Passports: Check the expiration date on your passport. Some European countries will deny you entry unless your passport will be valid for 3-6 months after your scheduled date of return to the U.S. Others (like Turkey and Russia) require you to have a visa as well as a U.S. passport. Renewing your passport is cheaper than getting a new one issued. (More information).Rail passes: Rail Europe is one of the largest sellers of European train rail passes and point-to-point train tickets. You need to have your Rail Europe pass in hand before leaving home; you can’t buy one in Europe. (More information).
Cell phones and computers: Check with your U.S. carrier to see if your cell phone will work in Europe. But even if you can use your phone, your calling plan probably only covers the U.S. and you’ll have to sign up for an international voice plan before leaving home.
If you have a smartphone, you’ll probably need a separate international data plan, too. If you don’t sign up for these international plans the cost of using your phone in Europe will be much higher. (Click here for information on using your iPhone abroad).
If you don’t wish to take your cell phone, or only wish to use it in dire emergencies, consider buying a European cell phone or using phone cards, public and hotel phones.
You can carry a laptop or netbook computer with you, but some lodgings have a computer guests can share. You can often rent computers for short-term use at private or public locations.
If you are carting along a new iPad you may have to pay for Wi-Fi connections in some locations, and you need to sign up with AT&T for a separate international data plan for your iPad in order to use it over 3G telephone networks in Europe.
Credit and debit cards: Take one or two debit cards and at least two credit cards so if one is lost or stolen you’ll have a second one to use. Call your card issuers before you leave home and give them your travel dates and itinerary to prevent your cards from being canceled because your bank thinks a thief has stolen them to pay for a Grand Tour of Europe. Request a PIN for your credit cards in case you need them obtain cash from ATMS.
Money belt: Petty thieves welcome tourists with open arms, so plan on stowing cash, credit and debit cards, passport and rail passes in a money belt. Think of it as a the ultimate “out of sight” European fashion accessory.
Driving: In theory, you only need a valid driver’s license issued by any U.S. state to rent a car in Europe. But sometimes car rental companies will ask for your International Driving Permit when you pick up your car. You can obtain these passport-like documents from American Automobile Association or National Auto Club offices in the U.S.
Museums: To avoid long lines and ensure admission to museums you are intent on visiting, find out if you can book entry for a specific date and time in advance. Some museums require such reservations. I’ve saved myself a lot of time and disappointment by making reservations on-line for museums in Florence and Dresden.
Time zones: London time is 5 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast, 8 ahead of the West Coast. Add another hour for most cities on the Continent, another hour yet for Greece, Turkey, and parts of Eastern Europe, and yet another hour for Russia.
Flying to Europe: Non-stop flights to London from the U.S. take about 7-plus hours (East Coast) to 10-plus hours (West Coast), and about an hour longer to cities on the Continent. Add another 2 hours-plus for layovers, and 1-2 hours flying time, if you have to change planes to get to your destination.
Because of the time difference between the U.S. and Europe, you will either arrive in Europe very late in the evening or (most often) sometime the next day. But you should be able to fly back to the U.S. and arrive the same day you left Europe. Deduct three (two if you’re lucky) days from your overall vacation time to account for air travel.
Jet lag: Odds are that you will have been up for 24-hours or more from the time you fell out of bed at home until you finally hit the sack in your European hotel. During the trip the sun will set, and then rise again, sooner than your brain expects, upsetting your sleep cycle. It will take you a day or two before you get over the fatigue of travel and jet lag.
Getting around: You can travel around Europe by car, plane, and train. On my last two trips, I’ve used all three. The key is finding the best transportation choices for your trip. (More information).
Guidebooks: Easy to use guidebooks from Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) provide detailed information for each country or city covered. His Europe Through The Backdoor is a compendium of information for planning a European trip.
Books from Frommers’, Lonely Planet, and other publishers may include places not mentioned in Rick Steves’ guidebooks. Some guidebooks are now available in electronic form for iPad, iPhone, Kindle or other devices.
I always visit local bookstores, peruse all of the guidebooks they have in stock, and buy one or more from different publishers for each stop on my itinerary.
Maps: In addition to using the map-based applications on my iPhone, I also take along paper or “plasticized” folding maps from the American Automobile Association, Michelin, Rick Steves, and Streetwise Maps.
Packing light: Plan on lugging your own bags on and off planes, trains (I’ve never ridden on one with a baggage car) and boats, and up and down stairs in hotels that don’t have elevators. Rental cars often have small trunks with limited room to stow luggage.
Smart travelers to Europe take at most only one airline carry-on sized bag (I use either a 21-inch Roll-Aboard bag or an older version of the Classic Back Door Bag, both from Rick Steves) even if they plan to check luggage and a smaller personal bag like a daypack (I use a Civita Day Pack or Veloce Shoulder Bag, also from Rick Steves).
Check with your airline on size and weight limitations for both checked and carry-on bags, as well as baggage fees. European discount airline Ryanair won’t let you bring the standard 22 x 14 x 9 carry-on bag aboard; it sells its own smaller bags via its Website.
One last, but very important thing to remember: Have fun!
(Dick Jordan has traveled to Europe four times since 1999, staying about a month or more three times. His last trip was in September, 2009)
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