ED Vacation Suggestions/Advice

[WhiteOne]

Premium fuel was from $8 to $9.50 when I was there in July.
Use a credit card (VISA) It is safer than a debit card.
Everyone speaks English. It is fun when they don't.
You will see much more if you use surface streets. (Real Europe)
Enjoy the drive. Every mile is a great new memory. Have fun!

[All4One]

If you can get Capital One the better...no foreign ex. charges. You can drive from lago di como to thr french riviera in about 3 to 4 hours.

[thurst0509]

Originally Posted by BeamerDreamer

Gas/Petrol: Does BMW give you a full tank of gas when you pick your car at the Welt? I know gas is going to be much more expensive in Europe. How much is it costing nowadays? Do most gas stations let you pay by credit card at the pump like in the states?

As mentioned you do only get about 1/4 tank of gas and directions to the nearest gas stations. My delivery specialist at the Welt explained that this is due to the delivery being indoors at the BMW Welt and associated fire regulations.

Motorails: While I intend on driving quite a bit when I am in Europe, I don't want to spend my whole vacation in the car. Someone told me you can load your car on a train and have a sleeper car. Load the car on the train in say Paris for example, spend the night on the train and wake up on the French Riviera. This would be a nice option if it exists. I would allow me to save on the cost of gas, hotel for a night, tolls, and give me more time to enjoy the sights. Does anyone have any information on this? Good idea or bad idea?

Night trains are definitely an efficient use of sleepy-time - I loved using them to maximize sightseeing time and save on hotel costs when backpacking around Europe in college. I don't know anything about the Motorail trains, but I'd be skeptical as to actually saving any money. Seems like you're going to be paying fuel costs to transport the weight of your car either way, whether that's to the train company or the gas station. And tickets in a sleeper car typically aren't very cheap. But the convenience factor might be worth it - I dunno.

Lufthansa 2 for 1: I have heard many people say that this may not be such a great deal because Lufthansa jacks up the price of the first ticket and that you might be able to 2 tickets for less on your own. If I do use the Lufthansa discount, do I have to fly in and out of the same airport? What other airports with BMW drop off points nearby does Lufthansa fly out of?

I think this totally depends on the time of year. The savings are best during peak travel time of July-August but I've heard you may not save anything during off-peak months. You can fly in and out of different airports if you like - we flew into Munich and out from Frankfurt. Once you have an idea of when you'd like to travel, call the BMW-Lufthansa reservation line and ask for some price quotes; then compare them to the cheapest rates you can find on the web and see what ends up cheaper.

Cash: Do I need to carry cash with me or can I get by using my credit card most places? Would I get a better exchange rate with my credit card or should I rely on ATM machines? Are ATM machines hard to find in Europe? Are they in English?

Credit cards are best since you're fully protected against loss/theft. Most gas stations, hotels, and stores will accept credit cards, but you'll want cash for restaurants, tips, and anywhere that doesn't accept credit cards. Typically I bring an American Express CC, a MasterCard CC, and my bank's VISA debit/ATM card.

ATM's are easy to find; I usually withdraw no more than a couple hundred Euro at a time so that I'm not carrying loads of cash in case I lose anything.

Call your bank and find out if they have affiliate banks in Europe that don't incur ATM transaction fees - I use Bank of America and they're affiliated with DeutscheBank so I used their ATM's whenever possible. Also, make sure you call your credit card company and inform them of your travels before you leave the USA, otherwise you may run the risk of your cards being suspended on a fraud alert.

Language: I don't any German or Italian and I only know how to say curse words on French. I'll do my best to learn some phrases and carry a phrase book with me. Is English fairly commonly spoke throughout Europe? I've been to Mexico and nearly everyone there spoke some English.

Most will speak English and honestly you'll be fine even if they don't. I'd recommend learning your basic numbers and directions in each language at least - makes it much easier to find your way around on public transit and such.

Mobile Phone: Can I get a pre-paid SIM card for phone so I at least have some form of communication? My phone is unlocked so it should work with any GSM carrier.

SIM cards can be found everywhere at convenient stores. I've never used them though so I'm not sure how much they cost or how many minutes they give you.

[BeamerDreamer]

Thrust0509, thank you!

I also use Bank of America so I will make sure to look for DeutscheBank ATMs.

Do you know if BMW empties the gas tank before shipping the car? I wouldn't want to pay out for $8-9/gallon fuel only to have BMW dump it before shipping the car. I'll try to have the tank as close to empty as I can before I drop it off anyway. I'm just curious.

[thurst0509]

I'm still waiting to get my car back from last month's ED, otherwise I'd tell you! I doubt they empty it, but I tried to leave it as close to empty as possible anyways.

[Rossmar]

Here's my take on some of your questions.

Originally Posted by BeamerDreamer

Lufthansa 2 for 1: I have heard many people say that this may not be such a great deal because Lufthansa jacks up the price of the first ticket and that you might be able to 2 tickets for less on your own. If I do use the Lufthansa discount, do I have to fly in and out of the same airport? What other airports with BMW drop off points nearby does Lufthansa fly out of?

Prior to buying the car, I had already bought plane tickets. The Lufthansa deal would have saved me $17, and of course to change it would have been $500. Correct me if I'm wrong but you have to pay for 3 out of 4 flights (they only pay for your companion's flight to Europe)

Cash: Do I need to carry cash with me or can I get by using my credit card most places? Would I get a better exchange rate with my credit card or should I rely on ATM machines? Are ATM machines hard to find in Europe? Are they in English?

ATMs are in 6-7 languages including English. I prefer to use cash most places, if you're in any marketplaces, especially in Italy or France-they don't usually accept credit cards, and if they do, there is no bargaining power.

Language: I don't any German or Italian and I only know how to say curse words on French. I'll do my best to learn some phrases and carry a phrase book with me. Is English fairly commonly spoke throughout Europe? I've been to Mexico and nearly everyone there spoke some English.

Everyone under 40 speaks some English, although fewer people than I expected spoke a good amount English. I've been talking to hotels and Deutschebank and found myself using a 50/50 mix of English and German.

Mobile Phone: Can I get a pre-paid SIM card for phone so I at least have some form of communication? My phone is unlocked so it should work with any GSM carrier.

I've been looking at Vodafone, as I had them in Italy three years ago. In Germany, you buy the SIM card and 10€ of usage for €19.90. it's €.05/min on calls in Germany and when you're outside the country it's €.75/incoming call and €.75+€.29/min outgoing. Best of all, it works in every country in the EU.

[drand]

Leave the gas tank as close to empty as you can with the consideration that it will need to be driven a mile or so for loading and off loading throughout its trip. I had the gas light on and about 50 miles showing up left on the tank. If anything else, why buy gas at $9 when you are going to get a free tank from the dealer on delivery?

[123D-M]

Come to Belgium :thumbup:

[Convertible]

F1 race in Monaco in may.. That's just something not to miss..

[Jack in Jax]

Some minor additions:

-- Your ATM transactions will likely result in a 3% currency conversion surcharge from your bank. After living in or visiting 15 European countries, the only certain way I found to avoid this was by using the credit card associated with a brokerage account.

-- A small minority of N American 'GSM capable' cell phones ('mobile' in Europe-speak) will work with European SIM cards, so don't be surprised if yours doesn't. But by far the best transnational comms choice - within Europe or between continents - is Skype. Most cybercafes have Skype loaded on their machines or, better yet, take your laptop with you. Buy 10 Euros of SkypeOut credit before you leave and then phone anywhere using a local wifi signal for 1.7 E cents/min.

-- The 'everyone under 40 speaks some English' statement isn't a fair summary in my experience...and remember that you'll often be dealing with a shop keeper who isn't young, in any event. Tourism-based employees (hotel clerks, restaurant waiters, museum workers) usually will embarrass you with how many languages they can do their jobs in. But the language issue is basically moot so long as you know how to ask where the nearest toilet is, as basic economics - you have money and a need, they want what you have - rarely results in anything but a successful exchange.

-- The one overarching guideline for N Americans visiting Europe is: Use a toilet whenever you can (before leaving the hotel room, before leaving the restaurant, before leaving the museum, etc.) as public facilities are less available, generally.

Jack

[BeamerDreamer]

Originally Posted by Jack in St. Pete

Some minor additions:

-- Your ATM transactions will likely result in a 3% currency conversion surcharge from your bank. After living in or visiting 15 European countries, the only certain way I found to avoid this was by using the credit card associated with a brokerage account.

I will definitely have to check with my bank before going to see what they would charge but 3% sounds like it would be better than risking walking around Europe with a bunch of cash.

-- A small minority of N American 'GSM capable' cell phones ('mobile' in Europe-speak) will work with European SIM cards, so don't be surprised if yours doesn't. But by far the best transnational comms choice - within Europe or between continents - is Skype. Most cybercafes have Skype loaded on their machines or, better yet, take your laptop with you. Buy 10 Euros of SkypeOut credit before you leave and then phone anywhere using a local wifi signal for 1.7 E cents/min.

I am pretty sure my phone is a world phone and will work on all 4 GSM bands. I don't think I will have a problem. Skype is not really useful because I will be stuck trying to find internet access. I want to be able to call my wife who will be going with me when we get separated. The pre-paid SIM card seems like a better idea for me.

-- The 'everyone under 40 speaks some English' statement isn't a fair summary in my experience...and remember that you'll often be dealing with a shop keeper who isn't young, in any event. Tourism-based employees (hotel clerks, restaurant waiters, museum workers) usually will embarrass you with how many languages they can do their jobs in. But the language issue is basically moot so long as you know how to ask where the nearest toilet is, as basic economics - you have money and a need, they want what you have - rarely results in anything but a successful exchange.

I'll be sure to at least try to learn some phrases in the native languages of the countries I will be visiting. I don't want to appear to be another ignorant American tourist.

-- The one overarching guideline for N Americans visiting Europe is: Use a toilet whenever you can (before leaving the hotel room, before leaving the restaurant, before leaving the museum, etc.) as public facilities are less available, generally.

This is great advice. My wife seems to magically get a full bladder 5 minutes after getting into the car.

Jack, thanks for your advice.

F1 race in Monaco in may.. That's just something not to miss..

I am definitely going to visit Monaco it's just a matter if I can time it to see the F1 race.

Come to Belgium :thumbup:

Belgium isn't a country that I really thought about visiting. If I come to Belgium, will you show me the sights? :biggrin:

[Jack in Jax]

BD, a mobile is always going to beat Skype when it comes to convenience but it's not an 'either/or' thing. You need to make a call back to your employer? Sick aunt? Brag to the buddies about your Bad Beemer? Skype is dirt cheap, mobile rates across an ocean can turn into Big Money and, don't forget, those SIM cards are purchased with Euros. <g>

There are cyberhuts every other block so access is never a problem if/when you need it.

One other thing one of us should have mentioned: mind your backpack or camera bag or purse. Bag theft is immensely popular except in Scandinavia, it seems. Sitting a bag or purse on the ground with one leg of the chair you are sitting in passing thru the bag strap is a simple solution. Oh...and pickpockets are at Olympic levels in the bigger cities. The stories we could tell...

Have a great trip.

Jack

[thurst0509]

Jack - Skype is a great suggestion. I'm embarassed to admit that I didn't think to use it while in Germany last month!

Internet access was pretty easy for us this time. I brought my laptop and purchased a 30-day T-Mobile Hotspot pass the first day we were in Munich for about 30 Euros. For the rest of the trip I was able to use the wifi at any T-Mobile hotspot, which were commonly found at Starbucks and McDonald's as well as many hotels. Wish I'd thought to use Skype though!

[Space gray]

If you have iPass, you will have access to all the T-Mobile wi-fi hotspots and many others that contract with iPass. I think iPass is $45/mo and you can go month-to-month.