Headed to Europe

[tex-chan]

Just wanted to chime in and wish you and Jenn a fantastic trip! I hope you'll take lots of pics, as I would love to see them. *HUGS*

[iceman57]

- Travelers cheque are crap.
- ReiTheJelly note is clever, and ask your bank to increase temporarly the weekly overseas authorised amount (got this issue in Taiwan, they charged me $5 per operation over this amount).

And just a note, people in Europe are not waiting for American with sharpen long cutting knives. As in any place, just be careful with valuable things and documents, make xerox from your passeport that's helpful too in any case of damage.

[rallihir]

One other thing, for large purchases (particularly at department stores), you may want to save the receipts or ask the merchant if they offer value added tax (VAT) refunds. This amount varies country to country but is usually when the receipt is in excess of a couple hundred dollars. If a VAT refund is available, it is best to redeem any VAT refund at the airport of the last country that you are visiting. Keep in mind that customs may need to verify the purchase and stamp the receipt, so save enough time to complete any refunds.

[cutiebunny]

Rallihir beat me to the duty punch.

Yeah, you can submit your receipts to the Customs office prior to leaving Europe if any purchase is over 100 euros. This only applies to items purchased where the VAT is charged, not in duty free stores that you might find in heavy tourist destinations.

And speaking of which, US residents are allowed to bring $800 of items into the US, duty free. Anything after $800 is assessed a flat 3% for the first $1000 thereafter, however, the duty rate varies if you are bringing in items for retail. You can also bring 1 carton of cigarettes and 1 liter of alcohol from Europe, duty free.

Other items to avoid bringing into the US are - Cuban Cigars, Meat products,Fresh Fruit/Vegetables(including any plane food), Plants (unless it's the certified tulips they sell in the Amsterdam airport).

If you haven't picked an air carrier, stick with a European company that isn't British Airways. Flying through Heathrow is a nightmare, and British Airways has the highest record of baggage loss in the industry. US airlines are crummy - they overcharge and they provide little in terms of service. Lufthansa is the way to go.

[Gonzai]

Thanks Craig for the info on the VAT refunds. We will be travelling within Europe from Spain to
France, from France to Italy, and from Italy back to Spain. We are flying into and out of Spain
to the US. Not sure what airlines we are using within Europe, as Jenn has booked all of that,
but we are flying US Airways into and out of the US. I personally am not planning on making
any big purchases. Had I not just spent $10,000 on artwork, I might have considered it, but
now I think I will just go for the sights, not the souvenirs.

[Olivier]

I definitely think you should visit the Eiffel Tower while in Paris. The trick is to book tickets in advance for a given time slot, this way you won't queue at all. I did this 2 weeks ago.
Please check here: http://www.eiffel-tower.com/preparing-y ... ckets.html

If you like museums, The Louvre and Orsay are fantastic.

A boat tour on the Seine river is also a very popular thing to do.

[Olivier]

Most of your pickpockets are gypsies, and it's been well known for generations that they're quite problematic. There's an old tale in Italy that, when the gypsies come to town, you hide your kids...unless you want them to join the gypsies, that is.

I am sorry but this is just a racial stereotype.

[Gonzai]

Hey Oliver - I was waiting for you to pipe up and add something to the thread.

Thanks for the link for tickets. That is probably what we will do. Also,
I will look into the other things you added.

Argh, a week from today!! Its just getting so close now.

[Gonzai]

Back from Europe. Must say that the cruise was absolutely awesome.
Unfortunately, we made it to Paris, and we absolutely hated it (Won't go into details.)
Another unfortunate, was thatthe day we were to fly to Rome, the laborers
went on strike, and they shut down all flights into Italy, so we never made it to
Rome. Instead we flew back to Barcelona (which was a great city by the way),
and then flew home.

Never once did we have an issue with the so called gypsies, nor did I ever have a
baby thrown at me, though there were a couple of cute puppies I would have taken
home with me. No thieves. Never felt threatened once the entire trip. Also, the
men in Italy were absolutely fabulous and very much gentlemen - no lewdness.

Venice was fabulous, by far one of my favorite stops. The French Riviera was
gorgeous, and saw some of the most amazing cars in Monte Carlo, including
a Tesla - that was quite the highlight!! ^_^ All the other Italian cities we visited
were great, and Croatia has to be one of the prettiest countries I have ever seen.

All-in-all, it was a great trip. I am very disappointed that I missed out on Rome and
the Vatican, as that was to be the highlight of this tour for me, however, just means
I will have to take another trip over there to devote specifically to that area!! ^_^

Not to mention, I have the greatest travelling companion ever!! Thanks girl - it was great!!

[iceman57]

Back from Europe. Must say that the cruise was absolutely awesome.
Unfortunately, we made it to Paris, and we absolutely hated it (Won't go into details.)

There's a current add campaign arranged by the mayor office to make people more kind with the tourists, seems while reading your sentence that there is still a lot of efforts to reach that goal.
Got some cel collector's relatives that I toured in Paris for 3 days, apparently the liked a lot to have me as a local tour guide. Morning was hidden and secret Paris, and afternoon classic tour by themselves.
Next time, just ask and I'll check availability to avoid you issues.

[Shampoo]

Back from Europe. Must say that the cruise was absolutely awesome.
Unfortunately, we made it to Paris, and we absolutely hated it (Won't go into details.)
Another unfortunate, was thatthe day we were to fly to Rome, the laborers
went on strike, and they shut down all flights into Italy, so we never made it to
Rome. Instead we flew back to Barcelona (which was a great city by the way),
and then flew home.

Never once did we have an issue with the so called gypsies, nor did I ever have a
baby thrown at me, though there were a couple of cute puppies I would have taken
home with me. No thieves. Never felt threatened once the entire trip. Also, the
men in Italy were absolutely fabulous and very much gentlemen - no lewdness.

Venice was fabulous, by far one of my favorite stops. The French Riviera was
gorgeous, and saw some of the most amazing cars in Monte Carlo, including
a Tesla - that was quite the highlight!! ^_^ All the other Italian cities we visited
were great, and Croatia has to be one of the prettiest countries I have ever seen.

All-in-all, it was a great trip. I am very disappointed that I missed out on Rome and
the Vatican, as that was to be the highlight of this tour for me, however, just means
I will have to take another trip over there to devote specifically to that area!! ^_^

Not to mention, I have the greatest travelling companion ever!! Thanks girl - it was great!!

Heeey Nida!
*big hugs*

Glad to hear you guys had a safe trip, albeit with some inconveniences, but overall fun time!
I was just thinking about you two the other day wondering how you were enjoying
Europe and the sights!

Ugh! Yea the shaky political atmosphere in Spain and Italy are the reasons why me and Ray
have been delaying our trip to visit. When we booked a flight to Madrid this
past spring, the student/youth protests paralyzed the downtown area. Not wanting to risk
being stranded or rerouted elsewhere, we cancelled our plans and went to Japan instead
only for the earthquake tragedy to occur. Hopefully we can visit Europe in the near future.
You'll have to tell me details when you get a chance thru pm!

I'm curious what your fav foods and museums were and any mischievious adventures
you and Jenn had LOL! Plus you got me all curious about Paris!

[tex-chan]

So happy you're both home safely -- and that you had a great trip, overall!! *HUGS*

[teggacat]

Sounds like a blast!!!!!!!!

[Olivier]

I am sorry you didn't like Paris. Can you please let us know why? Just curious.

[duotrouble]

Never once did we have an issue with the so called gypsies, nor did I ever have a
baby thrown at me, though there were a couple of cute puppies I would have taken
home with me. No thieves. Never felt threatened once the entire trip. Also, the
men in Italy were absolutely fabulous and very much gentlemen - no lewdness.

Venice was fabulous, by far one of my favorite stops.

That's great! I never had any problem with thieves or gypies either when I was in Italy. I was told to be really careful at the Rialto Bridge in Venice but nothing. Italy has been cleaned up quite a bit in the past several years. You still need to be careful especially with your passport but that's true anywhere you go. US passports are the "hottest" thing in the black market according to the US passport office. It's too bad you missed Rome though. Vatican City was amazing! You'll have to plan another trip. I'll be heading back to Firenze in a few years. A certain someone promised he'd take me back.

Welcome home!