From precariously cruising through the elegant sights and manicured parks of Madrid on a segway to traversing Winston Churchill’s underground bunker where he orchestrated the Second World War from in London and marvelling at the majestic windmills dotting the riverbank at Zaanse Schans just outside of Amsterdam, it’s almost beyond belief to say that I’ve checked them all off.
Call it quarter-life crisis intrepidness if you will, but I’ve spent the past two months gallivanting through half of Europe solo and without a set plan. No, it wasn’t the first time I travelled sans company, though I had never step foot in another continent prior. Time really does fly by when you’re having fun and I still pinch myself thinking, “How did I manage to do that all on my own?”
Press me if you dare. I will start shoving Anthony Bourdain-esque travel quotes down your throat and won’t stop convincing you to embark on your own eat, pray, love jaunt until you’ve locked down that flight ticket out of the city. While that’s for another day, allow me to divulge on how I journeyed through 18 cities and 9 countries within Europe solo without any precise planning.
Introducing Klook – An in-destination booking platform extending handpicked activities, experiences, tours and other travel conveniences worldwide. Although Asia has been its primary focus since its inception in 2014, the Hong Kong-based platform now operates over 100 destinations around the globe and its latest precedence just so happens to be an Europe-wide domination.
Here’s how Klook made travelling through Europe a breeze for me
Most long-term travellers have a rough idea of everything they want to experience on their adventures, but the majority will concur that they do not believe in a day-to-day plan – for good reason. Real travelling entails getting lost in the culture and wonders of a foreign place at your own pace with room for spontaneity, unlike following a checklist of overhyped tourist destinations diligently.
Having a detailed itinerary means having to commit your time to certain things and it can be stifling when things don’t work out the way they should. My own research was paramount, but I also relied on Klook’s in-house travel guides to weigh out my options. They are short and straight forward, predominantly practical for first timers who are clueless as to where they should begin.
Browsing through the user-friendly website and app is like child’s play. All the offerings are categorised neatly according to each city and more importantly, all the information you need is accurately displayed. Instead of having to log onto multiple websites to lock down tickets for numerous attractions and experiences, I was able to do it within a single platform which is God sent.
Once the bookings are made, Klook sends over confirmation emails with detailed instructions as to how you can redeem these activities and experiences. Some listings are as effortless as having to flash the QR code attached in the confirmation email to gain entry, whereas others required a little more work – There were times I had to collect the tickets physically or was asked to present a printed voucher.
Another feature I really appreciated was that Klook allowed me to be in control of my own freedom by offering sheer flexibility should I have decided to change my plans around. Most cancellations can be done for free with prior notice and the reimbursed credits can then be used to make future bookings. Travelling gets exhausting and admittedly, my fickle mind was undecided one too many times.
Klook comes in handy regardless of how you choose to travel and now I’ll never embark on another voyage of self-discovery without it. Stay tuned to read about a handful of experiences I purchased off Klook and thoroughly enjoyed next week!
Jetting off soon? Access www.klook.com to start browsing through various the experiences and activities you can enjoy.
