So you’re traveling to Europe! Way to go!
I hope you have the best time. While I’m not what you would say is a world traveler, I have been to Europe quite a few times. I lived in Belgium for 6 months (a long time ago), and MM and I have made going to western Europe almost every year since 2011. Our favorite spots tend to be Italy and Ireland, and we love returning to what we know.
That being said, most of the tips you’ll find below can be used for just about any country you visit. Some of the tips listed below have been respectfully found on other sites, typically via Pinterest, then tried out by me. If I can find the original in the future, I’ll update this page with the references, but I can’t guarantee anything!
Let’s get started, shall we?
Are your documents in order?
- Check out the State Department’s travel website – this will help you with a couple things. First, you can see if you need a visa to travel to the country you’re intending to visit. Second, you can check for any alerts and warnings exist for the country. Third, you can let the State Department know of your travel plans so that if something were to happen in that country or countries that you’re visiting, they’ll be able to find you and get you out of there.
- If you have time, get yourself Global Entry – It’s a little pricey, at $100, but completely worth it. MM and I can deplane, get through passport control, customs, and have our luggage in hand in less than 30 minutes.
- Make two copies of the first few pages of your passport – Leave one in possession of a trusted friend or family member who would be able to help you out, should you run into problems while away. Take the other set with you.
- Speaking of setting up help at home – Highly suggest giving your point person a password. This is due to the increase in prank/fraudulent calls – people pretending to be you, asking for help/money…
Money Stuff
Money
Commentary by MM
Credit Cards
We use credit cards wherever possible because there’s no fee for foreign transactions, no upcharge on the conversion, and built-in insurance. So we’re basically getting euros at-cost. Make sure your card has the newer chip, and know what your PIN is. If you don’t have a chip, many places will make you use cash.
You’ll want to confirm the rules with your credit card company; don’t assume they have no extra fees. Our original credit cards were at 1-2% for fees, so we dropped them for specifically this reason.
Also make sure the Credit Card company knows you’re traveling as well (where to and how long). With the chip, this doesn’t seem to be required anymore, but doesn’t hurt to confirm.
Cash
Credit cards are good for museums, restaurants, and hotels. A lot of the time, cash will be better for little souvenirs or smaller restaurants. We go over with about 100 euros available for emergencies and getting out of the airport. Once “in-land”, we hit the ATM.
You’ll want to contact your banks to see who’s got the lowest foreign ATM fee. For example, our credit union is 0%, whereas our bank is something like 3%. That in mind, we move a good cushion into the credit union’s checking account ahead of time so it’ll be available as needed.
You can also ask your bank ahead of time if they’ll convert euros for you. Doing it at the airport, you totally get gouged. There’s a minimum amount you’re required to convert, and they charge a hefty fee. If you can’t get any ahead of time, you can wait till the airport in Italy, then find the ATM. We usually don’t because Kegger is homicidal by the time we land, and I need to get her to the hotel ASAP.
(kegger note – valid)
Cell Phones
Commentary by MM
We’ve tried getting by with no cell data, and I don’t recommend it.
We used to get a middle tier package on AT&T for something like $60-80 that got us an hour or two of calls, some number of texts, and 400mb or so of data.
Nowadays we get a package that gives us the same data we get through the normal plan, with a $10/day fee. For example, if you want to use data, you pay $10 for the day, and then the data usage counts against your existing plan. This ended up being easier.
Mostly, it’s really useful for maps. We download the maps ahead of time to limit data use, and then pull out the phone if we want to look something up. Secondarily, Kegger can’t stay away from Reddit or Facebook for more than 24 hours. Literally. She’s currently Redditing while we “work together” on this section.
(kegger note – actually, I was reading a book on my Kindle app on my phone. An easy, if typical, mistake for MM to make. 🙂 )
I probably would’ve dropped the phone service if we hadn’t once been stranded in Venice with a flight cancellation. The ~2 hours we spent on the phone getting flights back home were about $150.
Last tip: make sure you turn off your other apps, like Facebook, which is a huge data hog. Leave it on wifi only to get your fix.
Packing
- Clothing – Typically, I see people in Europe wearing dressier casual wear when walking around town. Dark, well fitting jeans (if jeans at all), trousers, khakis, capris, and nicer tops with light sweaters, pashminas, scarves, etc. I try to blend in as much as possible, usually wearing tan or gray khaki pants, various nice t-shirts and blouses, then pairing them with sweaters and a scarf that would go with anything. Sometimes I throw in a maxi skirt, maybe another that falls to just below my knees. Also be aware of where you might be visiting. Many churches have dress codes – shorts, short skirts and bare shoulders are typically frowned upon. That’s where the scarf or pashmina can come into play.
- Pack as light as you can, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself! – Pack things that will go with each other, so that you can wear bottoms more than once, thereby reducing how much you end up packing. Use bottoms more than once, utilize your sweater or scarf to change things up if you need to.
- Shoes – Unless you absolutely have to, stay away from athletic shoes. Running shoes and walking shoes tend to stand out. If you can, find fashionable walking shoes, I would suggest it. I’ve had pretty good luck with Abeo, Sketchers, Clarks, Pumas… But really, you’ll probably want to spend some time trying different shoes out to determine what’s most comfortable for you. I would also suggest bringing two pairs of shoes to be used when walking around, so that you’re not hurting your feet by wearing the same shoes multiple days in a row. In addition, you may want to bring a dressier pair of shoes, flats, for example, if you might go to a nicer restaurant at some point.
- Extra underwear/socks – How many days are you going to be there? Add 2-3 extra pairs of underwear and socks. You never know, so best to be prepared.
- Light rain jacket – Preparation for this last trip to Italy led MM and I to look for very light weight rain jackets (mainly because we were getting sick of being tempted by the panhandlers pushing ponchos and umbrellas). We found what we were looking for at Kohl’s, and they came in handy! Light enough to throw in a satchel to walk around in, and kept us nice and dry when it rained on us a bit.
- Using zip top bags as space bags – Now that you have what you’re packing figure out, it’s time to pack! I tend to use eBags to organize my suitcase, but I’ve started to also utilize zip top bags, and turning them into space bags. How? Well, fill the gallon sized bag with the clothes, and zip it partially closed. Then get yourself a hard chair, set the bag down on the chair and sit on it to get all the air out. While still sitting on the bag, zip it the rest of the way closed.
- Travel size things – Never travel with full sized toiletries if you can absolutely help it. I’m a full convert to GoToobs. I’ve been using them for all my travels, actually, and would suggest them to anyone. Check out your local Target type store for their travel aisle, found within the health and beauty area. That’s where you’ll find all sorts of things that might be useful to you. Get more than one of things, and taken them along with you – you can toss what you’ve used up, and give yourself space later!
- Empty Duffel or something similar – This is pretty simple. Are you going to bring things home from your trip? Is there a possibility that they might be fragile? Maybe there’s a possibility that you’ll find enough trinkets to remember the trip by that you don’t have enough space in your suitcase. Enter the empty bag you brought along!
- One suitcase to be checked, one carry-on – I’m not a fan of bringing all my things in a carry-on. First of all, I’m not usually a light enough packer to fit inside a carry-on! Second, there are various items that I find necessary to my well-being that would violate the 3 oz rule. That being said, with checked bags, if at all possible, try to get yourself a non-stop flight to reduce the possibility of missing bags.
- Purse/satchel – I like to travel with a satchel, or a messenger bag when I go international. It’s not one that I’ve purchased from one of those travel websites (you know the ones – with the cable in the strap to make sure you’re not a victim of pickpockets). It’s actually one that I got from a big box store (Target, if I remember correctly). It’s a canvas bag with a large pocket (divided in the middle), capable of holding a scarf, that light rain jacket I mentioned, water bottle(s), and any small souvenirs, and two small pockets, with a large flap that has two snap closures. It’s not the most secure bag in the world, but it’s large, and it would take someone a great deal of time to determine exactly where the expensive stuff is in it, and I would definitely notice if it got lighter. It is always worn cross body as well. If you want to see what I take, head over to my Messenger/Satchel page, since I just made a replica of my original.
Flight
- Backup set of clothes – Just in case you’ve checked your bags, you should really pack at least a pair of underwear and maybe a fresh shirt to change into. Also, socks. Nothing crazy, but something with which you can get by.
- Comfy clothes for the plane – if you’re like me, you’re not a fan of wearing yoga pants in public all that much. Or pajama pants. Instead, I wear what I would normally wear out and about to the airport: jeans, t-shirt, jacket, socks, and slip on shoes. That being said, in the same bag as my backup set of clothing, I include a pair of pajama pants, and super comfy socks. Either before the plane takes off, or right after you’re able to move about the cabin, change into the pants and socks. Make yourself super comfortable.
- Go through as close to your bed time routine as possible – Use this time also to remove contacts, maybe wash your face (makeup removal wipes work wonders here), moisturize, etc. Whatever it takes for you to trick your body into believing that 7 PM is actually 11 PM. 🙂
- Snacks for the flight – Do what you want here. Do your best to get whatever will taste good to you, so that you don’t have to rely on airport stores (and prices). It’s best to be healthy and pay attention to what may or may not reduce jet lag for you (lots of different sites give you lots of different tips). That being said, I’m not going to lie. I bring Cheez-its and M&Ms with me every single time. 🙂 To be fair, I also bring along granola bars and nuts. Buy the regular sizes at the grocery store, divide them in half (hello zip top bags), and pack one half in your checked bags for the trip home!
- In the “morning” try to go through your morning routine as closely as possible – Take the time to change back into the airport clothes you started out in, maybe change under things if you really want to, socks, etc. Go through your morning face routine, if you’re able. Wipe it down, moisturize, slap some mascara on if you really want (if it makes you feel more human).
- Entertainment – I am never without my Kindle. Prior to the trip, I’ll have dozens of books loaded onto it that I can choose from. And when I leave my house, it goes directly to airplane mode and doesn’t leave it – which saves the battery quite a bit. Get your smart phone loaded with songs or other entertainment that doesn’t require any kind of networking, too. Otherwise, most flights going over and coming back will have some sort of in-flight entertainment. If you like, you can risk it. But there’s a high likelihood that something with an actor you REALLY don’t like is going to be the only movie you get…
You’ve Made It!
- Leave passport in safe in hotel room, keep copy of main pages with you, just in case.
- Keep an observant eye, but Have FUN!!
Dining
Outside of getting into your hotel room to rest (which in some cases can be unlikely, since you’ll be getting in mid-morning in most cases), the first thing you’ll want to do, other than dropping your luggage off at the hotel, is find some non-airplane/airport food.
So, once you find a spot to settle in, here are some things to remember.
Commentary by MM
(Kegger Note – Most of this was written with Italy in mind, but it’s pretty consistent for other Western European Countries.)
Getting the Damn Bill
Are you aware that in many places in Europe, including Italy, you have to ask for the check? They don’t just bring it out when you’re done. The feeling is usually that you’ve bought the table when you sit down, and it’s yours as long as you want it. Part of this is because you’ll often find yourself paying a “sit down” tax of a couple euro (sometimes shown on the bill as a bread charge). Kegger and I camped out at a café for 5 hours when our flights out of Venice got cancelled, using their WIFI to find a way home. They weren’t totally happy about it, but they weren’t booting us either. So kick back, relax, and ask (phonetically) “Eel con-toe?” when you’re ready to pay.
Tipping
Italy, like the rest of Europe I’ve been to, is a no-tipping-required country. I usually leave a 2 euro coin everywhere, even so. Just feels wrong to me otherwise. The only time I don’t tip is when they’ve done something really wrong. Keep in mind, though, they won’t tell you that at the restaurant. They’ll include things like “No Gratuity Included” and the 10, 15, 20 percent tables. I’ve never been accosted by a waiter for not tipping better.
Wine
Don’t order bottles of wine. You’re just getting gouged. You can buy a bottle (750ml) of red for 20 euro, or you can get a half liter of vino della cassa (house wine) for about 6 euros. And you’re in Italy, so the house wine is almost always good. Sometimes you get a crappy one, but those have been rare for us. Sometimes the place will say no house wine, so I check the menu before I sit down. It’s not that the bottled wine is bad, just overpriced.
Water
Like ice water? Better get over that! They don’t just bring water out to the table. You’ll need to ask for it, then specify “still” (or “gas” if you’re a weirdo who likes carbonated water). At that point, you’re buying a bottle of water. In Rome, you can just ask for tap water. Some places will give it to you, many places will make you buy the water. It’ll be a fairly high charge for the bottle – we’ve seen between 3 and 7 euro.
Helpful sites
Each of these sites has provides some sort of assistance in the past.
Trip Advisor has been good to help me figure out what I want to see, how to do it, where to go, things to stay away from, plus tips and tricks from travelers.
Pinterest has been helpful with a lot of the travel tips – check out the boards or pins regarding how to pack for the flight, travel containers, etc. Loads of help with things to wear, too.
And finally Rick Steves – he’s a well known tour guy, and is one that I turn to when I want to see if the itinerary I’ve created makes sense. I can usually find someone in the forums that has done almost exactly what I’ve done. Otherwise, if I can’t, there are people who have traveled that way before, that comment on my plans with other helpful tips.