This final entry addresses the various questions I received before and during my trip.
Traveling Single. It has its pluses and minuses:
Minuses
If you're like me and are not crazy about eating alone in a restaurant, it can limit restaurants you might try. There isn't anyone to share the immediate "Ah Ha" of moment or a site or an activity. Singles often pay premiums for tours and cruises.
Pluses:
- I have found alone I tend to meet more people than I remember meeting when I traveled with someone. This is one of my favorite things about traveling, who I meet. 99.9% of people are willing to help you, including the handsome young men who helped me with my luggage on the train (oh those European boys). I know to them it was like helping their Mom, but that was OK, didn't mean I couldn't enjoy and appreciate it.
- I get the bed, bath and time to myself when I want it.
- I can do the things I want to do again and again. I went to the Opera house 3 or 4 times in Paris and rode the Hop-on-Hop-off bus until I ran out of time and loved every minute of it, especially in Paris because the buildings and statues are so interesting. I'm not sure a traveling companion would want to go back to the city gates or the fountain of Neptune as many times as I did or peer up through the Eiffel tower, amazed by its structure and not caring if I made it to the top with a bottle of wine.
- I could take what I learned during the day and when I had internet, go online at night and read more about what I had learned. Like Mary Queen of Scotts, you can't take pictures inside, but the UK has a fabulous website with better pictures than I could have taken and an extended history of what we learned.
Things to consider when traveling alone (what I learned from this process)
- Even though many tours/cruises charge premiums for singles, more and more do not. And it is OK to negotiate, it is amazing what you can get just by asking.
- Do your homework. Make sure where you are staying is safe to be alone. There are all kinds of apartments and hotels available, just make sure they are in a place you can walk alone since you will have some distance to walk to the metro or store or my personal favorite, Starbucks.
- Set your phone up for international travel before leaving the states. I set mine up for international calling and texting, both which came in handy. I ran into many people (especially Verizon customers) who were surprised to find their phones didn't work once they arrived. For just $5 per month, I got 50 international texts - well worth the money.
- Preset key phone numbers in your phone before leaving, especially if you have prescheduled taxi's or cars or you have to meet someone to check into/out of an apartment. Saved me more than once.
- Get something secure to carry your passport. I went online to a web site that specialized in purses, bags, etc especially designed to be safer from pick pockets. I got a little satchel to wear around my neck that had a locking mechanism and metal in the chord around my neck so it couldn't be cut. I discovered I could wear it so that is went around my neck and under my arm so it was under my sweater/jacket and I never worried about my passport and money.
- Make a copy of your passport and leave it with a friend. I didn't need it BUT if you ever do, it is a great option. Some people said they emailed it to themselves. OK, but unless it is encrypted, email could expose your passport information to people you may not want to have it.
- Make a copy of your passport and carry it with you separate from your passport. I had a copy and I had a digital copy on tablet (which is password protected and has Norten Security that let's me wipe the hard drive if someone steals it)
- Carry your passport with you. Some people say you don't need it, I got asked for it a lot when using my credit card because our banks don't use the pin and chip system that Europe does and they didn't ask me for ID, they asked me for my passport.
Things to consider whether alone or with someone:
- Pay for as much as you can before leaving the states. I bought my Oyster card for the London Tube online with my credit card my metro passes for Paris and Madrid. Not only do you have it in hand when you get there, but the pepaid Oyster Card for the London Tube cuts the costs of trips in half or more - it is a great dea.
- Don't be afraid to negotiate payment terms with VRBO. I wanted to prepay as much as possible so I didn't have to deal with cash while I was there. My Paris apartment wanted half prepaid with credit card and half paid in cash. I got them to 75/25 which reduced the amount of Euros I needed.
- Buy what money you can before hand AND see if, based on the type of account you have, if you get any of the conversion fees waived. I buy form Wells Fargo because my account with WF Advisors gets all my money exchanges done for free. Also I get two free ATM transactions in Europe free each month, so if you can, pre plan where and when you are going to get cash and save a little.
- Consider setting up a travel account with a separate ATM card. ATM fraud is rampant here and abroad. The bad thing about a Debit Card is the money is taken out of your account immediately and if you contest the transaction as Fraud, there is a whole LONG process to go through before getting your money back. I have a checking and savings account separate from anything else I have and I only put money into them when I travel. The ATM to the account does not grant access to anything except those two accounts. Worst case scenario, if someone were to get into them, they would only get the amount I set up for travel and nothing more. Also only use ATM machines with names you recognized - like Chase, Wells Fargo, Barclays, CitiBank. If you don't recognize the name of the bank on the ATM machine, then I would not use it.
- Don't pay with Debit cards in Europe (or anywhere else) for the same reason as described above. Unlike a credit card who will just remove a fraudulent transaction from your statement and you're not out any money, it is the opposite for Debit cards.
- Preschedule transportation to/from airports and/or train stations, especially if you are travelling after dark. The only place I didn't do this was London, but I was arriving midday and after I read about the black cabs, I wasn't concerned. Transportation came with my apartment in Madrid and my VRBO landlord in Paris gave me taxi guidance. I arrived around 10 pm in Amsterdam and made sure I had a car waiting for me so I wasn't out and about after dark on my own trying to find my way to the hotel.
- Based on the advise of a dear - and very wise - friend (Stan) - always travel with at least 4 ways to pay for things. I usually have some cash (American, Euros and Swiss Francs for my last trip), WF Debit card, Visa and Mastercard.
- If you are traveling on trains, keep the packing down as much as possible. They don't check baggage on trains in Europe like they do here, so you are responsible for getting your luggage on and off the train and stowing it yourself. Make sure you are ontime to board - the areas to store luggage fill up fast and if you are tardy, your luggage travels with you. Traveling light is especially important in Switzerland - about 7 minutes between trains and they wait for no one.
That is all my sage advice for now. Most importantly - HAVE FUN
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