Miscellaneous questions about this tour
Thank you, everyone, for your very helpful comments on my food questions. Now I have a money question. I realize that we are all individuals with different tastes and habits, but do you think that it’s better to use the Visa card or should we take a lot of Euros? Looking at paying for 16 meals on this tour, do most places accept Visa? Is budgeting 100 Euros a day reasonable? My husband is leery of carrying so much cash. Thank you so much. This is our fourth Tauck tour and my 24th country, but it is a very different tour from our others.
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Comments
Most places take Visa. I think 100 Euros a day is a huge amount of money. Also don’t forget, right now the dollar is really bad against Euros and Pounds, due to you know who.
We only use €s for incidentals or for light meals at an outdoor café or boulangerie/patisserie. Credit cards are widely accepted. We enjoy picking up some wine, fruit, cheese and a baguette and having a picnic on a park bench, saving the wine for relaxing in the hotel. As you say, it is very much a personal choice. Enjoy the tour!
Thank you!
Because this is a land tour you will need to have tips for the bus driver and the TD. Other than that not much cash is needed.
First off, don't bring Euros unless you already have some or can get a super good deal - like no more than 1% fee. Take your debit card (or 2 if you have them) and use bank ATMs. There are several within an easy walk of the Versailles hotel. The concierge can help with that. The tour is in enough larger towns you won't have trouble finding others if needed.
As others have said, most everyone takes visa or mc. The TD/Coach driver tip can be in USD. We prep envelopes ahead of time for that. Euro cash is only needed for small purchases - postcards, ice cream, toilets, etc. 100 euros a week is plenty.
Thank you!
There is so much fraud out there, make sure you bring more than one card, and always have enough cash to pay for your taxi, or your meal. I’ve had banks shut down my credit cards on several occasions. Once we did not have cash and it was a bit of a problem.
You should always have some euros that are the coin type, 1 Euro and 2 Euro pieces. You will need these for luggage lockers, some public transportation kiosks, and of course bathrooms. Typically museum restrooms are free. Tauck will handle this if you are with them. I try not to open my secure place and pull out my wallet when on public transportation or at public transportation stations. Typically on the way home we will convert some of our remaining paper Euros to coins at the airport.
I second the recommendation for multiple cards. Even though we always notify our bank that we are traveling, we've had a card accepted at a store one day and rejected the very next. My brother in law had his wallet stolen on the Paris RER train - same one Rick Steves had his stolen on. They canceled his card immediately which also canceled my sister's. This at the very start of a tour. Not good.
I think I know more people who have been robbed in Paris than anywhere else.
These professionals are so good at robbing people. On our most recent tour, not Paris, a member of our tour had his cell phone taken out of a pocket halfway down his thigh that had a Velcro flap and a zipper. I felt sure maybe he left in his room, but no, it was taken while we were on the crowded subway train.