It wasn't a really substantial trip, my seven recent days on a Rhine riverboat (stopping in six cities and four countries), followed by three nights in Lucerne, Switzerland. But in any overseas setting, you are reminded by actual fresh experience about the basic principles of smart travel, as follows:

1. The various European rail passes are more valuable than ever. From checking the railroad ticket offices, it became obvious to me that the increase in the cost of point-to-point rail tickets in Europe has not been matched by an increase in the cost of the various European rail passes. It's as if the people who market these promotional devices in the U.S. have deliberately slowed their rise in price to keep the trip attractive; people I met were able to hop-scotch all over Switzerland with a Swiss Rail Pass for just a little bit more than we paid for two tickets at a Swiss railroad station. In advance of leaving for Europe, look into the various rail pass possibilities at www.raileurope.com.


2. The ATM is your very best bet for obtaining cash. Over and over, I discovered that I could get a decent rate, and pay no big fee, by using my ATM card at the various ATMs in European cities. By contrast, I was shocked by the fees and poor exchange rates of the various money-changing kiosks -- and especially by those kiosks and counters at airports and train stations. The latter, paying high rents to be near the tourist crowds, give you a lousy number of Euros for your dollars, and then charge an additional 5% (at least) as a fee. Even banks, I discovered, now charge big commissions for changing your money. Don't use them. Go to an ATM, and you'll receive an honest exchange.


3. The European equivalent of our T.S.A. will confiscate the same items that T.S.A. does. In European shopping, you have got to stay sensitive to the security check you will later encounter at the airport. We had friends who deliberately passed up the chance to buy reasonably-priced Swiss Army Knives (as gifts for their friends) at shops in Lucerne in the thought that they could buy them for much less at an airport tax-free shop. Passing through security in the airport for the flight home, and rushing to the area of the tax-free shops, they of course discovered that none of these shops were able to sell Swiss Army Knives (since those knives could no longer be placed in luggage checked aboard). You have got to keep mentally agile on your trips to Europe, you have got to think logically and have eyes in the back of your head.


4. You can enjoy big savings by crossing the Atlantic on a flight making stops en route to your destination. I met person after person who had flown to cities in Europe using frequent flyer mileage not on the carrier whose program they had joined, but on the planes of an "alliance partner" flying out-of-your-way to another European city -- and only then to your desired destination. Thus, people flying to Amsterdam on frequent flyer mileage earned through Continental, would go there at very cheap cost via Dusseldorf on Lufthansa, a "partner" of Continental; this involved a bit of a hassle, but saved big sums. Bear in mind that all the major U.S. airlines -- American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United -- belong to airline alliances whose other members will honor the frequent flyer mileage programs of the big American carriers (but you are not always told that by the U.S. carrier; you have to raise the subject and insist).


5. All the tried-and-true rules for smart eating continue to bring major savings in today's Europe. Because more and more European hotels include a large buffet breakfast in your room charges -- enough to fill you long past the lunch hour -- it has become smarter than ever to make lunch a picnic meal from ingredients purchased at a grocery. You eat well, cheaply and healthily. Similarly, at low-cost European restaurants, the servings are generally so large that the smart traveler orders an appetizer for themselves, a main course for their companion, and then proceeds to split the plates.

Write and read comments about this post.

Labels: airport security, europe, money, tips

# posted by Arthur Frommer : 2:52 PM