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DaisyLily
I'm traveling to Europe for 3 weeks in about a month. For two weeks I will be in a study abroad class with my MBA program in London. I plan on traveling to Paris for the weekend in between and once the program is over, I'm heading to Barcelona and then Amsterdam before going back to London to go home. Does anyone have any advice on getting around, selecting hostels, where to leave my luggage, how much to pack, how much money to take, etc? I've never traveled across the Atlantic so I am completely lost....any advice would be appreciated.
Answer
I'd have you start by getting a good student-focused guidebook to Europe/western Europe, like the ones by Lonely Planet. Because they're designed for students, they list reviews of hostels, cheap but good places to eat, where you can dump your luggage, etc. So look at the Lonely Planet, the Rough Guide, the Time Out guides. Avoid Fodors, which tends to be more focused on older travellers with more money.
Grab a few of the guides in the bookstore, and sit down with them. Read a chapter or two, and see which one you'd like to buy. Then take it home and dig through it.
Your US ATM card will work in Europe, so long as it's part of one of the major networks like PLUS or Cirrus. You may need to get a new PIN number, depending on how many numbers are in your existing PIN. You can read the guidebook about that, or speak to your bank. Many of the major cities will have ATMs, and in most countries, the major cities will accept US credit cards at retailers, although in some places, it's cash-only.
You can exchange your US dollars for pounds and Euros once you get there, if you need to; but I usually pretty much rely on ATMs and credit cards. Still, it's a good idea to bring a bit of cash, and exchange it in Heathrow at the bureau d'exchange in the airport, so you can get on the Tube and get through the first few hours. But honestly, I normally only bring about $60 cash.
The trains in Europe are better than in the US, so you'll be able to get to the cities you want via train. In addition, there are also cheap airlines, like Ryanair, which act kind of like busses, going from city to city. You'd book those flights once you got to the UK, not before.
You can usually leave your luggage at the hostel, even if you've checked out. So you can tourist unencumbered.
While you're at a hostel, have the hostel staff lock up anything valuable - your laptop if you need it for class, for example.
Buy voltage and plug adapters at Radio Shack. Your US laptop plug won't fit in a UK outlet, and even if it did, without a voltage adaptor you'd toast it.
Pack as little as possible. You don't want to have to haul around a lot of stuff, and you do *not* want to have to pay overweight fees for luggage with the airlines. I usually lay out everything I think I'll need, and then cut down from there. You're then left with what you think you really need - and then cut that as well. Bring fewer clothes. Bring only two pairs of shoes, if that - one of which you wear onto the airplane. But do bring flip-flops for the hostel showers.
Be aware that in Europe, a lot of hostels/hotels don't have elevators, and in some areas, the sidewalks aren't smooth, so a wheelie bag, like you might use for business travel in the US, is kind of a PITA there. Better is a backpack. Also bring a smaller day bag of some sort - maybe a messenger bag, or whatever - so that you can bring just the stuff you need for the day with you when you tourist or go to class.
I'd have you start by getting a good student-focused guidebook to Europe/western Europe, like the ones by Lonely Planet. Because they're designed for students, they list reviews of hostels, cheap but good places to eat, where you can dump your luggage, etc. So look at the Lonely Planet, the Rough Guide, the Time Out guides. Avoid Fodors, which tends to be more focused on older travellers with more money.
Grab a few of the guides in the bookstore, and sit down with them. Read a chapter or two, and see which one you'd like to buy. Then take it home and dig through it.
Your US ATM card will work in Europe, so long as it's part of one of the major networks like PLUS or Cirrus. You may need to get a new PIN number, depending on how many numbers are in your existing PIN. You can read the guidebook about that, or speak to your bank. Many of the major cities will have ATMs, and in most countries, the major cities will accept US credit cards at retailers, although in some places, it's cash-only.
You can exchange your US dollars for pounds and Euros once you get there, if you need to; but I usually pretty much rely on ATMs and credit cards. Still, it's a good idea to bring a bit of cash, and exchange it in Heathrow at the bureau d'exchange in the airport, so you can get on the Tube and get through the first few hours. But honestly, I normally only bring about $60 cash.
The trains in Europe are better than in the US, so you'll be able to get to the cities you want via train. In addition, there are also cheap airlines, like Ryanair, which act kind of like busses, going from city to city. You'd book those flights once you got to the UK, not before.
You can usually leave your luggage at the hostel, even if you've checked out. So you can tourist unencumbered.
While you're at a hostel, have the hostel staff lock up anything valuable - your laptop if you need it for class, for example.
Buy voltage and plug adapters at Radio Shack. Your US laptop plug won't fit in a UK outlet, and even if it did, without a voltage adaptor you'd toast it.
Pack as little as possible. You don't want to have to haul around a lot of stuff, and you do *not* want to have to pay overweight fees for luggage with the airlines. I usually lay out everything I think I'll need, and then cut down from there. You're then left with what you think you really need - and then cut that as well. Bring fewer clothes. Bring only two pairs of shoes, if that - one of which you wear onto the airplane. But do bring flip-flops for the hostel showers.
Be aware that in Europe, a lot of hostels/hotels don't have elevators, and in some areas, the sidewalks aren't smooth, so a wheelie bag, like you might use for business travel in the US, is kind of a PITA there. Better is a backpack. Also bring a smaller day bag of some sort - maybe a messenger bag, or whatever - so that you can bring just the stuff you need for the day with you when you tourist or go to class.
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Title Post: I need advice for getting around Europe....?
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Rating: 95% based on 981 ratings. 4,6 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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