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How Much Will it Cost?
In this section we will cover how
much you will need, before you go
and while you are traveling, the
Euro, ATM's in Europe, how to
carry your money and travelers
cheques.
This
first point is the most important
- please take note:
It is better to go for less time
and have money to enjoy yourself
rather than go to Europe and just
sit in the hostel as you can't
afford to do anything. You will
need at least $60 a day for living
expenses.
Before You Go Expenses:
-
Plane
ticket ($400-$900, depending on
where you are and where you are
going.)
-
Rail pass ($250 -$1700 US)
-
Travel Insurance ($1.25 per
day)
-
Passport
($85 US for Americans, $85 CND for
Canadians)
-
Any
visas you may need (Canadians, you
will need one for the Czech.
Republic)
-
Backpack ($100 - $250 US Get a
good one!)
-
Guidebook (about $23 US)
-
Camera (depends on what you
get - I personally like Pentax)
-
Travel accessories (toiletry
kit, first aid kit, travel locks,
money belt etc.)
Expenses While Traveling
Budget a
minimum of $60 - $75 per day. This
might seem like a lot but it won't
be when you get over there.
ATM's
in Europe
Many
people worry if they will be able
to find ATM's while traveling -
trust me, they are everywhere,
this isn't a worry. If you are
going to some small remote town
and you are concerned, it's good
to have money on you just in
case.
Find out
how much your bank charges for
international transactions. You
don't want to be paying hefty
services charges. Change banks if
you find one that is more
reasonable. Don't worry too much
about the small fees though, as
the security of not having to
carry around your money is well
worth it.
Now, you
need to have your money in a
chequing, rather than a savings,
account as in many places you will
not be able to access a savings
account at the ATM. When I asked
why (yes, my money was in a
savings account!), I was told
savings are for savings. Fair
enough.
You will
need to make sure your pin is 4
numbers - this is standard for
Europe. Do not rely on a "word"
password, as most don't have
letters printed about the numbers.
Leave a
letter informing your bank that
you are giving consent to <fill in
name here> to do any transactions
on your behalf while you are away.
Then, if anything weird comes up
(yes, like having your money in a
savings account!), the person will
be able to deal with it. Depending
on where you live, you may have to
go into the bank and sign it in
front of a bank employee in order
to make it official.
Travellers Cheques
These
are going the way of the dinosaur
with ATM's being so handy. That
said, I still like to bring about
$100 in travelers cheques just in
case something happens and I can't
access a bank machine. This has
never happened but it's good to
have a security blanket.
Carrying Around Money
This one
is easy, you need a money belt. A
money belt is worn under your
clothes and should hold all your
valuables, such as your rail pass,
passport, plane tickets and extra cash.
Leave a bit out in your wallet for
your daily expenses - you
shouldn't be going in and out of
your money belt, you don't want
people to know you are wearing it.
The Euro
On January 21, 2002, 12 countries
started using the Euro. These are:
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal
and Spain. Since then, Andorra,
Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican
have made the switch.
The rest of the countries
generally will accept the Euro but
it's really up to the individual
businesses.
The Euro comes in 5, 10, 20, 50,
100, 200 and 500 bills, 1
and 2 euro coins, and 1, 2, 5, 10,
20 and 50 cent coins.
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