Here is part 2 of planning your first trip to Europe and everything you need to know! Money, Languages, Restaurants, Restrooms and Water!

Let’s Talk Money

Getting to Europe can be expensive (as we know) but what’s the most efficient way to pay for things? Cards? Cash? Let’s discuss!

1.Credit Cards

Depending on what your needs and lifestyle is, travel credit cards can be very beneficial. My husband and I both got the Chase Sapphire credit card in order to take advantage of having a travel credit card. (He got his card first and then referred me, so we also got a referral bonus in points!) We booked our flights, hotels and trains with our credit card to get the most of the travel points. It is totally worth it to get a travel credit card because the rewards are amazing, especially if you are planning on traveling a lot. Look into different cards to make sure it is the right one that fits your needs. Some are better for big trips and some are better for everyday purchases so make sure you do your research before hand. Most places in Europe take cards, so for us we used our cards almost everywhere to take advantage of building points.

“Make sure you look into the exchange rate of your home currency versus the currency of the country you are in. It was cheaper for us to pay in local currency than in US currency. So when we were checking out on the card machine we would click to pay in the local currency.” -Kylie

2. Cash

It’s always a good idea to have some cash on hand at all times. Like I said, most places take cards but smaller shops and restaurants take cash so you want to make sure you have some. I went to my local bank and ordered Euros and Swiss Francs since that was what we needed for where we were headed. It was super easy and it took less than a week to receive the cash and they call you when it’s ready to be picked up. There was also no exchange fee doing it at my local bank. We did exchange money in Italy at the train station to give us a little bit more euros for when we went to Germany and it was very similar over there as well. We didn’t get as good of an exchange rate there but it was fine since we just wanted to make sure we had more cash. Don’t forget you need coins to use the restroom! The Swiss Francs are GORGEOUS and I have never seen such beautiful money, so take advantage of embracing the beauty of the little things in other countries.

Languages

Make sure you do your research on what languages are spoken in the counties you are traveling to. We went to Switzerland where they speak (German, French, Italian and Romansh) depending on what part of the country you are in, Italy where they speak Italian and Germany where they speak German. In most major cities and towns you can find people who also speak English but it can be very helpful if you know basics in the native language. Google translate was our best friend while on our trip! You can use it for conversations between you and someone but the most helpful part was the picture taking part of the app. I would open up the camera on the app and hover over what I needed translated and it would immediately translate it into my desired language. We use this in the train stations, ordering off menus at restaurants and more. I made sure to download German and Italian so even if I did not have cell service or wifi I was still able to use it. In Zurich, Switzerland it was harder to find people who spoke English. Most people spoke German or Dutch and we would get asked multiple times if we were Dutch or British (we are American). But it was nice to not be targeted as an American and I guess we were able to blend in pretty well! In Italy it seemed like every other person was an American and it was very easy to find someone who spoke English. In Germany we were with my friend and her husband who both speak German (and Spanish) so they did most of the talking for us!

Restaurants

As a foodie, eating good food that changes your life is a must! We do not want to waste our time on mediocre food when part of the reason we are exploring the world is to experience different cultures and embrace others expertise when it comes to the world of cuisine. I am going to talk more about food from each location we went in different blog posts but here is my main advice when it comes to looking for restaurants.

• Ask a local (locals know where the good places are). Ask them where they would take their family to eat and they will not disappoint you. We had some of the most life changing food from asking our tour guides where they like to eat.
• Look up videos and blogs. When my husband and I are going somewhere new that is one of the first things we do is look up places that other people recommend. They have been there before they know what’s good or not so I will trust their word over just looking at Google. You also get a feel for the atmosphere of the resturant. This can give you and idea of it this is a place you would like to try. You might also find places that don’t come up on a first Google search.

Restrooms

In America I feel like we take so much for granted and part of that is free restrooms. All over Europe we had to pay to use the restroom (usually 1 euro or 1 francs) but it was SO worth it! The restrooms were immaculately clean for the most part. The stall doors went all the way to the floor. There was no trash, no graffiti and no broken mirrors. Can I just say we were blown away by the respect that was held in the restrooms (especially in Switzerland). I would pay $1 to use to restroom in America if people treated them the way they do in Europe. This is also another reason why having cash on you is important. For the most part they have little machines right in front of the restroom doors that you enter your coin into and then it opens up the gates and you can go through. In Switzerland some restrooms you were able to use your credit card to pay. In some cases the mens and women’s bathrooms were connected and shared sinks to wash hands and everyone was very respectful and kept to themselves. I felt 100% safe using all the restrooms in three countries. If you are not aware restrooms are usually called water closets so when you are looking for the signs to find a restroom it is usually a blue sign that says “W.C.”.

Water

When walking around Europe (we were in Italy and Switerland) there are different fountains around towns that just look like a water feature but the water is safe to drink from the spout of the water fountain. This is where we would fill up our water bottles and CamelBaks while we were out walking around. We would also purchase ice when we found any and fill up our packs and it would last a really long time and was so nice to drink cold water. Europe is not like the USA, where water is free and guaranteed at your table in restaurants. You have to ask for water and they will usually ask if you would like “gas” or “no gas”, this just means sparkling water or regular water. We do not really like sparkling water so we would ask for water with no gas. Also, it is highly unlikely that your water will come with any ice so if you want cold water they usually will bring you bottled water that has been refrigerated. This water is usually more expensive of course, and the bottles are not very big. If you want to drink something with ice you usually have to order an alcoholic drink. We found our favorite refreshing iced drink was a Hugo Spritz! It’s a little sweet, minty and so refreshing on a hot day.

I hope this information helps you when planning your next trip! Are these things you have experienced as well or have wondered about?