5 Things to Remember When Traveling to Europe

5 Things to Remember When Traveling to Europe

1. Outlet converters- you can simply Google which converters are used where. Amazon (link in name), Walmart, Target, pretty much any department store has outlet converters in their travel section.

2. Currency- you have a few different options with how you want to handle money exchange. You can let your bank know ahead of time so they can order the bills for you. You can also exchange currency at the airport or a bank abroad, however it may be cheapest to exchange through your own bank. Keep in mind though, there are many ATMs that are available to use in most major cities in Europe, and many establishments accept cards with chip. I would still have Euro (or Pounds) on hand just in case.

3. Bathroom charges- speaking of having Euros on hand, be sure to bring a few Euro coins with you whenever you go out because many places charge a small fee to utilize their restrooms. Visit the link for more info.

4. Renting a car- If you are renting a car, research the road laws of the country you are visiting. You would be in for a rude awakening to find out a particular country drove on the left versus the right. It is also very good to know a little about the ticketing process should you be pulled over for speeding or get a parking citation. We ended up getting a parking ticket in Iceland and were very confused on how to settle it. Turned out they allowed visitors to settle their citations at the bank in the airport, meanwhile 2 days prior, we were running around trying to find a bank to pay at. Should you decide not to rent a car, there are plenty of train options running within each country and cross country borders.

5. Cell phone service- Check with your cellphone provider what their international options are. I have ATT and for them, there’s the International Passport option where it is always “on”. The moment I used my cellphone in another country, I will be charge $10 for that day and I get to use my phone as much as I want (within my contract limits of course). I love this option because I don’t have to worry about how much data I used that day, I can still make calls and text, and just have the peace of mind of having my phone handy should an emergency arise. You will find that many of the larger cities in Europe have city wide Wi-Fi coverage that you are able to connect to, most restaurants as well.

Cell phone selfies with my International Plan