the supermarket or buy souvenirs, don’t plan on doing it on a Sunday. As most Belgians are Roman Catholic, many shops are closed on Sundays, including major grocery stores and banks

11. Drink beer, lots of lovely beer

Belgium is home to over 300 breweries and more than 1000 types of Belgian beer. So, it’s practically a requirement to imbibe while you’re there (and honestly, you might be judged if you order a glass of vino instead of a homegrown brew at the local pub). Try everything from pilsners and witbier to Trappist ales and naturally fermented lambics.

Oh, and don’t expect to chug your Duvel out of any old glass. Belgians love their glassware, and you’ll find a dizzying array of options, from tulips and flutes to goblets and tankards.

12. Smoke pot if you like (but be smart about it)

In Belgium, adults 18 and older can enjoy cannabis for recreational purposes. Possession is decriminalized, and it’s legal to possess up to 3 grams of cannabis, so long as no “public nuisance” is caused. However, don’t expect to find cannabis-serving ‘coffee shops’ of the kind found in the Netherlands; Belgium is not nearly as pot-friendly as its northern neighbor, so puff discretely.

13. Can you drink tap water in Belgium?

Yes, you certainly can. Some even say the tap water is even better than the bottled mineral kind you get in the supermarket (bring a water bottle to save on plastic).

14. You can feel safe about being yourself

In 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, and the country’s long-held progressive values and vibrant nightlife make it a top destination for LGBTIQ+ travelers. Brussels has long been the center of the scene – the city’s La Demence event draws partiers from all over the world 12 times a year – but even smaller towns such as Bruges and Ghent are getting in on the action.

15. Have fun – but be cautious of petty crime

Generally speaking, Belgium is a safe country with relatively low crime rates. For most travelers, the biggest risk is pickpocketing and bag-snatching in crowded areas. However, in recent years, there has been a rise in terrorist attacks across Belgium – travelers should exercise vigilance, particularly in Brussels, where international organizations, including NATO and the EU, are headquartered.

Imagine yourself in Sydney, or maybe Melbourne, walking along a standard suburban street. You’re carrying a camera as you explore the neighbourhood, a big DSLR with a long lens.

You turn a corner, onto a quiet cul-de-sac, and there’s a child playing outside a house, in their front yard. Perfect. You get a little closer then raise the camera and start snapping away, taking photo after photo of the child as he or she plays in the garden. Great. Maybe you’ll put it on Instagram later.

This sounds… weird, huh? Creepy. In fact, you just wouldn’t do it. You would probably call the police if you saw someone else doing it.

And yet, this is what travellers do day in, day out, as if it’s completely normal. Not in the fenced communities of the developed world, of course – not in Sydney or Melbourne or London or Paris. Because that would be weird.

Instead, we do it in poor communities in the developing world. In villages. In small, struggling communities. We turn up with our fancy cameras and our iPhones and we take photos of children, strangers to us, like it’s completely normal, like it’s OK, even without their express permission, and certainly without the permission of a parent or responsible minder.

I’ve seen it happen for years. I’ve seen it happen recently. Check your social media feed and I’m sure you will find evidence of it.

Why do travellers do this, photograph foreign children in poor communities? There are a few justifications. The most common is that this is a simple, universally understandable way to interact: you take a photo, then you turn the camera around and show the child the photo. Everyone laughs, you have fun.

And I can see that that’s real, that’s genuine. But it still doesn’t change the fact that these children aren’t tourist attractions, they’re people, and they can’t properly consent to having their photo taken. And they definitely can’t control what you do with that photo once you’ve walked away and gone back to your nice hotel with wifi.

Have you uploaded their image to the internet, to your social media feed? Have you geotagged the location, thus revealing to the world where these particular children can be found? Have you sought the dopamine hit of clicks and likes without really taking into account the rights and the desires of the people in your picture?

There’s another explanation for this behaviour, and it isn’t a pleasant one. Essentially, travellers from the developed world tend to feel a sense of paternal ownership of people from communities in developing countries.

We feel a right to treat poor people – and let’s say it out loud, usually people of colour – differently to the way we approach people back home. Picture that suburban street in Sydney or Melbourne. You would just never take a photo of a child in a situation like that. But travellers feel confident to do it in poor communities because the same rules don’t apply.

It’s colonialist. It’s entitled. It’s frankly racist.

It’s also usually entirely self-serving, particularly for those who insist on appearing in the photo with the children to later post on public forums. It’s a way of projecting to the world something about yourself – here I am in an orphanage, in a school, in a village, just mixing with the little poor kids, and we’re all having a great time.

You’re not taking photos like that or posting photos like that to social media for any other reason than your own gratification. And meanwhile you perpetuate the stereotype of these children and their communities needing help from the developed world, or just being so overjoyed by your mere presence.

Here’s something else to consider, too: it’s actually quite condescending to even imagine that you’re flipping the camera around and showing these kids an image of themselves for the first time. That might have been true when you were travelling 10 or 20 years ago, but these days smartphones rule the world. Half of your subjects probably have cameras of their own. They’ve seen what they look like.

Plus, if you’re there visiting them they probably live in a touristy area. This is not the first time a white person with an iPhone has rocked up.

Travellers and travel providers are starting to wise up to this. I was on a tour recently with G Adventures (for full disclosure, I was travelling as a guest of the company), and the rules for the group were announced on day one: no taking photos of children, unless you can obtain the permission of their parent or guardian.

That’s a rule that every traveller on every trip should be going by. It might sound like this is the fun police ruining potential, genuinely good interactions between travellers and residents of other countries, but you only have to think back to that Sydney or Melbourne street to realise that what you’re doing isn’t right.

In fact, that’s generally a great question to ask yourself any time you’re doing anything while travelling, though particularly through the developing world. Would I do this at home? Would this be OK in my country, in my city?

If the answer is no – just don’t do it.

Travelling is always fun but it has its own shortcomings! And if you are a mountain lover, then your trips will definitely make you aware of Acute Mountain Sickness(AMS) in high altitude areas. But that’s never a reason enough to not backpack around the magnificent mountains across the world! So here are a few points to help you deal with AMS while travelling in high altitudes with less oxygen.

1. Proceed Slowly In Mountain Regions

The first thing to do while travelling in mountainous regions where you have less oxygen is to understand the value of time and patience. These are your keys to dealing with altitude sickness. You need to proceed slowly, let your body relax, and rest. If you are on a bike, ride slowly. And keep in mind, after a climb above 2400 meters, you have to allow your body enough time to acclimatize.

2. Ginger Water Is A Saviour In Mountain Regions

Suffering from altitude sickness during your mountain trips? Ginger is one of the best medicines for you! Before a climb or a ride on any high-altitude region, just grind some ginger to extract the juice. Make sure you consume 1 tbsp of it in a glass of water the morning before you start travelling. And if you worry about what happens during your journey, carry along the remaining ginger juice and have it midway when you feel nauseous.

3. Best Sleeping Habits When In High Altitude Regions

Your regular sleeping habits will need a change in high-altitude mountain ranges. If you want to avoid AMS, try to avoid sleeping during the day and at a place where you have altitude sickness. Once any symptoms start, stop immediately and let your body rest. However, proceed downward if you don’t get better. Your sleeping position matters a lot as well. It is advisable you sleep in an upright position and with your head on a pillow.

4. Avoid Smoking & Alcohol In High Altitude Regions

It’s no secret that with an increase in altitude, the number of oxygen molecules per breath gets reduced. And with roughly 40% fewer oxygen molecules per breath, your body is bound to adjust to having less oxygen. So smoking and alcohol in such a situation will only interfere with the body’s oxygen metabolism. So be safe!

5. Lavender Oil/Garlic

Just like Ginger water is a saviour, garlic and lavender oil too help in tackling AMS. Just apply 2 to 3 drops of lavender oil to your head and it will instantly decrease the restlessness or stomach discomfort that you might get because of AMS.

Garlic is another food item that reduces altitude sickness in mountain regions. Chew garlic once in a while during your journey and it will help the body use oxygen more efficiently.

New Country, New Food. It’s inevitable, isn’t it?

Well, food is one of those things you will need to try out when travelling or going on a vacation to a new country. You can’t just go to new places and not try out their meals. It feels like a taboo not to. So, how does one locate a good restaurant when travelling?

Most of the time, it can be hard to locate restaurants in a new city because you are unfamiliar with the place. If you’re fortunate, having a tour guide may help you locate one fast.

7 tips for finding a good restaurant while travelling

1.) Plan and book a culinary walking tour

You can start by doing research on the types of restaurants that are available in the country you’re visiting. Research their foods, menu, and price so you will have a bit of knowledge about what to expect.

Reservations could also be made for yourself or your family if you are in a group.

You can also opt-in for a walking tour, where you walk around trying out different restaurants and their meals. It is a good idea as you can decide which restaurant serves the best menu – and also the ones whose price best suits your budget.

Also, you get a good idea of places you should visit and places you shouldn’t.

In all, the tour guide takes you around the area and also gives recommendations on what food you try on the menu and what not to. They also help with the language, especially if you don’t know it.

2.) Read regional publications and food bloggers’ articles

Another way to find restaurants while travelling is by reading articles by local food bloggers. These local bloggers talk about the different foods in their respective countries. They also talk about the best restaurants that you should visit with their locations.

All you need to do is search for a phrase containing the keyword ‘restaurant’ and the country you’re going to on Google. Then try to read different blogs about restaurants in that particular country. Also, while you are at it, you could look at reviews of different restaurants before you visit.

The reviews will tell you a lot about the restaurants, services, and menu. It will help in your decision-making and selection of restaurants that you will visit.

Suppose you are not satisfied with the online information, you can try to look for publications and magazines with food-related content and read about local dishes. You might even get a list of restaurants and locations if you’re lucky.

3.) Ask real people

Recommendation is another effective way to locate restaurants in a new country. Understandably, some locals might not be friendly. However, there are a lot of options to ask from. For example, you can get information about restaurants from your hotel attendants. They’re always ready to help out and give you the best recommendations.

You can even ask other travellers on the plane, in the bus, or talk to your cab driver. They might have one or two recommendations for you.

You might also have friends that have been to the country you are visiting. Or maybe they know someone that has been there before. You can ask them questions about restaurants in the country you’re seeing.

Social media is another tool to get the necessary information about restaurants. You could start by making a post on your social media platform and asking people for their opinion.

You could also type the keyword or use hashtags of what you are looking for on your social platform. If you are lucky, you might see posts of people about restaurants in that particular country or area.

After getting the information you need about different restaurants, you can go on IG and view their pages. This will assist in reducing your alternatives to those that fit within your spending limit.

4.) Look for local restaurants

It’s a vacation, and you are in a new place. It doesn’t make sense to start looking for meals you are used to. Try to look for local restaurants and try out their foods. That’s one main reason you visit to learn and get more exposure. You might also learn new recipes you can try out when you get back home.

Also, you must stick to things you know to go with your locations. For example, you might be visiting a place in India where you don’t expect to find meat steak in such areas. Except maybe you visit more expensive restaurants in India that have that on their menu.

Finally, before you go to this restaurant, try to check if the people patronising them are locals or tourists like you. You’ll have a better understanding of what to anticipate and the kinds of meals that will be offered.

5.) Avoid restaurants in a tourist area

This is another essential tip you should know before travelling to a new place. Food in this area might not be the best, and most of them are pretty expensive as it is an area where most tourists visit.

The best thing to do is to look for restaurants in different parts of the city, especially inside the neighbourhoods. These places tend to be more conducive than tourist-focused restaurants, which might be a bit rowdy and noisy.

This is why you must also conduct proper research before visiting to avoid such places. Most times, the people you ask, like cab drivers, will always refer you to places like this.

6.) Download essential apps

These apps will try to assist you as you navigate around the city. One app you could start with or should have will be Google Maps. This will help you find places easily and help you when you get lost. This might come in handy for you, especially when visiting. It is also essential for you if you plan to drive in a while visiting.

There are also apps, like Nicelocal, that give you updates on discounts for hotels, restaurants, and bars. The primary goal of some of these apps is to give you more information about the area you are visiting. They also provide information about the ideal time to reserve a seat. What is the one appetiser that everyone adores? Are reservations accepted (for a later trip)? All this information you can get from downloading specific apps.

7.) Look for long queues

Restaurants that have long queues outside mean that they have good dishes.

You don’t have to wait in line before having to eat. Especially if it’s a restaurant that serves good meals, you can always come back or, better still, find out why they have long queues. Then look for the best time to return.

You could even go into the restaurant and ask their workers if it’s possible for you to make reservations. If they do, you can make your reservations and return at a later time.

What Not to Eat While on Vacation

There are some things you will need to avoid while on vacation. Food is essential, but it doesn’t mean you should risk your health or neglect other factors because you want to stuff your tummy.

First, as we mentioned earlier, avoid places that attract many tourists. It is a bad idea. Why? Because the price in areas like this might be over the roof and above your budget. Try to look for restaurants inside the city if you want to dine.

Secondly, avoid restaurants that have people at the door. Please do not allow them to force you into their restaurants. It is a trap, and the food might not be good. If it’s a good restaurant, they don’t need to usher people inside or require the services of a doorman.

Again, restaurants that have empty seats should be avoided. It only means one thing, the food is terrible. Try to look for other restaurants that offer better services.

Additionally, watch out for cooked food left to sit at room temperature or warmer, like on a buffet. Such foods can get you sick.

Also, Refrain from consuming fresh salsas and other sauces or condiments produced from uncooked fruits or vegetables.

Finally, be cautious when eating food from street vendors. Follow the same food safety precautions as you would with other foods if you decide to consume street food. For instance, a food is more likely to be safe if you see it come immediately off the grill, cooked, or crazily hot.