Travel hopes for 2022

Flying to London on Wednesday and taking the train to Paris the next week. Staying two weeks in France....one in Paris and one in the Basque region. This is the third time we have planned this trip. Third time is a charm right?

We had covid in January so are hopeful it does not return to ruin our trip.
 
Yeah I'm leaving Friday to Nice, France.
 
NW-Bound said:
I heard of Turo, but after seeing some YouTubers' experience decided against it in my recent trip.

One woman got stood up by the car renter in Hawaii. She believed the car owner reneged because he/she could rent it at a higher price to somebody else. And she was left waiting at the airport for a long time before she could get a car from a traditional car rental agency.

And there are people reporting dirty car interior and other off-putting aspects.
Click to expand...

And this is where I think the reviews are KEY. Don't use a "new" person or someone with less than 15 reviews...and of course should be 5 star and have actual descriptions. I can also tell stories of rental car companies leaving me high and dry because of "COVID"
 
Spoke to my grandson today who bought a ticket to fly to Germany next week. Said he has a 9 AM appointment on the 6th at the passport office, is then supposed to return after lunch to pick up a processed passport, and then catch a flight to Germany. If it works that extra $160 is well worth it
 
Just back from 2 weeks in Portugal, had a wonderful time, good food, wine, nice people. PITA with testing to get into Portugal (not required for Europeans, only US) and back to the US. Looking forward to only needing a vax card for travel .
 
gayl said:
Spoke to my grandson today who bought a ticket to fly to Germany next week. Said he has a 9 AM appointment on the 6th at the passport office, is then supposed to return after lunch to pick up a processed passport, and then catch a flight to Germany. If it works that extra $160 is well worth it
Click to expand...
He mispoke or I misunderstood. $160 passport + $225 Passport Office same day fee (+ I told him plan on another $100) = $385+++. But at least they are willing to do it when all normal expeditors & passport office cannot accept appointments now. It was just another $100 (so $260) when his brother needed one ASAP.

Plan ahead folks!!

FWIW I don't go again until 6/26, C is just getting back from Monaco, son is flying home from Phoenix today .... yes travel is back
 
gayl said:
He mispoke or I misunderstood. $160 passport + $225 Passport Office same day fee (+ I told him plan on another $100) = $385+++. But at least they are willing to do it when all normal expeditors & passport office cannot accept appointments now.
Click to expand...

I guess I got a bargain.

I lost my passport in Malta last week. Don't ask me how- one minute I had it out for Immigration (which wasn't I needed because I was arriving from Germany) and the next minute, when I was checking my things while waiting for transportation for the airport, it was gone. :eek:It had not been turned in to the airport police. So, I check into the gorgeous Hilton Malta, dump all my stuff on the bed and go through it- nada- and a get a Bolt (they don't have Uber) to the Embassy, arriving 15 minutes before quitting time.:eek:

They gave me an appointment for 9 the next morning and I had a new one by 2 PM- although I did have to make a separate run to a place to get pictures taken. So- $165 plus 9 Euros for pictures plus 6 Bolt rides at about $15 each. I was immensely grateful- that was Thursday, I had a flight back to Munich Friday and was headed home Monday. The replacement has fewer pages and must be renewed within a year but with no extra charge. And I LOVED Malta.

I told people I was gonna glue the replacement passport to my underwear.:D
 
tulak said:
Where did Portugal check your covid test? Was it before you boarded the flight or when you arrived?
Click to expand...

Checked in Houston for Portugal for the flight to Frankfurt. Checked, again, prior to departing Frankfurt for Porto.

Remember, Portugal only requiring test because the US required a test for Portuguese, regardless of their vaccination status.
 
FIYes said:
When first preparing to leave for Portugal I thought proof of vac was enough, but both our tour company and the airlines said PCR test within 72 hours before arrival. Leaving Portugal was rapid antigen test within 24 hours per US rules. It was the flight cancellation and rescheduling for the next day that necessitated the second rapid antigen test before leaving. Overheard a guest in our hotel lobby talking about…he had contracted Covid and been quarantined at the hotel, now his wife had Covid and she was quarantined in their room so couldn’t leave for another 5 days.

I’m just very grateful that this didn’t hit until I got home. Much rather be stuck at home for a few days than stuck in a hotel room.
Click to expand...

A PCR is not the only acceptable test for Portuguese entry - Rapid NAAT or Rapid Antigen are fine if within 24 hours of schedule departure from initial departure point.

The information from numerous sources is clear that Portugal requires testing - it is merely reciprocating what the US required.
 
athena53 said:
I guess I got a bargain.

I lost my passport in Malta last week. Don't ask me how- one minute I had it out for Immigration (which wasn't I needed because I was arriving from Germany) and the next minute, when I was checking my things while waiting for transportation for the airport, it was gone. :eek:It had not been turned in to the airport police. So, I check into the gorgeous Hilton Malta, dump all my stuff on the bed and go through it- nada- and a get a Bolt (they don't have Uber) to the Embassy, arriving 15 minutes before quitting time.:eek:

They gave me an appointment for 9 the next morning and I had a new one by 2 PM- although I did have to make a separate run to a place to get pictures taken. So- $165 plus 9 Euros for pictures plus 6 Bolt rides at about $15 each. I was immensely grateful- that was Thursday, I had a flight back to Munich Friday and was headed home Monday. The replacement has fewer pages and must be renewed within a year but with no extra charge. And I LOVED Malta.

I told people I was gonna glue the replacement passport to my underwear.:D
Click to expand...

I am going to guess it was stolen from you in such as away that would make us blush with embarrassment but for the skill of the thieves.

I got a first hand demonstration of that in Firenze. While eating with a group at an outside table, we noticed a man an women ask our server a question. The conversation soon escalated to shouting, hand waving and a very heated conversation. Needless to say, it got our attention. While that was going on, a 3rd person stole a lady's purse that had been hanging by its strap on her chair. She did not discover the problem until a half hour later when she wanted something from her purse and the purse was gone. Thankfully, two other tourists not in our group but who had a car, offered to take her to a consulate office, where she arranged to pick up her new passport upon her arrival in Rome a week later.

That was when I first learned of the wisdom of the money-belt. FWIW, years later my wallet was lifted from my pants pocket, and I never knew it until I took it out to show my Metro pass. No wallet, no pass, no nothing. Thankfully, my passport and extra cash were in my money belt. These guys and gals are very skilled.
 
Chuckanut said:
I am going to guess it was stolen from you in such as away that would make us blush with embarrassment but for the skill of the thieves.

<snip>

These guys and gals are very skilled.
Click to expand...

Entirely possible. My late husband was a pickpocket magnet- tall, older, moved slowly. After leaving an ATM in St. Petersburg he was pushed and shoved by a group of young people as we were walking up steps to a restaurant. Money gone and they almost succeeded in grabbing his camera. In Rome he was on the subway with his wallet in his back pocket.:facepalm: In Barcelona, after we'd agreed he would NOT carry cash anymore, a group of young people on the subway jostled and distracted him at a stop and got out the door with $US 50 in a money clip in his front pocket. He didn't think they'd be able to get it there. I related my story to a friend last week who told me that in Greece his phone was stolen from the lower front pocket of his cargo pants while his hand was in the upper pocket!

I guess I better get one of those pouches that go around your neck under your clothing for my trip to E. Europe and leave my passport in the hotel room during the day.

You know what I really regret? My lost passport had a Nepalese visa in it. I doubt I'll ever have need for another.
 
Chuckanut said:
That was when I first learned of the wisdom of the money-belt. FWIW, years later my wallet was lifted from my pants pocket, and I never knew it until I took it out to show my Metro pass.
Click to expand...

Another trick is carrying a dummy wallet in my back pocket with a few bucks in cash and some fake ID and phony credit cards. My real stuff is inaccessible.

I've never been struck by a pickpocket, but I've seen people I was traveling with get hit by them. There are a lot of incredibly good thieves on the streets who know their territory far better than any tourist can.
 
braumeister said:
Another trick is carrying a dummy wallet in my back pocket with a few bucks in cash and some fake ID and phony credit cards. My real stuff is inaccessible.
Click to expand...

I did that for years while living in Venezuela. Expired credit cards, some cash, an old ID.

When traveling I still keep things separate, so a loss isn’t completely incapacitating. I also got pickpocket proof backpack (your recommendation IIRC)
 
I've been lucky, never been pickpocketed in all years of international travel.

Have my wallet in my fanny pack. Yeah not fashionable but highly useful, not so much for difficulty of being pickpocketed but having essential things like phone and other items within each reach but allows my hands to be free.

I arrived in Antibes, renting a nice vacation apartment in a very convenient location. The owner told me to be careful of pickpockets when I mentioned that I might do a day trip to Marseille during this trip.
 
I carry my wallet in one of my front pockets. I suppose I could lose my wallet in a mugging, but I don't think a stealthy pickpocket could get it. I used to carry camera gear, wallet, passport, etc in a backpack in cities, but not since 2016.
 
A small point, but one that's not intuitive.

Some cities, especially in Europe, will have signs warning about pickpockets, and also announcements over the PA system with the same warnings.

The instinctive thing to do when you read such a sign or hear such an announcement is to pat the pocket where you keep your wallet. Pickpockets tend to cluster in those locations and watch as you do it. That way they get a head start by knowing exactly which pocket to go for.
 
braumeister said:
A small point, but one that's not intuitive.



Some cities, especially in Europe, will have signs warning about pickpockets, and also announcements over the PA system with the same warnings.



The instinctive thing to do when you read such a sign or hear such an announcement is to pat the pocket where you keep your wallet. Pickpockets tend to cluster in those locations and watch as you do it. That way they get a head start by knowing exactly which pocket to go for.
Click to expand...
Sneaky!
 
I bought my husband and I under your clothes money belts. The one day he didn’t use it a thief lifted his wallet from his front pants pocket on a train.
 
I carry very little with me when exploring a city. I stopped using a wallet during the pandemic and carry only a credit card and maybe some cash in a front pocket, along with my smartphone. I think it’d be hard for a pick pocket and hopefully I don’t find out!

As for paying, I’ve used ApplePay on my Apple Watch for almost all of my spending on my current Europe trip. It’s amazing how easy and ubiquitous contactless payments are in Europe. It wasn’t that long ago it was very different.

When I have to carry everything, then I spread out credit cards, etc, to make it easier in case something is stolen/loss. And I never carry my small pack on my back. I always keep it forward facing.
 
tulak said:
I carry very little with me when exploring a city. I stopped using a wallet during the pandemic and carry only a credit card and maybe some cash in a front pocket, along with my smartphone. I think it’d be hard for a pick pocket and hopefully I don’t find out!
Click to expand...

See previous stories. Your front pocket is not secure.


And I never carry my small pack on my back. I always keep it forward facing.
Click to expand...

I agree with that. I looked at some of the items on pacsafe.com and many were shown being worn on the back. If I can't see it I don't feel secure.
 
athena53 said:
See previous stories. Your front pocket is not secure.
Click to expand...

No question about that. I remember once walking with a group in a big city in the early evening when the guy next to me had the wallet lifted from his front pants pocket. The thief was already out of sight by the time he fully realized what had happened, and he had been walking in the middle of group of five fairly big guys.
 
tulak said:
As for paying, I’ve used ApplePay on my Apple Watch for almost all of my spending on my current Europe trip. It’s amazing how easy and ubiquitous contactless payments are in Europe. It wasn’t that long ago it was very different.
Click to expand...

Do they still have the chip-n-pin machines that you enter your PIN number on, or have they been replaced by contactless everything?
 
I use a money pouch that has a belt loop that hold it in place on my side, tucked into my pants. It's easier to get to while out and about, if necessary. Just grab the loop at your side and pull it up and out. And it's also a far better look that reaching down into the front of your pants which is, as the Italians say, una brutta figura!

I keep a small amount of spending cash in my pocket wallet and perhaps my transit pass if I think I need it, nothing else. If they lift my wallet they get maybe $40 at most. Not enough to ruin my trip, though it might make the day a bit more difficult. When I was pick-pocketed in Rome, that's about all they got. So far I have never been robbed of anything I have kept in a hotel safe.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom