Europe Warnings

Practice the same safty with your money as you do when you are at home. Im not sure that those beige travel money pouches that go around the waist or on a string arount the neck are the best idea. Think about it would you ever use one at home? in my eyes they simply advertise "im a tourist, im unsure of my surroundings and I have valuable documents/lots of money in this pouch."
One thing i would recommend (although it mightn't go with everyones style) is those chains that you can clip your wallet onto and then clip the other end to your belt. And never put your wallet in your back pocket.

karen121 wrote:Practice the same safty with your money as you do when you are at home. Im not sure that those beige travel money pouches that go around the waist or on a string arount the neck are the best idea. Think about it would you ever use one at home? in my eyes they simply advertise "im a tourist, im unsure of my surroundings and I have valuable documents/lots of money in this pouch."

Used correctly, no one but you ever sees the pouch.

It's not for use as an everyday purse or wallet. You go somewhere private to access it, and just keep the day's pesos or whatever in a secure pocket.

When you're in France, specifically in Paris, never ever leave your bike anywhere. Let's say you'll be buying bread and you decide to park your bike outside the store. Make sure you have a rope or any tool that will secure your bike. Most locals target foreigners to be their victims.
If you feel like you don't look like them, stay on the alert all the time. Don't trust anyone but still have fun!

You don't want to put your Paris vacation at risk, right? What's important, wherever you are, don't act naive and act smart. When they see you look innocent and naive, they will most likely make you as your target.

Thus, don't be fooled by fools!

dannyb wrote:Dont stay at 'generation europe' in brussels, bad location, bad staff, no atmosphere.

Thanks a lot for that tip!

Erika Ayala wrote:When you're in France, specifically in Paris, never ever leave your bike anywhere. Let's say you'll be buying bread and you decide to park your bike outside the store. Make sure you have a rope or any tool that will secure your bike. Most locals target foreigners to be their victims.
If you feel like you don't look like them, stay on the alert all the time. Don't trust anyone but still have fun!

Agree. One of my friends had same experience in Paris. His bicycle was stolen from outside of some store. So beware of this. You can't get your things back in a foreign land easily.

Leif, God of Thunder wrote:Avoid RyanAir all together. There are a dozen hidden charges and surprise fees (this is how they recoup for selling seats for 99P). The staff are poorly trained and sour from being yelled at every day by irate travelers who got stung by the hidden fees. Their network is weak. In some cities they fly out of airports that are so out of the way and cost one so much to reach that one could have paid for a First Class regular plane ticket in the end for the same price, particularly after the hidden fees get factored in.EasyJet is infinitely better. More destinations, less hassle, less sneaky charges, more chipper staff.

Thanks for the advice, I am happy I read your warning!

Leif, God of Thunder wrote:Avoid RyanAir all together. There are a dozen hidden charges and surprise fees (this is how they recoup for selling seats for 99P). The staff are poorly trained and sour from being yelled at every day by irate travelers who got stung by the hidden fees. Their network is weak. In some cities they fly out of airports that are so out of the way and cost one so much to reach that one could have paid for a First Class regular plane ticket in the end for the same price, particularly after the hidden fees get factored in.EasyJet is infinitely better. More destinations, less hassle, less sneaky charges, more chipper staff.

Well, let's just say that there are persons that love and that hate RyanAir! But isn't it the same with many other tings, like basketball teams?
I am one of their fans. And you want to know why?
- They have one of the newest fleets around!
- I traveled with them more than 20 flights, never had a canceled or delayed flight (more then an hour delay).
- Nobody yelled at me or at any other passenger near to me.
- I always travel only with hand luggage (I leave my wardrobe at home), even for a week.
- I read the maximum hand luggage dimensions and I bought one accordingly!
- I don't mind traveling one hour to an airport outside the city, if this saves me 100Euros.
- I always buy the plane tickets in advance (2-6 month), so I generally pay about 50E/person/return trip.

So, if you don't mind learning the "RyanAir's usage rules", you can be a happy traveler/customer too! Otherwise, you are free to pay more.

well said Lucian! Totally agree...

Other than the main RTW ticket, having to buy tickets 2-6 months in advance is ridiculous!

Another few things about Low cost airlines and air travel in Europe in general:

If you travel by Ryanair you must check in online and print off your own boarding pass. If you don't then you face a very big charge at the airport to get a new boarding pass. This is all stated in their terms and conditions and you are reminded about checking in yourself many times while you're buying your flight and you also get plenty of emails telling you to do this in the run up to your flight so there is no excuse whatsoever for not doing it.

If you have a non-EU passport and are travelling on almost any airline in Europe then you will need to do a visa check before you get on the plane. Even if you know you don't need a visa to go to the country you're flying to you still need to present yourself to airline staff so they can verify you have the right documents. On Ryanair, for example, it states in big letters on your boarding card that you must get this done before going through security. They will not check for visas at the gate and even if you don't need a visa to go to the country, you will be refused travel if you don't get it checked before going through security. Leave yourself plenty of time to get through the airports. The airlines have to do this to cover their own backs as they will get fined if you don't have the right paperwork, it's not just a Low cost thing...but Ryanair is the only one which will NOT check visas at the gate...so make sure to get it done first!

If flying in to or out of London make sure you know which airport you are using. Some airlines simply put LON as the destination and as London has 5 airports, this can be frustrating. You don't want to arrange a pick up from Heathrow and end up landing at London Luton. Also make sure that if you have a connection through London you are 100% sure about which airports you're using. British Airways have a habbit of flying you to Gatwick or London City and then out of Heathrow several hours later. You need to pay for and arrange this transfer on your own, the airline does not include it in the ticket price. There are National Express buses linking all London airports (apart from London City, where you must take the DLR to central London and then the Underground or Mainline trains to other Airports) which are pretty frequent and good value. Also, especially at Heathrow, check what terminal you are using. Airline alliances often use codeshares, so you may Arrive in to London Heathrow on a QANTAS flight into Terminal 3, but then be departing to Stockholm on a BA flight from Terminal 5, which has a QF flight number! Don't be caught out! Check all of this in advance and you will have a much smoother journey!

As a general rule:

Stansted and Luton are used by holiday and low cost airlines. Gatwick and Heathrow are used for long haul, worldwide airlines as well as short haul routes and London City is a business airport of little use to travelers unless they get a good deal, which can happen at weekends. The airport is simple to use and offers a great sightseeing trip of central London when landing! Gatwick is also home to a lot of holiday charter airlines and Low cost carriers too, especially EasyJet.

I know it goes against the grain of a lot of travelers, but really in Europe, booking ahead is going to save you major cash. In the UK especially, booking train and bus travel online as early as possible (say 3 months before) will save you a lot. Also look at group bookings as often you can get up to 50% off if you book with 4 other adults as opposed to 4 individual tickets. The UK is awkward as it has many different train companies, so find out which one serves the area you want to go to and check their website for special deals.

EasyJet have introduced an admin fee for all bookings, so if you plan on using them say 4 or 5 times on your trip then book all your flights at the same time and you will only pay 1 admin fee. If you book 5 flights separately you will pay 5 admin fees which, at £9 a booking, could add up! Remember this is per booking, not per passenger.

Thank you for the information. just for more information the robbery in Europe is organized.