estar

getting prepared for overseas trip, need some help / real life experiences relevant to travelling experiences in Europe?
eg. tipping, how to behave etc

Budman

If at first they don't seem to understand what you are saying, speak very loudly.

chicagolori

this is like your 6th post asking generally the same thing. Have you done any research yet? If you are truly wanting information, do so and them repost specific questions.

traveller1959

First, don't speak loudly.
Second, dress decently: no white tennis shoes, no sweatsuits, no pajamas in hotel breakfast room (yes, I have seen that more than once!).
Third, tip at your discretion. Tipping is nowhere mandatory, but if you liked the service, leave a little bit (5 to 10 percent), because service staff is usually poorer than you.
Forth, try to learn at least four words (please, thank you, good morning, good-bye) of the native language and practice proper pronunciation.
Fifth, try to adjust to local habits (when and what to eat and drink etc.). E.g. ordering pizza for dinner in Italy is a major faux pas and the patron will be happy to rip you off with a broad smile on his face. Ordering ketchup in a French restaurant will give the chef a heart attack.
Sixth, don't expect that everything must be like at home. Don't expect to get free tap water in restaurants. Don't expect to get iced tea. Don't expect to get soft drinks with ice cubes.
Seventh, leave the beaten path and try to catch the genius loci. Do what the natives do on weekends.

beachmumma

Hope Budman was kidding about talking loudly. People appreciate Americans being polite & not loud.
Most Europeans speak English but appreciate if you try to speak their language. In France we were told tip included in the price on menu but tips were still expected by wait staff same as here.

beachmumma

I agree with everything traveler 1959 wrote.

crefloors

I have gotten free tap water in Paris without any problem. Just ask for it.

ma23peas

It's the first post I've seen you write...so WELCOME and don't let the turkeys get you down.

Based on the subject title, I will share an embarassing revelation I had on my first trip abroad. Granted, I am book smart, but sometimes the simple nuances allude me.
I was voted to drive since out of 5 college roomies I was the only one whose father made them learn how to drive with a column shift (bet less than 1/2 here even know what that is)...so manual, meant me. I mastered the roundabouts, one way street signs and avoided the pedistrians and cyclists...but when I went on the Motorways and saw signs that said in big letters "NO FOOTBALL COACHES ALLOWED" upon approaching a rest stop....my immediate thought was "Why in the world would England discriminate against Pat Dye and Lou Holtz?" I have to admit it stumped me and it took two signs like that before my brain solved it (and I was a Rubik's cube genius)....it all gave us a great laugh and I'm not too proud to share it here! So, my advice for an overseas trip...the best tip is to HAVE A SENSE of humor!

Good luck!
Tara

katya_NY

I think that assumptions are dangerous. Don't assume that people speak English- and learn enough of the local language to get your point across.

Go away from the typical touristy areas. If you see a lot of local people (ie without maps and guidebooks) in a restaurant or cafe, give it a try. It is probably a better bargain than the meals targeted toward tourists.

wombat7

Bit difficult to get away from tourist areas when you are on a Contiki trip - but good luck

traveller1959

> I have gotten free tap water in Paris without any problem. Just ask for it. <

That's a wonderful example for insensible behavior. European restaurants have a widely accepted business model which is different from the US American business model. In a European restaurant, you can sit at your table as long as you wish, but you are expected to order a proper meal (in France a menu) and to order proper drinks. Of course, much of the restaurant's profit will come from the drinks. But a restaurant must make profits, otherwise there are nor restaurants. To order tap water (in order to save money) is parasitic behavior, like ordering just an inexpensive hors d'oevre or, in Italy, ordering just pasta (and not a full, four-course meal).
However, the people are friendly and will bring you the requested tap water. But in the kitchen they will whisper about those impossible Americans who so perfectly match with the common prejudices.
I wanted to say that because so many Americans in this forum so often complain about not getting free water in European restaurants.
On the other side, a common European complaint about travelling the USA is to be urged from your table as soon as you have finished with the last bite of your dessert.
If you travel, please accept that not everything is exactly like at home. These differences are part of the fun.
Try to live like the natives!

RufusTFirefly

Drink beer in Germany and wine in France.

traveller1959

Rufus Firefly,

> Drink beer in Germany and wine in France. <

Try a dry riesling from the Mosel, the Rheingau or the Ruwer - and you will change your opinion!

Or try an aged sweet riesling together with dessert!

Or try German sparkling wine (Sekt)! In fact, the art of making sparkling wine was invented in the Rhine region and brought to the Champagne by emigrating winemakers families. Still, many champagne firms have German names (Heidsick, Krug, Bollinger, Taittinger, Mumm...).

Read what Howard Johnson writes about German wines!

Nikki

Traveller 1959, the way to ask for tap water in Paris is a "carafe d'eau". They have carafes at the ready and expect people to ask for them. Insensible behavior? Parasitic? Just living like the natives. In Italy, tap water seems to be less commonly available, but in France it is perfectly acceptable. In Italy it is not required to order a full four course meal, at least at the mostly informal and moderately priced restaurants I have frequented.

MissZiegfeld

" E.g. ordering pizza for dinner in Italy is a major faux pas and the patron will be happy to rip you off with a broad smile on his face"

is that true? what if you're in a pizzeria?

flanneruk

With the very greatest of respect, traveller 1959 is talking a load of complete cobblers.

I've never been in an Italian restaurant - and the likelihood is that I've been eating in restaurants in Italy rather longer than traveller1959 - that gave a monkey's whether I ate a plate of pasta or a seven-course blow out.

Italian restaurants, universally, pride themselves on their hospitality - a concept that means they give the customer what the customer wants, and not what the restaurant wants them to want. Mrs F, in particular, often wants little more than a bowl of soup: and she gets it with the same charm as any other request.

Similarly, I've yet to see a single Gallic lip turn when asked gently for une carafe d'eau du robinet. No French restaurant serves tap (or any other) water unprompted: but no French restaurant I've ever been in would be so ungracious as to question a customer's choice.

janisj

Looking at you other posts this morning --

&quot;<i>Hey ya! What to look out for / be wary of</i>?&quot;

&quot;<i>guys, Clueless &amp; curious wanting to know whats a &quot;must have&quot; and &quot;traditional&quot; meal all around Europe. Any suggestions?</i>&quot;

&quot;<i>Guys, 4 days in London - what should I do? Cheers Essie</i>&quot;

It is pretty obvious you need to <b>1)</b> read a guide book or two, and <b>2)</b> give us something to work with. Your questions are very VERY broad .

annesherrod

Traveller59 - You take yourself pretty seriously!!
I agree with what Nikki says.

Just have fun, be prepared, have a good travel book handy, do plenty of research prior and you will be fine.

janisj

That should be &quot;Looking at your other posts . . . . &quot;

Neopolitan

traveller1959, you are out of touch with reality on the matter of tap water in France. I have lots of friends in France, and have had business lunches in France, and ordering tap water is as common among most of them these days (probably more so) than among tourists. I have heard just the opposite of what you say. While many people drink sparkling water so they MUST order it by the bottle, a waiter is just as likely to whisper about the foolish Americans who order bottled still water when the Paris tap water is equally good and already equally chilled -- as they serve a lot of it these days. You are alone in sitting there looking down your nose at people who do that -- as likely to be locals as Americans.