Last minute advise for Europe

May 29, 2009 10:15 AM

Any last minute advise for my european vacation?

My wife and I are flying to Europe in 2 weeks for a 5 week tour of Greece, Italy, and France. We'll be traveling light with one carry-on sized backpack each. Any tips on things to remember to do before we leave, things to be sure and bring, things not worth bringing, etc?

posted by bajema to travel & transportation (12 comments total)

Learn to say "please," "thank you," and "Where is ____?" in the language of each country you'll visit. I also like to learn how to order wine and beer, but that's just me.
posted by runningwithscissors at 10:41 AM on May 29

Keep your passport, credit cards, etc in a money belt hidden under your clothes. lots of pickpockets, especially in Italy.
posted by Penelope at 10:52 AM on May 29

Two tips. Make a copies of your passports. Bring copies with you and leave other copies at home or with a trusted person -- just in case.

Also, be sure you have your pin numbers for your credit cards. A couple years ago, we found ourselves in Germany needing a fairly large chunk of cash. Because we did not know our pin numbers for our credit cards, we could not use them to get cash. We instead had to do a complicated and time-consuming transaction with American Express Platinum people.
posted by rw at 11:08 AM on May 29

Also, if you have a phone that can work in Europe, be sure to enable that feature with your carrier before you go. Even if you do have a cell phone that works, it is actually cheaper to buy a cheap phone and some minutes in Europe. We bought a refurbished phone and got by very cheaply. The local and international calling rates are cheaper in Europe than US-based plans.
posted by rw at 11:10 AM on May 29

Call your bank to tell them that you'll be using your cards in Europe so they don't shut down your account for unusual spending patterns.
posted by carolr at 11:23 AM on May 29

Seconding the passport copies.
Make sure you're dressed appropriately for holy sites. Usually that means shoulders and knees covered.
Periodically stop by an internet cafe and upload your photos. For me, losing my camera and the photos of all the amazing places would be one of the biggest tragedies of all.
Air conditioning is pretty uncommon, so be ready for that.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 11:25 AM on May 29

Bring a pair of flip-flops in case of toilet-down-the-hall or funky shower syndrome.
Washing clothes in the sink? Bring a wad of plasticine-type kiddie clay covered in plastic wrap to use as a stopper.
Small combination padlocks for backpack zippers.
Photocopy your plane ticket too if it's not an e-ticket.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:07 PM on May 29

Sounds like you're my kind of traveler, though it's depressing to think how long it's been since I've been on a 5 week long vacation, let alone the year plus meanders I always preferred.

I always found this site (The Art of Travel ) very helpful in planning out what to bring - though I'm not sure if it's still being updated or if it's gotten a bit outdated. The author very much follows the philosophy of packing light for the long haul.
posted by slide at 12:30 PM on May 29

The checklists can be particularly useful.
posted by slide at 12:31 PM on May 29

If you don't speak the local language, grab the business card of the place you're staying. If you get lost or need a taxi, you can just show it to someone and they'll know how to direct you.

Invest in Ex-Officio travel undies. I swear by them. I take 2 with me no matter how long the trip. They dry very quickly if you wash them, wrap them in a towel, twist, flip the towel to the other side, twist again. Hang up to dry at night and they should be fresh for the next day.

Seconding RunningWithScissor's recommendations to learn a few basic phrases in local languages. That and a smile will rock your world.
posted by HeyAllie at 12:49 PM on May 29

Be willing to abandon your itinerary at any point to sit in a cafe for hours and watch the locals.
posted by PatoPata at 1:07 PM on May 29

lots of pickpockets, especially in Italy.

Please, give this a rest. In 35 years of living in a city and a major tourist destination in Italy, I've been the victim of (attempted) pickpocketing only twice. One in Austria and one in Spain. Oh, and I had a funny scam-attempt-turned-conversation with a smalltime con in France, once.
posted by _dario at 4:50 PM on May 29