First time to Europe, pointers...?

shinclyde

shinclyde

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Well, this is gonna be my first time going to Europe, It's a term I'm doing in Greece, it last 20 days, but we are going all around the country.

I know a lot of CAGs do a lot of traveling, so I would apreciate pointers to avoid the usual silly mistakes.

Any experiences or ideas to have fun and save money are so welcome, thanks!

 
Greece is full of thieves, no joke.  Just make sure your valuables are secured on you while you're out.  Pickpockets will dress like businessmen or commoners alike, so don't let appearances fool you.

 
Jodou said:
Greece is full of thieves, no joke. Just make sure your valuables are secured on you while you're out. Pickpockets will dress like businessmen or commoners alike, so don't let appearances fool you.
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Wow! would never had guessed...

What about the passport? do people leave it at the hotel, or carry it with them? what is the safest place to store it?

 
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shinclyde said:
Wow! would never had guessed...

What about the passport? do people leave it at the hotel, or carry it with them? what is the safest place to store it?
Click to expand...
Depending on the hotel or w/e you're staying, they often offer a personal safe in your room to store stuff like that. Otherwise it's best to keep mobile devices out of sight when you can because those are prime targets. There are waist packs that offer storage hidden from view under your shirt too if you want to be totally secure. That's where you'd want to store your phone, cash, or w/e you need for the day that's valuable. I wouldn't recommend lugging around a laptop or ipad if you can avoid it, especially in a backpack.

 
Try not to ask people to take your photo... they will run away with your camera.
Use front pocket to keep your phone & money. Not back pocket.
Don't let your CC out of sight. Have them bring the machine to the table to swipe otherwise they'll clone your CC.
 

 
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia2b54srRZM[/media]

Great documentary on pick pocketing in Europe. You don't even have to watch the whole thing. First 20 minutes give you a great idea of just how good these people are. The bus scenes are especially eye opening 

 
Just be careful and use common sense.  For the most part European cities are much safer than most big US cities.  There are some places with higher levels of pickpocketing/theft as noted, but don't let those posts terrify you or anything.  Just keep your wallet, phone etc. in your front pocket, keep your hands on them if in crowds etc.

I can't speak to Greece as I've only been to Stockholm and Amsterdam, but I felt very safe in both of those cities, even at night, compared to Atlanta where I live, or DC where I lived previously.

 
Just wear pants that have velcro. Also bring a money belt.

I went to Italy -> Germany -> Belgium (Proposed to my now Wife here) -> Netherlands -> France last year

Best part of traveling through EU countries is easy passage across borders and of course same currency. It would have been much more difficult in the past.

Also I recommend downloading the tripadvisor apps for the specific cities your in and downloading all the data. That way all you need is GPS and you'll have all the review data and address data. It was especially useful in paris.

And lastly, make sure you check out Rick Steves as a source of info. He's a great source for Europe overall.

 
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