Dis Exclusive Viva Italia 9/16 - 9/24/2014

[DisneyKevin]

Watch Roman Holiday for Rome and Summertime (with K. Hepburn) for Venice.

Go to iTunes and get all of Samantha Brown's stuff on Rome, Florence and Venice. I found her extremely helpful.

If you have trouble sleeping, find Rick Steves videos on all three. He's very informative, but his voice puts me sound asleep (not a bad thing!). It takes 3 viewings to see the whole half hour.

Read Dan Brown's Inferno with a highlighter in your hand. I intend to visit Dante's Church in Florence.

Others will disagree, but I like landing with some euros in my pocket. My bank charges a fee of $10 for up to 999 euros. You have to pay the exchange rate, but I feel more secure having them upon arrival.

Let you credit cards know you are traveling and look for one that doesn't charge for foreign transactions.

Find the most comfortable shoes you've ever worn..and if they are new...break them in.

Make sure your cell phone has foreign coverage.

We love our Global Entry card. Not removing your belt, shoes and liquids is worth the $100 bucks all by itself.

Learn how to say please, thank you, excuse me and "how much is it" in Italian?

Learn the Italian word for ice and figure out how to ask for it.

Learn that the word "allora" means almost everything. It means "well...", almost, whatever, oh my gosh, wow. It's their version of "um" too. Stick it in every sentence. You will sound like a local.

Accept the fact that every store you want to visit will be closed for a short time. It will usually have a sign in the window that has the Italian version of "back in 10 minutes".

Accept that almost anyone in Italy can and will go on strike for absolutely any reason. Accept that the strikes usually last 25 or less minutes.

Accept that you are about to fall in love and will now spend a great deal of time figuring out how you can get back to Italy.

I will think of more.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Accept the fact that will eat gelato every day and will say "Grazie" to the guy that packs your groceries or the barista that makes your coffee.

 

[DisneyKevin]

While in Florence, John and I intend to rent a bus / van and ask who'd like to go to Pisa to see the tower.

It's 1.5 hours each way and usually an hour (or so) there. It's my understanding that other than the tower and a few stores...there isn't much there.

It's usually approximately 35 euros or so per person.

I don't think we will need to know who or how many until we get to Rome.

I have never seen the tower and I think it's something I really want to do.

 

[OKW Lover]

Learn how to say please, thank you, excuse me and "how much is it" in Italian?

Learn the Italian word for ice and figure out how to ask for it.

Please = Per Favore
Thank you = Grazie
excuse me = Mi Scuzi
How much is it = quanto costa
Ice = ghiaccio (i've no idea how to pronounce that) but "ice please" would be "Per Favore Ghiaccio"

 

[OKW Lover]

While in Florence, John and I intend to rent a bus / van and ask who'd like to go to Pisa to see the tower.

I think Val & I would be interested in that.

 

[KathyTX]

Do most people get a walletful of Euros before the trip, or wait and convert at the hotel?

 

[apurplebrat]

While in Florence, John and I intend to rent a bus / van and ask who'd like to go to Pisa to see the tower.

It's 1.5 hours each way and usually an hour (or so) there. It's my understanding that other than the tower and a few stores...there isn't much there.

It's usually approximately 35 euros or so per person.

I don't think we will need to know who or how many until we get to Rome.

I have never seen the tower and I think it's something I really want to do.

Sounds great!

 

[DDuck4Life]

While in Florence, John and I intend to rent a bus / van and ask who'd like to go to Pisa to see the tower.

It's 1.5 hours each way and usually an hour (or so) there. It's my understanding that other than the tower and a few stores...there isn't much there.

It's usually approximately 35 euros or so per person.

I don't think we will need to know who or how many until we get to Rome.

I have never seen the tower and I think it's something I really want to do.

This is something Kristy and I were looking into doing so we would be interested.

 

[k5jm]

Do most people get a walletful of Euros before the trip, or wait and convert at the hotel?

I normally take plenty of cash €s and take a chip and pin card from Travelex. You can more Euros from ATM machines. We also take a Credit Card that has no foreign transaction fees.



https://buy.travelex.com/m/us/ContentPage?PageToView=CashPassport

 

[k5jm]

Jeff, what's a Global Entry card?

Kathy,
Its a card that allows you to bypass some of the lines when entering the US. It also gives you a better chance at getting pre-check on US flights.

Check this link

...and prepare for the worst picture ever! Like Randy Travis mugshot, bad!

We love it! Best $100 I have ever spent on travel. The TSA-Pre is worth it alone!

 

[k5jm]

We did order our money belts today...

 

[KathyTX]

I normally take plenty of cash €s and take a chip and pin card from Travelex. You can more Euros from ATM machines. We also take a Credit Card that has no foreign transaction fees.



https://buy.travelex.com/m/us/ContentPage?PageToView=CashPassport

Maybe I'm a little slow , but it looks like they're offering a lousy exchange rate at that site. They're exchanging at 1 Euro= $1.51, but the rate I'm finding online is more like 1 Euro = $1.36. Is a regular bank going to charge that much of a premium to exchange money?

So, I can buy 1000 Euros for $1510.00 from Travelex, which is about $150 over the exchange rate. A 15% premium... that seems crazy! Am I missing something?

 

[KathyTX]

We did order our money belts today...

Curse you, Mike. Now I'll never get to sleep...

 

[k5jm]

We get our Euros from Chase and get the Chip and Pin passport card from Travelex.

 

[k5jm]

Curse you, Mike. Now I'll never get to sleep...

You will need to poke your mind's eye out

 

[KathyTX]

We get our Euros from Chase and get the Chip and Pin passport card from Travelex.

Okay, so take cash Euros from Chase, use Travelex just for the prepaid card.

So when you load the Travelex card, is there a better exchange rate? I'm gathering you tell them to put X amount of Euros on it, and then you pay them in dollars, right? Or do you pay them in the Euros you took from Chase? (Still trying to wrap my head around the mechanics of moving the money around.)

It actually sounds like a pretty good idea from a security standpoint.

(I'm not sure I've ever traveled anywhere that didn't take dollars!)

 

[k5jm]

Okay, so take cash Euros from Chase, use Travelex just for the prepaid card.

So when you load the Travelex card, is there a better exchange rate? I'm gathering you tell them to put X amount of Euros on it, and then you pay them in dollars, right? Or do you pay them in the Euros you took from Chase? (Still trying to wrap my head around the mechanics of moving the money around.)

It actually sounds like a pretty good idea from a security standpoint.

(I'm not sure I've ever traveled anywhere that didn't take dollars!)

Load with Dollars. I found the exchange rate was pretty consistent with the bank. it fluctuates all day long on the exchange rate.

 

[OKW Lover]

Do most people get a walletful of Euros before the trip, or wait and convert at the hotel?

Mike has already given you some good answers (and some scary images) on this question. I'd just add that you NEVER want to convert money at a hotel or other business. Find the local AMEX office, or affiliated bank, and change money there for the best rate. Our AMEX card gives us no-fee exchanges.

Also, if your credit card waives foreign transaction fees be sure whenever you charge something that the vendor charges you in Euros rather than converting the price to U$ for the best exchange rate.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Maybe I'm a little slow , but it looks like they're offering a lousy exchange rate at that site. They're exchanging at 1 Euro= $1.51, but the rate I'm finding online is more like 1 Euro = $1.36. Is a regular bank going to charge that much of a premium to exchange money?

So, I can buy 1000 Euros for $1510.00 from Travelex, which is about $150 over the exchange rate. A 15% premium... that seems crazy! Am I missing something?

I have found that no one will give you the actual exchange rate.

Your cost is always higher than the exchange rate.

Most people will tell you that ATMs offer the best rate going. The thought is to always take the maximum allowed to minimize ATM fees.

The reason I like having euros in my pocket when landing is that arrival is a bit rushed.

You have to collect your bags, go through customs, meet your driver and get to the hotel.

Adding another task to all that seems unwieldy and your American dollars are useless.

Something else to consider....gratuities for guides.

ABD suggests $6 - $9 per day, per guide, per person. I have always found the guides to go so far and above, that we always increase that amount a bit.

You are welcome to tip in dollars or euros, or however you choose.

John and I always try to find out where the guides will be going after our Adventure and tip accordingly. If they guide is heading back to the states, we tip in dollars. If he/she is staying in Europe, or is European, we tip in euros. We do this to make things easier for them. You need to keep in when using euros that they are worth more than dollars and adjust your gratuity accordingly.

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

Do most people get a walletful of Euros before the trip, or wait and convert at the hotel?

We get euros ahead of time from our bank and a AAA travel card that we preload with US dollars and can use at an ATM. I also bring a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees for emergencies (such as a great piece of pottery or a leather jacket).

I've never had a problem having leftover euros at the end of the trip and as Kevin mentioned, if our ABD guide is staying in Europe, I just tip in Euros.

While in Florence, John and I intend to rent a bus / van and ask who'd like to go to Pisa to see the tower.

I definitely want to see some of the Tuscan countryside! And I need to find those Samantha Brown episodes!

Laurie