How to Prepare for a Trip to Europe –International Travel Checklist
How to Prepare for a Trip to Europe
PHYSICAL PREPARATION & SECURITY
As a Senior, months before I leave on a trip, I think about my physical condition. Knowing more pictures are going to be taken than ever and I want to make a scrapbook afterward, I usually try to lose a few pounds. I also increase my walking time, knowing I need to be able to climb steps and walk 3-4 miles a day. I am not a runner and never have been. (Honestly, I was walking 1-2 miles a day before our last trip to Europe and did fine, even on five-mile days.). But I know that this is just one of the many to-dos on my travel checklist.
Security Considerations:
How to prepare for a trip to Europe:
- RFID Blockers. (RFID is a radio frequency ID that allows others to use the information instilled on your credit cards, etc.) You will need protection for your credit cards, especially those with chips, and for your passports.
There are two ways to go on this: Buy the sleeves to put your passport and credit cards in.
1. Buy the sleeves to encase your passport and credit cards.
2. Or buy RFID-protected wallets and purses. We have both.
Ron has an RFID wallet, but we also have sleeves for our credit cards and passports that we can remove from our wallets and put in a neck pouch or money belt for Europe. I love the colorful ones on Amazon and use them at home as well.
LUGGAGE Locks
Next on our international travel checklist is luggage security. If you have older versions of luggage, chances are they do not have locks. Locks are a great way to feel secure when you leave your luggage with the hotel, or just while traveling. The ones we use are inexpensive and are a one-time purchase. We like these from Voltage Valet.
SECURITY GEAR.
Neck pouches.
I prefer neck pouches to money belts and wear one when I am in high-risk areas. To use, I can either go up through my shirt or down through my neck. I carry my passport and money there, and also one credit card. Having the cord visible has never been a problem.
Money belts.
Some prefer a money belt wearing it inside the front of a pair of pants. Again, even passports fit here, money, and a credit card. For both of these items, we prefer Rick Steves:
- Crossbody purse. Get a crossbody purse you can keep your hand on in high-risk areas, such as the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Consider the width of the strap and the access to credit cards (Are your cards easily accessible to others, or just for you?). If you prefer a backpack, make sure your money and cards are not easily accessible, and switch it to the front when surrounded by lots of people.
My favorites are from Baggalini and are easily wearable for hours at a time, even when eating, leaving hands free.
Here is my current favorite because it has room for my sunglasses and interior RFID-protected credit card pockets with a wide strap that would be hard to slash.
Other Documents
International Driver’s License.
Are you going to be driving in a foreign country? Then you need an International Driver’s License. They are easy to get at your local chapter of the AAA (American Automobile Association). The cost is minimal for the hassles they could save you with the police.
Passports.
Be sure your passport is up to date (it will not expire for 6 months). Take a copy of your passport with you to carry on your person when out and about. Store the real one in a secure spot, like the hotel safe, or somewhere pickpockets cannot get to it. If you buy anything of value, you will need your passport copy to get the VAT tax refund (a tax for European residents only) paperwork.
Debit Card.
We have a separate debit card for travel that does not directly link to our main account. We are able to transfer money into it whenever we like electronically, but if stolen, it does not allow hackers to access our main account. This was recommended to me by a professor who travels abroad with students frequently.
Credit Card.
We suggest bringing one or two max. If you lose one (which happened to our friends in Florence), you are not out of business. Just be sure that if you do lose one, the other one stays activated. Sometimes security services block all when one is lost (This happened to our friends too and they had to call the company right away.) Be sure to call your credit card companies before you leave to alert them that you will be in Europe, tell them which countries you will be traveling to or they may block access.
Phone.
Consult your phone company to see what their international plan is. For example, we opted for our carrier’s $10/day charge. For each 24-hour period that we used our phones, it was $10 for unlimited texts and calls. So if you are gone 10 days and use the phone for two of them, you are charged $20. They also have other options as well. Do not answer any calls or respond to texts you do not want to be charged for.
Turn off Data Roaming when you get on the plane to Europe! If you forget and search for that restaurant you can’t find, it can cost you up to $200 for just a few minutes. That’s what it cost us when we were in a pinch to find a hotel and the GPS on the car was not cooperating.
Loyalty Programs
Sign up for a hotel and an airline loyalty program. You are spending a lot of money and traveling a lot of miles. Consider from now on accumulating miles on one airline and accumulating stays with one hotel chain. For us, it’s United Mileage Plus and Hilton Honors because when Ron worked and traveled, he stayed loyal to those companies. He now has over a million miles accumulated with United which gives us Economy Plus seats, at the least, and 70 lbs. weight on luggage. We are still using the Hilton points for free hotel stays.
How to Prepare for a Trip to Europe: Book Ahead
Book ahead of the following if you are using: (More info. on this on the individual destinations) Airlines (of course!) Hotels (a must!) Rental Cars (a must!).
We suggest using American companies if you are coming from the USA. That way if you have a problem, you can contact them easily from home.
Rental Cars.
We like Budget or Hertz. Be specific about what kind of car (manual or automatic) and size you need. (Traveling with two couples and all the luggage warranted a larger car, and we were the only ones at the pick-up place in Civitavecchia, Italy, who had the larger car waiting).
When you pick up your car be sure to take photos with your phone on both sides and the front and back. Also, and more importantly, when you return the car. You never know when needed so be prepared, especially if someone or the company says there were dents/scratches when you returned or later on. Need proof
GPS is a must because you cannot use the GPS on your phone! You need an English-speaking guide.
Check on your US car insurance policy before you leave, because it may not cover you in Europe and you may need to pay more for insurance.
Tours!
When you have time to plan before your trip, compare tour companies and offers. Don’t spend your time on the trip doing this. See Destinations for more suggestions.
Tickets!
Want to see David in Florence? Visit La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona? St. Mark’s in Venice? Book online! Have the paper tickets in your travel bag. This will save you hours and hours and dollars and dollars.
How to Prepare for a Trip to Europe: Other Travel Basics
Shots and medication.
Check with your doctor before you leave and make sure your immunizations are up to date. Do you need Hepatitis shots? A COVID Test? Are you immune to measles? etc. etc. Be sure you have all medications in your possession at all times. (Do not pack them in your checked luggage.). I use a numbered slim medication folder from Lewis n Clark that doesn’t take up as much room as bringing bottles.
If you like US brands like Tylenol or Advil, get them ahead. You will not find them in Europe, even at the airports. I tried the Italian Tylenol equivalent and my stomach didn’t appreciate it. Some insurance plans (like Kaiser) have a Travel Clinic that will advise you on what to eat and not to eat for the areas you are visiting and advisories you may not be aware of.
Electrical concerns.
The EU uses a different voltage (220) than the US (110) and requires an adapter for your US appliances. A lot of today’s appliances are dual voltage, so check to see if yours are. We bring individual voltage converters and also a multi-plug converter (Universal International Power Adapter) that allows us to plug in all our cells and ipads in one plug. This allows us to use this at home and abroad, by changing the type of plug needed. https://amzn.to/2YymvPP
Warning: Even with this, you may find that your hair curler or hot rollers burn out. This has happened to me once and to my friend once. Bring a spare set of rollers or some other way to style your hair. Just in case, I don’t leave any computer or hair device plugged in for longer than needed.
When you are prepared, you will enjoy every minute!
How to Prepare for a Trip to Europe
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