Free Travel Tips: Regional : Europe : Miscellaneous

Top : Regional : Europe : Miscellaneous

Travel Tips: Regional : Europe : Miscellaneous

Buy Film and Batteries in the U.S.

- For Americans going to Europe - be sure to buy film and also extra batteries (for cameras/video cameras etc.) before you go. It is much cheaper in the US, plus it might be difficult to find the right batteries in Europe.
Sofia Lokke, Norway ID373

Europe by Bus

You can manage to take in a whole number of places in a short time as long as you give thought to what you want to see and why.
I have been travelling with the Eurolines pass for the Eurolines buses. It's a good experience because I can change and create my plans as I go on. You must be sure to book your onward journey just as soon as you can, and if you are budget travelling make sure you know you can get accommodation in the place you are thinking of going to! You have to cross a border every time you travel on the pass.
You cannot rely on getting through to Eurolines operators on the telephone (Milan in my experience) or book your seat even if you do get through. You have to get to the office in plenty of time and make sure you pick up information about their timetables before thinking you can do anything.
It is not a good idea to be wandering round a town at 3 am, especially if you don't speak the language, if you are not sure of where you are going, or if you are not sure whether you can find a place to stay. Many budget hotels will shut their doors and look very unfriendly. It is not just hostels that do this! In fact in Lyon (France), you are more likely to get a place to sleep if you go to the local HI hostel than if you go to a more expensive budget hotel.
You don't need to spend a lot of money on rail passes to see Europe and you can meet some great people on the bus, but you do have to put up with drivers who don't know all of Europe and a certain lack of space. But, with enough planning, Eurolines can make your international travel happen in a short space of time.

Seth Atkin ID164

Magazines Provide Local Information

- The first thing I do when I get to London is to buy the latest issue of TimeOut and in Paris, the latest issue of Pariscope. These magazines give you complete details on all the theater, concerts, operas, recitals, lectures, museums and exhibitions, walking tours with performers, times, phone numbers, subway directions, etc. Of particular interest if you are travelling on a budget are the free concerts, many of them in churches.
Allan Clark ID148

Tip for the Unwary Train Traveller

- When making train reservations in Europe, especially when boarding in Rome, make sure you have enough currency in the country you are leaving from or travelling to, or travellers' cheques to pay extra on top of your initial fare. EXAMPLE: A man paid in Rome for a 1-way ticket to Zurich. A few hours into the journey, he was approached by an inspector for his ticket. He was told he had to pay more money to reserve a sleeping compartment or couchette. This was the first he knew of this requirement. As he was leaving Italy, he had very little Italian money and no Swiss Francs. The inspector could not accept credit card as payment. He was told he would be have to be put off the train in Florence. Fortunately, after much pleading and after a request to hand over his passport, which he did very reluctantly, he was allowed to travel on to Zurich, where his friend who was waiting for him paid the money. A very unnerving situation, to say the least, which should never have happened, if the person in Rome had done their job properly.
Judy Uren ID401

Travellers Checks, Passports, ID

- For Americans travelling to Europe (Scandinavia): While using traveller's checks - be sure NOT to co-sign the checks in advance. I work in a tourist information area where we also exchange money - and we (as MANY others who exchange foreign currency and traveller checks) do NOT accept checks that are already co-signed. It DOES take some extra time, while helping many tourists at the same time, to have all checks signed at the counter - but this is done for safety reasons. (Many people try to exchange stolen checks...)

Also, be sure to keep your passport or ID-card handy, because in many countries (as in Sweden) you have to show your ID while shopping with credit cards.
Sofia Lokke, Norway ID374

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