I am going to Europe for the First time...Seeing Spain, Italy and France in 2 weeks. Going on an American Tour

Question

What are some Do's and Dont's in Europe...

Girls, Money, Gypsys, Hotels, flights,....ect.... Go nuts let me know!

Answer 1

Your hotels and flights are taken care of on the tour, right?

Girls - treat them nicely.  

Gypsies, beware!  If you are in the southern part of Spain, they are around the tourist areas...be careful, don't let them corner you, and don't give them ANYTHING!  Last year, the ploy was to walk up to you, hand you a little piece of Rosemary branch (the herb) and tell you it was good luck, then they would try to tell your fortune, and get mad if you didn't pay...Just don't talk to them...In Granada, they seemed to be all around the Cathedral!  Just walk by and say no nicely but firmly if you must.  

Money:  Best bet: have a credit card to pay for things and an ATM card to get cash.  Exchanges are done automatically.  Don't take cash out of your credit cards...they charge you cash advance fees.  Find a card that has the lowest exchange fee (yes, you ALWAYS pay an exchange fee).  Mine run 1 - 3%, so I used the one with the 1%.  Direct routes like that get you the best exchange RATE.  What you see on the internet, newspaper, or front of the bank always looks more advantageous than what you actually get.  So, as today, my internet connection says $1.58/1€, I would expect to pay about $1.62 or more, then pay the 1%.  Still, that's for the credit card...if you were to walk into a bank with a traveller's check (which no one uses anymore, btw) you would get about 1.65, and pay a higher fee, as well.

Eat ANYTHING!!  (I was going to say in Spain, but all three have the BEST food!).  

Try the wierdest stuff they have on the menu...Pulpo a la Gallega in Spain is incredible!  If you are in Barcelona, the seafood is the freshest!   They also have REALLY good Chocolate, and really fresh ice cream along the Ramblas.

Just remember, if you are on a budget, everything is more expensive in Europe these days.  What used to be considered budget is now really expensive by our standards.