“My river cruise on the Danube last summer was great! I loved standing out on the open deck and watching the beautiful scenery go by. I took this picture in Austria.”
See more of my pictures from my Danube River Cruise here.”
From Tim Larison www.familytravelgurus.com
by Tim Larison
One interesting part of being a travel agent is that you learn about places and events you were not aware of previously. I recently had this experience when I interviewed Shannon Stitt of Collette Vacations for our website. Shannon told me about the Oberammergau Passion Play. “(This event) is truly once in a lifetime event,” said Shannon. “The play performance dates back to 1634. During the Thirty year War, the village of Oberammergau was spared the black plaque and for this reason, the villagers vowed that every ten years they would give a play to honor the live of Christ. The Performers are native Oberammergauers.”
In reading more about the play I learned that the performance is SEVEN hours with a meal at the intermission. Collette Vacations offers a variety of packages to see the play, as well as other tours around the World. Read our complete interview with Shannon here
MSNBC published a good article last week about cell phone usage outside the U.S. Columnist Tim Leffel writes “Start asking people about international cell phone and data bills and you’ll get a lot of scary stories. Most aren’t as shocking as Steve Surjaputra’s tale of a family who was billed $19,370, but what’s surprising is how often people get socked with hundreds or thousands of dollars after what they thought was minimal use.” Read what to be aware of and some good tips in Tim’s column.
For my trips to Europe I have used a Mobal phone I like with Mobal you buy the phone and can use it on multiple trips - you are only charged for the cell time used. This is good if you only need to call home rarely. The Mobal phone worked great on our 12 night Mediterranean cruise but I found it did not work as well in Austria when I attempted to use it on my Avalon river cruise.
A friend of mine reports he has had good luck with his AT&T cell phone when traveling internationally, but that the phone doesn’t work as well back home.
There are lots of different options for international calling, as the msnbc article explains. What option is best for you depends on your particular trip and needs, but a little advanced planning in this area can definitely save you significant dollars.
Recently I attended a talk by European Travel expert Rick Steves. Rick’s popular “Europe Through the Back Door” book is one of the best selling guides to European travel. Rick is also well known for his series of programs on Public Television. This talk was of special interest to me since me and my family will be visiting Europe for the first time in May 2006! Below I will give some of the highlights of Rick’s talk.
Rick has been visiting Europe since he was a teenager. His Dad imported pianos and first took Rick to Europe when Rick was age 14. A year or two later Rick toured Europe by himself as a teenager. Later Rick became a piano teacher and toured Europe every summer during school breaks. Rick’s “Europe Through the Back Door” book was first published in 1976 – that initial release was largely a one man effort. Today Rick’s organization has over 60 employees and Rick himself spends 120 days a year in Europe.
Rick says Europe is well organized for independent travel. In his first few years traveling to Europe he noticed others were making the same mistakes he had made the year before. One goal of his guidebooks, Rick says, is that future European travelers can “learn from my mistakes.”
Europeans have a knack for enjoying themselves. According to Rick, they embrace what they think is good and can live well without being wealthy. Rick especially enjoys finding hidden gems in Europe, places that don’t have big promotional budgets. Rick likes to stay overnight in small European towns to get a feel for what the towns are really like. Often these towns are overrun by tourists by day but are uncrowded at night.
Some tips Rick shared for European travel:
You owe it to yourself to read up before your trip on what you will be seeing. Germany, for example, has ruined castles all over that can be visited for free and are not well promoted. If you have an understanding of feudalism, and that Germany once consisted of 300 independent countries, the castles will be much more interesting to you. Otherwise you are just looking at a bunch of rubble. Similarly, there are many opportunities to see historic art in Europe. By doing some reading on the art you will be seeing you’ll understand that art is the closest thing to a time tunnel that you’ll experience.
Think creatively about “open jaw” flights. It’s easier and less expensive to fly into one city and country and fly out of another when compared to domestic travel. Short flights between cities in Europe are good bargains in many places – they are faster and often cheaper than trains or buses in many markets. Plan your itinerary around weather patterns. If you are taking a 2 week trip from Spain to Scandinavia start in early June in Barcelona and work your way up to the Scandinavian countries at the end rather than vice versa.
When in Europe, be a temporary European. Store your camera unless you are using it. It is much more interesting to join in and do what the people are doing (a folk dance, a song in a tavern, etc) rather than videotaping it. Pack light and buy necessities as you go along – you’ll learn the culture better. Rick on his organized tours (some 2 weeks or longer) requires each guest to bring a carryon bag on the plane as his or her only luggage. If you run out of toothpaste, it’s interesting to go to a store in a European town to buy some more. The worst strategy is to over pack and bring extra clothes, supplies, etc “in case you need it”
Seek out Mom and Pop businesses. There are businesses in Europe that have been run by the same families for over 50 years. Family businesses don’t have to pay minimum wage to their employees – relatives freely give of their time to make the business successful. The quality is consistent. Rick particularly likes local tour guides and family run restaurants.
Use ATM’s for cash. ATM’s are all over Europe and they often give you a better exchange rate than if you get foreign currency before you leave home. Tell your bank that you will be traveling abroad so they don’t question foreign withdrawals on your ATM card. Many places only accept cash and not credit cards, so having access to cash through an ATM card is very important.
Be prepared for thieves. You are going to meet pick pockets – they target Americans and tourists. If you take a purse or a wallet there’s a good chance you’ll lose it. Instead take a money belt and store your cash and passport in there. Buy an over-the-shoulder bag that is much more secure than carrying a purse.
If you are waiting in line too much, you are messing up. There is always a way around a line. See popular attractions at off times. Seek out local guides to show you the sights.
Generally Europeans like Americans. Many Europeans may disagree with our country’s politics, but generally they treat you as an individual. Bring some “show and tell” items – Europeans are just as interested in us as we are in them. Europe is safer than the United States – there are far few deaths by hand guns in Europe when compared to back home.
It’s ok to speak English. Rick only speaks English when he travels in Europe. Many Europeans know English and can help. Use simple words and speak clearly.
This is just a sampling of many interesting topics Rick discussed in the three hour talk I heard. For more information consult Rick’s guidebooks or look at Rick’s website, http://www.ricksteves.com/ . The “graffiti wall” section on Rick’s website is loaded with tips from past European travelers.
The Larison family is really excited about our European trip this May – a Mediterranean cruise on the Carnival Liberty with a post-cruise stay in Rome for a few nights. We are taking Rick’s advice and studying up on all the sights we will be seeing! (update: see a review and pictures of our experiences on our website ).
(Travel Agents Tim and Anne Larison are not affiliated with Rick Steves or his company in any way - the above is published for informational purposes only)