A Week on the Canal du Midi
 

My husband and I are flying to Germany and then on to France for a week long trip on a boat up the Canal du Midi at the end of May this year. Afterwards, we are picking up a train to travel from Montpellier back up to Paris. While we are on the Canal, we are looking forward to venturing out to local cafes and shops by foot or by bicycle. I don't know how much Euros we should carry or if we should just use our credit card (Chase Sapphire Visa). Also, how does tipping work in Germany and France.I have not booked our train trips yet but assume I should do so online before we get to Europe. Also, how do US cell phones work over there? Should we bring ours or an iPad? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, my mother is very concerned about political unrest in Germany, especially. Is this something I should be concerned about as a traveler?
Many thanks!

To have saved a lot of money, you should have booked your trains a month or two ago. Advice: www.seat61.com Tipping is real tipping, not a service charge (which is often built in to the bill anyhow.) In other words it is a bonus, paid in cash, a euro or two. The fine print of your credit card agreement will tell you what surcharges are applied to foreign exchange. Don't assume that because you are fee-free at home that the same will be true abroad. These charges can add up quickly; I use an ATM/debit card to extract a substantial amount of cash from my chequing account in euros and then use that real money to pay for everything except very large costs. Nobody can help with your mother's concerns, sorry.

Having been on a barge trip on the canals of France I would suggest that you keep some euros on hand. Some of the lock keepers sell things like wine, honey or little carvings as a side line. Have a great time.

Where to start? Did the boat company not give you basic tips on traveling in France?

1. You have missed out on cheap train fares. Book them asap on www.capitainetrain.com. They will not be cheap, but they will be a whole lot cheaper than if you wait any longer. Call your bank if you haven't already done so and let them know you will be making an overseas purchase or they may suspect fraud and freeze your account.

2. We can't say how many euros you should carry, either. It depends on what you buy. Generally speaking, use your credit card for large purchases and get cash (euros) out of ATM machines with your debit card. to use for sundries European banks don't chage anything for that, and you will get the best exchange rate. I am not familiar with the Chase Sapphire Visa card, but I have an inherent distrust of anything related to Chase and might assume that they charge you fees for foreign transactions, which I personally will not tolerate. Ask them (they may lie and say they don't, so do some research - you needn't be paying a thing, either in ATM withdrawal fees or "transaction fees" of a percentage of your withdrawal).

3. France and Germany are non-tipping cultures. No need to tip for anything. If you feel compelled, round up a euro or two from the bill.

4. U.S. cell phones will charge you a fortune if you count on roaming charges. Get a local SIM card if you want to save the most $$. Or sign up for T-Mobile's holiday special, or the one from Orange.

5. Your mother's fears are unfounded.

Enjoy your trip.

Thanks for the responses. I went ahead and booked our train tickets through Captain Train and still saved a lot of money from the regular price. I checked out our phones (T Mobile) and our plan (Simple Choice) has the international roaming included already so our phones should be fine.
Thanks!

You had better check that roaming plan CAREFULLY still. Friends have had unpleasant surprises when the bill came.
Is your barge a self drive?
Be sure your card is an ATM card, along with what St. Cirq has said. Do not get charge card advances.

It's not can you roam, it's how much they charge per roaming minute.

I did check my mobile plan again and read others accounts with the same plan and roaming charges are included so that is good. My bank is a credit union, so I can use their debit card to get euros. No I need to get a list of places to check out along the Canal du Midi between Port Lauragais and Port Somail.