Anxious European Travels Part 1: Oktoberfest
It’s been some time since I’ve embarked on my anxious travels, and while I typically am less anxious to travel when I’m doing it frequently, I decided to casually rip off the bandaid with a trip to Europe (no big deal). If you would have asked me three years ago when I developed a panic disorder if I’d be going to Europe in the next couple years, let alone twice in two years, I would have likely laughed. At the time, I thought that I would never be able to get on a plane again. What really triggers my anxiety is a feeling of being trapped, and a plane (or the germ filled tin tube, as I like to call it) is pretty much the epitome of that. But here I am jet setting to Europe -- who would’ve thought? Not me, by the way.
Thanks to a pretty strict travel routine, self work, and my old friend Xanax, I conquered the trip to Europe like a damn champion. Our first stop was Munich, a place I had visited the year prior. So I felt comfortable with the city which is always really helpful. Most Germans also speak fluent English, so it’s a very easy city to navigate as well. There was one moment when the crowds were intense and I found myself trapped outside of a beer tent with all my family inside, but the tears in my eyes allowed the security guard to thankfully let me back in. They were authentic, after all, I’m not that good of an actress...
Oktoberfest can be an overwhelming and crowded experience for the anxious, but thankfully I have tips and tricks to navigate those situations (guide to navigating an outdoor festival here).
Here’s part 1 of my recap!
Oktoberfest Experience
Dress the Part
The locals actually call the fest Wiesen, which is short for Theresienwiese, a name given to the fields where Oktoberfest are located and originated in celebration of the Bavarian Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese. Many locals attend this event, so I recommend purchasing traditional dirndl or lederhosen. If you show up in a costume (or regular clothes) you will not only stick out like a tourist, but it's totally disrespectful to the German culture. We purchased our traditional clothing upon arrival at Ludwig Beck, which is a high end department store in the middle of the City Center.
Top Tents
Schutzen
Augustiner
Schottenhamel
I recommend attending on a Sunday & Monday—Saturday this year was nothing short of insanity. If you go on a Sunday all of the locals will be there, but fewer tourists so you will be able to find seats at different tents. It’s the perfect combination. You will want to tent hop! The tents are massive structures that are so beautifully and uniquely designed, and all worth checking out. Oktoberfest also has a great app that has a map of the festival and shows capacity levels at each tent (they will be at 95% by 2pm, by the way!). Here are some of my favorite tents for a variety of reasons:
Schützen-Festzelt: Smaller tent slightly off the beaten path, has a lot of locals
Schottenhamel: Where I made so many German friends! This tent is a blast.
Hacker-Festzelt: This tent is gorgeous, but is on the tamer side. Worth seeing for a stein early in the day.
Augustiner-Festhalle: The best beer!
Pschorr-Bräurosl: Tons of singing at this tent - we walked in to John Denver “Country Roads” and I was sold.
Best Practices
The tents do not take credit cards, so bring plenty of Euro (my sister and I had a zero Euro situation and let’s just say the ATM fees are less than ideal). You’ll want to pace yourself with the steins, because although the Oktoberfest beer hovers around 6% in alcohol, it’s brewed with the German purity law which means it only contains barley, hops, yeast and water. This makes it easy flowing and not filling - dangerous! On that note, make sure you eat as well. The tents have traditional German food, and I’d personally recommend trying some of the roasted chicken and spaetzle.
Prost!
Be prepared to make some new friends! Unless you arrive early in the morning waiting for the fest to open, or you book a table a year in advance (you should probably do that if you have 6 or more people), you will have to essentially crash people’s tables. Everyone is really friendly and cool though, which is really what makes Oktoberfest so incredible. Worth noting, you must be sitting at a table to be served any food or alcohol. So go ahead and just make yourself right at home.
Out and About
I would recommend taking a day to explore the city of Munich. It’s a beautiful city that’s very much walkable and full of history. You can check out the historic beer halls, and also see areas such as Viscardigasse, which is a small gold paved alley that residents took to avoid giving the Nazi salute to a monument supporting Hitler’s movement. We stayed at The Charles Hotel this year, and it was a really great experience. It was within walking distance to the festival. But also not directly next to a train stop so it was nice and quiet at night. We either walked or took a rickshaw to and from the fest and it was really simple. They have a really great late night club sandwich and fries that I ate every night as well, just saying. Like I said, eating is important while throwing back steins all day.
Ein Prosit der Gemulichkeit!