Eurotrip Advice - Money, Clothing, etc

[boosted_Z]

tl;dr Going to western europe - know any cheap debit/visa options? Also I need wedding clothes to arrive half way through my trip and then disappear again.

Longer:
A friend is getting married in France in late July, so I'm making the most of it and taking off 5 weeks to do some traveling. I'm drafting up a plan that includes spending time in each of 3-5 countries, including: England, France, Italy, Austria, or Germany. Probably focus on 3, to get as much time to experience them as possible.

My current 2 issues are:

1) Money options. Planning on a small amount of euros to get me started, then debit out small amounts and visa for bigger things.

Does anyone have tips for banks/accounts that have smaller international transaction fees or better exchange rates? I'm willing to open a new bank account if needed.


2) Wedding clothes. I need to bring these but really don't want to backpack around with them. Includes suit, shirts, shoes, ties, etc. I've been told these aren't optional.

-Renting?
-Airport storage(3-8euro/day)?
-Buy new?
-Backpack with them, but theft, space, and damage are all issues.

I need some fresh ideas on this.

I've read through a whole bunch of websites, forums, etc but want some Canadian specific advice. I'm sure I'll have more questions as things get closer, from hostles to backpack choices. Hopefully some more experienced travellers can point me in the right direction.

[Cooked Rice]

Bring some cash to use at markets and smaller more sketchy looking shops. And use Visa etc at larger established stores etc. No need to open a account in Euros etc...

Maybe have your clothes fedex'd overnight to you. Then ship them back to yourself postal to save money.

[chkolny541]

1) Use your visa quite a bit, i was told that through debit, if you wanted to pull off cash abroad it would be something like 5$ charge per transaction. Whereas if you used your visa to withdraw cash, there is NO charge and they only convert the currency from where you withdrew. So set up online banking(if you already havent) and just transfer funds around. And remember to always have a small amount of euros on you at all times, not too much, there are always things that happen when you travel that may require cash on hand.

2) i know that when i was in munich we used luggage storage at the train station, and it was 5 euro/ 72 hours i think. But I would consider renting clothes from perhaps a wedding shop, this would provide the least hassle for sure. Deff dont want to travel around with them too much, they will likely get trashed in the process.

[chkolny541]

also if you get a chance, check out spain, we were in barcelona for only a few days, but i felt like i needed a solid week at least to really appreciate that place. Absolutly incredible! Also post up specifically which cities, im sure we could all help you out choosing if you arent sure

[davidI]

1) I just withdraw off my debit card. It's $5 a pop but I tend to just pull out $500-1k at a time so it's not a big deal. Most people worry about theft but in ~5 years of traveling and $50k+ in spending I've never had an issue. I'll usually lock up the majority and keep $50-100 on me. Transfering money to your visa card electronically and withdrawing may be another option - I'm not sure what the transaction fees are. There are also those Visa Passport cards available at MarlinTravel that act like a debit card but you pre-load with cash. I picked one up just for instances where my TD card wouldn't work (happened in Mozambique and a lot of machines in Indonesia). I'm not sure what the fees are but they may be less than a debit card.

2) I'd buy or rent there if no one else from home is meeting you. Take a shirt, socks, belt & tie and then pick up a suit and shoes while you're there. I'm not sure where the wedding is, but I've picked up dress clothes for going on fancy dates in England and Italy - the 'department store' prices were not too bad.

[core_upt]

Open an account with Scotiabank if you don't have one.
There are no fee accounts available with a minimum balance, or even a cheap account will only be a few dollars for a month.
Once you have a Scotiabank card, you cam use it without ATM fees at Deutcshebank, BNL/BNP and Barclays machines, which are in almost every country you listed.

http://www.scotiabank.com/cda/conten..._LIDen,00.html

I believe you can withdraw up to 200Euro a day, so it's good for getting cash out. Use your VISA when you can as well.

[kaput]

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[davidI]

Originally posted by kaput


Be careful with this, you may not be charged a fee but last time I did it they started charging interest on it as a cash advance immediately - there was no grace period.

The trick is to overpay your balance so that you're never taking credit. Not all cards allow this, but I have done it with CIBC.

[boosted_Z]

Thanks for all the replies.

Spain (Barcelona in particular) wouldn't be a problem to get to, as the wedding is just south of Toulouse.

I'm so far planning on just hitting the major cities in most countries like: Vienna, Paris, London, Rome, Berlin, etc. This is my first overseas travel (and I'm going solo), so any suggestions on where to go and what to do are welcome.


Currently banking with scotia, so I'll give them a call and see about these accounts. Looks like it will cover me in all the countries I'm going to, which is awesome.


Clothing wise, just winging it is sounding better and better. I'll pack a shirt, tie, belt, etc, and then if shipping doesn't work out will see which of renting or buying is best.


Any thoughts on backpack size (thinking around 45), and what to do with it during the day? Leave it locked up in the hostle or a locker and just take a day pack? Or should I have it with me all day every day?

[Myrrinda]

I always leave my backpack behind in the hostel. I got one of those bags from MEC where there's a day pack that zips off the front. I used that during the day, and even that can be a pain to carry around. You definitely won't want to carry your big backpack everywhere!

Also, for money, I had a card from my bank (First Calgary) which is a Mastercard, but also works as a debit card. So the money I withdrew would come out of my chequing account, but it provided the same protection and use as a Mastercard. I took this and another credit card with me rather than a regular debit card. Not sure if other banks offer these cards as well.

[davidI]

Originally posted by boosted_Z
Thanks for all the replies.

Spain (Barcelona in particular) wouldn't be a problem to get to, as the wedding is just south of Toulouse.

I'm so far planning on just hitting the major cities in most countries like: Vienna, Paris, London, Rome, Berlin, etc. This is my first overseas travel (and I'm going solo), so any suggestions on where to go and what to do are welcome.

Any thoughts on backpack size (thinking around 45), and what to do with it during the day? Leave it locked up in the hostle or a locker and just take a day pack? Or should I have it with me all day every day?

Where do you fly in and out of? The cities you've mentioned are quite spread out so you're going to spend a lot of your time in transport and not enough time enjoying what's around you. I've been working 5 week on / 5 week off rotations since 06' and traveling every rotation off so I can give you a pretty good idea of how to make the most of 5 weeks.

As far as packs go - the smaller the better.


When I started traveling I had the Pangea 75 travel pack.
It's great for some purposes, but I now feel it's too big. It takes getting used to traveling lighter but it's much better.

I now travel with a 32L Adventure Daypack . I can carry it on flights, and given my willingness to travel extremely lightly, even fit a Canon 5D Mk2 w/ 24-105L SLR camera in.

I've recently picked up a 255g, 10L Travel Light Day Pack that can be rolled up into my other Daypack for day trips and hikes.

Lots of backpackers think it's unbelievable I can travel with such a small pack - especially with such a big camera. If you need any packing tips to make it happen just let me know.

[kaput]

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[Myrrinda]

Originally posted by kaput

Regarding those First Calgary debit/Mastercards, I have one as well and they told me that the only limit on the card is the amount in your account - they weren't able to put a daily limit on it for some reason. Double check on the security of it, maybe that's since changed.

I think that's still the same. When I first went to Europe I was 17, so I put my mom on my account as joint so that she could go in and transfer money for me, so I essentially set my own daily limit. Now that we're in the 21st century, it's easy enough to move my own money around, so I never felt a daily limit was necessary since I can just put in a set amount and then transfer money from my savings into my account when needed.

[Xtrema]

Pack light if you are doing multiple locations. Rule of thumb is basically whatever you can carry on a flight.

VISA is a must. I remember run into a few places that doesn't do Mastercard. But I also have MC as back up.

Debit will work as long as you find an ATM with matching logos. May cost you quite a bit tho. Cash advance would be cheaper and faster especially if you pay it off on-line immediately.

Tell your credit company that you are traveling, when and where. If charges shows up out of pattern, they may block you card and you may have to call them.

Check rail passes. They may be cheaper than flights.

5 weeks may be tight for so many countries unless you do stop and go.

[boosted_Z]

Packing light seems like the ticket. This is going to be hard for me since I always overpack even for day trips. Might make a list of stuff and ask you to tear it apart!


Current flights are to/from Gatwick (canadian affair) July 4 - Aug 6. For a bit more in flight cost ($250), I could skip the UK and land in Paris, closer to the meat of my trip. Probably make up the costs in intercity train/flights and time.

My high level itinerary is: 3 weeks - wedding weekend in france - 2 weeks.

Maybe:
-France (Paris)
-Belgium? (Brussels?)
-France (Atlantic coast?)
-Spain (Barcelona)
^ 3 weeks
-France (Wedding)
^ weekend
-France (Nice)
-Italy (Coastal city, Rome)
-France (Paris) //end
^ 2 weeks
Make more sense? Closer countries, more streamlined.

Is there a best day to travel between cities? Weekends, midweek?

I saw the eurorail train ticket, and it seems like a good plan along with busses to make up the most of my transit.


Thanks again for all the help.

[Cooked Rice]

MEC makes a great sling pack. They have a regular size which is enough to carry most of the items you will need for the day plus a small lunch. Plus a "big pod" size which will let you fit a sweater/light jacket in there as well. I used the smaller sling pack when I was in the UK and it works great. On a typical day I kept my maps, guides, small lunch, camera, water bottle, in there.

Cheap flights are available but they nickle and dime you for everything. You're fine if you pack really light, or be prepared to pay extra. RyanAir, EasyJet, and FlyBE are pretty popular.

[chkolny541]

word, my tip for finding mega good deals on flights is to go to www.skyscanner.ca then enter in your details and check flights. Then check who supplies those cheap flights and go on those airlines websites and re enter your details for the flights. Skyscanner is great for finding awesome small local airlines, but they also tack on their own fees for booking ( to be expected) but if you then go to the air lines website and book direct you will avid those fees, thus getting even cheaper flights. How i got my flights for my trips, saved a bundle.

[kaput]

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[Myrrinda]

Don't bother with Brussles. If you want to do Belgium, try Ghent and/or Bruges. Since you'd be so close, you should try not to miss Amsterdam. I've never really done the Atlantic Coast of France, but I'm not sure if it's worth the time. You have a lot of time spent in France. You might start to go crazy.

[thrasher22]

Given how they're getting married in france, I'd assume they have some family there. If you're flying all that way for a wedding, you should ask if you can leave a bag with your wedding clothes with relatives.

Another thing to keep in mind with cheap flights (that most people forget) is the effort/money it costs to get to airports. A lot of the cheaper airlines fly out of smaller airports which are harder to get to, and cabs are SUPER expensive in europe.

It might be a 5 hour train ride to get from x to y and an hour flight. But if you consider it takes 40 min to get to the airport (train stations are almost always ultra central), you have to get there 2 hours early, then go through security, customs, and wait for your bag when you land, it almost takes the same amount of time.

Originally posted by davidI
If you need any packing tips to make it happen just let me know.

Not to hijack the thread, but in the name of packing light, what kind of pants/socks/underwear do you pack? Any special synthetics? I find it tough to find the balance between packing light vs smelling bad.