Just back from Viva Italia (May 7-16)

[Phil1019]

I am going on the Bella Italia trip this July. Is it necessary to exchange US dollars to Euro's ? In Costa Rica and Peru most mrchants took US dollars and credit cards.

 

[mapsd]

I am going on the Bella Italia trip this July. Is it necessary to exchange US dollars to Euro's ? In Costa Rica and Peru most mrchants took US dollars and credit cards.

No use for dollars at all in Italy. Merchant won't take them & exchanging dollars-> Euros will cost you.

Just arrive with your bank card/VISA & hit an ATM in the airport. Be sure to notify your bank that you'll be in Europe and maybe raise your daily withdraw limit.

When's your trip.

 

[sayhello]

No use for dollars at all in Italy. Merchant won't take them & exchanging dollars-> Euros will cost you.

Just arrive with your bank card/VISA & hit an ATM in the airport. Be sure to notify your bank that you'll be in Europe and maybe raise your daily withdraw limit.

When's your trip.

If you're planning on taking a taxi to your hotel (if you're coming in early) be sure bring a small amount of euros with you, as some taxis won't take credit cards, and you don't want to take a chance that something might be going on with the ATM's at the airport. Have enough cash to get you to your destination.

A *lot* of places do take credit cards, but as mapsd said, forget about the US dollars.

Sayhello

 

[jlou]

No 800 euros for Patti and I.We did have one extra day in Venice as well, but I think 400 euros per person is about right.

Orvieto was fabulous as well as Artimino. We did not do the side trip to Pisa. I really just enjoyed wandering around Artimino for the day. Be sure to check out the church from 997 AD in Artimino.

Awesome! We are planning on taking advantage of the nice break in Artimino in the middle of the week. I had imagined that it would be spend mostly at the villa. Is the town close enough to walk to?

Thanks for the respons!

 

[beachcat]

Awesome! We are planning on taking advantage of the nice break in Artimino in the middle of the week. I had imagined that it would be spend mostly at the villa. Is the town close enough to walk to?

Thanks for the respons!

It is a very nice walk about a 1/2 mile through a olive tree grove down a country road. The town is very small but very picturesque.

When are you going? When we went in October, it was already too cold for pool use. I liked the villa the best of the places we stayed but 3 nights there were just enough.

 

[jlou]

It is a very nice walk about a 1/2 mile through a olive tree grove down a country road. The town is very small but very picturesque.

When are you going? When we went in October, it was already too cold for pool use. I liked the villa the best of the places we stayed but 3 nights there were just enough.

We are going on the June 28 trip. So, we're hoping for nice weather for pool use! The kids will like the pool. I just can't wait!!

My son will be in Spain earlier in June, so we'll have to tell him to bring home some Euros for use in the airport when we first get there. Still trying to figure out the best way for him to have $$ there. I'm not going to send him there with a credit card, so we may just have him bring cash and change it at the airport (even though I know the exchange rates aren't the best there). He'll have to use the hotel safe for his cash that he's not carrying around with him. He's going with a group from school. I'm so jealous! I told him if he looses his passport, just stay in Europe!

 

[sayhello]

We are going on the June 28 trip. So, we're hoping for nice weather for pool use! The kids will like the pool. I just can't wait!!

My son will be in Spain earlier in June, so we'll have to tell him to bring home some Euros for use in the airport when we first get there. Still trying to figure out the best way for him to have $$ there. I'm not going to send him there with a credit card, so we may just have him bring cash and change it at the airport (even though I know the exchange rates aren't the best there). He'll have to use the hotel safe for his cash that he's not carrying around with him. He's going with a group from school. I'm so jealous! I told him if he looses his passport, just stay in Europe!

If you're a member of AAA, check with them. When I went to the Med in 2010, AAA had a pre-paid international credit card you could buy. You pre-loaded it with a set amount of money, and it was good internationally. I didn't end up getting one, but it sounded like a good option. Might be just what your son needs.

Sayhello

 

[jlou]

If you're a member of AAA, check with them. When I went to the Med in 2010, AAA had a pre-paid international credit card you could buy. You pre-loaded it with a set amount of money, and it was good internationally. I didn't end up getting one, but it sounded like a good option. Might be just what your son needs.

Sayhello

great idea! Thanks for that, sounds like a great option!

 

[sayhello]

great idea! Thanks for that, sounds like a great option!

You're welcome! I found this link that talks about the card:

http://ohio.aaa.com/financial/travel-money.html

AAA Visa TravelMoney® Card

Traveling around the world is so much easier with the AAA Visa TravelMoney® card. The card is accepted worldwide at millions of merchants and ATMs, and you will feel comfortable knowing the card is not linked to any of your accounts and can be replaced in as little as 24 hours if lost or stolen.

AAA Visa TravelMoney® Card is a prepaid, reloadable Visa debit card which offers travelers a safe and convenient alternative to travelers checks and cash. You can use it to obtain local currency at any Visa ATM around the world and avoid standing in line at currency exchanges. Additionally, the card can be reloaded where it was purchased, using cash or funds from your bank account, credit or debit card.

Other benefits include lost luggage reimbursement*, purchase security* for replacement, repair, or reimbursement on qualifying items purchased using the card, travel & emergency assistance* and more!

Sayhello

 

[beachcat]

A month before our Europe trip, I went to our local Bank of America branch and asked them to order me 200 Pounds, 200 Swiss Francs and 800 Euros. They had it for me in 2 days.

Please let me know who your guides are. I met a young lady at the EPCOT Italian pavilion and she is now guiding trips. Just want to see how she is doing. We actually met up with her in Venice on our extra days and rode the Vaporetta around town. A very smart nice girl. Hope you get her as a guide.

 

[corky441]

another option that you might want to explore is to get a Debit card that is already pre-loaded in EUROs. This is what we did when we did the Viva trip this past fall.

I'm sure there are other sites, but this is the one we used:

http://www.travelex.com

The exchange rate is constantly changing, but I just kept an eye on it and when it looked good, I just purchased the card. It was delivered right to my home within two days.

Something to be aware of too... the credit cards in Europe do not utilize the magnetic strip that we're accumstomed to here in the states. Their cards have a chip inside them which is read by the credit card terminals. In most major cities, you will be able to use an American issued card, but there is always the possibility that a store might not accept it.

We also purchased some cash EUROs before leaving. We didn't want to be scurrying around our first day looking for an ATM machine. Luckily we have an eFX currency exchange booth right in our Galleria Mall and I found their exchange rate quite favorable also.

You're going to love the trip... we loved it so much that we're going back in May to do it again.

Ciao

 

[Phil1019]

Question: Is the debit card preloaded with euro's sccepted like a credit card at most places or do you still have to find a ATM machine to retrieve euro's?

 

[corky441]

Question: Is the debit card preloaded with euro's sccepted like a credit card at most places or do you still have to find a ATM machine to retrieve euro's?

You use it just like a credit card. Any store that accepts Mastercard/Visa will honor the card.
You're also given a 4 digit pin number for your card when you call to activate it. You have to accept the # they give you, you can't change it. This is the pin # you'll need for the ATMs.

We found it to be very convenient.

You can also add more EUROs to the card whenever you want. I know it can be done directly by computer. I would think you could do it by phone also, but I'm not 100% sure of that.

Also, when you get home, you can get any remaining EUROs exhanged back to Dollars and refunded back to you.

 

[jlou]

another option that you might want to explore is to get a Debit card that is already pre-loaded in EUROs. This is what we did when we did the Viva trip this past fall.

I'm sure there are other sites, but this is the one we used:

http://www.travelex.com

The exchange rate is constantly changing, but I just kept an eye on it and when it looked good, I just purchased the card. It was delivered right to my home within two days.

Something to be aware of too... the credit cards in Europe do not utilize the magnetic strip that we're accumstomed to here in the states. Their cards have a chip inside them which is read by the credit card terminals. In most major cities, you will be able to use an American issued card, but there is always the possibility that a store might not accept it.

We also purchased some cash EUROs before leaving. We didn't want to be scurrying around our first day looking for an ATM machine. Luckily we have an eFX currency exchange booth right in our Galleria Mall and I found their exchange rate quite favorable also.

You're going to love the trip... we loved it so much that we're going back in May to do it again.

Ciao

Hi Corky,

I just realized that you are near me, we live in NW PA, and visit your mall often for shopping! Planning a visit soon, as a matter of fact. I'll check out the Fx exchange booth when I'm there. I checked out the travelex site, and found the rates to be pretty high, compared with what is the current fx rate. I'll have to figure out what is a competitive charge. The rate through them is about $1.45 per Euro, compared with the published fx rate of about $1.31 per Euro, that's over 10% charge. It may make sense to get some Euros ahead of time just to have some cash, but use our credit card (which does not charge a foreign transaction fee, and gave us a very competitive fx conversion) when we're there. Still doesn't solve the issue with my son, but his trip is entirely inclusive, so he won't need a lot of cash anyway.

thanks!

 

[sayhello]

I'll check out the Fx exchange booth when I'm there. I checked out the travelex site, and found the rates to be pretty high, compared with what is the current fx rate. I'll have to figure out what is a competitive charge. The rate through them is about $1.45 per Euro, compared with the published fx rate of about $1.31 per Euro, that's over 10% charge. It may make sense to get some Euros ahead of time just to have some cash, but use our credit card (which does not charge a foreign transaction fee, and gave us a very competitive fx conversion) when we're there. Still doesn't solve the issue with my son, but his trip is entirely inclusive, so he won't need a lot of cash anyway.

thanks!

When I went to Europe last year, my bank converted dollars to British pounds and Euros for me, and didn't charge me any conversion fee. Their conversion rate was pretty close to the published conversion rate, too. I was happily surprised by this.

Sayhello

 

[corky441]

One thing to remember too is that the FX exchange rate you see published is like the "Wholesale" price. It's basically the prime rate given to those that are converting large sums of $$$
I started by checking with my local bank to see what their exchange rate was and then went forward from there.

Just a quick FYI-if you get to the Niagara Factory outlet mall, the eFX desk there had an even better rate. Proximity to Canada perhaps

 

[Phil1019]

Quick question: If I use an ATM at the airport to get Euro's and I don't use them all, can I again exhange them at the airport for US dollars on my way home?

 

[sayhello]

Quick question: If I use an ATM at the airport to get Euro's and I don't use them all, can I again exhange them at the airport for US dollars on my way home?

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to re-deposit them. Most ATM's accept cash deposits these days. But that's just a guess. Hopefully someone who actually knows the answer will reply!

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