Tips & Recommendation for a Successful Trip to the EU

TRAVELING WISELY

Also known as, “The fine art of finding your way around.”

While it does seem rather unappealing, you must prepare yourself appropriately for travel no matter where in the world you are going. There is much to take into consideration; the time of year, the weather, how to get from point A to point B, what the exchange rate is, how much cash to have on hand, and even the local activities that may be going on in your desired destination. Example: In August, Italy almost entirely shuts down - no joke - anyone working in Italy that can take a holiday does. This is a tradition that harkens as far back as Augustus Caesar and can wreck havoc on travel plans if not known about ahead of time.

We recommend that you start your research as soon as you have decided where you would like to go. We have combined our experiences of EU travels as well as living in Italy to create this website to help you have the best travel experience possible. The following are our recommendations for getting the most out of your vacation when planning a trip here.

1) PREPARATION & LOGISTICS

2) PACKING & CLOTHING

3) SIGHTSEEING, TIPPING & DINING

4) HOW TO GET AROUND ITALY

5) BEST PHONE APPS FOR PLANNING & TRACKING TRAVEL

Please review our tip recommendations, whether this is your 1st time traveling to Europe or your 100th. The world of travel is ever-evolving and unforeseen surprises can upset even the best planned vacation. Not to fear, with the evolution of phone apps; much of these items can be managed quite easily and make planning, tracking and documenting your trip a breeze.

PREPARATION & LOGISTICS

DOCUMENTATION:Ensure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, as you do not want to end up as a cautionary tale of one of those that get turned back when reaching customs due to the fact that your passport did not meet this minimal criteria. To be extra safe, make sure you have a paper copy of your passport stashed away, as well as a photo of your passport info page on your phone.

E.T.I.A.S.: At some point in 2027, US citizens will need an ETIAS electronic authorization for short stays. This stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System, and is a mandatory, electronic pre-travel screening system for non-EU citizens visiting the EU for up to 90 days. Here is the link to the system for a more in-depth explanation of how to register, when this may go into effect, and other pertinent items: https://etias.com/what-is-etias

CASH IS KING: Carry local currency (the euro €) for small purchases, cafes, tips, and even some public restrooms can often cost money. This is best handled a couple of weeks prior to your trip as your bank may need to order these for you, which can take up to a week or so. Request a variety of bills ranging from €5, €10, €20, €50, and €100. Remember that the €1 and €2 are in coin form and not provided by US banks.

CREDIT CARDS WORK TOO: Verify that the credit cards you are planning on using will not hit you with extra foreign transaction fees, or if they do, what those charges are. Bring a debit card for cash withdrawals from local ATMs (avoid airport currency exchanges trying to exchange USD for Euros). Always inform your bank and your credit card company of your travel dates so as not to trigger a freeze on your cards when you attempt to use them outside of North America.

  • SPECIAL NOTE:American Express (AMEX): Do not solely rely on your AMEX card when you visit Italy and most of Europe. AMEX is accepted by airlines and most hotel chains. However, most local restaurants, shops, cafe’s and some gas stations do not accept AMEX. To play it safe, make sure you have a MasterCard and a Visa for your travels.

TELEPHONE/iPAD CONNECTIVITY: Set up an eSIM, SIM card, or international data plan with your phone carrier, as relying strictly on locally available on Wi-Fi can be restrictive due to slow or no WiFi access, or even non-existent.

POWER ADAPTER: EU countries use different outlets than the U.S.; bring the proper adapters. We recommend a “universal” power adapter. We have had great luck with this moderately priced one from Amazon over the years, click here to be taken to amazon.com.‍ ‍

INSURANCE:‍ ‍Purchase travel insurance for travel & medical emergencies. Each persons travel and medical needs differ, so there is no one company that we can recommend over another. MONEY SAVING TIP: Most travel insurance companies provide you a discounted price if you book your travel insurance within two weeks of purchasing your tickets.

WHAT & HOW TO PACK

PACK LIGHT: Easy to say, not so easy to do.‍ ‍Packing for a long-haul trip is quite the art form and requires a bit of preplanning to make sure that you have the proper luggage to the appropriate clothing for your destination. We highly recommend using carry-on luggage if at all possible. Dragging large suitcases through cobblestone streets can prove difficult and can be problematic when attempting to get onto trains or other forms of public transport. Keep in mind that almost anywhere you go, basic items such as hair dryers are provided, so need to pack one. PRO-TIP: Suitcases with “spinner” wheels are a huge help when navigating through crowded airports and streets.

STURDY WALKING SHOES: Over the years I have made great choices for traveling shoes, and some really, really bad ones by choosing form over function and paid the price for it. Absolutely NEVER take shoes with you that have not been properly broken in. Injury to your feet can and will ruin your vacation. I am always conflicted with how to pack light and take the shoes I need. Here are our recommendations for non-cruise traveling: Pair #1) Sturdy, not sexy, walking shoes. You will spend about 90% of your time in these. Pair #2) Comfortable, yet slightly dressy shoes. No high heels, EVER, just something you can pair with a nice outfit for a lovely dinner out. Pair #3) Weather dependent shoes, meaning that if you travel in the summer, bring a sturdy, comfortable pair of sandals. If you are traveling in the winter, bring something that can protect your feet from the elements. If you can make do with less than 3 pairs of shoes, by all means, do, I have yet to be able to do that successfully.

DRESS “LOCAL”: It is almost impossible to completely assimilate into the local culture of dress, but it is appreciated when the overly casual athletic wear is left aft home. Cargo shorts are the most classic example of casual attire that will definitely make you stand out as a tourist and a possible target for pick-pockets and panhandlers.

When visiting areas that are considered sacred, shoulders and knees are almost always required to be covered. This policy is not always enforced, but wouldn’t it be a bummer if you showed up to your tour at the Vatican and were denied access due to the clothes you were wearing?

TRAVEL BAG OR PURSE: Whether male or female, you are going to want to carry your documents, wallet, and everyday travel items in a convenient and safe manner. Investing in a proper travel bag will make all the difference as you navigate the in’s and out’s of your trip. Both Wes and I have adopted travel “slings”, which are lightweight, can be worn on the front of your body or back, and can be worn over the right or left shoulder. I opt for one that is RFID protected, meaning that your bag has a built-in barrier that blocks radio waves from scanning or stealing data from credit cards, ID’s and passports. Click on the name of each of the following items to be taken to links of travel items that we have found to be tried and true: Men’s and Women’s Travel Sling, and RFID Credit Card & Passport Sleeves, Women’s Wallet for holding multiple passports, Money Belt.

PRO-TIP: If traveling with a money belt, NEVER expose this in public. If you need to access cash you are carrying in a money belt, go to a restroom or other private place to do this for safety.

SIGHTSEEING, TIPPING, & DINING

PRE-BOOK TICKETS:Book museums and popular sites weeks or months in advance to avoid long lines or sold-out dates. If you have a favorite place that you would like to see, there is a really good chance that 18,000 other people may have that same idea on that same day. We really enjoy using Rick Steves Walks of Italyfor tours throughout Italy, but they actually handle tours in Barcelona, Paris, London, Madrid, and Lisbon.

AVOID TOURIST TRAPS: Avoid eating at restaurants directly next to major landmarks, these are often overpriced and less authentic. This rule applies even when sitting down for a nice capuccino to take in the sights - you will be charged a “special” table fee along with your very expensive capuccino. Also be aware of waiters upselling items without telling you what they are recommending are actually extra charges. EXAMPLE:“Would you like some fresh focaccia with that?”, sounds lovely, unfortunately that fresh focaccia your waiter just asked about can possibly be an extra €8 charge.

RESTAURANT NORMS: Tap water is not automatically served; at some places you can ask for "tap water" (or local equivalent) to avoid paying for bottled water; however, we recommend just paying the extra fee for the water being brought to your table.

BATHROOMS:Public restrooms often require payment (usually €1), so keep coins handy. Be prepared to buy something if you pop into a gelateria or shop and ask to use their restroom.

SERVICE & TIPPING:The rule of tipping in the EU is to tip in cash as there is generally no tip line on credit card bills. As a sign of respect, always use the local currency when tipping; it is difficult for people to exchange US or other foreign currency, not to mention costly. Last, but not least, American-style 20% tips are unnecessary and can be seen as excessive or even "showy". Below are specific rules for tipping while traveling throughout Europe:

  • Restaurants

    • Restaurants:Tipping is optional. If the service was good, rounding up the bill or leaving €1–€2 per person is a polite gesture. For exceptional service in high-end or Michelin-starred restaurants, a 5–10% tip is considered very generous.

    • Cafes & Bars: If you are standing at the bar for a quick espresso, no tip is needed. If you sit at a table and receive service, you might leave €0.50–€1 in change, though it is still not required.

    • Check Your Bill:

      • Coperto:A standard cover charge (usually €1–€3) for bread and table settings. This goes to the restaurant, not the server, and is not a tip.

      • Servizio: A service charge (often 10–15%) sometimes added in tourist areas. If you see this on your receipt, no additional tip is necessary, but if you got great service, a little extra is greatly appreciated..

  • Hotels & Transport

    • Hotels:While not required, small tips are appreciated:

      • Porters:€1–€2 per bag.

      • Housekeeping: €1–€2 per night, left at the end of your stay.

      • Concierge: €5–€10 only for significant help with reservations or custom itineraries.

    • Taxis:Tipping is not standard. Most locals simply round up to the nearest Euro so change doesn't have to be exchanged. For example, pay €20 for an €18.50 fare.

    • Private Drivers: For pre-booked airport transfers or full-day excursions, a tip of €5–€10 (short trip) or €20+ (full day) is appropriate.

  • Tour Guides:This is the main exception where tipping is more expected.

    • Group Tours: €5 per person for a half-day; €10 for a full day.

    • Private Tours: 10% of the total tour cost is a standard guideline.

    • Free Walking Tours: Guides rely entirely on tips; €10–€15 per person is standard.

HOW TO GET AROUND IN ITALY

Inter & Intra-City Travel: The best way to travel Italy is by train, if possible, utilizing the high-speed rail *Trenitalia/Italo) between major cities, and regional trains for smaller cities. Click here for our recommendations of apps to use while here. Book high-speed tickets in advance for lower prices. Avoid driving in city centers due to strict ZTL limited traffic zones that bring heavy fines.

  • TRAIN TRAVEL

    • High-Speed vs. Regional: Use high-speed trains (Frecciarossa, Italo) for fast inter-city travel (e.g., Rome-Milan). Use regional trains for slower, cheaper travel between nearby towns.

    • Validating a Ticket: You must validate paper tickets before boarding regional trains using the small machines on the platform. High-speed tickets with assigned seats usually don't need validation.

    • Station Selection: Check the station name carefully, as big cities like Rome and Milan have multiple, such as Roma Termini or Roma Tiburtina.

  • DRIVING IN ITALY: If you are planning a car, do invest in getting an international drivers permit from AAA or other reputable sources. We have rented cars for over 10 years in Italy, at least 11 of the 13 rentals that we handled did not ask for our international drivers permit, and 2 did. From personal experience, I can tell you it is an absolute bummers when you get to your rental car agency and refused a car at the height of busy season.

    • ZTL Zones: Most historic city centers have Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL). Cameras will fine non-residents, so park outside these zones. We had this happen to us and were notifed almost an entire year after our trip that we needed to pay a very expensive ZTL fine.

    • Tolls and Parking: Motorways (Autostrade) are toll roads and require you to take a ticket when entering a Autostrada and pay a toll when exiting the Autostrada. Parking is a bit different in Italy; look for blue lines for parking stalls that require some form of payment, white lines for free parking, and yellow lines indicate handicap accessible parking stalls.

    • Navigation: Driving in cities is often chaotic; cars are best for exploring rural areas like Tuscany, not for navigating the crowded cities of Rome or Florence

  • TAXIS: In general, it is not easy to flag down a taxi in the street. Go to a designated taxi stand or use Google Maps and type in “Taxi Stand Q”, the map should take you to the nearest taxi stand. The legal taxis are white in color and the taxi areas are marked with an orange sign that says taxi.

  • GENERAL TIPS:

    • Strike Alerts: Trains and public transport go on strike regularly. Check for strikes in advance, but they are almost always announced. Italiarail.com is an excellent place to check regularly for potential planned strikes in the areas you are planning on visiting.

    • Pack Light: Navigating train stations and cobblestone streets with large luggage is difficult.

    • Tipping: As mentioned before, tipping is not required, but leaving €1–2 for taxi service is acceptable.

    • Uber: Uber is available in some area; however, we have not used this service and currently cannot speak to its efficiency.

BEST PHONE APPS FOR PLANNING, TRACKING & DOCUMENTING TRAVEL

 

The are apps for your phone that we use every time we travel, & have done so for years. Each one is tried & true and will help you with planning, tracking & documenting your trip.  Click here for detailed information.

PLANNING APPS:‍ ‍Planning your travel in as far in advance is critical, unless you enjoy waiting until the last minute and the stress of trying to capture a last-minute deal on airfare or hotel room. We have traveled to Europe where we had no hotel rooms booked ahead of time, and have done it where we booked far in advance. We found that the money we possibly saved by doing last minute bookings was far outweighed by the stress of figuring out where we were going to be spending the night and how to get there. In short, booking in advance gave us peace-of-mind regarding the layout of the trip, as well as an idea of what the overall trip cost was. We generally use booking.com to book our hotel rooms, most of our rental cars, and even some of our activities, making tracking the trip that much easier. Whichever booking service you use, make sure you have the app downloaded on your phone and that you are signed in BEFORE you travel, and make sure that you are aware of how to properly use the app.

  • booking.com: Great app for booking hotel rooms, cars, and activities. They have great cancellation policies; however, you must be aware of the rooms you are booking and what their cancellation policy is as once booked, there is very little wiggle room. Also be aware of whether or not you are booking in USD or euros, at least for now, it can make a huge difference in the price of a booking.

  • Lufthansa vs. United: Be aware of the airline booking game. While this goes for all airlines, I am using Lufthansa and United as examples. These two airlines are part of the same Star Alliance group; however, the exact same flight can be hundreds of dollars less expensive on Lufthansa vs. United. I have no idea why this, nor how I actually figured out how to work the system, but it works and I use this trick every time I am checking flight prices. The very same goes for when comparing tickets on Delta vs. KLM.

LOCAL TRAVEL APPS: As with the advice above, have these apps pre-downloaded on your phone before travel and be sure you know how to use them. Also be aware of the connections that may be scheduled for your trip as well as the connection time. Due to the uncertainty of how on-time your train is going to be, we generally do not book trains that have shorter than a 20 minute connection time - we have missed a train or two because of this.

  • Trenitalia: We utilized the Eurail Pass system for you years, not for any particular reason, but only because I had heard of Eurail Passes being used for trains in Europe. Shame on my for not doing my homework, Eurail passes are only a real bargain if you are traveling for several months and are a student, for all other situations the passes are a bit of a rip-off in our personal opinion. Not only is booking with Trenitalia less expensive, it gives you an advantage over the Eurail pass holders, as you can select your seats at the time of booking. With Eurail, you can only check-in and book your seats 24 hours in advance. This means if you purchased business-class Eurail tickets, within 24 hours all of the business class seating could be booked (especially in high season), and you end up with general seating with no way to recoup the money you spent on that trip. The Trenitalia phone app allows you to book, reschedule, cancel, and track your bookings, as well as having your boarding pass all in one place with no need to validate a paper ticket. SPECIAL NOTE: The Trenitalia app is best if you are only traveling within Italy. It is not great when you are trying to coordinate trains from Italy to other surrounding countries.

  • Trainline: If you are wanting a bit more out of a train app and will be visiting multiple countries, this app is probably your best bet. Trainline offers all the functionalities of Trenitalia, but with more options as far as what countries and train lines you can book with. The nice thing with this app is that you can use this as an all in one app, no need for the Trenitalia app. The other nice function with this app, is that it will not only look up specific train stations that you have entered, it will look for options that are close by as well, this is one function that Trenitalia still not does offer.

TRIPIT.COM: Do you ever wish there was a single place that EVERYTHING could be stored? All of your reservations, the trip minutia, your personal information, your health insurance info, your frequent flyer info, all of it. I track everything that we may need on the road; medical prescriptions, health insurance info, frequent flyer numbers, drivers license numbers, & emergency contact info, to hotel details, to flight details, to tour details. The is so sophisticated that it generally notifies you before your airline does about flight changes, gate updates, and cancellations. It can also show you a walking map of how to get from one gate to another when you have a connection. If that isn’t enough, when you book a hotel room, it will give you the safety ratings of your neighborhood, the closest ATMs, pharmacies, grocery stores, restaurants and emergency medical centers. Does it sound like I am gushing? Well, I am. This app has been the perfect way for me to book and upload data that both Wes and I have access to. I make triple sure that I have copies of every reservation for my trip in here as well as email documentation in case of any issues. https://www.tripit.com/web

POLARSTEPS: Love, love, love this app for phone, iPad or computer. We take zillions pics of our trips and have never had a great way to look at or share these other than scrolling through the myriad of small previews on our phones. This app provides you with the ability to track your trip in real-time, documenting stops and special events, location of your visits, numbers of miles traveled, the exact description of the weather at each of your stops and is a place to logically store your photos.

Here’s the coolest part: At the end of your trip, you just push “Print my Book”, and ta-da, you get a hard bound book of all of your travel narratives, your photos and lots of awesome logistical information. Once discovered, we have not traveled without this as we love having the coffee table books at the end of our adventures. SPECIAL NOTE: It is best to have this app on your phone or iPad before you travel and update your photos in real-time, meaning, at the end of each day you upload the photos you took. From there you can always go back to add the details about a particular day or event. There is an awesome blog that goes through how to use this step-by-step, simply CLICK HERE. For the actual website, here is the PolarSteps site: https://www.polarsteps.com/about