TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

Whether or not you should rent a car in Europe depends on where you are going and how long you will be there. Europe has a good rail system, so once you narrow down the places you want to go, look on the Rail Europe website to see what trains are near your route. You can also take buses to get to places that the trains won’t go.

If you want to see places in rural Europe, renting a car is not a bad idea. You can take back roads, go off the beaten path, and see things you wouldn’t otherwise see. It’s a great idea for people who don’t want to be “normal tourists”.

If you rent a car in Europe, you’d better make sure you know how to drive a stick shift. Most rental cars in Europe are manuals, not automatics. Also, make sure you get some kind of auto insurance to make sure you’re covered in case of an accident.

Check with the country beforehand to find out if your US driver’s license is valid. Alternatively, find out if they’ll honor an International Driving Permit and then go to AAA and get one.

Finally, make sure you know a few emergency phrases in the country you’ll be traveling in, in case you have an accident or the car breaks down.

It’s never a bad idea to get travel medical insurance, in case something happens. I have traveled to Europe on multiple trips. On some trips I purchased travel medical insurance, and on others I didn’t.

If you are planning to do any kind of sports, such as skiing and even hiking, then you should probably get travel medical insurance. If you plan to go bungee jumping or anything extreme like that, then you should definitely get travel medical insurance! However, if you plan to just hang out in the cities and not engage in anything too physically strenuous, you could try going without travel medical insurance. It’s really up to you, and whether you want to take the risk of anything happening and having to pay for it out of pocket.

If you plan to travel to Europe for a few months, make sure you are aware of the Schengen rules, because these rules dictate how long you can stay in Europe. Some people plan extensive trips through Europe without realizing that they are not allowed to stay for months and months on end.

Most, but not all, countries in Europe are part of the Schengen Agreement. In total, the agreement was signed by 25 countries. The most notable exception is the United Kingdom, which is not a part of the Schengen Agreement.

Countries included in the Schengen Agreement are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Basically, as a US visitor you are allowed to travel freely between any of these 25 Schengen countries for a period of up to 90 days (out of every 180 days).

That means for a 6 month period, you can spend 3 months in the Schengen area.

Here's an example of how it works: If you want to travel to Italy, France, and Spain all within a 90 day period, that's fine. However, if you want to stay in Italy for 2 months, France for months, and Spain for 2 months, you are technically not allowed (unless you acquire a long-term visa, which you would need to do beforehand).

Understanding the Schengen Agreement is pretty straightforward. Just make sure you plan accordingly!

Want to see Europe? Take the train! There is a great rail system through most European countries, without the hassle of a rental car or the cost of a flight.

With a Eurail Global Pass, you can travel through 21 different countries on any route you choose at any time you want. A 15 day pass is perfect for a typical vacation, and it frees you up to go all through Europe without worrying about any extra costs.

It's an unfortunate truth of the traveler's life that not everybody he meets abroad is out to help him. In fact, there's a whole host of people that make a living scamming tourists. And while these people are fortunately few and far between - and traveling is certainly safe, especially in Western Europe, it can be easy to fall for a scam, and even worse, a moment's distraction can lose you your passport or your wallet. There are several scams that are particularly well-known in major European cities, and forewarned is forearmed! So read on for a guide on how to spot the major offenders.

1) PRETTY GIRLS DON'T JUST WALK UP TO YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET
If it's true at home, it's true here. Europe is not a magical place where gorgeous, adoring females (or males) just fall out of the sky and ask you to go for a drink. It's far more likely that these girls work for that "great new place down the road" they suggest, and even more likely, that the bar is paying them to bring you in, order a few drinks on your tab (whether you offer to or not), and distract you from noticing either a swapped menu or fine print on the original stating exorbitantly expensive (think 1000 euro) drink prices or "hostess fees." And the bar will get very, very angry when you refuse to pay. Didn't notice that ferocious-looking bouncer in the corner? He'll escort you to an ATM to make sure you can cover the full, however unfair, bill.

2) THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS
A popular scam is to set up gambling tables on the street, inviting viewers to put some money beneath a cup. The person behind the table will mix them up, and if the viewer "wins," then offer a prize. But that prize doesn't unfortunately ever exchange hands; the cups are swapped. And, if you aren't looking, your wallet might vanish from your pocket along with the money you gambled.

3) YOU CAN'T GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
This scam is particularly egregious in Paris. Children or women will run up to you and give you a ring they "found" and are sure it's "yours." When you at last accept, out of sheer frustration, this expensive-looking but worthless ring, they demand a great deal of money for their services, and harass you until you give it up....