Hey guys,

Thanks for being such a help on this forum. This place is packed with great info.

Few questions I've been having-much is talked about how pickpocketing is so rampant. What is the best way to carry your money and valuables?

I've heard a money belt is great, but doesn't it seem obvious to those who would rob you where the valuables are? Simply keeping your wallet in your front pocket should suffice if you are careful, no? I don't plan to travel heavy anyway, just a simple knapsack...

On a lighter note, what do you usually tip in Spain, in restaurants and bars? In the US I always tip 15-20% unless the service is lousy.

And going back ot the question of protecting your valuables, how do you do this if you are sleeping on an overnight Eurail train? Do they have lockers?

Just trying to take precautions to make the trip a little easier.

Thanks again!

The only ways to protect your belongings on overnight trains are:

To get a private cabin just for you or your roup

To stay up all night and hold onto them

No lockers of any sort on trains. If you have large hardsided luggage with a lock and put everything into it and chain it to luggage rack area - that may be safe.

Otherwise - you takes your chance. (A friend of mine had her purse and camera taken because she was too cheap to pay for a private cabin and tried to stay awake all night - but couldn;t. Train was from Germany to Prague.)

As for safety during the day - a backpack or fany pack are really bad ideas - sice they can be slit and emptied before you kow it. Keep wallet in front pants pocket (and make sure it;s hard to get out - that is not big loose pants and a pocket much bigger than the wallet. Keep other valuable in a messenger type bag worn bandolero style across the chest - so everything is in FRONT of you. And make sure it has a zipper = and hopefully a snapped flap on top of the zipper. (This is for everywhere with lots of tourists in one place - not just Spain.)

&quot;<i>I've heard a money belt is great, but doesn't it seem obvious to those who would rob you where the valuables are?</i>&quot;

If worn/used correctly - no one should ever know you are wearing a money belt . . . .

Re the money belt - would never wear one anywhere but obviously many do. Spain is no different to anywhere else - be more careful in the major cities Madrid and Barcelona than elsewhere. I live in southern spain and it is very safe. We spent 2 weeks in Seville at Xmas and always felt completely safe, carrying just usual handbag (purse). Tipping is not done as it is in the US - depending on restaurant and the service tip a little or a bit more.

Tipping in Spain is pretty much like tipping in France.

If you are satisfied with a meal, leave some coins as a token of your appreciation, usually less than 5%. The service charge is included in the bill.

I do usually tip a taxi driver about 10% of the bill.

As for money belts, I've been to Europe more than 40 times and have never used one. I have other methods to ensure that my valuables are kept safe. The most important one being, pay attention to your surroundings at all times.

There seems to be an internet myth that service charges are included in the bill here in Spain. Having been both a vacationer and a resident we have never come across any such charge.
A tip is obviously welcome, like anywhere else in the world. But here you can either just leave whatever small amount of change there is left over or you can give, as posted above up to about 5 %. There is no hard written rule.
Don’t keep your money in any pocket of your knapsack. If you are that worried about being robbed, the safest place is to bury it in the main compartment.
There is no such thing as a eurail train. Each country has it’s own rail service. The Eurail is just a ticket you have purchased. So to answer the question about lockers we need to know which country you are travelling in, please.


Ian and Irene

finally .. correct tipping info!

also, at least in Spain, you will not be growled at if you do not leave a tip for an insignificant meal/coffee/sandwich.

Many spaniards pick up every last cent.
Others do as sugggested above.

I wouldn't use a front pocket -Items and bills can slip right out, whether you are jostled or just in normal activity, and even with a zipper everyone will see what you have.
I wear a neck pouch. Gets a little tiresome, and tho people will see me reach under the bottom of my shirt, no one else has access to it.

Use caution - In Granada, I was at a sidewalk cafe having lunch with a friend. Someone took his backpack, happened in a flash. It happens I had the straps of my bag wrapped around my leg and my feet on top of it. I could have been lucky, but I also made access difficult(and anything of value was in my neck pouch). Enjoy your trip.

Thanks EVERYONE for all of the advice!!!! I knew this forum wouldn't let me down.

ny traveler, this is great-particularly the idea of keeping everything in front.

janisj, interested to know any other precautions with the money belt.

On another thread, a forum member named brando mentioned a money belt that attached to his belt and could actually flip inside his pants. So obviously only the most daring thief could get in there...I may try to do something of this sort, so I won't stress about it..

I live in New York City, and I enver really worry about being pickpocketed except on crowded trains...

esl- I am from the city &amp; still live closeby. I've only had one incident a bump and grab, but there was nothing really in my wallet. I like the flat pouch and space and 2 zip comaprtments, over a money belt. Even when I go into the city for the day, I still use the neck pouch to hold metro pass, ticket home, keys, cash &amp; cc's, my museum member card or B'way show ticket. Then, just as abroad, I don't worry that if someone takes my shoulder bag, my day will be ruined.

esl, Hopefully your &quot;burning&quot; questions have extinguished by now because fire for too long is never good! Just kidding I have been to Spain four times in the last ten years, and have never had any problems (some aren't so lucky as you can see above) except that the food is so good that it is hard not to over eat or feel terribly envious of people eating it every day!

That said it is good you are taking precautions. With so much planning going into the money belt alone (I have, honestly, never held one in my hands...), I know you will protect stuff worth protecting and more, and hopefully enjoy the trip.

The only precaution I took was use my laptop bag (which didn't have a laptop since I was on vacation) as a camera carrier (digital SLR with two long lenses). It simply helped me not stand out in the crowd because most of the time I looked like a very casually dressed businessperson (okay, I might have looked as someone who probably needed motivation in life because, for once!, I had so much time on my hands!). Come to think of it, it was actually much easier to yank my camera out of it than from my compact camera bag, and I might do it again in future trips there and elsewhere.

Have a great trip.

About tips... In Spain we usually tip at restaurants, if everything has gone well, but IT IS NOT COMPULSORY. It is not usual at all to tip 15-20%... 5% would be more frequent, although it is a personal decision. At a bar, the tip tends to be nothing or only the coins back.

You don't have to tip the taxi driver, although if the drive is 11,50 euro, it is quite usual to give him 12 euros.

We tip the people who carry our bags at a hotel, but Spanish people don't tip the maid at a hotel.

I tip for exceptional service (let's say : people going out of their duty for me).
If not, I don't tip or leave only the change.

Hey guys, one last question: better to change my dollars into euros here, or in the Madrid airport? Thanks!

esl: &quot;<i>better to change my dollars into euros here, or in the Madrid airport?</i>&quot;

Neither. Leave your money in your checking account, and then use your ATM card to get &euro; as needed in Spain. You'll get a much better rate than if you exchange currencies.