Spring Break Europe
|
||
A quick annotated outline of the Europe travel tips on enjoy-europe.com. |
||
| Passport | You need a passport to leave the USA and to enter the countries of Europe. Go to your post office and pick up an application. Have a professional photographer take your passport photo. Don't smile. Look serious. This will be good for 10 years. Write your check and mail it in. Pay extra for one week service. You don't need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in most of Europe. | |
| Plane Tickets | There are dozens of airlines flying from major cities in the USA to major European cities. You can be there tomorrow morning and have lunch in a café or pub. For a list of most airlines providing trans-Atlantic service, fly to Airlines for Travel to Europe. The page Discount Air Travel has links to non-airline companies which can save you some of the work finding a cheap flight. These links take you to a page of the TRAVELERS YELLOW PAGES, an extensive resource of travel help. | |
| Money |
The legal tender of the USA is not legal in Europe. About 15 countries use the euro, €,
and another 30 countries use their own wampum. Get up to speed on this at
Money Exchange. |
|
| Trains |
Do you want to scoot around Europe? The most convenient way to do it
is on the trains. City center to city center, this is the way to go.
Maybe you should get a RailPass? Remember that night
trains save you the cost of a room and a day of travel. Get the inside
info on trains, ferries, and international buses at
Riding the Rails and Waves — Travel Europe by Train and Ferry |
|
| Driving |
Want to know what it's like to legally drive 120 MPH? Rent a Porsche in Germany and hit the
Autobahn. There are many mundane things you need to know about driving in Europe if
you want to come home alive. The most important are the signs, many of which you have
never seen before. See the driving survival guide at
Driving in Europe — Travel by Car, Van, or Motorcycle |
|
| Luggage |
Get a sturdy 22" roll-about with a telescoping handle. Check the professional travel bags
at Office Max, Staples, and Office Depot. One of these will last you a number of years into
your career. If you aspire to be a burro get a back pack. For
details on luggage see Luggage for Europe — Travel Light, Travel Light, Travel Light |
|
| Clothes |
Leave your scruffs in your closet unless you want to be treated like a burro.
Dress sharp and be comfortable. No heavy stuff - dress in layers. Don't forget
rain gear.
For details see
What to Wear in Europe — Travel Clothes for All Occasions |
|
| Packing List |
Besides your clothes, what else do you bring with you? Toiletries, hardware, guidebooks, maps, and a few dozen
little things. Minimalist details are at
A Packing List for Europe — Travel Accessories |
|
| Electricity |
Electric service in Europe is different than that in the USA. The
voltage is twice what we use but the frequency is less. This is potentially a big
challenge for your electronic stuff. Get over it at
Electricity in Europe — Travel Voltage Fundamentals |
|
| Beds |
Rooms come in all degrees of comfort and price. Hostels, B&Bs, and university dorms
offer the best value. Here is an overview of what to expect.
European Hotels, Hostels, B&Bs, and Private Homes — Sleep Options for Travel in Europe |
|
| Guidebooks and Maps |
There are thousands of guidebooks to Europe, individual countries, regions, and cities. Some are excellent, but
so many are just krap. How do you know what to rely on? Check out the reviews at
Guidebooks, Maps, Dictionaries — Travel in Europe with a Good Guidebook |
|
| Languages |
Ja, oui, si. Yup, they speak a different lingo in just about every country. Some countries even have
more than one official language. Those are usually the smallest countries and/or the ones with
the longest names. A brief overview of the language situation for many countries is at
Languages, Numbers, Alphabets — Encounter the Tower of Babel in Europe |
|
| Communicating |
Now and then you might need to phone home for more money or just to say hello when you get homesick.
More likely you want to check out
your email or log into your favorite web site. You might even take the time to send
a traditional post card showing where you are. How to do this is explained at
Communicating as You Travel — Telephone, Mail, Fax, and Email Are at Your Service |
|
| Metric System |
You can travel all over the Continent and you will not find a pound of butter or a quart of milk
or a mile of highway. They use the metric system. In Britain there are a few exceptions, e.g. a pint of
ale. If you failed to pay attention in math class now is the moment of truth. See a primer on the
metric system at
Metric System in Europe — Travel with Grams, Meters, Liters, and Celsius |
|
| OK, Saddle Up. | After you have studied all of the above chapters and passed the final exam you can now go. Class is out. Actually there is a lot more to learn as laid out in the full text of How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook . For now, some of the things you can do in Europe are described at Melding With Europe — Travel Is Interesting and Entertaining | |
|
|
||
| Part 2, Reference and Adverts | |||
|
Elementary Travel Information Austria Belgium Czechia Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom Maps and Time Zones Links to web sites featuring free online maps of Europe. Weather in Europe Links to current weather conditions and forecasts. Amsterdam Anne Frankhuis (Anne Frank House) Rijksmuseum (National Museum) Van Gogh Museum London British Museum Buckingham Palace National Gallery Natural History Museum Palace of Westminster St. Paul's Cathedral Tower of London Westminster Abbey Queen's Day and Keukenhof. |
The Complete Travelers Handbook by John Bermont Meet The Author Mark Kahler BudgetTravel.About.com Read the full book review at  470 pages 7" x 10" softcover 345 b/w photos Last Call checklists and detailed index ISBN 0-940792-69-9 $28.50 |
YELLOW PAGES A Directory of Links to Travel Products, Services, and Information on Europe. National Tourist Offices Country Information and Tours City Tourist Offices in Europe City Information and Tours Luggage and Backpacks Discount Air Travel Villas and Homes for Rent Hostels in Europe Hotels in Europe Auto Rental in Europe Rail Services of Europe Eclectic Travel Sites Internet Search Engines Photography Guide Books for Europe Educational Programs Newsletters from Europe Personal Travel Pages Personal Trip Planning My friends in Holland: in Haarlem The Netherlands Convenient to Amsterdam and Keukenhof. Hillegon Just south of Haarlem Technical Services Chemical Process Consultant |
|
|
All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Type Ctrl d to bookmark this site. |
|||
|
|
|||
Shop in your shorts!