Yea! Europe

[Klynne]

My mom and I are doing our European tour. We arrive in Holland on September 30, (home on October 15) and go through the following countries:

Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, and England.

It is with a tour group, and we only spend one night per city in every country we go to. Soooo... being able to do laundry is out of the question, I don't think there will be time to do it.

I need advice on what to pack. I think I can get away with five pairs of pants, maybe 8 shirts, one pair of tennis shoes (the tour guide said that we will be doing a lot of walking), 15 pairs of underwear, 15 pairs of socks, 5-6 bras, a rain coat, and maybe three or four sweaters/sweatshirts.

I have made sure I have enough contact lenses, found my glasses, and must contact my health insurance company before I go in case anything happens to know what to do. I also need to know if Discover Card is welcomed over there.

Can you guys think of anything else? Helpful hints?

I have been to Belgium, northern France, and Holland before, but I was an exchange student and had a family looking out for me. This time, it is a tour guide, and I will be taken care of, but mom and I will have some time on our own to do lunch and what not. I am not nervous about being alone in any other country other than France. They did not seem to like me when I was 17, I tried to be friendly but they were not having it. So, If any of you have advice, I would appreciate it.

[T.I.P.]

Originally Posted by Klynne

Can you guys think of anything else? Helpful hints?

I have been to Belgium, northern France, and Holland before, but I was an exchange student and had a family looking out for me. This time, it is a tour guide, and I will be taken care of, but mom and I will have some time on our own to do lunch and what not. I am not nervous about being alone in any other country other than France. They did not seem to like me when I was 17, I tried to be friendly but they were not having it. So, If any of you have advice, I would appreciate it.

I think the best advice is to go with an open mind and leave all of your preconceptions about what a country should be like behind. If I were to paste a stereotype on the "bad american tourist", it would be the person who strolls into a country, speaks English to people and acts surprised if they don't know how to, and expects to find 6 types of soda on tap with free refills everywhere he/she goes. On the other hand, the stereotyped "bad frenchman" is the one who will act arrogant and cocky on all occasions, just to provoke you.

Unfortunately, the bad ones are usually the loud ones and the ones you notice, hence the respective reputations of France and the US worldwide.

The best advice I could give you is that you should try to be as open as possible and not give up on the french the minute you hear a snarky comment from someone. The majority of the french secretly admire americans (and some will even admit to it). Bear that in mind and try not to judge too much. You'll have a great time !

oh...and try not to wear a beret or an eiffel tower T-shirt, because that's just asking for it

[Frieda]

hey, i thought you were coming to the NLs too??

i'd take twice the amount of socks as you have days on your trip.. because after a long day of walking you will want to soak in the bathtub or have a nice shower and, well, you really don't want to put on the same socks again, especially with sore feet!

then i'd want to wear a new shirt every day and mix that with sweatshirts or cardigans, i'd take one pair of fancy shoes and a blouse that you can mix with a nice black pair of pants for going out in a fancy restaurant or something..

ummm... oh, bring the prescription for your lenses, so in case of trouble you can buy new ones, bring an umbrella and dont put your money in your back pocket! i'd bring shoes that you use every day for walking.. not the tennis shoes.. unless you walk every day on those of course..

are you taking any european flights? because there are some weird rules about hand baggage.. can't bring any liquids click for info

Visa is accepted almost everywhere, i've never heard of the Discover Card.

When in France, try to speak french, greet people in french, ask if they speak english.. that helps, because at least you tried!

and the stereotyped american tourist here is loud and yells and only uses a fork (with the right hand!) in restaurants, .. so pleeeaaaase don't be like that

[T.I.P.]

Originally Posted by Frieda

and the stereotyped american tourist here is loud and yells and only uses a fork (with the right hand!) in restaurants

haha that's a good one

[madasacutsnake]

Sorry klynne. Can't help myself:

you'll need a beach towel for Switzerland

[Coffee]

According the the PBS show I watched last night regarding Euro views towards Americans...you should claim to be Canadian.

[Klynne]

Hi Frieda,

Thanks, I will be there. I will pm the information to you. Thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by Frieda

hey, i thought you were coming to the NLs too??

i'd take twice the amount of socks as you have days on your trip.. because after a long day of walking you will want to soak in the bathtub or have a nice shower and, well, you really don't want to put on the same socks again, especially with sore feet!

then i'd want to wear a new shirt every day and mix that with sweatshirts or cardigans, i'd take one pair of fancy shoes and a blouse that you can mix with a nice black pair of pants for going out in a fancy restaurant or something..

ummm... oh, bring the prescription for your lenses, so in case of trouble you can buy new ones, bring an umbrella and dont put your money in your back pocket! i'd bring shoes that you use every day for walking.. not the tennis shoes.. unless you walk every day on those of course..

are you taking any european flights? because there are some weird rules about hand baggage.. can't bring any liquids click for info

Visa is accepted almost everywhere, i've never heard of the Discover Card.

When in France, try to speak french, greet people in french, ask if they speak english.. that helps, because at least you tried!

and the stereotyped american tourist here is loud and yells and only uses a fork (with the right hand!) in restaurants, .. so pleeeaaaase don't be like that

[Klynne]

Originally Posted by T.I.P.

oh...and try not to wear a beret or an eiffel tower T-shirt, because that's just asking for it

Just like Rusty did on "European Vacation". Except he wore a beret on the Eiffel Tower. Nope, won't do that