Arrived at the central train station (hauptbahnhof) and have no idea how can I get to the dorm.

Lost in the central area and with no idea how the city operates, where should I wait for the bus (even Google Maps can’t help me 😰). And to make things worse, my 30kg suitcase 🧳 malfunctioned (the wheels broke).

But anyway, I am still here after all that because I got help from a friend who guide me back to the dorm (and only then I realized the dorm is pretty far from the city centre).

Why do I even lost even though I travel so much? That is mostly because it is a small city where is not really tourist-friendly as the big city like Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin, etc.

Here are some of the reasons why:

• Google Maps 🗺️: don’t really have all the info for the public transportations. As for in city like Reutlingen, their bus system change and the Google Maps barely can catch-up with it so you just gonna tortured yourself if you ever try to Google-Mapped in a small German city…
• Language barriers 🌐: In smaller cities, locals may be less likely to speak English or other foreign languages, making communication more challenging for newcomers. But as my school have a lot of international students so I had support from people around me to guide thru this city. (German-only navigating sign is the cherry on top fr).

So these are two of the biggest reasons why it is a “pain in the ass” to navigate in smaller city. I will have a post on how to navigate thru Germany with ease (even if you want to visit some random small town in Germany).

But however, small city will give you a scene that you would see anywhere on social media, on Tiktok or Instagram reels.

The experience there is authentic, unfiltered and exciting as you don’t know what await you there, everything is new, no expectation and just you trying to explore it by foot with no rush on “I have to visit all the touristy spot before the end of the day”.

Maybe it won’t be as exciting as big/touristy city but who know you will have some exclusive memories for your own that barely any traveller ever have, a story that you can tell years to come.

And I glad I did 🎊.