Planning a trip to Europe? Avoid these 10 costly mistakes
Planning a trip to Europe this year and deep in the list-making process? Now’s a great time to quickly review your itinerary and “trip strategy” to make sure that you’re not about to make any common mistakes that will add unnecessarily to your travel costs.
From hotels to flights, rental cars, and train tickets, there are several things to keep in mind before you hit “book”. Regular readers might recognize a few of these tips from posts in previous years (including “10 Ways to Save Before Leaving for Europe”). They’ve been included below if they’re still important today, and if they represent a budget travel faux pas worth avoiding.
Related: The best budget hotels in Paris, Venice, Barcelona, and London.
1. Don’t over-pack your itinerary with too many destinations.
American travelers (myself included) tend to over-pack our itineraries when planning trips to Europe. It’s understandable — for many, vacation days are scarce and trips abroad infrequent. There’s a natural tendency to try to jam as many cities and countries as possible into our trips, as we don’t always know when we’ll be back!
However, this can be costly (not to mention exhausting), as over-packing trips with too many destinations in too few days leads to more time on the road, and more gas or train tickets. In extreme cases, it can sabotage a trip, turning it into a blur of hotel check-ins and check-outs (with constant packing and unpacking), while watching a never-visited landscape race past the car windows. If possible, slow down. You’ll save on transportation and gain more time to explore your destinations.
Looking for a helpful itinerary? Check out our 10-day itineraries for Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
On Kayak, click into “Multi-city” to search for flights into one city and home from another.
2. Don’t race back to fly home.
When searching for flights from North America to Europe, don’t forget about “multi-city” and “open jaw” tickets. These are flights into one destination and home from another. These tickets often cost about the same amount as simple round-trip flights, but, depending on your itinerary, can save you the hassle and expense of returning to your arrival city.
For example, imagine you’re flying from Atlanta to Paris and then spending 10 days visiting France and Italy, winding up in Rome. You might instinctively book round-trip tickets from Atlanta to Paris, and then try to figure out how to speed from Rome back up to Paris at the end of the trip to fly home. Instead, click into “multiple destinations” or “multi-city” when researching flights, and search for Atlanta to Paris, and then Rome to Atlanta. You can often find a flight for about the same price as the simple round-trip airfare.
Note: If you’re planning to rent a car, “open jaw” flight can make rentals a bit trickier and more expensive. It’s almost always cheaper to pick up and drop off the car in the same location, and dropping off in a different country can add a huge fee to your rental (we’re talking about hundreds of euros). However, you could still book an “open jaw,” rent a car for travel in one country and then switch to train tickets for reaching the last leg of your trip.
3. Don’t assume you need to rent a car from day one.
Many travelers renting a car for their trip instinctively start their rental on the day they arrive, picking it up at the airport. However, if you’re planning to spend at least one day visiting your arrival city, you shouldn’t rent that car until you’re leaving town. This will help you save on the rental and parking, and help preserve your fragile jet-lagged sanity.
For example, imagine that you’re flying into Rome, spending two days visiting the city, and then heading off to explore Italy by car for a week. Start the car rental on the third day of your trip (the day you’re leaving town, not arriving). You’re going to be visiting Roman ruins and the great sights of the central historic city and the Vatican–the last thing you’re going to want to think about (or pay for!) is parking. You’ll be getting around by foot, bus, and Metro, or taxi.
The same holds for Paris, Amsterdam, London, Barcelona… really any major city with a well-preserved historic center. Driving your way around the town’s big sights isn’t going to happen (or at least it’s not going to happen twice). That car will wind up in an expensive garage.
Get the car on your way out of town. This will also give you flexibility in terms of pickup location, as rental car agencies offer a wide variety of pickup spots in most major cities, often with many options around the major train stations.
Related: Search rental cars in Europe | How to calculate the “real cost” of renting a car
The Hotel de Nice in Paris won’t show up on page one, but it’s worth filtering for.
4. Look past page one for that hotel.
So you’re searching, and searching, and searching for that perfect hotel. Remember when researching on most major hotel reservation websites that the hotel results are often ranked by those that the website wants you to book. In most cases, these “page one” results are hotels that pay the site the highest commission. It’s in the website’s best interest to show you these hotels first.
For budget-minded travelers, this often means looking past these “page one” results, no matter how many bells, whistles, and “Only 1 room left!” freak-out messages they throw at you. Filter by guest rating, neighborhood, and price, and start digging around to find the good stuff.
On EuroCheapo, we’re a bit different as we’ve already done this filtering and ranking for you (and we don’t believe in freak-out messages). We list our hotels by “CheapoFactor,” which is a formula that presents the top-rated hotels (including those reviewed by our editors) that have the lowest rates in the most central neighborhood. If you do a hotel search (in the box above or from our homepage) you’ll see these hotels by default.
Related: Our favorite cheap hotels in Paris packed with old-world charm
5. Don’t sacrifice location for small hotel savings.
If you’re struggling to decide between hotels that are within your budget, I recommend giving preference to the hotel with the more central location. Budget travelers, in particular, have a tendency to choose a hotel in a far-flung location that’s €10 cheaper than one in a more central neighborhood. I’m a strong proponent of paying a bit more for something more central, as you’ll save time and money on transportation (especially if you wind up taking taxis).
Related: How to save on hotels in Europe
You can almost always save by not using a rail pass. Above, Munich’s main station. Photo: jseita
6. Don’t assume that you need to buy a rail pass.
As we’ve mentioned in several posts throughout the years on the blog, European rail passes sold to American travelers usually don’t save you any money. Unless you’re spending most of your travel days taking long-distance high-speed trains, buying a rail pass is probably going to be an unnecessary expense.
These days, the official websites of Europe’s main railways (SNCF in France, Trenitalia in Italy, Renfe in Spain, Deutsche Bahn in Germany, among many others) are easily searched in English and offer great deals on high-speed and long-distance trains when booked a few months in advance. Buy these tickets like the locals: Book early and get great discounts.
For example, during a recent to Paris, Munich, and Venice, I took two trips by train, one high-speed (TGV and ICE) from Paris to Munich, and one Intercity train from Munich to Venice, on a romantic voyage straight through the Alps. Booked directly through the official rail websites about two weeks before the trip, the first ticket cost €74, while the second trip was only €69. These two trips covered several countries and cost only €143 for first-class travel. A rail pass would not have made these more affordable.
Having said that, there are still some reasons why you might want to book a rail pass. They do allow for greater flexibility in your schedule — you can determine your schedule at the last minute and not worry about paying more for the ticket (although you still risk sold-out trains). And yes, if you plan to take a great number of long-distance trains, it can pay for itself. They come with some other benefits, as well, like a new family discount in 2015 that allows two children to travel for free with a Eurail pass-carrying adult.
Related: Read previous posts about booking rail tickets, how to book slower trains in Europe, the three-month rule for high-speed tickets, how to save on French rail tickets, and booking German rail tickets.
7. Don’t pre-book the small stuff.
It’s now easier than ever to pre-book activities in each of the cities you’ll be visiting. You can book museum tickets and passes, walking tours, boat cruises… The list is endless and quite tempting. However, try to remain calm and limit the number of smaller activities that you pre-book, as you risk wasting cash and causing disappointment.
In the fun lead-up to your departure, there’s a tendency to forget about the unplanned realities that always creep into a trip. Things happen, people get tired, blisters form, the weather doesn’t cooperate. Making plans and compiling itineraries is a great idea — but pre-booking every small attraction puts you at the risk of burning out, skipping things and wasting money. You’re not going to know what speed you’re able to travel at until you get on the ground.
Having said that, a couple of high-profile sights are worth pre-booking, especially during high season when their lines could lead to long waits, or worse, not being able to get in. These include tickets to the Eiffel Tower (book in advance through the tower’s website), tickets to the Alhambra in Granada, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, the Vatican museums, and to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (again, skip the ticket line).
8. Don’t write off guidebooks.
Okay, I know that I’ll hear from detractors on this one, as it’s now fashionable to ditch heavy guidebooks in favor of apps and free information that you can pull up on your phone, tablet, and laptop. But I’m here to say that the best guidebooks out there can greatly enrich your trip and yes, can help you save time and cash by allowing you to put away your electronic devices.
When I was in Athens on a recent trip, I spent several days running around town with my Rick Steves‘ guidebook, following their informative (and often humorous) walking tours, getting restaurant advice, and gaining an understanding of how the city worked. That book was my companion, folded, dog-eared, and often tucked under my arm. Its value became doubly-obvious when I witnessed a couple in the ancient Agora trying to read information off of their iPad in the blazing hot sun. It wasn’t happening.
Relying on electronics is risky and can be unnecessarily costly. Batteries die. Sun makes it hard to read. And data charges are incredibly expensive. Don’t underestimate the value that a $20 guidebook provides.
9. Don’t forget to call your phone carrier.
As we have written in several previous posts if you plan to use your phone abroad, call your carrier before leaving to discuss your international options. First, you should make sure that your phone works abroad and has been activated for international use. Secondly, you should discuss with your carrier the costs associated with using your phone to place calls, send texts, send emails, and access the internet.
AT&T, for example, has recently changed their international packages, and now offers an “International Day Pass” and a “Passport Package” that bundles together unlimited texting, data (to send emails and use the Web), and cheaper calling rates. These packages start at $10 per day and $60 for 30 days — and make good sense for anyone considering using their phone while traveling. (Check out Verizon offers similar plans.)
“Winging it” without knowing how much you’ll be charged is not recommended. Call your carrier, get a plan if you plan to use your phone, and then make sure you set up your phone to avoid accidental data charges (in brief: turn off cellular data and restrict the number of apps that can use cellular data). And, as a plan, stick to free Wi-Fi networks for downloading and sending emails, checking the Web and using apps.
Another option? Buy a SIM card for your phone when you get to Europe. Here’s our handy guide: Buying a SIM Card in Europe: The cheapest way to use a smartphone while traveling. We have also done the research to find the best SIM Cards to use in France, Spain, and Germany.
Withdrawing cash from ATM machines like this one in Berlin is almost always cheaper than converting dollars on your own. Photo: skohlmann
10. Don’t waste money getting euros before the trip.
Should you buy euros before your trip to Europe. Travelers waste a lot of money purchasing euros from their bank (or worse yet, from a currency exchange counter) before arriving in Europe. In most cases when exchanging money from home before a trip, you will pay dearly in fees, lousy exchange rates, or both. If exchanging a bit makes you more relaxed, go for it — just don’t overdo it.
I often arrive in Europe without a euro in my pocket. I head straight away to an ATM at the airport and withdraw cash using my American ATM card. It’s simple, and the exchange rate that I’m getting for the transaction is almost certainly better than any rate I’d get from my bank back home (especially once fees are factored in). Call your bank before you leave to ask about international ATM transaction fees, as they vary widely depending on the bank, the type of account you have (banks often wave transaction fees for premium accounts), and the type of ATM accessed abroad (your bank may have international locations or partnerships with local banks).
What if there isn’t an ATM at the airport? I’ve never experienced this. I have experienced long lines at the ATM, which has led me to use my credit card for purchases (rail or bus tickets into town, for example) until I found an ATM in the city without a line.
Related: Questions to ask your bank before you leave.
Your tips?
Have another mistake to avoid to add to our list? Share with us in the comments section below!
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Thanks for the valuable tips! Avoiding these 10 costly mistakes can save both money and stress during a European trip. Planning, research, and being mindful of these pitfalls will certainly enhance the travel experience and make it more enjoyable.
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I consider myself no longer a novice traveler to Europe. I HIGHLY recommend buying EUROs before leaving the states. I use Chase bank, it takes 2-4 days to receive and there is no fee to the bank for ordering. I stay away from ATMs and banks when traveling. You become a target to get robbed. I travel alone and to protect myself, I take my funds with me. I ALWAYS save funds for my next trip. I usually go to Europe twice a year for 6-8 weeks.
COVID has put me three trips behind. When we can start travelling again, pick pockets are going to be a horrible problem I am afraid, so, again, I would stay away from banks and ATMs.
I also recommend NOT to carry all your monies with you while out and about. I stay away from hotels, I use B&Bs for the home away from home feeling.
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Do your travel tips also work in Ireland?
Great post! I’m planning to visit Lisbon in May. My Iberia flight arrives in Barcelona at around 4:30pm. I’m thinking of flying to Lisbon early evening 7-8pm arriving in Lisboa in 2hrs.
My dilemma is whether to fly the same day to Lisboa or fly the following morning. My main concern is what if my flight from US is delayed and I will miss my flight from BCN to LIS.
Also is it pretty safe to arrive late at night in Lisbon? Would love to hear suggestions/advise. Thank you.
I agree that you do not need rental car from day one or even start thinking about discovering Europe by existing and quite dense network of trains/buses. There are even places in cities where you can put your luggage for a small charge so do not need to carry. It can be a locker in train station or even a shop. You can download Luggagehero or bagbnb app ,than search for available places in the city.
Also can consider to take door to door bus services from one place to another, which sounds extra money but actually it is affordable and easy, like Eurobusways
I’m planning a trip for my 20 year anniversary to Europe for 10 days. I definately want to go to London. What 2 other European cities would you recommend for first time trip?
Hi Leslie,
Congratulations on your anniversary! A fun trip would be to fly into London, then take the Eurostar train to Paris. Then you could take the train to Amsterdam and fly home from there.
We did the UK special. England, Wales and Scotland. We were in London for 5 days, then on to Salsbury to go to Stonehenge. While there also went to Bath. Next was Wales, just because. We stayed in Cardiff for 3 days, went to the Welsh Living museum, it was awesome! Then on to Edinburgh Scotland. We took trains for the long haul traveling. 1st class, which was the best. I loved Scotland, had the best time there. We did a tour of Loch Ness, several Whiskey tours and came home with some single malt scotch whiskeys that you can’t get anywhere but Scotland. We spent 4 days there. And they were full days. I don’t count travel days as vacation days.
Trying to pack in as many locations as possible may not be a bad thing per se 🙂 We recently found this service called Sidetrip https://www.sidetriptours.com/ that does these one-way transfers with local guides. It’s great for those that want to see places in between the major European capitals, but don’t have enough time to spend a night in each one. Renting a car and doing a road trip on your own can get pretty expensive as well, because of the crazy drop-off fees for one-way rentals. We did the Berlin-Prague route and liked it so much that we booked also the Prague-Vienna a few days later.
Travelex or some name similar to the travel company has recently purchased the bank ATM’s at the major airports. They contract with the banks using the bank name but charging a larger fee and paying the banks for assuming the operations of these ATMs. People should go to a bank even a bank in the airport and get euros. Do not buy any or many euros at the airport ATM’s. On long vacations and trips, this method has saved me a lot of money.
I totally agree with what you said about guide books! We try to use Rick Steves books wherever we go. HE has always been “spot on” and even taken to some unique spots we would have totally missed!
The points that you mentioned in the post is very important. I mainly liked the cash exchange point, traveler mostly exchanges the money in their hometown which may cost them more. Thanks for mentioning all the minute points which we ignore.
Hey Tom, Thanks for sharing these awesome tips especially calling a phone carrier. Very useful for me .
Don’t forget about the Schengen rule. I was planning an 8 month independent tour that I think has ballooned to 15 months due to the strict enforcement of the aforementioned rule. Three months in most of Europe and then you must be OUT of those countries for ANOTHER THREE MONTHS before being let back in! No one I know had ever heard of this as all of their trips were under three months.
You should write about road and motorways fees in Europe
Hey, Tom Meyers! Good post. Helpful. Keep writing. I’m 50+ and someone here is telling me it is time to move out of my burrow in Bangalore, India, to see London, Paris, Rome, and some places in the US. And I am supposed to do all this before I need a walking stick. So! Will be looking forward to reading your posts. Best, Sarath
do you have an email blog that i can subscribe ?
thank you
sharon
Your advice about not purchasing Euros at home is only partly on target, I think. 1) Although you may get a better rate using an ATM at your European destination, most banks slap on a conversion fee, and sometimes you pay twice – once to your home bank, once to the European bank where you are exchanging the money. So you will usually end up paying more than you would if you got the euros at home.
2) The best rate I have found is from AAA; when I recently checked, their no-fee service in my home city for members gave me a better rate than my bank.
3) Definitely don’t go to currency exchange places, whether in airports or in tourist centers – you are likely to get a terrible rate and pay a commission on top of that.
4) And definitely don’t carry with you more cash than you can afford to lose – that’s the other disadvantage of getting Euros while still at home.
5) And don’t worry very much about the exchange rates – we are talking pennies per dollar differences – go and enjoy your trip! But I’ve found over the years that it is smart to arrive with a few hundred dollars worth of Euros, and get some small bills in the mix too! 50 euro notes are not easy to break in many places.
Absolutely agree on Rick Steves. I’ve carried his guidebooks for years — he’s got Every. Thing. You. Need. Bus schedules, opening times, ticket prices, comparisons between train, bus, plane — how to avoid lines, must-sees and what to skip, little walking tours, maps, key foreign phrases, cheap eats, and cheap accommodations. (and he’s used them all himself — everywhere I stayed I asked about Rick Steves – they all remembered him checking in, staying, and asking if he could list them afterwards.) He lists plenty of bare-bones places for frugal travelers, but they’re always good value for the money spent. If I had a choice of losing my phone or my Rick Steves book in the middle of a country where I don’t speak the language — no contest, I’d keep the book! A friend I traveled with had a phone and a tablet, but the free Wifi hotels advertise is often weak or non-existent — we fell back on the book all the time. Before I travel I tear out all the info I won’t need on my route, then toss sections as I complete them. Very little added weight relative to the great value.
Maybe Rick recommends hotels with crappy wifi so that people will continue to buy his overrated books?(which is fine, as it keeps all the Americans together and away from the rest of us)
What a beautiful comment from someone who is clearly among the world elite. So sorry you have to encounter the dregs of society as they pass through your city. But, maybe take a look in the mirror to see what’s really arrogant, ugly and loathsome.
I agree with YOU Maureen!!
Great travel tips for visiting Europe. I’ve made many of the listed mistakes, it happens…. We’ve visited Europe 6 times and have spent time in 16 European countries. One tip we tell everyone is “Head to the iconic places as early or late as you can each day. It makes for early or late days but it’s so worth it to enjoy a place without crowds.” Great Post and travel on friends.
Thanks for these tips! I think Europe can be quite affordable if we know how to travel it 🙂
Btw, I just published a post about Itinerary, Budget, and Expenses for 2.5 Months Backpacking Trip in Europe, if you would like to read as well:
https://mishajohanna.com/2017/02/13/backpacking-europe-in-2-5-months-itinerary-budget-and-expenses-solo-female-traveller-from-indonesia/
Cheers,
Misha
Planning a trip for 3 weeks to Europe next year. Great post, thanks so much for you help!
http://www.theweekendabroad.wordpress.com
Very very useful information. I am having my trip to Florence this novemberI which is sponsored by my company. I wanted to explore paris as well for next two days. So, I was looking for various guidance, since this is first time I am out of my country , India.
A few points, if I may?
On the phone question: you mention AT&T and Verizon’s plans, but you forgot the big win that’s there for us T-Mobile customers. Our regular plans include unlimited texts and roaming data (although not always at 4G) and 20c/minute phone calls. I’m out of the country several times a year, and that’s the main reason I’m on T-mobile.
On the ATMs. Definitely check about ATM fees, but there are two other hidden killers out there. One, most banks now charge the 3% foreign exchange fee on taking YOUR OWN MONEY out of an overseas ATM. Citibank used to not, but now they do! Charles Schwab offers a checking account that pays your ATM fees, doesn’t charge for-ex and even pays interest. I don’t even use the account except when traveling, but they don’t mind.
And watch out for Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). More and more ATMs (and merchants) offer this ‘convenience’ of charging your card in U.S. dollars. What they don’t tell you is that the conversion is done at a very unfavorable rate, sometimes 30% worse, than the day-to-day interbank rate. Charge and withdraw only in local currency!
Guidebooks…a solid endorsement there. We’ve given up on trying to be all-digital. Our scheme now is a ‘big’ book (usually Frommer or Rough Guide) to read before the trip, and small ones (such as the Knopf or Michelin) pocket city guides to carry. And a laminated folding map you can write on and erase. No app does that yet!
Well, whoops….just noticed that I’m replying to a “now popular” but 18-month-old Golden Oldie. Well, at least I didn’t make the guidebook comment the last time!
I need an advise, my husband and I have 15 days at the beginning of November. I know is winter and im fine with that. Do you have any suggestions?, my plan was NY to Paris, take the train to Brussels and Amsterdam. Flight from Amsterdam to Prague. Train from Prague to Berlin and Berlin to NY. what do you think…
Hi Tatiana,
That sounds like an excellent itinerary!
Hi Tom, I{m interested in using a tour agency for two weeks in Europe (spain, france, italy). How much should I expect to pay? What questions should I ask? I know you need you more info, and I can include that.
Hi all, can anyone tell me about the type of power plug they have in Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. Are they the same?
Im a first timer visitor in Europe. Can any one plz suggest me which spot I have to must visit in europe for a 9 day tour except Paris. Specially I need suggestion regarding tour agent selection for best planning of my trip.
Thanks for this initiative.
I would say Venice, is a good one, but not in the summer
Unless a guided tour is specified as conducted in English, assume it’s in the local language, even though listed on the English language version of the local website.
Winging it” without knowing how much you’ll be charged is not recommended. Call your carrier, get a plan if you plan to use your phone, and then make sure you set up your phone to avoid accidental data charges (in brief: turn off cellular data and restrict the number of apps that can use cellular data). And, as a plan, stick to free Wi-Fi networks for downloading and sending emails, checking the Web and using apps.
I’m preparing for a short move to Europe in the beginning of the new year and your post is exactly what I needed. All the information is very helpful for me and gave me some basic guidelines to follow while organizing everything. Thank you for sharing!
#9 tmobile has free international data. Last trip, we told everyone to just text us or fb message or whatsapp. No additional nightmare fees when we got back. Just an fyi and support for calling your carrier first….light be pleasantly surprised.
There is absolutely no reason to take a guidebook to Europe. None. They waste space in your backpack and add unnecessary weight, and if you are actually backpacking (not just fly-in-fly-out with a suitcase), space and weight in your backpack are precious commodities.
Most accommodation offers free wi-fi, so you can use your phone on the hostel’s wi-fi in the morning or evening to plan the next day’s activities. Save a map of the area onto your phone with Google Maps so you can navigate without having to use data. Charge your phone every night so that you don’t risk running out of power during the day. If your phone needs to be charged more than once a day, your phone is crap. Get a new one, stop using it so much, or buy a battery pack.
You can also download audio walking tours (some are free, some cost a small charge).
Re: #10 (arriving without local currency). I used to do this, until once when we landed in Berlin and we couldn’t get money out from the ATMs. We lowered the amount we were trying to withdraw in case we were going over our withdrawal limit and it still didn’t work. Neither of our cards worked. We were just lucky that my parents had visited a few months prior and given us their leftover euros (we live in the UK so visit Europe far more often than they do), so we had brought them with us. We therefore had enough to at least get a train to our hostel where we could use their WiFi to figure out what was wrong with our cards. (As it turned out, it was the withdrawal limit – we just didn’t realise it was a lot lower when overseas than when at home. Our only other international trip with that bank had been to Turkey, which had a very favourable exchange rate and therefore we had never needed to withdraw an amount above our daily limit). So now my rule is to always take at least a little of the local currency before leaving, just in case there’s a problem with our card, the ATM, whatever. Fortunately so far we’ve always had leftover euros from the last trip.
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Thanks. Great source of inspiration! I would suggest one more : http://www.eurotripplanner.eu/.
Hi
My girlfriend and I are visiting Madrid in early May. I am looking for a particular place to celebrate her birthday. I dont want to go for fine dining or a loud bar. Something like a semi-loud seated bar/lounge with the possibility of a local live band or on the rooftop is what would interest me. Preferably in the city center. Looking forward to your suggestions on such places.
Thanks
Hi Siddharth,
You can check out this post on 5 great bars in Madrid with live music. They are all cool spots that would make a fun night on the town. Enjoy your trip!
DO NOT use currency exchange kiosks in airports, or other locations. Their exchange rates are exorbitant and you will lose money hand over fist. Use an ATM as advised in this article.
Agreed! Thanks, Mike.
I purchased Euro’s from my credit Union without paying any extra fees and I only had to wait 2 weeks for delivery to my local branch. If you belong to a credit union instead of a bank its worth asking them about foreign currency.
Thanks for the tips, especially #10 & #9, because I’m going to Europe for the first time this June and I wasn’t sure about those.
great tips, and happy to share with our followers, thanks
Thanks for sharing these tips and mistakes to avoid! It is very important to research exchange rates before going on a trip. It might make people nervous to go to a different country without money, but calling ahead to find out international ATM transaction fees and just being aware of different options is definitely smart.
Had my wallet in my back pocket and my back pack on my back….BIG mistake in the Paris subway 3 young girls tried to rip me off…..until a lady started screaming..when she noticed what was going on..
so now I carry my wallet in a passport holder type of wallet and shoved it in my underwear in the front with a long cord or shoe lace type around my neck…I think if they would tamper with it…I would be aware…It’s sad that we have to be on guard all the time….
I hope you realise that if people see you getting money out of a ‘travel wallet’ such as that, you may as well walk around with a huge ‘tourist’ sign on your forehead. You should simply just keep your wallet in a zipped pocket in your jacket, or inside your backpack (zipped up) rather than in your back pocket. I live in London and have been to Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome, Vienna, Salzburg, Venice and many more European cities and never been pick-pocketed as my wallet is never visible and is always inside something which is zipped up (and is normally buried inside the bag!) Remember that people live in these cities without being pick-pocketed and they do not use such travel wallets.
Yes…you need to watch out for pickpockets in all the major cities in EUROPE..Barcelona, Rome, Venice,Split,Croatia…etc.
I purchased these wrist bands for $1.00 on Ebay that look like something you would wear working out. They have a zipper & hidden compartment for credit cards, cash, keys, etc… More convenient than a money wallet that straps around the waist under your clothes. Other cash can be hidden inside a hair brush that has rubber piece that pops out..
I always buy the Rick Steeves guide books ($3-$5 on Ebay )& tear out the pages I need for the city(s) I’m visiting…not as bulky as carrying the entire book/Put in sandwich bag to protect.
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Also, the first day I arrive in n a new city I love to take the Hop on Hop off bus. You get to see everything and plan where you want to return…They are also very economically priced. Costs ;less than multiple rides on metro & taxis!
Great tips! In trips to France, I’ve never rented a car in Paris – frankly, driving there would scare the daylights out of me 🙂 The SNCF and the Metro will get you most places you want to go. I agree – rail pass not necessarily the best deal. I did try a combination of a 3 day rail pass/3 day car rental (picked up the car in Lille, I think) for Normandy and Pas de Calais; it was good value.
T-Mobile’s international plan is helpful (free data) plus you can make free calls over WiFi. Charles Schwab has a no-fees card (technically they reimburse you at the end of the month) so that can help relieve the FTFs.
#10 can really save you a lot of cash. I learned my lessons. And yes, I’m using guidebooks, too. Electronic devices invite thieves and snatchers.
These are great tips. Two more I would add are to always check ahead for a Tourist Card. For example, I just spent the weekend in Ghent, and a two-day card, including all inter-city transportation, costs 30 Euro. The attractions purchased separately would cost 87 Euro. The second tip is to always search for the Free Walking Tours. Almost every city has one or a few, and they cover the same data as paid walking tours, save you time trying to find landmarks on your own, give you data that most locals don’t even know, and are simply fun. I take them in each city I visit, and I am never disappointed. Oh, also check for other cheap travel options like Megabus, Blablacar and budget airlines like Norwegian Air and and Wow Icelandic Airlines. My transport has only cost a fraction of what it usually does by a little extra digging. I spent less than $100 for my first 10 days in the UK traveling to 5 cities, so it can be done cheaply.
Hey – great article. I really like the balance you strike between cost and sensible.
I’d add that a T-Mobile Simple Choice plan with unlimited talk, text, and data in the US comes with unlimited data internationally – at 3G speed, not LTE – at no extra cost, making it by far more affordable than either AT&T or Verizon. It also includes talk at $.20 a minute (check the particular country for variations). (Other than being a T-Mobile subscriber, I have no interest in the company at all.) We’ve used GoogleMaps on the street using cellular data for way finding in Naples, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Capri, and Sardinia without hitch. I’d also note that Deutsche Bank ATM’s that I’ve used in Europe do not charge any fees at all.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the info on T-Mobile, Corbin! It’s good to know that there are some plans out there with unlimited data (even if it’s a bit slower).
Tom, as usual, great advice, well-organized.
I especially liked the reminder to go past page one on the hotel sites; not only will you find good bargains; you’re also more likely to find the places with local travelers.
Under the phone section, one big addition. After years of buying local SIMs and figuring my data costs as well as calls, we switched last year to T-Mobile, almost entirely because we now have no-charge roaming data and texts in 120 countries. Calls are .20/minute, but we don’t make many of those.
I still throw a local SIM into an older phone for call-only service to make local reservations, get call-backs from friends, etc., but no more anxiety about e-mail, browsing maps, etc. I get no commission from T-Mobile…just think that for someone who’s overseas often, it’s worth thinking about.
Paul — I will be updating our other iPhone article to include information about T-Mobile, and I’m also working on a piece about using SIM cards in old phones. Excellent advice — thanks!
I like to bring a few euros back with me after my trip. That way I can have a little currency when I arrive next time. Plus, seeing them in my drawer at home all the time inspires me to book my next trip to Europe!
Great article, Tom. May I add:
Not Buying the Museum Pass: Many cities in Europe offer a pay-one-price museum/attraction pass that gives VIP, no-wait-in-line admission to the best places. I know they are available in Paris, Rome, Florence, Verona, Oslo, and probably a lot more cities.
Steve Solosky
http://www.travelingprofessor.com
Thanks for your thoughts, Steve! Do you ever find that a museum pass is a good idea? I had a pretty good experience once with the Paris Museum Pass, but it did add some stress to my trip, as I was binging on museums to make it pay for itself!
I’ve never done the Pass on any trip to Paris because you DO need to run ragged to make it worthwhile, and you can skip the line by buying tickets online where necessary.
But in some cities, the price is small enough and the relative costs of the museums high enough to make it work.
In Istanbul, a 3-day pass is about $32, and admission to just the core items such as Hagia Sophia, Topkapi, Archeological Museum (all near each other) and the Chora Church museum total more than that. In Ravenna, the cost of a pass covering all the Byzantine mosaic sites was quite cheap.
1. When you use an ATM don’t panic if your card is rejected at first. Find another and repeat the transaction.
2. Withdraw larger amounts €200 for example. European banks charge per transaction so you might be charged €3 for a €20 withdrawal in Italy. Most banks charge 30 to 50 cent.
3. Buy maps, Google maps are great, however to really get a feeling for the lay of the land there is nothing like hard copy map.
4. Invest in walking shoes or sandals, European cities are best visited on foot. Rome, Paris, Athens, Istanbul, Budapest, Munich, London, Dublin, Zurich ……..have well developed footpaths, parks, river walks. There is nothing like an evening stroll through a city park after dinner. The little treasures I have find on foot are some of my most endearing .
5. Speak to the locals!
One note beyond checking for ATM fees…check if your bank is taking a 3% foreign exchange fee on YOUR money! That can eat a nice little hole in the budget. Citibank didn’t charge that fee in the past, but now they do. Charles Schwab Bank doesn’t, and will reimburse ATM fees; check what your bank does.
Also watch out for DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion). ATMs and merchants will offer that as a “convenience,” charging your purchase or withdrawal in dollars. Don’t take it; the exchange rate charged will never match the interbank rate that’s used if you stick to local currency. I’ve seen it as high as 8% above.
Excellent points, Paul, thanks! Yes, the 3% exchange fee in addition to the transaction fee can be a double-whammy.
And yes, the DCC business is maddening. I’m seeing this more and more and think that I should write a story just about this new trend. It’s so sneaky — asking you at the last minute if you’d like to pay in dollars! Always stick to the local currency.