Tips for Finding Train Schedules on the Deutsche Bahn website:
1) Follow this link to the Deutsche Bahn website: http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en.
2) Start with a station to station search. Enter just the city name, unless you know the name of the station you want.
3) Required fields: Only the "From" and "To" fields are required before you can click on "Search Connections." Date, Time, Means of Transport, and other fields are all optional.
4) Spelling: Use the local European spelling of town names. (You'll find these in any good map or guidebook of Europe.) Here are some examples:
* Bergen = Bergen(N) (N for Norway)
* Cologne = Koeln (oe replaces ö)
* Florence = Firenze (SMN station)
* Kopenhagen or Koebenhavn
* Munich = Muenchen (ue replaces ü)
* Prague = Praha (hl. n. station)
* Rome = Roma (Termini station)
* Rothenburg = Rothenburg ob der Tauber
* Venice = Venezia (S. Lucia station)
* Vienna = Wien
5) Choosing a station: The Deutsche Bahn system may ask you to re-select a station from a list of options. Keep in mind:
a. If the city is listed again (without station name), re-select that choice.
b. You do not always have to make the right choice. Sometimes the DB will make a correction before providing the schedule. In other cases, the schedule will include a connection by train, bus, or subway from the "wrong" station to the main station.
c. Main stations are often called "central," "terminus," "bahnhof," or "hauptbahnhof (hbf)."
d. A very long list probably includes bus stops in the same town. Back up to the query page and type any city "hbf."
6) Pricing: The DB website provides ticket prices within Germany and for some international trips that originate in Germany. If the system brings up a "Pricing" section, simply fill in any age and click the "Continue" button. Most tourists will not have a Bahn Card or Rail Plus discount.
7) More detail: At the bottom of the schedule results, you'll find buttons to access more detail. The first level includes location and times for any change of train. Further links on the Detail page allow you to see major stops along the way.
8) Date of travel: Schedules change seasonally around June 10, Sept. 10, and Dec. 10 (though changes are often small). The DB website posts updates as soon as they are available. Even if your trip is several months in the future, this is still the best planning tool. You can enter an earlier date for a fairly accurate idea of the schedule.
9) Footnotes: "Compulsory reservation" means what it says, while "Please reserve" is recommended but optional. "International supplement" notes do not apply with railpasses.
10) Alternate routes: This system shows the most direct and practical routes between two points. To design your own detour, add a "Via" (midpoint) city on the query screen.
11) Coverage: The DB website is the most complete resource for train schedules throughout Europe. If your destination is not covered (and if you spelled it correctly), that's a good sign it doesn't have train service. Train websites for Spain and Italy may be useful if you do not find what you need on the DB website. For a comprehensive list of each country's railway sites, go to www.railfaneurope.net.
12) New Query: The "New Query" and "back" buttons bring you to a fresh starting page. Use the "Change" button to change a few features of your original request.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Take It Back! 20 tips for stretching your dipping dollar
By Rick Steves
Just when I was getting used to the idea that a Euro should cost US$1.20, our dollar plummets 20%, and now a Euro costs $1.50. Don't expect our dollar to recover any time soon because, frankly, we're not as rich as we think we are. The euro comes with built-in fiscal discipline: countries in the Euro zone are allowed to have only minimal deficits. Here in the USA, on the other hand — free from legal constraints or political will — we simply deficit finance our wars and tax-cuts. Logically, there's no free lunch. It's paid for by a hidden tax on Americans: less buying power overseas. I'm not going to tell you that travel to Europe is cheap. It's not. But twelve million Americans — the vast majority of them normal working people — had a blast in Europe in 2007. So don't mope. Just get smart and stretch that wimpy little dollar. To help you keep your travel dreams affordable in 2008, here are twenty ways you can take back that 20% drop in your dollar's value…and have a more rewarding trip.
Mama Rabatti
Mama Rabatti will rent you a double in Florence for €60, or a quad for €25 per bed.
1. A B&B offers double the warmth and cultural intimacy for half the price of a hotel. You'll find them in most countries if you know the local word: Husrom is Norwegian for sobe, which is Slovenian for Zimmer, which is German for bed and breakfast. In Haarlem (Netherlands) I save 33% by sleeping a ten minute walk from the center with Hans and Marjet at Haus de Kiefte (double with a shower for €55) rather than on the square in the cheapest hotel in town (Hotel Amadeus, double with shower and toilet, €85).
2. Europe's 2,000 hostels offer countless cheap dorm beds for half the price of beds in low-end hotels. And it's not limited to youths. Anyone can hostel. Most of my life I've shared hostels with American students and grown-ups from less wealthy countries. Now I'm seeing older Americans hostelling as well. And using the hostel's kitchen, you can cook for the price of groceries — a huge savings for traveling families.
3. Throughout Europe, budget-chain hotels are driving small hotels and guesthouses out of business by renting efficient, if forgettable, rooms at near B&B prices. The cookie-cutter rooms — which cost the same for singles, couples, or even a family of four — offer the greatest savings for traveling families. In London, where it's hard to find a regular hotel room for less than £100, the huge Travel Inn chain rents one-size fits all rooms for £80 (a 20% savings for couples, even greater savings for a family of four). If your schedule forces you to spend a night near the airport, a four-star hotel will cost you a bloody fortune, yet the Heathrow Ibis charges £70 for a double and the Gatwick Travelodge charges £60.
Danhostel in Copenhagen
Copenhagen's new Danhostel mixes 16 storeis of $30 dorm beds with modern comforts.
4. Save by choosing simpler hotels. A three-star place (with room service and a 24-hour reception desk) is a bad value for a budget traveler who's satisfied with a one-star place (e.g., no elevator, no restaurant, and no shoe-shine machines in the hallway). In Paris, getting a €55 double in the one-star Hotel de Nevers rather than a €120 double in the three-star Hotel St. Louis Bastille — both in the Canal St. Martin neighborhood — shows you can save big by taking a simpler room.
Want to save even more? Only the simple one-star hotels still offer some rooms without a private bath. All rooms come with a sink, and walking down the hall to use the toilet and shower saves another 20%. At the Hotel de Nevers, a double room drops from €55 to €40. And the dumpiest little timewarp mom and pop places, like Florence's Soggiorno Magliani, charge only €50 and offer no private facilities at all.
5. Pack the room. Funky European hotels have rooms of all sizes, and hoteliers are often happy to pack in extra beds. The more people you put in a hotel room, the cheaper it gets per person. All over Europe from Paris (e.g. Hotel Sevigne: Sb-€66, Db-€85, Tb-€102) to London (Vicarage Private Hotel: Sb-£85, Db-£110, Tb-£140, Qb-£155) to Vienna (Pension Schweizer: Sb-€70, Db-€90, Tb-€110, Qb-€130) the average cost per person drops by about 40% in a bigger room. Typically, two couples sharing a quad room will save 33% — often €60 a night — enough for a simple dinner for all.
6. Hotel breakfasts, while convenient, are rarely a good value. If your breakfast is not included, save money and gain character by joining the local crowd at the corner café. Most Paris hotels charge extra for breakfast (€10 for a Continental, €15 for a buffet). And one of the most charming things about a visit to Paris is enjoying its café scene (where you can get a coffee, juice, and croissant for about €7). In Madrid, just around the corner from where good hotels charge €8 for breakfast, you can eat traditional churros con chocolate with crusty locals for €4. Add a wedge of potato omelet for €2 more. Result? You ate better and more memorably…and saved 25%.
Local menu
The mark of a good restaurant value is a small handwritten menu in one language: changes daily according to what was good in the market this morning, little selection so everything's fresh, and designed primarily for savvy local return customers.
7. Avoid touristy restaurants with "We speak English" signs and multilingual menus. Eateries that are filled with locals aren't always cheaper, but they serve better food at a better value. Restaurants open only workdays for lunch (like Rome's Enoteca Corsi, a block from the Pantheon) are invariably serving savvy locals a fine value meal. At Enoteca Corsi you'll get great €6 pasta and €9.50 main plates, easily 20% cheaper than the forgettable "budget" cafeteria around the corner. In Vienna, you can enjoy rustic food and wine with the locals literally in the vineyards at a Heuriger wine garden. For instance, at Beethoven's hangout at Pfarrplatz, you'll get a quarter liter of wine for €2.20, a buffet dinner for €10, and strolling violinist ambiance to boot.
8. Picnics save you money: $20 buys a hearty picnic lunch for two anywhere in Europe. Stock your hotel room with drinks and munchies upon arrival. You can pass train rides enjoyably over a picnic meal. Many grocery stores have fine, even elegant, deli sections — giving you the ingredients for a classy picnic for much less than a restaurant.
9. Throughout southern Europe, drinks are cheaper at the bar rather than at a table. The table price can be a fine value if you'll linger and enjoy the view. But those just tossing down a quick drink can save 40% by standing (or leaning) at the bar.
10. 7-Eleven-style convenience stores are the rage in northern Europe…but bigger grocery stores will save you 30% on snacks, drinks, picnic grub, and take-away food. Grocery stores can be hard to find in the high rent big city centers — they hide out in the basements of big department stores.
Local color
In Barcelona's market sit at Juan's bar and you'll eat cheap with the locals.
11. Some of the best cheap eateries are in or near open-air markets. They cater to market workers and savvy local shoppers. Rome's Testaccio, the historic slaughterhouse district, is famous for serving enthusiastic locals the "fifth quarter" — less desirable animal parts in unforgettable, uniquely Roman dishes (Trattoria Da Oio A Casa Mia is a great scene and a fine value). At Barcelona's Boqueria market, the Kiosko Universal Bar — famous for its €12 fresh fish meals — is open for lunch only and always has a line.
12. Don't over tip. Only Americans tip 20% in Europe — even when it's already included or not expected. When in doubt, ask locals (customers rather than restaurant employees) for advice. In much of Europe you'll save that 20% by simply going local — forget the tip.
13. To save money in restaurants, couples can order two side salads and split an entrée. To save more, request tap water instead of mineral water, drink the house wine, and share a dessert. Know the local word for tap water and communicate clearly or you'll get it in a bottle and pay. These cheap tricks go over better if you eat early (before the European diners come out) and don't tie up the table all evening.
14. Fly "open jaw" — into one city and out of another — to avoid a needless, costly, and time-consuming return to your starting point. If traveling through France, Spain and Portugal, don't be afraid to pay $150 extra to fly into Paris and out of Lisbon. The "cheaper" roundtrip ticket will force you to take a 20-hour, $200 train ride back from Lisbon to Paris.
15. Cars are worthless and expensive headaches in big cities. Pick up your rental car after the first big city you visit, and drop it off before the final big city of your trip. You'll pay €20 a day to park in Florence and €25 a day in Paris (paying $35 a day to park a $50-a-day car while touring a city is a pricey mistake). For a France tour, do Paris, pick up your car as you leave, drop it upon arrival in Nice and do the Riviera by train without a car. In Italy, you don't want a car in Venice, Florence, Rome or the Cinque Terre.
16. Buses, while generally slower, are about half the cost of trains. Buses are especially economical in Britain, home of Europe's most expensive train system. For instance, traveling from London to Edinburgh costs roughly $195 by train (second-class, 5 hours) and only $60 by bus (9 hours).
17. Use public transit for airport transfers. Every major airport has efficient money-saving alternatives to taxis. Most train, metro, and bus services will take you from baggage claim to the city center in about 30 minutes, saving you enough cash to cover dinner. Here are just a few examples: London (tube £4, train £15.50, taxi £50 from Heathrow), Rome (train €11, taxi €40), Barcelona (train €3, bus €4, taxi €20). Amsterdam (train €4, taxi €45).
18. Do most of your shopping in the cheaper countries where gifts are more interesting and your dollar stretches the farthest. The difference is huge: for the cost of a pewter Viking ship in Oslo ($200), you can buy an actual boat in Turkey ($200).
19. Anywhere in Europe big department stores sell folk art, souvenirs, and postcards for 20% less than shops and stands on the streets and at the sight. Department stores (like Spain's El Corte Inglés) also come with inexpensive cafeterias and free bathrooms.
20. Use ATMs rather than travelers checks. You'll get your cash cheaper and faster. While ATMs give the best possible rates, they do come with transaction fees. Minimize these by making fewer and larger withdrawals. Changing $400 at once rather than $200 twice cuts your bank fees by 50%. The downside: you'll be walking around with more cash — store it safely in your money belt. Another fee-cutting rule of thumb: use your debit card exclusively for ATM withdrawals and your credit card for purchases — not the opposite.
What shouldn't you cut? As you seek out money-saving opportunities, remember that your vacation time is a precious resource (yes, time is money). Plan as much as you can before you leave home. And don't go to a country just because it has a reputation for being less expensive. The best value is found by traveling smartly in the country where your travel dreams are taking you. Don't whine about the weak dollar — enjoy spending it smartly. Those who travel wisely will save more money, make more friends, and create a more memorable — a truly richer — experience. Happy travels!
Just when I was getting used to the idea that a Euro should cost US$1.20, our dollar plummets 20%, and now a Euro costs $1.50. Don't expect our dollar to recover any time soon because, frankly, we're not as rich as we think we are. The euro comes with built-in fiscal discipline: countries in the Euro zone are allowed to have only minimal deficits. Here in the USA, on the other hand — free from legal constraints or political will — we simply deficit finance our wars and tax-cuts. Logically, there's no free lunch. It's paid for by a hidden tax on Americans: less buying power overseas. I'm not going to tell you that travel to Europe is cheap. It's not. But twelve million Americans — the vast majority of them normal working people — had a blast in Europe in 2007. So don't mope. Just get smart and stretch that wimpy little dollar. To help you keep your travel dreams affordable in 2008, here are twenty ways you can take back that 20% drop in your dollar's value…and have a more rewarding trip.
Mama Rabatti
Mama Rabatti will rent you a double in Florence for €60, or a quad for €25 per bed.
1. A B&B offers double the warmth and cultural intimacy for half the price of a hotel. You'll find them in most countries if you know the local word: Husrom is Norwegian for sobe, which is Slovenian for Zimmer, which is German for bed and breakfast. In Haarlem (Netherlands) I save 33% by sleeping a ten minute walk from the center with Hans and Marjet at Haus de Kiefte (double with a shower for €55) rather than on the square in the cheapest hotel in town (Hotel Amadeus, double with shower and toilet, €85).
2. Europe's 2,000 hostels offer countless cheap dorm beds for half the price of beds in low-end hotels. And it's not limited to youths. Anyone can hostel. Most of my life I've shared hostels with American students and grown-ups from less wealthy countries. Now I'm seeing older Americans hostelling as well. And using the hostel's kitchen, you can cook for the price of groceries — a huge savings for traveling families.
3. Throughout Europe, budget-chain hotels are driving small hotels and guesthouses out of business by renting efficient, if forgettable, rooms at near B&B prices. The cookie-cutter rooms — which cost the same for singles, couples, or even a family of four — offer the greatest savings for traveling families. In London, where it's hard to find a regular hotel room for less than £100, the huge Travel Inn chain rents one-size fits all rooms for £80 (a 20% savings for couples, even greater savings for a family of four). If your schedule forces you to spend a night near the airport, a four-star hotel will cost you a bloody fortune, yet the Heathrow Ibis charges £70 for a double and the Gatwick Travelodge charges £60.
Danhostel in Copenhagen
Copenhagen's new Danhostel mixes 16 storeis of $30 dorm beds with modern comforts.
4. Save by choosing simpler hotels. A three-star place (with room service and a 24-hour reception desk) is a bad value for a budget traveler who's satisfied with a one-star place (e.g., no elevator, no restaurant, and no shoe-shine machines in the hallway). In Paris, getting a €55 double in the one-star Hotel de Nevers rather than a €120 double in the three-star Hotel St. Louis Bastille — both in the Canal St. Martin neighborhood — shows you can save big by taking a simpler room.
Want to save even more? Only the simple one-star hotels still offer some rooms without a private bath. All rooms come with a sink, and walking down the hall to use the toilet and shower saves another 20%. At the Hotel de Nevers, a double room drops from €55 to €40. And the dumpiest little timewarp mom and pop places, like Florence's Soggiorno Magliani, charge only €50 and offer no private facilities at all.
5. Pack the room. Funky European hotels have rooms of all sizes, and hoteliers are often happy to pack in extra beds. The more people you put in a hotel room, the cheaper it gets per person. All over Europe from Paris (e.g. Hotel Sevigne: Sb-€66, Db-€85, Tb-€102) to London (Vicarage Private Hotel: Sb-£85, Db-£110, Tb-£140, Qb-£155) to Vienna (Pension Schweizer: Sb-€70, Db-€90, Tb-€110, Qb-€130) the average cost per person drops by about 40% in a bigger room. Typically, two couples sharing a quad room will save 33% — often €60 a night — enough for a simple dinner for all.
6. Hotel breakfasts, while convenient, are rarely a good value. If your breakfast is not included, save money and gain character by joining the local crowd at the corner café. Most Paris hotels charge extra for breakfast (€10 for a Continental, €15 for a buffet). And one of the most charming things about a visit to Paris is enjoying its café scene (where you can get a coffee, juice, and croissant for about €7). In Madrid, just around the corner from where good hotels charge €8 for breakfast, you can eat traditional churros con chocolate with crusty locals for €4. Add a wedge of potato omelet for €2 more. Result? You ate better and more memorably…and saved 25%.
Local menu
The mark of a good restaurant value is a small handwritten menu in one language: changes daily according to what was good in the market this morning, little selection so everything's fresh, and designed primarily for savvy local return customers.
7. Avoid touristy restaurants with "We speak English" signs and multilingual menus. Eateries that are filled with locals aren't always cheaper, but they serve better food at a better value. Restaurants open only workdays for lunch (like Rome's Enoteca Corsi, a block from the Pantheon) are invariably serving savvy locals a fine value meal. At Enoteca Corsi you'll get great €6 pasta and €9.50 main plates, easily 20% cheaper than the forgettable "budget" cafeteria around the corner. In Vienna, you can enjoy rustic food and wine with the locals literally in the vineyards at a Heuriger wine garden. For instance, at Beethoven's hangout at Pfarrplatz, you'll get a quarter liter of wine for €2.20, a buffet dinner for €10, and strolling violinist ambiance to boot.
8. Picnics save you money: $20 buys a hearty picnic lunch for two anywhere in Europe. Stock your hotel room with drinks and munchies upon arrival. You can pass train rides enjoyably over a picnic meal. Many grocery stores have fine, even elegant, deli sections — giving you the ingredients for a classy picnic for much less than a restaurant.
9. Throughout southern Europe, drinks are cheaper at the bar rather than at a table. The table price can be a fine value if you'll linger and enjoy the view. But those just tossing down a quick drink can save 40% by standing (or leaning) at the bar.
10. 7-Eleven-style convenience stores are the rage in northern Europe…but bigger grocery stores will save you 30% on snacks, drinks, picnic grub, and take-away food. Grocery stores can be hard to find in the high rent big city centers — they hide out in the basements of big department stores.
Local color
In Barcelona's market sit at Juan's bar and you'll eat cheap with the locals.
11. Some of the best cheap eateries are in or near open-air markets. They cater to market workers and savvy local shoppers. Rome's Testaccio, the historic slaughterhouse district, is famous for serving enthusiastic locals the "fifth quarter" — less desirable animal parts in unforgettable, uniquely Roman dishes (Trattoria Da Oio A Casa Mia is a great scene and a fine value). At Barcelona's Boqueria market, the Kiosko Universal Bar — famous for its €12 fresh fish meals — is open for lunch only and always has a line.
12. Don't over tip. Only Americans tip 20% in Europe — even when it's already included or not expected. When in doubt, ask locals (customers rather than restaurant employees) for advice. In much of Europe you'll save that 20% by simply going local — forget the tip.
13. To save money in restaurants, couples can order two side salads and split an entrée. To save more, request tap water instead of mineral water, drink the house wine, and share a dessert. Know the local word for tap water and communicate clearly or you'll get it in a bottle and pay. These cheap tricks go over better if you eat early (before the European diners come out) and don't tie up the table all evening.
14. Fly "open jaw" — into one city and out of another — to avoid a needless, costly, and time-consuming return to your starting point. If traveling through France, Spain and Portugal, don't be afraid to pay $150 extra to fly into Paris and out of Lisbon. The "cheaper" roundtrip ticket will force you to take a 20-hour, $200 train ride back from Lisbon to Paris.
15. Cars are worthless and expensive headaches in big cities. Pick up your rental car after the first big city you visit, and drop it off before the final big city of your trip. You'll pay €20 a day to park in Florence and €25 a day in Paris (paying $35 a day to park a $50-a-day car while touring a city is a pricey mistake). For a France tour, do Paris, pick up your car as you leave, drop it upon arrival in Nice and do the Riviera by train without a car. In Italy, you don't want a car in Venice, Florence, Rome or the Cinque Terre.
16. Buses, while generally slower, are about half the cost of trains. Buses are especially economical in Britain, home of Europe's most expensive train system. For instance, traveling from London to Edinburgh costs roughly $195 by train (second-class, 5 hours) and only $60 by bus (9 hours).
17. Use public transit for airport transfers. Every major airport has efficient money-saving alternatives to taxis. Most train, metro, and bus services will take you from baggage claim to the city center in about 30 minutes, saving you enough cash to cover dinner. Here are just a few examples: London (tube £4, train £15.50, taxi £50 from Heathrow), Rome (train €11, taxi €40), Barcelona (train €3, bus €4, taxi €20). Amsterdam (train €4, taxi €45).
18. Do most of your shopping in the cheaper countries where gifts are more interesting and your dollar stretches the farthest. The difference is huge: for the cost of a pewter Viking ship in Oslo ($200), you can buy an actual boat in Turkey ($200).
19. Anywhere in Europe big department stores sell folk art, souvenirs, and postcards for 20% less than shops and stands on the streets and at the sight. Department stores (like Spain's El Corte Inglés) also come with inexpensive cafeterias and free bathrooms.
20. Use ATMs rather than travelers checks. You'll get your cash cheaper and faster. While ATMs give the best possible rates, they do come with transaction fees. Minimize these by making fewer and larger withdrawals. Changing $400 at once rather than $200 twice cuts your bank fees by 50%. The downside: you'll be walking around with more cash — store it safely in your money belt. Another fee-cutting rule of thumb: use your debit card exclusively for ATM withdrawals and your credit card for purchases — not the opposite.
What shouldn't you cut? As you seek out money-saving opportunities, remember that your vacation time is a precious resource (yes, time is money). Plan as much as you can before you leave home. And don't go to a country just because it has a reputation for being less expensive. The best value is found by traveling smartly in the country where your travel dreams are taking you. Don't whine about the weak dollar — enjoy spending it smartly. Those who travel wisely will save more money, make more friends, and create a more memorable — a truly richer — experience. Happy travels!
Techie Tips for Travelers
With my mantra being “Pack Light,” I used to be against packing electronics of any kind. But now, I bring my laptop, iPod, digital camera, and mobile phone to Europe. With hotels retiring their fax machines in favor of email, mobile phones getting cheaper and easier to buy, and Wi-Fi hotspots popping up everywhere, it’s never been simpler to get connected.
There are plenty of Internet cafés in Europe. Large European chains such as easyInternetcafé.com offer in¬expensive access in big cities. Even small towns have some way to get online — at hostels, hotels, libraries, bookstores, post offices, and so on. If you plan to check your email using a public machine, make sure you sign up for a Web-based account, such as Yahoo.com, Hotmail.com, or Gmail.com.
If you tote your own laptop, you’ll find that many hotels and cafés offer wireless access — sometimes it’s free, other times, you’ll have to buy a drink or pay a fee — while some towns have Wi-Fi hotspots scattered around highly trafficked areas. Just pay for a password, park yourself on a bench in your favorite idyllic spot — overlooking a sandy beach, on a floodlit piazza, or along a bustling people-watching boulevard — then log on and surf away.
I like to bring an iPod to listen to my favorite music and shows that I’ve downloaded at home. My website, ricksteves.com, offers free audio tours of Europe’s major sights plus hundreds of hours of my public-radio shows on travel.
If you’re packing a digital camera, your biggest challenge will be storing photos. Buy the biggest memory card you can afford (or get two). Memory cards are available in Europe, but they’re more expensive. I travel with a six-megapixel camera and a two-gigabyte memory card. Taking photos at high resolution, I can fit about 500 photos onto my memory card. Since I usually travel with a laptop, I upload my photos to my computer. Without a laptop, you could empty — or copy — your memory card as you go, by getting your images burned to a CD (European photo stores and Internet cafés charge $7–10 for this service).
It’s handy to travel with a mobile phone, whether you’re calling a hotel for directions or getting in touch with that lost travel buddy who missed the train. If you want to use a mobile phone in Europe, you have two choices: Take your own, or buy one once you’re there. While many American cell phones work overseas (especially T-Mobile and AT&T handsets), the per-minute cost adds up. Save money by purchasing a phone when you arrive. You can buy a phone for about $40 to $75 — which usually includes some prepaid calling time — at the ubiquitous corner phone marts or at mobile-phone counters in big department stores. You’ll pay cheaper in-country rates and feel like a local with your own European phone number.
Ideally, you want to buy a phone that’s unlocked so you can switch out SIM cards as you travel to different countries. A SIM card is a small, fingernail-size chip that stores your phone number and other information. The EU is looking into standardizing roaming fees across Europe. But for now, when you cross a border, it’s best to buy a new SIM card, which you can get from newsstands kiosks and even vending machines at train stations for $10 to $20.
Users of some handheld wireless devices (most notably the iPhone) have returned home to astronomical bills for unintentional roaming. Just watching a three-minute video on YouTube in the London Tube can cost about $40. You can pay extra for international access, but you’re better off disabling the data-roaming feature on your device altogether and getting online at public Wi-Fi points to check email and surf the Web.
If you’re traveling with your laptop, the cheapest way to talk to loved ones back home is via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). VoIP lets you converse with people around the world over the Internet for free. The two main services are Skype.com and Google.com/talk. Computer-to-computer calls are always free, and the sound quality is about as good as a standard phone connection. If your computer doesn’t have a microphone, you may have to buy an operator-type headset for about $20.
If you’d rather blog, look into Travelpod.com, Mytripjournal.com, and Realtravel.com. These sites are specialized for travelers, providing custom maps with virtual pins for the places you’ve visited. Some sites send emails informing your friends when your blog is updated, and allow them to post comments (so expect a ribbing for those blurry Eiffel Tower photos).
I’ve just been cruising through several European countries, communicating with friends, family, and office workers with my laptop and mobile phone. My days of chatting in noisy, smelly phone booths are long over.
There are plenty of Internet cafés in Europe. Large European chains such as easyInternetcafé.com offer in¬expensive access in big cities. Even small towns have some way to get online — at hostels, hotels, libraries, bookstores, post offices, and so on. If you plan to check your email using a public machine, make sure you sign up for a Web-based account, such as Yahoo.com, Hotmail.com, or Gmail.com.
If you tote your own laptop, you’ll find that many hotels and cafés offer wireless access — sometimes it’s free, other times, you’ll have to buy a drink or pay a fee — while some towns have Wi-Fi hotspots scattered around highly trafficked areas. Just pay for a password, park yourself on a bench in your favorite idyllic spot — overlooking a sandy beach, on a floodlit piazza, or along a bustling people-watching boulevard — then log on and surf away.
I like to bring an iPod to listen to my favorite music and shows that I’ve downloaded at home. My website, ricksteves.com, offers free audio tours of Europe’s major sights plus hundreds of hours of my public-radio shows on travel.
If you’re packing a digital camera, your biggest challenge will be storing photos. Buy the biggest memory card you can afford (or get two). Memory cards are available in Europe, but they’re more expensive. I travel with a six-megapixel camera and a two-gigabyte memory card. Taking photos at high resolution, I can fit about 500 photos onto my memory card. Since I usually travel with a laptop, I upload my photos to my computer. Without a laptop, you could empty — or copy — your memory card as you go, by getting your images burned to a CD (European photo stores and Internet cafés charge $7–10 for this service).
It’s handy to travel with a mobile phone, whether you’re calling a hotel for directions or getting in touch with that lost travel buddy who missed the train. If you want to use a mobile phone in Europe, you have two choices: Take your own, or buy one once you’re there. While many American cell phones work overseas (especially T-Mobile and AT&T handsets), the per-minute cost adds up. Save money by purchasing a phone when you arrive. You can buy a phone for about $40 to $75 — which usually includes some prepaid calling time — at the ubiquitous corner phone marts or at mobile-phone counters in big department stores. You’ll pay cheaper in-country rates and feel like a local with your own European phone number.
Ideally, you want to buy a phone that’s unlocked so you can switch out SIM cards as you travel to different countries. A SIM card is a small, fingernail-size chip that stores your phone number and other information. The EU is looking into standardizing roaming fees across Europe. But for now, when you cross a border, it’s best to buy a new SIM card, which you can get from newsstands kiosks and even vending machines at train stations for $10 to $20.
Users of some handheld wireless devices (most notably the iPhone) have returned home to astronomical bills for unintentional roaming. Just watching a three-minute video on YouTube in the London Tube can cost about $40. You can pay extra for international access, but you’re better off disabling the data-roaming feature on your device altogether and getting online at public Wi-Fi points to check email and surf the Web.
If you’re traveling with your laptop, the cheapest way to talk to loved ones back home is via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). VoIP lets you converse with people around the world over the Internet for free. The two main services are Skype.com and Google.com/talk. Computer-to-computer calls are always free, and the sound quality is about as good as a standard phone connection. If your computer doesn’t have a microphone, you may have to buy an operator-type headset for about $20.
If you’d rather blog, look into Travelpod.com, Mytripjournal.com, and Realtravel.com. These sites are specialized for travelers, providing custom maps with virtual pins for the places you’ve visited. Some sites send emails informing your friends when your blog is updated, and allow them to post comments (so expect a ribbing for those blurry Eiffel Tower photos).
I’ve just been cruising through several European countries, communicating with friends, family, and office workers with my laptop and mobile phone. My days of chatting in noisy, smelly phone booths are long over.
Stretch Your Dollar
By Rick Steves
The economy may be wobbly, but our travel dreams are still strong — for good reason. Europe is every bit as magical as ever, and no recession can change that. What matters is how well you manage your travel budget, and how you use those skills to create a better trip. Playing your cards right, and spending less will lower the barrier that separates you and the culture you've traveled so far to experience.
To help you keep your dream trip affordable, here are fifty thrifty ways to stretch your travel dollar in Europe...
A B&B offers double the warmth and cultural intimacy for half the price of a hotel. You'll find them in most countries if you know the local word: Husrom is Norwegian for sobe which is Slovenian for Zimmer which is German for rooms in a private home.
Avoid touristy restaurants with "We speak English signs" and multilingual menus. Those that are filled with locals serve better food for less money. I look for a short, handwritten menu in the local language only. Go with the daily specials.
Fly open-jaws — that's into one city and out of another. Save time and money by avoiding a needless costly return to your starting point. When considering the beginning and end points of a long trip, try to start in mild countries (such as England) and work into the places with greater culture shock (such as Turkey). This way you'll minimize stress, and save countries offering the cheapest shopping — and greatest health risks — for the end of your trip.
Travel off-season — generally October through April in Europe. You'll get cheaper airfare, find more budget rooms, spend less time in lines, and meet more Europeans than tourists. Big cities such as London, Paris and Rome are interesting any time of year.
Family-run businesses offer the best values because they employ family members to get around Europe's costly labor regulations. In mom-and-pop shops you're more likely to be served by people who care about their reputation and their customers.
Picnics save money. Ten dollars buy a fine picnic lunch for two anywhere in Europe. Stock your hotel room with drinks and munchies upon arrival. You can pass train rides enjoyably over a picnic meal. Many grocery stores have elegant deli sections. Know the metric system for buying produce. In Italy 100 grams (about a quarter pound) is a unit in itself called an etto.
Eat with the season. Germans go crazy for the white asparagus. Italians lap up the porcini mushrooms. And Spaniards gobble their snails (caracoles) — but only when waiters announce that they're fresh today. You'll get more taste for less money throughout Europe by ordering what's in season.
Guidebooks are $20 tools for $3,000 experiences.
Guidebooks are $20 tools for $3,000 experiences.
Use a guidebook. Guidebooks are $20 tools for $3,000 experiences. Saving money by not buying one is penny-wise and pound-foolish. An up-to-date guidebook pays for itself on your first day in Europe.
Use ATMs rather than travelers checks. You'll get your cash cheaper and faster. While ATMs give the best possible rates, they do come with transaction fees. Minimize these fees by making fewer and larger withdrawals. Store the cash safely in your moneybelt.
Stay in touch cheaply by dialing direct. International phone cards with PIN numbers are sold at newsstands throughout Europe. They offer calls to the US for ten cents a minute — a huge savings over the $3/minute rates offered by the big American services.
Cars are worthless and costly headaches in big cities. Pick up your rental car after the first big city and drop it off before the final big city of your trip. Paying $20 a day to store a $40 a day car while touring a city is an expensive mistake.
Do your shopping mostly in the cheaper countries where gifts are more interesting and your shopping dollar stretches the farthest. The difference is huge: For the cost of a pewter Viking ship in Oslo, you can buy an actual boat in Turkey.
Look up friends, relatives, and contacts. Assume you are interesting and charming and enjoy local hospitality with gusto. This works best if you actually are interesting and charming. Bring a show-and-tell Ziploc baggie filled with photos of your family, house, and hometown.
Look up that homely little Norwegian cousin you remember from the sixth grade.
Look up that homely little Norwegian cousin you remember from the sixth grade.
Adapt to European tastes. Cultural chameleons drink tea in England, beer in Prague, red wine in France, and white wine on the Rhine. They eat fish in Portugal and reindeer in Norway. Going with the local specialties gets you the best quality and service for the best price.
Look for consolidator tickets for overseas flights. Consolidator or "discount" air tickets are perfectly legitimate. By putting up with a few minor drawbacks (no changes allowed and no frequent flier miles given) you can save hundreds of dollars. Student agencies are not limited to students and offer some great airfares.
Don't let frequent flier miles cloud your judgment. Choose a plane ticket, car rental, hotel or tour according to the best value for your trip, not in hopes of scoring a few extra miles.
Know your rail options. Eurailpasses can offer big savings — if you're traveling a lot. For short trips, point-to-point tickets are cheaper. Throughout Europe first-class tickets cost 50 percent more than second-class. If you're on a budget, go second-class. Nearly every train has both first — and second-class cars...each going precisely the same speed. Before buying a Eurailpass, know the options sold in Europe. For instance, Germany's "Beautiful Weekend" ticket lets groups of up to five travel anywhere in the country all day Saturday or Sunday on non-express trains for about $33.
Buses, while often slower, are cheaper than trains — especially in Britain, home of Europe's most expensive train system. For instance, traveling from London to Edinburgh could cost $145 by train or only $45 by bus.
Groups save by driving. Four people sharing a car generally travel much cheaper than four individuals buying four railpasses. And don't worry about gas costs. Even at $5 a gallon, you'll find cars get great mileage and distances between sights are short. A single two-hour train ticket can cost you the price of a full tank of gas.
Park carefully, or take this broken wing and learn to cry.
Park carefully, or take this broken wing and learn to cry.
Park carefully. Thieves recognize and target tourist cars. Judge the safety of a lot by how it twinkles. Broken glass means thieves like this spot. Paying to park in a garage with an attendant can be a good investment.
In many northern countries, train-ticket holders get discounts on bikes rented at the station. And in many cases you can rent a bike in one town and drop it at another for no extra charge.
Pay with local cash, not credit cards. While credit cards get you a good exchange rate, many places offering Europe's best deals — from craft shops to bed & breakfasts — accept only cash.
When changing cash, avoid exchange bureaus that don't show both the buying and selling rate. By seeing both rates you can derive the profit margin — which should be within 5 percent. Places showing only the selling rate are hiding something... an obscene profit margin.
Wear a money belt. You'll save money by not losing it. Thieves target Americans not because they're mean but because they're smart. They know we're the ones with the good stuff in our purses and wallets. Assume beggars are pickpockets. Be wary of commotions in crowds and fake police who ask to see your wallet. When you know the scams, they're almost entertaining.
Students, families, and seniors should ask for discounts. But be warned: Because the US doesn't reciprocate, many countries don't give their standard senior citizen discounts to Americans.
Travelers in a rush often pay too much. Always take a moment to review the math in any transaction.
Travelers in a rush often pay too much. Always take a moment to review the math in any transaction.
In any transaction, understand all fees and expenses. Ask to have bills itemized. Assume you'll be short-changed. Always ask how much. Do your own arithmetic and don't let the cashier rush you. Smile but be savvy. You'll save lots of money.
Travel with a partner to share and save. A single hotel room often costs nearly the same as a double. And by splitting taxis, chores, guidebooks, and picnics couples save both time and money.
Buy your maps in Europe at half the price you'd pay in America. And you'll find a wider selection.
Communicate via email with a free Yahoo- or Hotmail-type account rather than by mailing postcards. For the cost of a postcard and a stamp you can be online in a cybercafé for about 15 minutes. Many libraries, hotels and hostels offer free Internet access.
Europe's 2,000 hostels offer countless cheap dorm beds. A hostel membership pays for itself in four nights. And it's not limited to youths. In fact, those over 55 get a discount on a hostel card. Using the hostel's kitchen, you can cook for the price of groceries — a great savings for traveling families.
Take advantage of department stores anywhere in Europe for cheap folk art, souvenirs, and post cards. Local shoppers eat cheaply at department store cafeterias and restaurants. Savvy travelers can too.
While notorious for ripping off tourists, flea markets can offer some great deals. Prices are soft, so haggle.
Flea markets are cheap sources of funky, fun souvenirs.
Flea markets are cheap sources of funky, fun souvenirs.
Consider using a budget airline to connect distant cities. Europe's highly competitive no-frills airlines — such as Ryanair and Virgin Air — can often get you from one city to another faster and cheaper than the train. You generally book the flights yourself by phone or on the Web. Beware though: Cheap airlines often use small airports located far from town, which can cost a little extra time and money.
Hike in the Alps. Even if you pay for a lift ticket to get you quickly into the high country, the glories of the Alps are one of Europe's great values. The Alps are littered with helicopter-supplied mountain huts offering cheap beds and menu prices that don't go up with the altitude.
Know your hotel's cancellation policy and keep track of what you reserved. No shows are generally charged one night. If you won't make it, cancel long in advance. Reconfirm all hotel reservations two days in advance. Even a fine hotel can mess up a booking. Arriving and finding no room can become a huge and costly headache.
Avoid travel agent and tourist office room-finding services. They charge a fee and generally offer only the highest-priced rooms with no discounts. For the best accommodations values, use a guidebook, shop around, and go direct.
Find rooms on the fly, and check business hotels for off-peak deals. Brussels and the Scandinavian capitals, which cater to business travelers, offer deep discounts to travelers who arrive without reservations when business traffic is slow. During summer and weekends year-round, you can get a fancy business hotel room at a cheap one-star hotel price. It's not unusual to score a $300 double for $100.
Throughout Europe, budget chain hotels rent rooms at B&B prices. Since these cookie-cutter rooms cost the same for singles, couples, or even a family of four, they offer the greatest savings for traveling families.
Be smart about hotel choices. A three-star place (with room service and a 24-hour reception desk) is a bad value for a budget traveler who's satisfied with one-star services. Lavish lobbies can hide crummy rooms. See, smell, and hear the room before accepting it. If you're interested in sleeping, choosing a view room overlooking a noisy square is a mistake. Opting for the shower and toilet down the hall can save you $30 a night.
Ask for a deal on your hotel room. You'll have the best chance of getting a discount if business is slow. Go direct (a room-finding service costs the hotel a booking fee), offer to pay in cash, or stay at least three nights.
Pack the room. The more people you put in a hotel room, the cheaper it gets per person. A quad is only a little more expensive than a double.
Avoid hotel breakfasts. While convenient, these are rarely a good value. If breakfast is optional, increase the character and lower the price by joining the local crowd at the corner café for your coffee and croissant.
Throughout southern Europe, drinks are cheaper at the bar than at a table. The table price can be a great value if you'll linger and enjoy the view. But those just tossing down a quick drink do it at the bar for about half price.
Every country has early bird and "Blue Plate" specials. Know the lingo, learn your options, and you can dine well with savvy locals anywhere in Europe for under $15.
Smart travelers never waste precious time in lines.
Smart travelers never waste precious time in lines.
Don't overtip. Only Americans tip 15 to 20 percent in Europe. We even tip when it's already included or not expected. Ask locals (who are customers rather than employees of a restaurant) for advice.
To save money in restaurants, couples can order a side salad and split an entree. To save more, request tap water instead of mineral water, drink the house wine, and skip desserts.
Make the most of public transit. Many single tickets are actually good for round-trip, transfers, or an hour of travel. Three rides generally cost more than a day pass. Airports almost always have cheap and convenient public transit connections to the town center.
Museum passes save time and money. The Paris Museum pass, for example, pays for itself in three visits and saves you hours by letting you skip the long lines and scoot right into each sight. Also, with a pass, you'll pop painlessly into sights that might otherwise not be worth the expense.
If you get sick, see a doctor sooner rather than later. While it seems stressful to get medical help, visiting a clinic in Europe is actually an inexpensive and interesting experience. Any hotel or tourist office can point you in the right direction. You'll be diagnosed, have the proper medicine prescribed, and be on the mend in an hour.
The economy may be wobbly, but our travel dreams are still strong — for good reason. Europe is every bit as magical as ever, and no recession can change that. What matters is how well you manage your travel budget, and how you use those skills to create a better trip. Playing your cards right, and spending less will lower the barrier that separates you and the culture you've traveled so far to experience.
To help you keep your dream trip affordable, here are fifty thrifty ways to stretch your travel dollar in Europe...
A B&B offers double the warmth and cultural intimacy for half the price of a hotel. You'll find them in most countries if you know the local word: Husrom is Norwegian for sobe which is Slovenian for Zimmer which is German for rooms in a private home.
Avoid touristy restaurants with "We speak English signs" and multilingual menus. Those that are filled with locals serve better food for less money. I look for a short, handwritten menu in the local language only. Go with the daily specials.
Fly open-jaws — that's into one city and out of another. Save time and money by avoiding a needless costly return to your starting point. When considering the beginning and end points of a long trip, try to start in mild countries (such as England) and work into the places with greater culture shock (such as Turkey). This way you'll minimize stress, and save countries offering the cheapest shopping — and greatest health risks — for the end of your trip.
Travel off-season — generally October through April in Europe. You'll get cheaper airfare, find more budget rooms, spend less time in lines, and meet more Europeans than tourists. Big cities such as London, Paris and Rome are interesting any time of year.
Family-run businesses offer the best values because they employ family members to get around Europe's costly labor regulations. In mom-and-pop shops you're more likely to be served by people who care about their reputation and their customers.
Picnics save money. Ten dollars buy a fine picnic lunch for two anywhere in Europe. Stock your hotel room with drinks and munchies upon arrival. You can pass train rides enjoyably over a picnic meal. Many grocery stores have elegant deli sections. Know the metric system for buying produce. In Italy 100 grams (about a quarter pound) is a unit in itself called an etto.
Eat with the season. Germans go crazy for the white asparagus. Italians lap up the porcini mushrooms. And Spaniards gobble their snails (caracoles) — but only when waiters announce that they're fresh today. You'll get more taste for less money throughout Europe by ordering what's in season.
Guidebooks are $20 tools for $3,000 experiences.
Guidebooks are $20 tools for $3,000 experiences.
Use a guidebook. Guidebooks are $20 tools for $3,000 experiences. Saving money by not buying one is penny-wise and pound-foolish. An up-to-date guidebook pays for itself on your first day in Europe.
Use ATMs rather than travelers checks. You'll get your cash cheaper and faster. While ATMs give the best possible rates, they do come with transaction fees. Minimize these fees by making fewer and larger withdrawals. Store the cash safely in your moneybelt.
Stay in touch cheaply by dialing direct. International phone cards with PIN numbers are sold at newsstands throughout Europe. They offer calls to the US for ten cents a minute — a huge savings over the $3/minute rates offered by the big American services.
Cars are worthless and costly headaches in big cities. Pick up your rental car after the first big city and drop it off before the final big city of your trip. Paying $20 a day to store a $40 a day car while touring a city is an expensive mistake.
Do your shopping mostly in the cheaper countries where gifts are more interesting and your shopping dollar stretches the farthest. The difference is huge: For the cost of a pewter Viking ship in Oslo, you can buy an actual boat in Turkey.
Look up friends, relatives, and contacts. Assume you are interesting and charming and enjoy local hospitality with gusto. This works best if you actually are interesting and charming. Bring a show-and-tell Ziploc baggie filled with photos of your family, house, and hometown.
Look up that homely little Norwegian cousin you remember from the sixth grade.
Look up that homely little Norwegian cousin you remember from the sixth grade.
Adapt to European tastes. Cultural chameleons drink tea in England, beer in Prague, red wine in France, and white wine on the Rhine. They eat fish in Portugal and reindeer in Norway. Going with the local specialties gets you the best quality and service for the best price.
Look for consolidator tickets for overseas flights. Consolidator or "discount" air tickets are perfectly legitimate. By putting up with a few minor drawbacks (no changes allowed and no frequent flier miles given) you can save hundreds of dollars. Student agencies are not limited to students and offer some great airfares.
Don't let frequent flier miles cloud your judgment. Choose a plane ticket, car rental, hotel or tour according to the best value for your trip, not in hopes of scoring a few extra miles.
Know your rail options. Eurailpasses can offer big savings — if you're traveling a lot. For short trips, point-to-point tickets are cheaper. Throughout Europe first-class tickets cost 50 percent more than second-class. If you're on a budget, go second-class. Nearly every train has both first — and second-class cars...each going precisely the same speed. Before buying a Eurailpass, know the options sold in Europe. For instance, Germany's "Beautiful Weekend" ticket lets groups of up to five travel anywhere in the country all day Saturday or Sunday on non-express trains for about $33.
Buses, while often slower, are cheaper than trains — especially in Britain, home of Europe's most expensive train system. For instance, traveling from London to Edinburgh could cost $145 by train or only $45 by bus.
Groups save by driving. Four people sharing a car generally travel much cheaper than four individuals buying four railpasses. And don't worry about gas costs. Even at $5 a gallon, you'll find cars get great mileage and distances between sights are short. A single two-hour train ticket can cost you the price of a full tank of gas.
Park carefully, or take this broken wing and learn to cry.
Park carefully, or take this broken wing and learn to cry.
Park carefully. Thieves recognize and target tourist cars. Judge the safety of a lot by how it twinkles. Broken glass means thieves like this spot. Paying to park in a garage with an attendant can be a good investment.
In many northern countries, train-ticket holders get discounts on bikes rented at the station. And in many cases you can rent a bike in one town and drop it at another for no extra charge.
Pay with local cash, not credit cards. While credit cards get you a good exchange rate, many places offering Europe's best deals — from craft shops to bed & breakfasts — accept only cash.
When changing cash, avoid exchange bureaus that don't show both the buying and selling rate. By seeing both rates you can derive the profit margin — which should be within 5 percent. Places showing only the selling rate are hiding something... an obscene profit margin.
Wear a money belt. You'll save money by not losing it. Thieves target Americans not because they're mean but because they're smart. They know we're the ones with the good stuff in our purses and wallets. Assume beggars are pickpockets. Be wary of commotions in crowds and fake police who ask to see your wallet. When you know the scams, they're almost entertaining.
Students, families, and seniors should ask for discounts. But be warned: Because the US doesn't reciprocate, many countries don't give their standard senior citizen discounts to Americans.
Travelers in a rush often pay too much. Always take a moment to review the math in any transaction.
Travelers in a rush often pay too much. Always take a moment to review the math in any transaction.
In any transaction, understand all fees and expenses. Ask to have bills itemized. Assume you'll be short-changed. Always ask how much. Do your own arithmetic and don't let the cashier rush you. Smile but be savvy. You'll save lots of money.
Travel with a partner to share and save. A single hotel room often costs nearly the same as a double. And by splitting taxis, chores, guidebooks, and picnics couples save both time and money.
Buy your maps in Europe at half the price you'd pay in America. And you'll find a wider selection.
Communicate via email with a free Yahoo- or Hotmail-type account rather than by mailing postcards. For the cost of a postcard and a stamp you can be online in a cybercafé for about 15 minutes. Many libraries, hotels and hostels offer free Internet access.
Europe's 2,000 hostels offer countless cheap dorm beds. A hostel membership pays for itself in four nights. And it's not limited to youths. In fact, those over 55 get a discount on a hostel card. Using the hostel's kitchen, you can cook for the price of groceries — a great savings for traveling families.
Take advantage of department stores anywhere in Europe for cheap folk art, souvenirs, and post cards. Local shoppers eat cheaply at department store cafeterias and restaurants. Savvy travelers can too.
While notorious for ripping off tourists, flea markets can offer some great deals. Prices are soft, so haggle.
Flea markets are cheap sources of funky, fun souvenirs.
Flea markets are cheap sources of funky, fun souvenirs.
Consider using a budget airline to connect distant cities. Europe's highly competitive no-frills airlines — such as Ryanair and Virgin Air — can often get you from one city to another faster and cheaper than the train. You generally book the flights yourself by phone or on the Web. Beware though: Cheap airlines often use small airports located far from town, which can cost a little extra time and money.
Hike in the Alps. Even if you pay for a lift ticket to get you quickly into the high country, the glories of the Alps are one of Europe's great values. The Alps are littered with helicopter-supplied mountain huts offering cheap beds and menu prices that don't go up with the altitude.
Know your hotel's cancellation policy and keep track of what you reserved. No shows are generally charged one night. If you won't make it, cancel long in advance. Reconfirm all hotel reservations two days in advance. Even a fine hotel can mess up a booking. Arriving and finding no room can become a huge and costly headache.
Avoid travel agent and tourist office room-finding services. They charge a fee and generally offer only the highest-priced rooms with no discounts. For the best accommodations values, use a guidebook, shop around, and go direct.
Find rooms on the fly, and check business hotels for off-peak deals. Brussels and the Scandinavian capitals, which cater to business travelers, offer deep discounts to travelers who arrive without reservations when business traffic is slow. During summer and weekends year-round, you can get a fancy business hotel room at a cheap one-star hotel price. It's not unusual to score a $300 double for $100.
Throughout Europe, budget chain hotels rent rooms at B&B prices. Since these cookie-cutter rooms cost the same for singles, couples, or even a family of four, they offer the greatest savings for traveling families.
Be smart about hotel choices. A three-star place (with room service and a 24-hour reception desk) is a bad value for a budget traveler who's satisfied with one-star services. Lavish lobbies can hide crummy rooms. See, smell, and hear the room before accepting it. If you're interested in sleeping, choosing a view room overlooking a noisy square is a mistake. Opting for the shower and toilet down the hall can save you $30 a night.
Ask for a deal on your hotel room. You'll have the best chance of getting a discount if business is slow. Go direct (a room-finding service costs the hotel a booking fee), offer to pay in cash, or stay at least three nights.
Pack the room. The more people you put in a hotel room, the cheaper it gets per person. A quad is only a little more expensive than a double.
Avoid hotel breakfasts. While convenient, these are rarely a good value. If breakfast is optional, increase the character and lower the price by joining the local crowd at the corner café for your coffee and croissant.
Throughout southern Europe, drinks are cheaper at the bar than at a table. The table price can be a great value if you'll linger and enjoy the view. But those just tossing down a quick drink do it at the bar for about half price.
Every country has early bird and "Blue Plate" specials. Know the lingo, learn your options, and you can dine well with savvy locals anywhere in Europe for under $15.
Smart travelers never waste precious time in lines.
Smart travelers never waste precious time in lines.
Don't overtip. Only Americans tip 15 to 20 percent in Europe. We even tip when it's already included or not expected. Ask locals (who are customers rather than employees of a restaurant) for advice.
To save money in restaurants, couples can order a side salad and split an entree. To save more, request tap water instead of mineral water, drink the house wine, and skip desserts.
Make the most of public transit. Many single tickets are actually good for round-trip, transfers, or an hour of travel. Three rides generally cost more than a day pass. Airports almost always have cheap and convenient public transit connections to the town center.
Museum passes save time and money. The Paris Museum pass, for example, pays for itself in three visits and saves you hours by letting you skip the long lines and scoot right into each sight. Also, with a pass, you'll pop painlessly into sights that might otherwise not be worth the expense.
If you get sick, see a doctor sooner rather than later. While it seems stressful to get medical help, visiting a clinic in Europe is actually an inexpensive and interesting experience. Any hotel or tourist office can point you in the right direction. You'll be diagnosed, have the proper medicine prescribed, and be on the mend in an hour.
Tourist Beware: Europe's Latest Travel Scams
Gelato in hand, you’re strolling down a street in Italy, when suddenly, an attractive woman starts arguing with a street vendor. A crowd gathers as he accuses her of shoplifting. To prove her innocence, she starts to strip. Once she’s down to her underwear, the vendor apologizes, the woman leaves, and the onlookers disappear — and so have their wallets, thanks to a team of pickpockets working the show. This is just one of the new, inventive ways that European scam artists operate. The good news is that if you’re wise to their tricks, you can just marvel at their ingenuity.
The sneakiest pickpockets look like well-dressed businessmen, generally with something official-looking in their hand. Lately many are posing as tourists with fanny packs, cameras, and even guidebooks.
No matter what country you’re in, assume beggars are pickpockets and any scuffle is simply a distraction by a team of thieves. If you stop for any commotion or show, put your hands in your pockets before someone else does (or, even better, wear a money belt).
Set-up scams are time-tested and popular. On the busy streets of Barcelona, Berlin, and Florence, you’ll find the shell game, or its variation, the pea-and-carrot game. Players pay to guess which of the moving shells hides the ball. It looks easy, but the winners are all ringers, and you can be sure that you’ll lose if you play.
The most rampant scams are more subtle, such as being overcharged by a taxi driver. Some cabbies will pretend to drop a large bill and pick up a hidden small one, then tell you that you didn’t pay enough. Others will select the pricier “night and weekend” rate on their meter, even on weekdays. To decrease your odds of getting ripped off, call for a taxi from a hotel or restaurant. If you do hail a cab, choose one with a prominent taxi-company logo and telephone number. Either way, insist on using the meter, agree on a price up front, or know the going rate. If, for whatever reason, I’m charged a ridiculous price for a ride, I put a reasonable sum on the seat and say goodbye.
Whenever cash is involved, it pays to be alert. If someone offers to help you use a cash machine, politely refuse (the person wants your PIN code). If a cash machine eats your ATM card, check for a thin plastic insert with a little flap hanging out — crooks use tweezers to extract your card. Cashiers, and even bank tellers, thrive on the “slow count,” dealing out change with odd pauses in hopes that rushed tourists will gather up the money early and say “Grazie.” Also, be careful when paying with large bills in restaurants and stores, and always inspect your change — in Italy, the now-worthless 500-lira coin looks like a 2-euro coin.
Some thieves hang out at train-ticket machines, eager to assist you in buying tickets with a pile of your quickly disappearing foreign cash. And skip the helping hand from official-looking railroad attendants at the Rome train station. They’ll lead you to your seat...then demand a “tip.”
In Spain, scruffy women offer you sprigs of rosemary (as if in friendship), and then grab your hand, read your fortune, and demand payment. Don’t make eye contact, don’t accept a sprig, and say firmly but politely, “No, gracias.”
Just because someone looks official doesn’t mean they are. In Italy, “Tourist Police” may stop you on the street, flash their bogus badges, and ask to check your wallet for counterfeit bills or “drug money.” You won’t even notice some bills are missing until after they leave. Never open your door to “hotel inspectors.” One waits outside while the other comes in to take a look around. While you're distracted, the first thief slips in and snags valuables off your dresser. In Vienna, official-looking women decked out in long velvet capes roam famous sights, claiming to work for the opera house and offering to sell you tickets. The tickets are fakes, and the only seats you’ll be buying are the ones on the bus back to your hotel.
I don’t mean to paint Europe as a dangerous place. In fact, it’s safer than America. Muggings in Europe are uncommon. Thieves want to separate you from your money painlessly.
Scams are easy to avoid if you recognize them. But remember: Even the most vigilant traveler can get conned. If this happens, don’t let it ruin your trip. With the right attitude and lighter bags, you can still have a wonderful time.
The sneakiest pickpockets look like well-dressed businessmen, generally with something official-looking in their hand. Lately many are posing as tourists with fanny packs, cameras, and even guidebooks.
No matter what country you’re in, assume beggars are pickpockets and any scuffle is simply a distraction by a team of thieves. If you stop for any commotion or show, put your hands in your pockets before someone else does (or, even better, wear a money belt).
Set-up scams are time-tested and popular. On the busy streets of Barcelona, Berlin, and Florence, you’ll find the shell game, or its variation, the pea-and-carrot game. Players pay to guess which of the moving shells hides the ball. It looks easy, but the winners are all ringers, and you can be sure that you’ll lose if you play.
The most rampant scams are more subtle, such as being overcharged by a taxi driver. Some cabbies will pretend to drop a large bill and pick up a hidden small one, then tell you that you didn’t pay enough. Others will select the pricier “night and weekend” rate on their meter, even on weekdays. To decrease your odds of getting ripped off, call for a taxi from a hotel or restaurant. If you do hail a cab, choose one with a prominent taxi-company logo and telephone number. Either way, insist on using the meter, agree on a price up front, or know the going rate. If, for whatever reason, I’m charged a ridiculous price for a ride, I put a reasonable sum on the seat and say goodbye.
Whenever cash is involved, it pays to be alert. If someone offers to help you use a cash machine, politely refuse (the person wants your PIN code). If a cash machine eats your ATM card, check for a thin plastic insert with a little flap hanging out — crooks use tweezers to extract your card. Cashiers, and even bank tellers, thrive on the “slow count,” dealing out change with odd pauses in hopes that rushed tourists will gather up the money early and say “Grazie.” Also, be careful when paying with large bills in restaurants and stores, and always inspect your change — in Italy, the now-worthless 500-lira coin looks like a 2-euro coin.
Some thieves hang out at train-ticket machines, eager to assist you in buying tickets with a pile of your quickly disappearing foreign cash. And skip the helping hand from official-looking railroad attendants at the Rome train station. They’ll lead you to your seat...then demand a “tip.”
In Spain, scruffy women offer you sprigs of rosemary (as if in friendship), and then grab your hand, read your fortune, and demand payment. Don’t make eye contact, don’t accept a sprig, and say firmly but politely, “No, gracias.”
Just because someone looks official doesn’t mean they are. In Italy, “Tourist Police” may stop you on the street, flash their bogus badges, and ask to check your wallet for counterfeit bills or “drug money.” You won’t even notice some bills are missing until after they leave. Never open your door to “hotel inspectors.” One waits outside while the other comes in to take a look around. While you're distracted, the first thief slips in and snags valuables off your dresser. In Vienna, official-looking women decked out in long velvet capes roam famous sights, claiming to work for the opera house and offering to sell you tickets. The tickets are fakes, and the only seats you’ll be buying are the ones on the bus back to your hotel.
I don’t mean to paint Europe as a dangerous place. In fact, it’s safer than America. Muggings in Europe are uncommon. Thieves want to separate you from your money painlessly.
Scams are easy to avoid if you recognize them. But remember: Even the most vigilant traveler can get conned. If this happens, don’t let it ruin your trip. With the right attitude and lighter bags, you can still have a wonderful time.
Bus Tour Self-Defense
By Rick Steves
I've spent months on typical big bus tours and have some hard-earned advice. (And this is not leading to a plug of my tours.) If you follow these tips, even a big bad bus tour can be a good value.
When calling tour companies, here are questions to ask:
Nail down the price
* What does the price actually include? (How many nights and days? How many meals? Admission to sights? Exactly what kind of transportation?)
* If the dollar drops, will the tour price stay the same or will a supplement be charged?
* If the tour doesn't fill up, will the price increase? Are prices lower for off-season tours?
* Do you take credit cards? (If you're dealing with a tour company that's not well established, pay by credit card. A credit-card company can be a strong ally in resolving disputes.)
* Do singles pay a supplement? Can singles save money by sharing rooms?
* Are optional excursions offered? Daily? Average cost?
* Is trip interruption/cancellation insurance included?
* Will the guide and driver expect to be tipped? How much? How often?
* Are there any other costs?
* Do customers receive any freebies for signing up?
Find out how much the guide guides
* Is the guide also the driver?
* Does the guide give talks on the cities, history, and art?
* What are the guide's qualifications (education, experience, fluency in languages)?
Run a reality check on your dream trip
* How many tour members will be on the tour?
* Roughly what is the average age and singles-to-couples ratio?
* Are children allowed? What is the minimum age?
* How many seats on the bus? Is there a bathroom on the bus? How much time is spent on the bus each day?
* Is smoking allowed?
* Roughly how many hours a day are spent shopping and watching product demonstrations?
* How much free time is usually allotted at each sight, museum, and city?
* Are all the hotels located downtown or are they on the outskirts?
* What's the average length of stay at hotels? One night? Two?
* Does each room have a private bathroom? Air-conditioning?
* What percentage of included meals are eaten at the hotel?
Let's get personal
* How many years have you been in business?
* Roughly how many tours do you run a year?
* What is your policy if you have to cancel a tour?
* What are your refund policies before and during the tour?
Request
* The detailed itinerary and location of hotels.
* The names and phone numbers of satisfied customers, though these aren't always given out.
* Written tour evaluations, if available (may be posted on their website).
How to Enjoy a Bus Tour
Keep your guide happy. Independent-type tourists tend to threaten guides. Maintain your independence without alienating your guide. Don't insist on individual attention when the guide is hounded by countless others. Wait for a quiet moment to ask for advice or offer feedback. If a guide wants to, he can give his entire group a lot of extras — but when he pouts, everyone loses. Your objective, which requires some artistry, is to keep the guide on your side without letting him take advantage of you.
Discriminate among optional excursions. While some activities may be included (such as the half-day city sightseeing tours), each day one or two special excursions or evening activities, called "options," are offered for $30–50 a day. Each person decides which options to take and pay for. To make sure you're not being ripped off on excursion prices, ask your hotelier the going rate for a gondola ride, Seine River cruise, or whatever.
Some options are great, but others are not worth the time or money. While illuminated night tours of Rome and Paris are marvelous, I'd skip most "nights on the town." On the worst kind of big-bus-tour evening, several bus tours come together for the "evening of local color." Three hundred Australian, Japanese, and American tourists drinking watered-down sangria and watching flamenco dancing onstage to the rhythm of their digital camera bleeps is big-bus tourism at its grotesque worst.
Your guide promotes excursions because she profits from them. Don't be pressured. Compare. Some options are cheaper through your tour than from the hotel concierge. Some meals are actually a better value with the group. Keep an open mind. While you are capable of doing plenty on your own, optional excursions can be a decent value — especially when you factor in the value of your time.
But don't let bus tour priorities keep you from what you've traveled all the way to Europe to see. In Amsterdam, some tour companies instruct their guides to spend time in the diamond-polishing place instead of the Van Gogh Museum (no kickbacks on Van Gogh). Skip out if you like. Your guide may warn you that you'll get lost and the bus won't wait. Keep your independence (and the hotel address in your money belt).
Be informed. Tour guides call the dreaded tourist with a guidebook an "informed passenger." But a guidebook is your key to travel freedom. Get maps and tourist information from your (or another) hotel desk or a tourist information office. Tour hotels are often located outside the city, where they cost the tour company less and where they figure you are more likely to book the options just to get into town. Ask the person behind the desk how to catch the bus downtown. Taxis are always a possibility, and, with three or four people sharing, they're affordable. Team up with others on your tour to explore on your own. No city is dead after the shops are closed. Go downtown and stroll.
If you shop...shop around. Many people make their European holiday one long shopping spree. This suits your guide and the local tourist industry just fine. Guides are quick to say, "If you haven''t bought a Rolex, you haven't really been to Switzerland," or "You can't say you've experienced Florence if you haven't bargained for and bought a leather coat." Any tour guide in Europe knows that if she's got Americans on board, she's carting around a busload of stark raving shoppers. In Venice, as I orient my groups, merchants are tugging at my arm and whispering, "Bring your groups to our glassworks next time. We'll give you 15 percent back on whatever they spend — and a free glass 'orse!"
Don't necessarily reject your guide's shopping tips; just keep in mind that the prices you see often include a 10–20 percent kickback. Tour guides are clever at dominating your time, making it difficult for shoppers to get out and discover the going rate for big purchases. Don't let them rush you. Never swallow the line, "This is a special price available only to your tour, but you must buy now."
Remember, as your cruise ship docks in Turkey, that some cruise companies don't even hire a guide. They actually rent their groups out to the highest bidder. That "scholar" who meets you at the dock is actually a carpet salesman in disguise. He'll take you to the obligatory ancient site and then to the carpet shop. The demonstrations (by carpet sellers, glass merchants, and so on) are usually interesting. Use your newfound knowledge from the demonstration to shop around; you may find an item of equal quality for less elsewhere. Bargain.
Spend time with locals who never deal with tourists. The only natives most tour groups encounter are hardened business people who know how to make money off of tour groups. Going through Tuscany in a flock of 50 Americans following your tour guide's umbrella, you'll meet all the wrong Italians. Break away. One summer night in Regensburg, I skipped out. While my tour was still piling off the bus, I enjoyed a beer — while overlooking the Danube and under shooting stars — with the great-great-great-grandson of the astronomer Johannes Kepler.
I've spent months on typical big bus tours and have some hard-earned advice. (And this is not leading to a plug of my tours.) If you follow these tips, even a big bad bus tour can be a good value.
When calling tour companies, here are questions to ask:
Nail down the price
* What does the price actually include? (How many nights and days? How many meals? Admission to sights? Exactly what kind of transportation?)
* If the dollar drops, will the tour price stay the same or will a supplement be charged?
* If the tour doesn't fill up, will the price increase? Are prices lower for off-season tours?
* Do you take credit cards? (If you're dealing with a tour company that's not well established, pay by credit card. A credit-card company can be a strong ally in resolving disputes.)
* Do singles pay a supplement? Can singles save money by sharing rooms?
* Are optional excursions offered? Daily? Average cost?
* Is trip interruption/cancellation insurance included?
* Will the guide and driver expect to be tipped? How much? How often?
* Are there any other costs?
* Do customers receive any freebies for signing up?
Find out how much the guide guides
* Is the guide also the driver?
* Does the guide give talks on the cities, history, and art?
* What are the guide's qualifications (education, experience, fluency in languages)?
Run a reality check on your dream trip
* How many tour members will be on the tour?
* Roughly what is the average age and singles-to-couples ratio?
* Are children allowed? What is the minimum age?
* How many seats on the bus? Is there a bathroom on the bus? How much time is spent on the bus each day?
* Is smoking allowed?
* Roughly how many hours a day are spent shopping and watching product demonstrations?
* How much free time is usually allotted at each sight, museum, and city?
* Are all the hotels located downtown or are they on the outskirts?
* What's the average length of stay at hotels? One night? Two?
* Does each room have a private bathroom? Air-conditioning?
* What percentage of included meals are eaten at the hotel?
Let's get personal
* How many years have you been in business?
* Roughly how many tours do you run a year?
* What is your policy if you have to cancel a tour?
* What are your refund policies before and during the tour?
Request
* The detailed itinerary and location of hotels.
* The names and phone numbers of satisfied customers, though these aren't always given out.
* Written tour evaluations, if available (may be posted on their website).
How to Enjoy a Bus Tour
Keep your guide happy. Independent-type tourists tend to threaten guides. Maintain your independence without alienating your guide. Don't insist on individual attention when the guide is hounded by countless others. Wait for a quiet moment to ask for advice or offer feedback. If a guide wants to, he can give his entire group a lot of extras — but when he pouts, everyone loses. Your objective, which requires some artistry, is to keep the guide on your side without letting him take advantage of you.
Discriminate among optional excursions. While some activities may be included (such as the half-day city sightseeing tours), each day one or two special excursions or evening activities, called "options," are offered for $30–50 a day. Each person decides which options to take and pay for. To make sure you're not being ripped off on excursion prices, ask your hotelier the going rate for a gondola ride, Seine River cruise, or whatever.
Some options are great, but others are not worth the time or money. While illuminated night tours of Rome and Paris are marvelous, I'd skip most "nights on the town." On the worst kind of big-bus-tour evening, several bus tours come together for the "evening of local color." Three hundred Australian, Japanese, and American tourists drinking watered-down sangria and watching flamenco dancing onstage to the rhythm of their digital camera bleeps is big-bus tourism at its grotesque worst.
Your guide promotes excursions because she profits from them. Don't be pressured. Compare. Some options are cheaper through your tour than from the hotel concierge. Some meals are actually a better value with the group. Keep an open mind. While you are capable of doing plenty on your own, optional excursions can be a decent value — especially when you factor in the value of your time.
But don't let bus tour priorities keep you from what you've traveled all the way to Europe to see. In Amsterdam, some tour companies instruct their guides to spend time in the diamond-polishing place instead of the Van Gogh Museum (no kickbacks on Van Gogh). Skip out if you like. Your guide may warn you that you'll get lost and the bus won't wait. Keep your independence (and the hotel address in your money belt).
Be informed. Tour guides call the dreaded tourist with a guidebook an "informed passenger." But a guidebook is your key to travel freedom. Get maps and tourist information from your (or another) hotel desk or a tourist information office. Tour hotels are often located outside the city, where they cost the tour company less and where they figure you are more likely to book the options just to get into town. Ask the person behind the desk how to catch the bus downtown. Taxis are always a possibility, and, with three or four people sharing, they're affordable. Team up with others on your tour to explore on your own. No city is dead after the shops are closed. Go downtown and stroll.
If you shop...shop around. Many people make their European holiday one long shopping spree. This suits your guide and the local tourist industry just fine. Guides are quick to say, "If you haven''t bought a Rolex, you haven't really been to Switzerland," or "You can't say you've experienced Florence if you haven't bargained for and bought a leather coat." Any tour guide in Europe knows that if she's got Americans on board, she's carting around a busload of stark raving shoppers. In Venice, as I orient my groups, merchants are tugging at my arm and whispering, "Bring your groups to our glassworks next time. We'll give you 15 percent back on whatever they spend — and a free glass 'orse!"
Don't necessarily reject your guide's shopping tips; just keep in mind that the prices you see often include a 10–20 percent kickback. Tour guides are clever at dominating your time, making it difficult for shoppers to get out and discover the going rate for big purchases. Don't let them rush you. Never swallow the line, "This is a special price available only to your tour, but you must buy now."
Remember, as your cruise ship docks in Turkey, that some cruise companies don't even hire a guide. They actually rent their groups out to the highest bidder. That "scholar" who meets you at the dock is actually a carpet salesman in disguise. He'll take you to the obligatory ancient site and then to the carpet shop. The demonstrations (by carpet sellers, glass merchants, and so on) are usually interesting. Use your newfound knowledge from the demonstration to shop around; you may find an item of equal quality for less elsewhere. Bargain.
Spend time with locals who never deal with tourists. The only natives most tour groups encounter are hardened business people who know how to make money off of tour groups. Going through Tuscany in a flock of 50 Americans following your tour guide's umbrella, you'll meet all the wrong Italians. Break away. One summer night in Regensburg, I skipped out. While my tour was still piling off the bus, I enjoyed a beer — while overlooking the Danube and under shooting stars — with the great-great-great-grandson of the astronomer Johannes Kepler.
Prepare for Spontaneity
By Rick Steves
Rick in kilt
Traveler 'A' takes off to Europe as a free spirit, without much planning, no real itinerary...and returns home with a backpack full of complaints about how expensive and stressful it all was. Traveler 'B' prepares for weeks as though her trip were some kind of final exam, mapping out a detailed day-to-day plan...and returns home with rich stories of spontaneous European adventures. It's the classic paradox of good travel: structure rewards a traveler with freedom, and "winging it" becomes a ball-and-chain of too many decisions, too little information...and precious little time to relax.
I speak from experience. Between my guidebook research and TV filming commitments, I must have one of the most tightly-wound itineraries of any traveler today. Because of it, I always know where I need to be and what I need to be doing two hours from now. Ball-and-chain? No way. Good planning gives me the luxury of two hours of absolutely relaxed, focused-on-the-moment spontaneity, setting me up for a wealth of travel surprises. Not only am I prepared, I feel prepared. That makes me relaxed. It puts me in a frame of mind to look for fun: debating good whisky with proud Scotsmen, comparing frayed walking sticks with pilgrims in Santiago, and discussing cool cars with young bucks in Munich. It's one reason I love writing guidebooks: to find these vivid experiences and bring them home to my readers in hopes that they can be inspired to connect with Europe just as vividly...backed-up with the travel skills that make it all possible.
After so many trips to Europe, I am still wowed by the blockbuster sights — but I've found that the experiences I truly savor are at the smaller, more obscure places. On a recent trip to Wales, I watched a frisky sheepdog enjoy total control over his flock as they ran along a green hillside. In this little dog-and-sheep show (given the too-clever name of "Ewe-phoria"), the sheepdog followed the whistled commands of his Welsh master. Later, in the Highlands, I asked a kilted friend whether he considers himself British or Scottish. He andwered, "Scottish first, Scottish second!" He then introduced me to the strange joy of wearing a fine kilt atop a windy peak. In York, a man in a suit took me up to the town's massive cathedral to ring its ten-ton tower bell. To my surprise, when he pulled the rope, the bell actually rung him — sending him swaying and giggling, high above the medieval floor.
Scottish wineseller
Taste the culture: I could have ordered a Coke on the run...or learned what's so special about what the locals drink.
At the top of Edinburgh's Royal Mile, there's a touristy whisky-tasting experience that even includes a ride in a big whisky cask. I think of it as Malt Disney. At the bottom of that same street, there's a man who bottles whisky (the Scottish drop the "e", the Irish keep it) for local connoisseurs. As I step into his shop, he points to a rack of famous-name whisky bottles. He tells me the distillery owners who produce these — with their names on the bottles — dearly love their whisky. But they don't drink it from those bottles. ("It's all been purified, colorized and standardized for the mass market.") Walking me across the room to a shelf of aged wooden casks, the big, tough Scotsman explains, "They drink it in the rough, out of casks like these. It's like getting your milk straight from the farmer."
He draws a wee dram for me, and I taste it. Whoa! Then he becomes suddenly gentle as, together, we pour a little spring water on it. Squinting into the glass, he coaches me along: "Look at the impurities gathering in a happy little pool there on top...the water is like a spring rain on a garden...it brings out the character...the personality." Sipping this whisky with an expert, I see how Scotland's national drink can become, as they're fond of saying, "a very good friend."
Like in Scotland, in Santiago de Compostela — located in Spain's rainy northwest corner — old stones are mossy from constant drizzle. This, along with the local folk dancing (a kind of River Dance meets flamenco, complete with bagpipes and tambourines), reminds me of the local Gallego kinship with the Irish Celts due north of here. Here in Santiago, a famous pilgrimage destination, a magical feeling pervades — it's a timeless, spiritual, celebration of life. I stand where the scallop shell chiseled into the cathedral's doorstep marks the end of the 500-mile pilgrimage from France.
Pilgrim in spain
Share the joy: I could have spent the morning looking for a laundromat...or meeting far-trekking pilgrims at their moment of triumph.
Triumphant trekkers of all ages and languages — walking sticks frayed on the ends, pant legs happily fringed, faces sunburned — pause to savor the sweet moment as they finally reach their goal. This is a personal inspiration for me, because the first guidebook ever written guided the ancestors of these spiritual pilgrims along this same well-worn path nearly a thousand years ago. Santiago was — and is today — a home to travelers from all over Europe, a place where cultures happily collide, borders melt away, and people embrace life.
Venturing north to Munich, the locals like to discuss more earthly pursuits. While standing in line to buy train tickets, I strike up a conversation with a young man in front of me. I'm heading for the romance of Venice. He's catching a train to Frankfurt for a flight to...the US. It's a 19-year-old German's dream come true: Florian is flying to California for snowboarding, mountain biking...and American cars.
With visions of Porsches and BMWs dancing in my head, I counter, "But I thought Germans had it good behind the wheel."
"Yeah, I drive a BMW. But it is like a computer. No soul. My friend in Munich just bought a Chevy Caprice Classic with a big 5.6-liter V-8. He will pay very bad taxes for such an engine, and even more because it pollutes so much. But it is worth it."
You can learn something about a country by how it taxes its cars. The practical Dutch are taxed by the weight of their cars. Money-minded Americans are taxed according to what their cars cost. The German government goes right for the thrill-seeking jugular vein, carefully calibrating vehicle taxes by horsepower.
Which way is best? Who cares? Discovering a culture's unexpected everyday differences — and temporarily diving (or driving) into that world — is one of travel's great attractions. Tickets and reservations in hand, Florian and I go off to pursue our separate travel dreams...each of us feeling a little better connected to our world, and thrilled to be on the move.
Even after 25 years of tromping through Europe's back streets, I always come home with a satchel full of new memories — surprising and playful — that happened along the way.
No matter where you travel, you should carefully prepare...for spontaneity. A relaxed, confident attitude helps you sprinkle your trip with spice, allowing you to savor the "being there" pleasures found when you venture
Rick in kilt
Traveler 'A' takes off to Europe as a free spirit, without much planning, no real itinerary...and returns home with a backpack full of complaints about how expensive and stressful it all was. Traveler 'B' prepares for weeks as though her trip were some kind of final exam, mapping out a detailed day-to-day plan...and returns home with rich stories of spontaneous European adventures. It's the classic paradox of good travel: structure rewards a traveler with freedom, and "winging it" becomes a ball-and-chain of too many decisions, too little information...and precious little time to relax.
I speak from experience. Between my guidebook research and TV filming commitments, I must have one of the most tightly-wound itineraries of any traveler today. Because of it, I always know where I need to be and what I need to be doing two hours from now. Ball-and-chain? No way. Good planning gives me the luxury of two hours of absolutely relaxed, focused-on-the-moment spontaneity, setting me up for a wealth of travel surprises. Not only am I prepared, I feel prepared. That makes me relaxed. It puts me in a frame of mind to look for fun: debating good whisky with proud Scotsmen, comparing frayed walking sticks with pilgrims in Santiago, and discussing cool cars with young bucks in Munich. It's one reason I love writing guidebooks: to find these vivid experiences and bring them home to my readers in hopes that they can be inspired to connect with Europe just as vividly...backed-up with the travel skills that make it all possible.
After so many trips to Europe, I am still wowed by the blockbuster sights — but I've found that the experiences I truly savor are at the smaller, more obscure places. On a recent trip to Wales, I watched a frisky sheepdog enjoy total control over his flock as they ran along a green hillside. In this little dog-and-sheep show (given the too-clever name of "Ewe-phoria"), the sheepdog followed the whistled commands of his Welsh master. Later, in the Highlands, I asked a kilted friend whether he considers himself British or Scottish. He andwered, "Scottish first, Scottish second!" He then introduced me to the strange joy of wearing a fine kilt atop a windy peak. In York, a man in a suit took me up to the town's massive cathedral to ring its ten-ton tower bell. To my surprise, when he pulled the rope, the bell actually rung him — sending him swaying and giggling, high above the medieval floor.
Scottish wineseller
Taste the culture: I could have ordered a Coke on the run...or learned what's so special about what the locals drink.
At the top of Edinburgh's Royal Mile, there's a touristy whisky-tasting experience that even includes a ride in a big whisky cask. I think of it as Malt Disney. At the bottom of that same street, there's a man who bottles whisky (the Scottish drop the "e", the Irish keep it) for local connoisseurs. As I step into his shop, he points to a rack of famous-name whisky bottles. He tells me the distillery owners who produce these — with their names on the bottles — dearly love their whisky. But they don't drink it from those bottles. ("It's all been purified, colorized and standardized for the mass market.") Walking me across the room to a shelf of aged wooden casks, the big, tough Scotsman explains, "They drink it in the rough, out of casks like these. It's like getting your milk straight from the farmer."
He draws a wee dram for me, and I taste it. Whoa! Then he becomes suddenly gentle as, together, we pour a little spring water on it. Squinting into the glass, he coaches me along: "Look at the impurities gathering in a happy little pool there on top...the water is like a spring rain on a garden...it brings out the character...the personality." Sipping this whisky with an expert, I see how Scotland's national drink can become, as they're fond of saying, "a very good friend."
Like in Scotland, in Santiago de Compostela — located in Spain's rainy northwest corner — old stones are mossy from constant drizzle. This, along with the local folk dancing (a kind of River Dance meets flamenco, complete with bagpipes and tambourines), reminds me of the local Gallego kinship with the Irish Celts due north of here. Here in Santiago, a famous pilgrimage destination, a magical feeling pervades — it's a timeless, spiritual, celebration of life. I stand where the scallop shell chiseled into the cathedral's doorstep marks the end of the 500-mile pilgrimage from France.
Pilgrim in spain
Share the joy: I could have spent the morning looking for a laundromat...or meeting far-trekking pilgrims at their moment of triumph.
Triumphant trekkers of all ages and languages — walking sticks frayed on the ends, pant legs happily fringed, faces sunburned — pause to savor the sweet moment as they finally reach their goal. This is a personal inspiration for me, because the first guidebook ever written guided the ancestors of these spiritual pilgrims along this same well-worn path nearly a thousand years ago. Santiago was — and is today — a home to travelers from all over Europe, a place where cultures happily collide, borders melt away, and people embrace life.
Venturing north to Munich, the locals like to discuss more earthly pursuits. While standing in line to buy train tickets, I strike up a conversation with a young man in front of me. I'm heading for the romance of Venice. He's catching a train to Frankfurt for a flight to...the US. It's a 19-year-old German's dream come true: Florian is flying to California for snowboarding, mountain biking...and American cars.
With visions of Porsches and BMWs dancing in my head, I counter, "But I thought Germans had it good behind the wheel."
"Yeah, I drive a BMW. But it is like a computer. No soul. My friend in Munich just bought a Chevy Caprice Classic with a big 5.6-liter V-8. He will pay very bad taxes for such an engine, and even more because it pollutes so much. But it is worth it."
You can learn something about a country by how it taxes its cars. The practical Dutch are taxed by the weight of their cars. Money-minded Americans are taxed according to what their cars cost. The German government goes right for the thrill-seeking jugular vein, carefully calibrating vehicle taxes by horsepower.
Which way is best? Who cares? Discovering a culture's unexpected everyday differences — and temporarily diving (or driving) into that world — is one of travel's great attractions. Tickets and reservations in hand, Florian and I go off to pursue our separate travel dreams...each of us feeling a little better connected to our world, and thrilled to be on the move.
Even after 25 years of tromping through Europe's back streets, I always come home with a satchel full of new memories — surprising and playful — that happened along the way.
No matter where you travel, you should carefully prepare...for spontaneity. A relaxed, confident attitude helps you sprinkle your trip with spice, allowing you to savor the "being there" pleasures found when you venture
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