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Tips to save you time, money and most of all - aggravation
Saving time and money - We plan our own trips, so this means researching
where we are going to stay, what the price is, and booking it in advance.
THE TOP TIP - credit card without foreign transaction fee!
Who wants the hassle of carrying a lot of cash when you can use a credit
card? Most credit cards charge a per-use foreign transaction fee from 2-3%,
except for Capital One. Check out
CardRatings.com
for latest information on card fees. NOT paying a per-transaction fee will SAVE
you LOTS of money!
best resources on where to stay:
Where to stay - Tripadvisor.com
Tip: Tripadvisor is a great resource but you can spend days pouring
through the top listed hotels, especially for large urban areas. Search
alternative resources, such as the
SlowTalk forum
If you're going to Madrid, Sevilla, Costa del Sol, Granada, Ronda, Jerez, or
Cordoba, check out the tips on our
Spain page.
resources on safety:
Google the keywords travel safety for the city you are traveling to and make
sure you are aware of the scams and traps that are consistently played on
tourists, for example
Barcelona. Reading other travelers' experiences can be quite a deterent to
traveling at all!
Tip: Always be alert, be aware that you ARE a target, and be aware of
your surroundings.
Tips on Travel gear: I used the City Safe 100 handbag (by PacSafe)
purchased from
Corporatetravelsafety.com.
This is a great bag, just large enough to hold the essentials plus sunglasses, a
small camera, and guidebook. I recommend adding a wide luggage shoulder pad onto
the strap, it is only 1" wide which can start digging into your shoulder while
trekking around all day.
europe driving tips:
If you are renting a car you will want the peace of mind of having the right car
insurance. The best deal going is the American Express Premium Car Rental
Protection. The plan makes American Express the primary insurer and costs $17.95
per Rental for collision and theft, accidental death or dismemberment,
medical, theft of personal property for up to 42 consecutive days anywhere in
the world except Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica or New Zealand. If
you have an American Express card all you have to do is sign up for this
coverage online. When you rent the car using American Express the $17.95 is
charged to the card.
Tip: Look for up to date driving information and tips from sites such as Europe driving tips
Tip: You can get ideas on driving itineraries by checking out the
self-drive packages at
Europeandestinations.com
Tip:
Plan how long it will take, and cost of tolls and fuel with
Michelin Driving Directions and route planner
cell phones in europe
You need a cell phone that works on the European GSM frequency (GSM=Global
System for Mobile Communications) in Europe. If you already have a tri-band or
quad-band unlocked cell phone, all you need do is buy a SIM card for use in the
country you expect to make calls from. It is best to get the SIM card before you
go.
Charging your cell phone in Europe: In the US the voltage is 110v, in Europe it
is 220v. If your charger says 100-240V on the plug, it should work with only a
plug adapter for the country you visit.
Tip: Make sure your charger says 100-240v. Nothing else. We fried a
100-220v cord the first day. Which leads to the Tip: Always have a backup
Tip: Take a charged backup battery for your phone
Tip: If getting a rental car while traveling, take your car cell phone
charger
Tip: Still unsure about charging? Take a voltage converter with you or
buy a European cord for the cell phone when you are in the country
Using your GSM Cell Phone around the world
GSM is the abbreviation for Global System for Mobile Communications. GSM
operates on the multiple spectrum frequency bands used around the world -
1900MHz, which is used in North America and 900MHz and 1800 Mhz for other
locations.
In the USA, not all mobile service providers operate on GSM. If you have
T-Mobile and AT&T (there are others) you are in luck, you are on a GSM network,
but the GSM frequency used in the US is not the same in other countries - you
will need a phone that can operate on the different frequencies used around the
world. The best phone for travel is a quad-band phone which will allow you to
use your phone anywhere in the world.
Tip: Make sure that your cell phone is compatible with the GSM band of
the country you will use it in.
GSM frequencies and countries
900 Mhz and 1800 Mhz - Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and much of South
America
850 Mhz and 1900 Mhz - North America and South America
In the US, different service providers operate on different frequencies within
the country. For example T-Mobile operates on 1900 mhz in the USA, while
Cingular operates on 1900 mhz or 850 mhz.
Quad, Tri, and Dual band cell phones
Quad-band - A quad-band phone allows you to roam almost anywhere
globally. It covers the 850 Mhz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency
ranges. Many countries in South America only have 850 MHz GSM service while both
1900 MHZ and 850 MHz GSM services are supported in the USA. Quad band phones
will work all over the world with all GSM service providers.
Tri-band - A tri-band phone operates on three frequency bands, 900 MHz,
1800 MHz and 1900 MHz, allowing you to use it in Europe, Africa, Asia, nearly
all of North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Dual-band - A dual-band phone operates at both the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz
spectrum. Dual-band works in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and
much of South America but will not work in North America.
But wait, there's more - SIM cards
So, you have a quad-band phone. If you want to keep the same phone number and
service that you use in the US, you will need an international plan to keep your
calling rates in check. This is still going to be expensive. If you want to save
money, buy a SIM card (SIM=Subscriber Identity Module) that will work in the
country or countries you are visiting. It is best to get the SIM card
before you go. Read all about it at
goeurope.about.com
Your cell phone will have to be unlocked to use a SIM card from another service
provider..
Unlocked cell phones
Normally all the phones sold by the service providers are locked to be used with
their service only. Unlocked phones are not locked to any specific provider and
will work with any GSM service provider that is supported by the phone's
frequency band. You can usually get an unlock code from your service provider
which you type into the phone using the dialing pad.
checking your email in europe
A convenient way to check your email is with that quad-band Wi-Fi enabled
smartphone you brought along. Many of the hotels have free wireless internet
service for their guests so from the comfort of your room you can email away on
that little tiny screen. Other than that, there is bound to be an internet cafe
wherever you go.
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