Getting and using money in Europe

For any international travel, money or its equivalent (credit cards) are important issues to sort out before your trip.  You might have sufficient money to pay your way but is it in the right currency, and is your credit card accepted in the local ATMs and what about travelers checks?  All good questions so lets address them:

Start with pocket money:  For a week long trip to Europe I would bring at least a few hundred US dollars in bills no bigger than $20s.  I don't recommend that this be what you change to use exclusively for your pocket money but rather to keep as back up.  Then use an accepted (more on that later) credit/debit card to get local cash in an ATM.  I prefer to use ATMs since you get a much better rate of exchange than you would at a money changer.  Estonia is a member of the 17 nation European Union and therefore uses the Euro.  Unless you go to non EU nations like |Great Britain, Norway or Eastern European countries like Poland, Latvia or even Russia, the Euro will be all you will need. 
You will need to use your PIN code with your card for any purchases.  This means in restaurants, shops as well as at ATM's you will need to use your pin whether you use it as credit or debit.  American Express is the exception. 

You can get Euros at your local bank in the US before you leave but really don't need to.  ATMs are readily available everywhere and especially at arrival terminals at every airport that you would fly into from the US.  So when you arrive find an ATM, get a few hundred Euros and you'll be set.  If you need more there are ATMs everywhere.  If you change too much you can always use up your excess Euros to pay a part of your hotel bill in cash on your last day and the balance with a credit card. Some banks charge you a fee for using ATM's outside their network but from our experience its cheaper than buying Euros at a US bank before you leave.  Our local Birmingham banks don't sell much foreign currency and don't keep any on hand so it becomes a big deal.  They need to order the Euros to be brought in which takes a few days.  They then charge a fee of $25 no matter how much we change and the exchange rate is usually not very good.  I recommend you wait and get Euros at an ATM at your arrival airport.

Most Visa/ MC and the Amex credit cards are accepted everywhere but there are some caveats worth noting... THIS is very IMPORTANT ... Before you leave the country, call the toll free number on the back of your card and let them know that you will be traveling to Europe and the dates.  Otherwise they may assume your card has been hacked or stolen and being misused in Eastern Europe and block it.  I have never had a problem when I have called to let the card issuer know my plans.  However, I have had it blocked when I didn't call ahead.  Its really no big deal and its for your security.  Also look for either the word "Plus" or "Cirrus" on the back of your Visa or MC card.  These are more readily accepted as international cards and some may argue you don't need to get prior authorization to use them abroad.  I have one card with PLUS on it and one without either designation.  I generally use the one card tied to a local Birmingham bank without either of these designations on the back and have only had a problem when I don't let them know I'm going abroad.
You can pay with Euros wherever you go or you can charge to your credit card.  The exchange rates using the cards are as good as any business gets with no unreasonable mark up.  You can get an idea of the currency daily in local newspapers or at any number of online exchange sites.  I like www.xe.com where you plug in your purchase in either US$ or Euros and it will calculate it for you.  The rate today is $1.32  to 1 Euro.  When shopping or getting a coffee figure to add about 30% to the posted price in Euros to get the dollar equivalent. 
Some tips:  Find out if your bank has a partner in Europe and stick with their ATMs to save on fees.  Some bank cards don't charge a foreign currency transaction fee.  You might have such a card already.
Travelers checks:  I haven't used them in over a decade.  They still work but have limitations.  You pay I believe 1% to get travelers checks and then many merchants won't take them or if they do, you pay a premium (i.e. worse exchange rate).  The big advantage is that you can get your money back if they are lost or stolen.  I still think using ATMs for cash and credit cards for everything else is best. 
Best be smart and keep an extra card in a carry on or with someone else you are traveling with in case you loose it or if your card for some reason doesn't work.

10 weeks to go

Is it time to book your flight yet?  I think round trip air fares to Europe in early July will still come down in the next 4 weeks and be cheaper than today.  This is my guess albeit one born of experience.   Here's why; in mid to late May as the airlines assess their inventory of unsold seats for trips in July, they do so recognizing this will not be a banner year for travel to Europe given concerns about the economies of both the US and Europe.  The exception will be for Olympics related travel mainly to London in late July.  The airlines assessment will be factoring in the higher cost of fuel which is still somewhat of an overhang affecting everything against the lost revenue of flying with empty seats.  My sense is that they find a balance by discounting from these levels enough to try and fill all the flights heading over the Atlantic. 
I'll repeat some of what I've covered in previous blogs regarding flight bookings:
Use an aggregater like Kayak.com (or even Priceline.com to make an offer).  Pick some round trips to assorted European gateway cities that you might have wanted to visit (or just to change planes) and be sure and check the box "My dates are flexible."  Stockholm and Helsinki are good ones with cheap round trip connections to Tallinn on local carriers.  Once you've found the best fares to and from the cities of your choice then match them up by picking the best fare coming in (for example to Munich) and then best fare coming home (e.g. from Amsterdam).  Each of these cities also offers very reasonable one way fares to Tallinn on several airlines.   You can even get real creative and pick some "out of favor" cities that have been stigmatized of late in the news due to their political and financial problems such as Athens and Barcelona.  Tourists are still welcome there and hotel and airline rates are better than they were prior to their problems.
This is an ideal time to play around with your bucket list and see what strikes your fancy.  Here is another option to consider;  Round trip to Dublin, Ireland which also has a direct non stop flights to Tallinn or one way to Dublin and then come home from Helsinki spending a few days in each city coming and going.  Anyway...best to start playing around with the many options online or contact a travel agent.  If you don't have an agent, we recommend Wayne Mullis Travel who is coming to the convention and will book your round trip to the convention for only $25 amoe@wmtvl.webmail.com or 800-225-4815

European electrical voltage and plug adapters

For most phones and laptops you do not need to worry about the European standard 220 Volts since manufactures of travel appliances (razors, hair dryers, cell phones, etc) have designed the chargers and power adapters to handle a range of power from 100 Volts to 240 Volts (for North America, 110 Volt is standard) and convert it to whatevever output your appliance requires to run or charge it.
You will however, need to have a PLUG ADAPTER in order for your US plug or charger to fit in the wall in any standard socket in Europe.  These adapter plugs are readily available online for a few dollars or at Radio Shack, Best Buy and even Walmart sometimes in a kit with more plugs than you need.  I recommend EBay where I recently bought 20 plug adapters for $10 and passed them out to the board and staff.  The plug adapter is a must have item if you plan to have a phone, tablet or laptop charged while in Europe.  The picture above shows the configuratiuon of the European standard wall plug with the flip side showing the standard US wall plug.
All rooms at the convention hotel in Tallinn have hair dryers in the room and irons available.

Airfares to Europe starting to come down

Old Town Hall in Market Square, Tallinn
Airfares to Europe for our late June to mid July window are starting to come down.  Here is what I am finding using Kayak.com and checking different gateway cities: 

Roundtrip from Birmingham to London June 29 or 30 returning July 10   $989.    Round trip to Tallinn from London around $235 for the same dates.  Total:  $1224 and you get to visit in London if you like or fly straight through.

Or:  Roundtrip Birmingham to Helsinki on June 30 returning on July 9 is $1173.  Then a $40 dollar ferry ride each way.   Best yet, mix and match by doing Birmingham to London and home from Helsinki for $1177 using the June 30 and return July 9 dates.  The one way ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn is $40 and  the only additional air fare you need is a one way from London to Tallinn $180.   

Note:  To get the best fares on Kayak for a straight roundtrip and no side trips, pick your gateway European city and using your preferred travel dates for the convention click the “my dates are flexible” link which gives you fares for up to 3 days on either side of your selected dates.  It’s worth considering because fares for your specific date may be over $100 more than the same flight a day or two earlier or later.  You might find you can stay a few days longer and still save a few hundred $$ and do some side travel before you come home.  I do not recommend using Tallinn as a final destination on Kayak because it is a second tier city and for a transatlantic flight you will find you are better off picking one of the larger cities (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen etc) and then using any number of inter-European commuter airlines like Air Baltic, Estonian Air, SAS or Ryan Air (all searchable on Kayak) to get to Tallinn.

For those who plan a stopover on your way to Europe and a different  stopover somewhere on your way home, here is a tip on how to get the best fares: 1) search for the cheapest roundtrip fare (+/- 3 days) on Kayak to EACH of these cities you want to visit from your home airport.  2) Compare the two “grids” of fare choices for the two cities to determine the best fare and date to your city of arrival.  3)  Then see what city gives you the best fare coming home.  4) Now you can make your plans based on best fare and best date options for the target cities.  That way you can pick the cheapest fare flying into Europe and the cheapest city and fare to fly home from based on the parameters of our convention dates.  The internal flights in Europe don’t vary much in price; it’s mainly the transatlantic portion that is in play here.

I think the fares will keep coming down a bit over the next month.  Why? Because the US dollar is strengthening of late which makes the hotels, meals and even airfare cheaper.  Also, there is no incentive to discount fares three months out.  For example, a fare yesterday to Frankfurt from Birmingham in late May is about $870.  Fares for late June travel should also start to come down by late April.  However you need to begin watching the fares and “playing” with the options like roundtrip to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Barcelona or Rome….all of which have air service direct to Tallinn on any number of carriers you can monitor on Kayak.  Then pick the cheapest gateway in and the cheapest way home and voila… you’ll have made some life long memories.

Parking a car in European cities

Parking a car can be simple if you understand the system that has evolved over the last few decades to accommodate the growing traffic in older crowded European cities. Some hotels allow free parking but generally not in the downtown or tourist areas. The rates however, are comparable to US big city hotels ranging anywhere from 8-12 Euros per night. It really depends on how close you are to the old town or city center where real estate can be expensive. You can also use public parking garages or park on the street and pay a meter. The meters in Europe are a bit different. Where metered parking is available, you'll find one of several convenient “meter” stations spaced to serve about every dozen spaces.  Just as in the US, you pay for the amount of time you want. In a downtown area in a Germany city recently, the rate was 1 Euro per hour but available in minutes based on how many coins you inserted. I believe the minimum time was 15 minutes or .25 cents (yes, the Euro is made up of 100 cents). When you have inserted your coins and selected the time you want to park you will push a green button and a receipt will print with the time you have selected your meter to expire. For example, if it is noon and you want to park for 45 minutes you deposit .75 cents and when done you push the green button on the meter and a receipt prints that shows valid parking till 12:45 (it has a date printed so no fudging). You then take the receipt and put it on your dash (then lock your car). The receipt can then be read by the meter monitor on her rounds. If you come back to feed the meter, just repeat the process and replace the old receipt on your dash with the new one. Its really quite simple without the need to have parking meters for every car.   Parking overnight on the street is usually free after a certain time. In popular tourist areas it may be as late as 10PM.  The same rules you learned in driver's ed apply about not blocking exits, parking in restricted spots or too close to the corner.

Car Rental in Europe

Car rental in Europe is really not much different than in the US.  You’ll find the same major international rental agencies you’re familiar with in the US at major airports in Europe as well as in the city center near the train station (historically the center of town).  A valid US drivers license and credit card is all you need. You do NOT need an international driver’s license.  I had one back in the mid 1970’s and never used it.  To reserve a car in advance, go to any of the online travel sites (I still like Kayak.com) and make a reservation.  The car rental booths can be found at baggage claim.  After that, it’s all a matter of what additional services or insurance coverage you want.  And,… like renting a car in America, they make you sign lots of papers and then initial a few dozen places saying that you are responsible for anything and everything especially if you don’t buy their comprehensive collision damage coverage.  For those who like to use the American Express Gold card to waive coverage, you might check first to make sure that agency allows it.  Some do and some don’t.  The main ones we’re most familiar with should be fine (Hertz, Avis, Budget) but on some of the lesser known ones I have been shown the fine print in the contract saying that only Visa Gold or some other “gold” card is all that will allow their insurance to be waived. 

Rental rates are actually quite reasonable.  One would think it is more expensive for a week long rental in Europe but I find it about the same or even less than in the US.  Maybe it’s because the cars are smaller and not as expensive to start with.

The cars you rent are geared to travel well on the European Autobahns, park easy in the smaller streets of old towns and not break the bank in miles per gallon or as the Europeans measure it in “liters per 100 Kilometers”.  Although gas is just over double what we pay per gallon, the smaller 4 cylinder European rentals whether gas or diesels are also getting about double the mileage compared to the cars currently offered in the US.  Diesel cars do even better and most are also turbo charged.  So on average I’d say it’s about the same cost for a week’s rental in Europe.  It’s also more common to find stick shift rentals.  Automatics are generally a small upcharge.  I prefer stick shift for better mileage and performance.   Although train travel is common in Europe, you’ll be surprised that for two travelers you might find it cheaper and have more flexibility to rent a car rather than takeing the train.  More on train travel in upcoming blog.

International Texting

A feature that works well to stay in touch overseas and wont break the bank is TEXTING.  As noted in the previous blog, using your North American cell phone provider in Europe without a local SIM card or special plan can be VERY expensive.  However, texting, by contrast, is very affordable.  I am most familiar with my ATT plan and its options but the other carriers have similar ones so just check with your provider for specifics. 
There are two ways to handle texting with ATT cell phones.  You can text overseas and pay the .25 cents per text to send and .20 cents to receive a text.  Text messages will come in through the "cell data" portion of your settings so don't turn off your cell phone if you want to get texts.  You don't have to worry about roaming charges if you use the phone for texting and not as a regular cell phone.  |As mentioned in the previous blog, if you have a smart phone you need to turn off the "Data Roaming" in your settings which wont affect receiving or sending cell calls or texts.  I don't answer my cell phone abroad but rely on text messages from those who want to get in touch with me. I then text them back or call them later on SKYPE when I have wi-fi service.
ATT also offers cheaper text service for $10 a month that allows you to text from anywhere for .10 per message coming or going.  Its probably not worth the it for a 10 day visit to Europe unless you plan on sending or receiving at least 100 texts.    Check with your phone provider to see what they offer in international phone/ text packages