Going to Europe this week...

T

TheFied

2,500+ Posts
Flying to Rome (DaVinci airport), staying 4 days, flying to Paris (CDG), staying 4 days. Going with my wife.

I have been reading and watching some Rick Steve's dvds and books and are taking parts of each with us (Rome and Paris parts).

A few questions. This will be my longest flight ever. I have never been outside the North American continent (Canada, Cabo, Cancun, Monterrey).

* We are flying American on the way there and back. How good/bad is the food on the flight?
* Can you take food and water from the terminal onto an international flight? I know you can for non-international flights as I have bought many wrapped sandwiches for flights before and extra waters and diet cokes.
* Rick Steve's talks endlessly about using a money belt that you can put inside. Not for muggers but pick pocketers. I actually use a money clip and not a wallet and keep the money clip in my front pocket. I cannot imagine me not detecting someone in my front pocket. Should I be fine without the money belt?
* Speaking of pick pocketers, should we carry around a small sling backpack? Can they get into this? I have a small one that we can put a guide in, camera, water bottle.
* Should I buy the French and Italian AC adaptor there or here? Where is a good place to get one? We only need it for the camera battery charger.
* We are not taking our cell phones (we are on Sprint). What is the best way to call home to let our parents know that we made it alright? I assume not the hotel phone in your room.
* When we fly into Rome, we are thinking of taking a cab to our hotel and the rest of the time using the public transit and walking. But how much should a cab ride from Rome airport to our hotel (near the Vatican) be? On our way out, we plan on taking transit from our hotel in Paris to CDG airport.

Any other advice?
 
So you can bring food on? I have always done this on domestic flights. A friend of mine flew on KLM to Europe and they didn't let him do this.
 
Can I take sealed cans of almonds on my carry-on or on my checked luggage? Didn't know if this was a customs issue.
 
Cab ride should not cost more that 50-60 EUR into town. If you're staying at a pricey hotel, confirm the price before you get in the taxi. Ex: when we were there in April, we made sure of the price... I asked him in Italian how much to get to the center of Rome - he asked me where and I said near Piazza Repubblica... only when we were getting close, did I tell him it was the St. Regis Grand. I didn't want an automatic uplift b/c of our hotel.

As for slings, money belts, etc... having been to Rome plenty of times, you'll be safe if you just keep your money in your front pocket. That's all there is to it. We've been 10 or so times in the past 12 years - never had any issues with pickpockets... just be aware of your surroundings, be smart on the metro and keep your money in the front and you're good to go.

Here are a couple of places to check out , food-wise, while there:
The Link

Lots of great restaurants in the Monti area.
 
TXHookem, thanks for the advice. For the food, do you put that in your checked bags or in your carry on? I don't even know if I can get through AUS airport with sealed food like protein bars or sealed nuts?
 
carry it on - never had a problem bringing food like protein bars, nuts, etc. They've sometimes looked at it but then left it alone.
 
Almonds, nuts, protein bars, etc are all fine as they are not liquids. Bring them in your carry on. Buy some water and hot food when you get through security and you can carry it on the plane. American do a 2nd screening in Dublin for US-bound flights and sometimes they'll take the water off you (which is stupid) but leave a full bottle in your carryon bag out of sight and you should be fine. They won't care about the food.

Small backpack is fine, but be careful when on public transport or in crowds especially in Rome. A friend of mine's wife had her purse slashed on the metro. Should be fine walking around on the streets.

Don't bother with a moneybelt. DO write down your credit card / bank card numbers and the bank's customer service numbers if your cards are stolen, and leave these in the hotel somewhere. Also make a copy of your passport and leave it in the hotel, it will greatly expedite matters if you lose your passport.

I'd buy the adapter before you came - Fry's has 'em for cheap, Radio Shack also. You can find them in the terminal before departure as well. They use the same 2-pin adapter in both France and Italy (usually called the European plug).

As for your passport, I normally leave mine in the hotel safe, but if there is no safe, I never let it leave my person. I don't care if they steal everything on me, I just want to keep my passport..

Take your cellphone, call Sprint and tell them your travelling abroad. Keep it just for emergencies. Absolutely don't use the hotel phone to call the US, it is outrageously expensive. You can probably find a calling card at a shop somewhere and use that to call home from the hotel, but don't just pick up the hotel phone and dial, you'll regret it...

Don't forget to notify your credit card company that you're travelling abroad, it always sucks when their fraud protection system kicks in and turns your card off when you're trying to pay for your hotel room!
 
So nuts and protein bars are not an issue through Customs?

I have called up my credit card and ATM and told them. I also asked my credit card what type of international fee they charge and they said 1%. I want to verify that again as I might have forgot. I have been told by some to use your ATM to get Euros and pay everything cash... Hmm.

I will call Sprint today. Thanks!
 
Shouldn't be a problem. In general, customs are looking for organic items that can carry pests, like fruits, vegetables, and meats.
 
Consider buying a neck purse to keep most of your money and your passport in. They hang from your neck, are relatively flat and lay on top of your chest. They hide well under your shirt and they are easy to pull out when needed. Keep a small amount of money in your front pocket in a money clip.
 
Thanks for all the tips. Should we take the video camera or leave it at home?

We are taking a Sony digital camera with a 512MB memory stick and a 2GB memory stick.
 
We brought our video camera - wouldn't sweat it there. I'd skip on the neck purse... that stuff is just overboard. Wallet in front pocket and vigilance - that's really all you need.
 
there is a train I usually take which I believe runs twice an hour from FCO to the Termini station that is usually at least as fast as a cab and a lot cheaper. But if you do this, make SURE that when you get off that train, you do not get suckered in by a gypsy cab to your hotel. There may even be someone you think is trying to help you by directing you to the gypsy cab stand. Make sure you follow the signs to the proper place for taxis at Termini. To get there you will walk into the main train station (the airport line is a spur kind of off on its own).

There are also gypsy cabbies in the airport who will approach you. They will quote you a cheap price and then once in the car write down a number several times higher. Make sure, if you're going from the airport, that you follow the signs to the real taxis.

Money clip and wallet in the front pocket is fine.

I vote no on the video camera. Pictures are enough for me without the hassle. Others will want to look at your pictures but probably not your video. Plus you can easily email/save.

You can walk to just about every major site and getting around is easy unless it's hot as ****, which it probably will be if you're going soon, but you'll be okay. Beware of thieves on the subway, especially gypsies. One may distract you by begging or grabbing your funny bone while another one makes a run at you. Outside the subway I've never had a problem.

I almost always carry a small backpack holding what you described. You can get a small lock if you're worried about someone getting in there.

I agree with the poster above on taking a phone. Most other ways to call home are a ripoff. You should be able to pay your company $5 or so and then 99 cents per minute, so with discipline you won't spend much and it is nice for emergencies. I once made a 5 minute call home from Italy on some pay phone and it was $55.

Have a great trip I'm really jealous.
 
Paris and especially Rome are full of pick-pockets. Listen to Rick Steves. Last time I visited Rome, about 12 little gipsy kids surrounded him begging for money. I yelled at him to watch his pockets. Another time, we caught a girl sticking her hand in my girlfriend's backpack. You just have to be careful... and it doesn't hurt to keep things in an under-clothing belt. I always carry my money, credit cards, and passport under my clothing.
 
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