March 20, 2006

• Ah. Just use ATM's. Worked for me.
• I would think a debit card would be the way to go. This may help.
• Oh, and be sure to check out the czech countryside. Prague is beautiful, but if you want a real feel for Bohemian culture you've got to take the trains, man. Kutna Hora (where you'll find the Sedlec Ossuary previously mentioned here) and Cesky Krumlov are must-sees.
• I second the ATM advice. Try to get out a decent but not overly large amount once every so many days. that way not too many transaction fees and not too much cash to lose. ATMs are EVERYWHERE. also, they are generally the best and most current exchange rate, and believe me that matters!!! Heidelberg [sic] in Germany is gorgeous and medievally and charming. If you make it into no. Italy absolutely go to Bologna, I don't know why its not better known in the US as a must-see. It's just spectacular (also the best gelato I had was in Bologna!) have fun!! I'm jealous (I've yet to make it to the ancestral isle.)
• Er... I'd watch out for that "Boloney Jello" or whatever idea that Medusa suggests. That's just crazy swinger talk.
• As long as your ATM card is on the Cirrus network, you can use it pretty much anywhere. We used US cards in NZ and vice versa. There should be a little Cirrus logo on the back of your card. No interest in Italy? I adored the Milan region when I was there -- or what Medusa said, in other words.
• yeah, the Emilia-Romagna/Toscana regions cannot be overpraised! Pisa/Lucca is charming although it rains there way too much. The food of the region is spectacular, crudo di parma, parmigiano-reggiano, in general great meat, pasta and cheese, good red wines...its all beautiful, filled w/scenary, history, art and hot Italian people.... If you like fast cars, visit Modena, the home of Ferrari.
• What everyone else said above. Just take it out of the wall, as needed. Invest in a very good guidebook. It's worth its weight in gold. I'm not going to make recommendations as to which one, but I have little good to say about the Eyewitness Guide for Paris, after my last trip. (I've found them quite good in the past, which makes the betrayal on this trip even more stinging.) Speaking of Paris, if you're in the neighbourhood, be sure to hit Chartier. Food is really good, prices are cheap, atmosphere can't be beat. If you need fast food in France or Belguim, go to Quick. No need for McD's. Quicks are all over the place, especially around train stations. (I highly recommend the Quick 'n' Toast.) Research what passes you need to buy before you go. If you're in a city for a couple of days, museum passes are the way to go. Sweet Mothra, am I jealous of you right now...
• Siena! Siena is *gorgeous*. In addition to Barcelona, do check out southern Spain- Seville, Granada. Mont St. Michel in Normandy is also a favorite. Oh yeah, and another vote for the ATM strategy.
• AmEx and Visa also sell prepaid debit cards. Though your bank will probably give you better fraud protection in case the card's lost or stolen. I'd say debit card, and bring some traveler's cheques with you just in case.
• Best advice? Take your GramMa. She's a great tour guide. OK, if that won't fly, then take GramMa's advice and invest in a money belt or some other security device to keep your passport, larger bills, and important stuff in. I'm not saying that these countries are rife with crime, but all it takes is losing your valuable papers/money in a country where you don't speak the language to make a trip go sour instantly. Backpacks are not good places to keep papers, neither are fanny packs. Both items can be accessed easily if you're distracted momentarly. So, be safe, have fun, post pics for Monkey enjoyment.
• Lonely Planet makes the best guidebooks, I've found.
• Lonely Planet is good. also, I second GramMa's advice (bring me too!!!) really, tho, a money belt type thing is great. keep your passport, credit/debit cards and bills in there, next to yr body, under yr clothes. keep smaller bills, change etc., in a pocket or wallet. dont put valuables in a backpack, keep an eye on yr camera!
• I like Lonely Planet and Rough Guides. And ATMs, truly, are everywhere. But as said above, take a few days' worth of money out at a time to have a balance between fees and cash to splurge on a dinner or something.
• Read Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London before you visit Chartier. Makes it that much more fun.
• As an ATM network admin who has worked with ATM cards, credit cards, and banks for a long time, here's my bits of advice: Many countries' ATMs cannot access your savings account, or a secondary checking account. Don't put all of your money in a savings account, even if your ATM card can access it in your home state. I get one phone call a week from someone who's done this. Make sure any money you want to access from an ATM is in your primary checking account. Don't put all of your money in one place. Have an ATM card, a Visa or Mastercard debit card, cash or traveler's checks and don't keep them all in one place. (I can't say that enough times!) I get one phone call a week from someone who's hopped a plane to the other side of the Earth, and only taken an ATM card, which has been magnetized (or lost). And there's nothing your bank can do for you at that point. If your ATM card is branded with the PLUS logo, these ATMs are also everywhere. You can go to this website to locate all PLUS ATMs near where you'll be, right down to the street you'll be on. It was very helpful to me when I went to the UK, and I send all my customers there. The network is run by Visa, and it truly is everywhere. The main advice I can give you, and it's worth repeating, is that you shouldn't put all of your money in one place, whether that place is a card, or cash, or checks. If you take several cards, put them in different locations. One in the wallet, one in your carry-on. Maybe one in another pocket. If you're going with someone else, make sure each of you has a card to access each account. It sounds anal, but it's not. I can't stress this enough. If I had a dollar for every frantic phone call I've gotten from a stranded traveller who could have so easily not left him or herself in such a position, I could retire. Lastly, call your bank and tell them when and where you're going. Many ATM and credit card systems have automated fraud protection programs. They typically "score" you based on your usual transaction pattern. If you suddenly are doing something with your card that you don't normally do, like making large dollar transactions or making transactions in another area of the world, these systems can and will shut your card down until you can be contacted. It can happen on a Sunday morning, and you'll be unable to access your funds until the bank opens Monday morning (Monday afternoon, Europe-time). Meanwhile, your bank will be calling the only number they have on file for you, the one at your house, the one you're not at, to verify that these transactions are legit. You can save that headache by telling them ahead of time. Oh, and have fun!
• I like Rough Guides generally, but had Let's Go when I was in Ireland and it was very good, especially re: hostels and the like. The best things in Ireland that I did that you haven't described were: going to Dingle on the west coast, seeing the town's dolphin, and taking a boat from there to the Great Blasket Islands (uninhabited, you can camp or stay in the hostel); going up the west coast to Cong in Co. Mayo which had nice caves and was where The Quiet Man with John Wayne was filmed and the town's economy is still rather dependant on it (the hostel shows the film every night); near Dublin you can take the DART to either end of the line, nice for exploring, and you can see the rhododendron gardens in Howth that feature in Ulysses; in Northern Ireland I loved Derry, walking the city walls was just fantastic. I don't have my photo album with me here so that's all I can think of off the top of my head. Have a super, amazing, fantastic time. I am so jealous!
• I'll reiterate what Lara said -- take more than one type of payment, and spread them around your person and luggage! When my fannypack ::cough sorry GramMa:: was nicked in South America, taking my wallet with it, I was insanely happy to have a stash of $US500 in travellers cheques (mainly in a money-baggy thing under my shirt, but also in my undies and whatnot in the backpack). I didn't have a spare ATM card, but my (Australian) bank actually shipped me a replacement card to a location I knew I was going to be in about a week / week-and-a-half down the line. I still dislike the Commonwealth Bank with a passion, though ;) Finally, another repetition of "Tell your bank", although one telling may not be enough. It's worth-while setting up someone back home (a parent/etc) as a contact the bank can talk to, in the event that they forget you told them you were travelling. This happened to my parents with Citibank -- they _regularly_ travel, and _always_ tell Citibank that they'll be overseas. Didn't stop CB from stopping their VISA cards when in South Africa, and CB refused to talk to _me_ (power of attourney is irrelevant, apparently). Fortunately, Dad had ~$US500 of travellers cheques stashed in and around his person....
• Make photocopies of important documents (passports, driver's license, etc) and write down card numbers so if you lose everything you can take those to your local embassy.
• Heehee, undies!
• The Eyewitness Travel Guides are fun to look at and to give ye ideas about what to see next. They're packed with colour illustrations, photos and drawings, 3-D aerial-view maps, floorplans, and photos as well as text. Get the one for Ireland now, and start going through it right away. Using this, you'll probably be able to plan what you want to see or want to skip. Students and people under 25 can get a lot of discounts: Be sure to buy Eurail passes before ye go overseas, available here. Fulltime students can get the International Student Identity Card and others 26 and under can get an International Youth Travel Card here -- these will enable ye to get discount rates on air travel, access to youth hostels, plus some free admissions to museums etc. Path's advice is excellent about money -- take precautions in hostels against thieves if you don't want to lose your passport, plastic cards, camera etc. Consult your bank and your credit card company about going overseas -- they may have some useful ideas and help to offer. Be sure to make at least a rough itinerary of where you plan to go and give a copy of this to family/friends so if something should happen to you the bloodhounds can be called out. Arrange to make periodic phone check-ins with someone.
• LUCKYYYYYYY...
• Bring me back a bag of Purple Haze if you go to Amsterdam. And have fun regardless.
• For neat places to visit in Ireland, my top 5: Aran Isles. A ferry leaves from Galway and Doolin pretty much most days except for foul weather, which you probably will experience whilst there. Check out the small island (Iniseer) which is IMHO the most charming. Downtown Dublin. A wonderful, charming, frightening place, with tons of pubs, stores, churches, and other great places to stop and visit. You could spend weeks and weeks here, but I'd recommend staying no more than 4 or 5 days before moving on. Galway. I got accosted here by a huge mick with a poetry fetish and who was on-again-off-again friends with a neurotic heroin addict. It was frightening, but the spirit of the Irish came through in the end, and the experience was soul-enriching. The town's great just to explore on foot. Give yourself a day or two. Lismore Castle. A beautiful castle with kept grounds, a tiered garden where Spenser wrote part of Faerie Queen (the yew is there), and of course the surrounding vistas and town. Give yourself a full day here. Kinsale. A beautiful and lonely town in the south, near the sea, and worth a two or three day stay to explore all the pubs and shops. Make reservations ahead of time, though. I got screwed out of hostels and hotels there and had to sleep in my rented car, which dampened the experience somewhat. But still wonderful. BONUS: Cliffs of Moher. Majestic and incredibly peaceful. Give yourself a full day here. Hike along the entire length of the cliffs up to the ruin, about 5km away from the parking spot. It's totally worth it. Keep your money separate, take an AMEX if you have one and keep a Visa handy as well. Hostel owners are quite lovely people, if you take the time to talk, and they can give you good recommendations for places to eat, listen to music, etc. I'm envious! Have fun! Be safe!
• Given I can only spend about 4 weeks Dang, 4 weeks would be nice! I've finally gotten into the mode where I actually do take vacations, and of course now need to cram them into crazy schedules. Rock, rock on! Remember you shouldn't feel the need to "do it all." You may want to pick 3-4 regions in Europe, perhaps centered around a city, and figure out your grandiose tour from there (ie, Dublin and environs, Paris and environs, Milan and environs, etc.).
• Spend a few days in Dublin. Check out the old library at Trinity College Dublin, and its copy of the Book of Kells. Quinn Abbey (ruins), Cliffs of Moher, the Burren. And don't worry about hotel reservations too much. Just drive where you want and check for B&Bs at the local tourism bureau. --Pat
• Ireland: drink some beer. Barcelona: some cerveza. Paris, wine. Berlin, more beer. Salzburg and Prague: beats me. How about some beer?
• i'll echo the cliffs of moher. while in the area, take a day to go surfing/kayaking at lahinch beach. it's cold but great fun and you can see the cliffs while you're on the water. there's a decent youth hostel in lahinch, and a couple of good pubs. kenmare in kerry has some fine restaurants. there are some great beaches at derrynane, waterville, and rossbeigh, all in kerry. westport in mayo is a great town. fantastic pubs: matt molloy of the chieftains owns one of the best. leenane, on the mayo/galway border, is a great spot for taking lunch in the middle of a hike. in wicklow, lugnacoille is a good day's uphill walk. don't do it alone and unannounced though, as the fog can come down very fast. in general, if you're staying in a hostel and going out walking/climbing for the day, let someone at the hostel know. if you get a chance, check out lough dan and lough tay, between roundwood and enniskerry for some heart-achingly gorgeous scenery. [more to come]
• donegal, though a bit remote, is fantastic. i'm particularly fond of glencolmcille and dunfanaghy. there are some wonderful hills and beaches in donegal. on the north east coast, the giant's causeway is worth a visit. this walk looks very rewarding. derry is a fine town to spend a day, and portrush is a classic seaside resort with some lovely coastline around it.
• cheap accommodation: an oige the irish youth hostel association. hostel ireland, another resource. note that in a lot of these hostels you'll be sharing a room. there are some hostels where you can get a separate room, but it's usually priced for two people. there's a huge network of "B&B's" in ireland, offering bed and breakfast in large private houses. some possible resources: here and here
• Loopy add Amsterdam to your list - vibrant and if you are into museums - an amazing city. Once you start to learn about the architecture - it becomes even more fascinating.All depends what you are looking for on your holiday tho. Hire a bicycle - best way to go.
• Hey all, Thanks for all the suggestions! I was looking at my list of places to check out in Ireland, and saw the list was getting quite long! Also, I intend to walk across Ireland, not taking any wheeled transportation, so it will take a long time to visit each of these places. For these reasons I have decided to spend my 2 month vacation in just Ireland. Perhaps I can visit Europe after grad school! Anyways, thank you for all the European suggestions! The info on taking care of money is greatly appreciated and I am following the advice of using my ATM (calling my bank to make sure I can) and having VISA increase my credit limit (by sending them a check). I am also going to get a money belt, and intend to carry about 50-80 Euro most of the time. Any additional advice would be suggested. I am intending to camp most of the time, so cheap/free places to camp would be appreciated.
• LoopyG, you can also rent bikes, which may be a more economical way of travelling than by foot. Walking for 2 months is going to get a bit tiresome. But definitely do what you want.
• A long tiresome walk is exactly what I want =) A bike was my original choice, but seems too easy. The island is small enough to traverse on foot, not having to go more than 25 miles on any given day.
• Apparently, Guinness tastes better the closer you are to James' Gate, that the further you're out on the island, the less fresh it is. I'd appreciate it if you could test that theory, LoopyG. I'm sure it's not too great an imposition. It's the theory I've bought into, anyway. Never had a Guinness, waiting to have my first at the source. But that's an awful long time coming. And starting with the best may be a really bad idea, as it's only downhill from there...
• > Guinness tastes better the closer you are to James' Gate this was definitely the case in the 1980s and early 1990s. i used to drink with my dad at a pub across the street from the brewery. yum! since then guinness has made big advances in ensuring quality throughout ireland. (unfortunately the pints available outside those hallowed shores are just not as good.)
• Hey Captain. That seems like a task I can try. I'll report back in June =)
• Much obliged.
• > I'll report back in June =) paging loopyg! loopyg required to report to and in thread 11402 please.