If I travel to Europe, would I get ripped off by the locals for me being a tourist?

Question

If I travel to Europe, would I get ripped off by the locals for me being a tourist?

Answer 1

I agree mostly with Hannah, but also it totally depends on not only what country in Europe you go to, but also where in that country you go.  I found that some people (I never had any  problems with it, but saw where if I had of been stupid I might have) in the large cities were willing to try to rip you  off, but in the small towns (at least in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, England, and Ireland) the people were extremely nice and very friendly, and willing to go out of their way to be helpful.  

In Poland (I actually only spent one day there, so I shouldn't really speak but...) I had to be quite careful about what I was doing, where I was going, and where my bag was all the time, or I could have ended up in a little bit of trouble.

I have two tricks to mention also.  Try speaking in a foreign (not English) language first if you think they might not like American tourists.  Like in France I would speak in German or Dutch if I wanted help.  Then they don't just assume that you are American.  Be careful with this trick though, as if you pick a language that they don't like it might not help.

When getting a taxi, if there is more than one waiting, as first how much it would cost to go to ____ then go and ask the next taxi driver how much he would charge, often you get a better price the second time, but not always.

Over all I have really enjoyed my times in Europe (adding up to 9 months total), and they have always been worth any hassle that might have occurred.

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

No, All I've heard is that people are nice to tourist there

Answer 4

Yes, but not too bad.  Just use common sense and you should be fine.

Answer 5

I can only answer for Portugal.You certainly would not be ripped off Here.

Answer 6

who can say?there are good as well as bad people the world over.A dollar to euro hand held converter is cheap,buy one.don't flash your money around and keep it in a good place.use travelers checks.a hotel safe is a cheap,great idea.

Answer 7

No, but you might get ripped off by the African immigrants selling handbags/sunglasses/whatever in Italy. Watch out for those guys and never buy from them. The local merchants tend to be honest and cool for the most part.

Answer 8

Going anywhere as a tourist can lead to you being "ripped" off if you don't take precautions.

1. Read up on your destination. Know your rights and who to contact if they have been violated.

2. Let street vendors know how much you will pay, you have the right to walk away.

3. Simply realize that there are some things you can't prevent. When you are a tourist, if there are no posted prices for things people will try to charge you more, cabbies will charge you more (though in many places you have rights regarding this as long as there is a posted per mile/km rate)

4. If you're really that uncomfortable, go with a package tour they take away a lot of the hassle.

Whatever you do, be safe and have fun.

Answer 9

in europe they arent very patient with tourists. i have noticed that if you went to a store to look , they DO expect you to buy something. But in terms of ripping you off... not really. But nothing over there is cheap.

Answer 10

You bet your *** you will. I can only speak for Amsterdam, but they're pretty rude if you're an American. Pickpockets are a big problem and there are tons of scammers. Once they figure out you're a tourist, you'll have all kinds of people trying to sell you special "discount cards" and "vip access cards" and c**p that suposedly gets you discounts at restraunts and yadda yadda. Just be wary and remember, "If it sounds too good to be true..."

Answer 11

No you"ll be just fine.

Answer 12

I AM a European and I live in a European Country (not birth country) I've lived here for many many years - on the whole you should not encounter problems but always be as in-the-know as possible.  Research country you are visiting - as they say 'knowledge is power' - so that you get an idea of basic prices - buy guides: personally I love the DK guides they are the best - of for example taxis, hotels, restaurants, bars etc.  Go to reputable places so you can be fairly sure you won't get ripped off.

I've travelled a fair bit, I always try to learn basic communication in language of country I'm visiting (I went to Greece once, bought a cassette, really difficult - give me French, Dutch, German or Italian for example I can handle that - but heh I could just about converse in Greek whilst there, I tried :-)

Sometimes I find that; for example; taxi drivers when they either hear you speak in your Mother Tongue or they hear that you have a foreign accent when speaking the language of country you are visiting think "aha, I have a gullable tourist here", I have an advantage, I'm not a tourist, I live in this host country of mine, I speak fluently the language (though I make some mistakes of course and I do have a give-away accent :-) so I just say to them straight away so that there's no mistake "take this streeet then that one, go down the other one etc. that's the route I want to take" so that he knows you know what you are talking about and won't take you the longest most expensive way round.

But mainly - enjoy! Be wise but cool and make the most of your trip.

Have fun!

:-)

Hannah

Answer 13

Well, maybe it depends on , where you want to go to. I'm in Germany and here are most of the people friendly to tourists....

Answer 14

It's a possibility but more so in Eastern European countries. I have only been to Western Europe and NEVER had a problem myself but I have heard many many stories of pick pockets around the Eiffel Tower in Paris and other heavy duty tourist attractions. Just watch your wallet. Buy one of those money pouches and keep it underneath your clothes where no one can see it. I saw a guy get pickpocketted in Barcelona, Spain. I heard horror stories about Romania and people getting ripped off by the police there even. Be careful if you go to Eastern Europe, there is more poverty there.