Traveling on July, need help!
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy this July. We have never been overseas and are a little nervous but very exicted. My plan, if possible, is to fly from AZ to Amsterdam, stay one night, go to Rome for 9 or 10 nights, and then to Athens for 3 or 4 nights.

Here's where I need help:

Will our cell phones work over there? (I doubt it, but I gotta ask.)

Can we use our ATM cards there to make purchases? If so, will it convert US $ to Euros on the receipt?

What are the biggest sights to see? Obviously there is the Colliseum and Vatican in Rome and then the Parthenon in Greece, but what else?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

No, your US cell phones won't work over there unless they are quad-band and you have the country SIM cards installed.

No, you can't use your AYM cards to make purchases in general, but you can use them to withdraw money from your checking account (in euros). If by chance you find a place to use an ATM card to make a purchase (and I never have), of course the receipt will show the amount of euros, not dollars.

What are the people like over there? Are they pretty cordial with Americans? I don't know ANY Italian, is that going to be a huge problem?

Thanks StCirg!

Another thing I wonder, would it be cheaper to get a SIM card over there, just use the hotel phones, what? I'm so confused. :(

Hello jobrikaill, regarding your cellphone. You will need a quadband cell phone. If you have it unlocked you can buy a SIM card for the country you are in. If you have Cellular/AT&T you can sign up for a low monthly fee and consequently you will be able to use you cell phone on your trip (if your cellphone is the uptodate quadband). You will pay for outgoing and incoming calls with their plan. But if you are not going to be making a lot of calls that will not be a problem. You can cancel the plan after you return home. I don't know about other cellphone companies. Call and talk to the cellphone company you have or go onto their website.

Hmmm, using your ATM card for purchases, family members have done so. But of course it will be in Euro..or should be. Talk to you financial institution. Usually travellers get cash with their ATM card from the ATM's in Europe. Ask your bank what their charge is. My bank charges 1% for using my ATM card outside of the US.

Regarding the biggest sights (assume you mean the best sights) to see that all depends on personal preferances. You need to look at some guide books, take advantage of Fodor's or other website (try Google for some great websties). Go to your local library and check out some guide books.

Thanks LoveItaly, you helped a lot!

Also, don't forget to alert your financial institution about your trip abroad so they do not decide to cancel your card upon seeing some funny transactions!

Re: cellphone, if you have T-Mobile, they have a variety of quad band phones. Just sign for their international calling plan (free, no monthly fee).

Yes, like everyone said, talk to your cellphone company.

And also note that most credit card companies charge 3% for international charges, so you're going to be spending more money than you think you are -- which might be a bummer when you get home if you aren't expecting it.

You don't want to carry a lot of cash, but travelers checks cost money, atm withdrawals cost money, and credit cards also will cost you more money than they would here. But you might be able to find a credit card specifically for travelers. I have one from American Express, but there are probably other credit card companies that offer no fee for international charges.

Please do a search here. Between here, Slow Travel and the rest of the net ,you can get an amazing amount of information about Rome. Nine or 10 days will make for a great time there.
What kind of things do you like?
I'd start with where to stay and then make a check list of what you would like to see.
Would you want to make a trip to a hill town? A couple day trips are very doable.

The usual wrong answers about cell phones...

Will your cell phone work? It depends. Who is your US carrier. If your US carrier is Verizon, the answer is a resounding NO. If your US carrier is either T Mobile or Cingular, the answer is maybe.

How much do you really intend to use the cell phone? If it's just for emergencies and an odd call or two and if you use Cingular or T Mobile USA and if you have at least a tri band phone with one of the European frequencies (900 or 1800; quad bands have both) then the answer is you're all set. Call Cingular or T Mobile and ask to activate international roaming. Given the amount of time you will be away and assuming the phone is just for emergency use, there is no need to get the optional add on from Cingular which merely lowers the rate per minute from an unseemly $1.29 to 99¢ per minute rounded up of course to the next minute...T Mobile USA without a monthly fee will be 99¢/minute rounded up. This is to both make and receive calls.

If you are unfortunate enough (at least for international purposes) to be stuck with verizon, and you're not using the phone all that much, do a search above for Mobal..lots of information here....call rates are as high if not higher than Cingular and T Mobile USA but that's the price you pay for using Verizon (if you are an international traveller) (PS it's time they join the rest of the world and switch to GSM but that's another story).....

So what if you want to really make use of the phone, have your friends, business associates be able to reach you 24/7? Well in that case Mobal or international roaming on T Mobile USA or Cingular are very expensive solutions.

Amsterdam 1 night...don't bother..use the international roaming.

Italy 8 or 9 nights...buy an Italian sim; they're relatively cheap. What I would probably do is buy a Vodafone IT sim card and sign up for Vodafone Passport. Also buy a cheap Italian international calling card but make sure it has an Italian local number...these are very cheap. While in Italy, youwill get free reception of calls and if you use the Italian calling card, you pay for the local Italian rate (not terribly expensive) plus use the minutes on the calling card.

Now you go on to Greece...it won't be necessary to get another sim card for Greece..your Italian Vodafone Passport will cover you...to call back to the USA you dial the local Italian number on the calling card you bought...you pay the same rate as you do in Italy for the call with a €1 surcharge (of course a weakness of this is that if the call is not answered, you still have to pay the charge for the call to Italy)...you will get the free reception of calls with the €1 surcharge pe call.....not per minute.

You can also investigate firms such as voicestick or kall8 which will enable you to get USA numbers that will forward to your Italian sim.

You can also consider international cards such as United Mobile or many sim cards offered by Isle of Man providers which give you free reception of calls throughout the continent. For more info, go to a real mobile phone forum, www.prepaidgsm.net

I note that I referred somebody on this board to them, the person posted on the board (wanted a Spanish sim and wanted to know if it could be bought in Italy) and somebody on that forum volunteered that he has several extra Spanish sim cards laying around and volunteered to mail one and be paid through pay pal. Doesn't happen every day but certainly an indication of the kind of forum they have there!

Who are you planning to call on your cell phone? What will you need it for? I travel without one, so have never had to figure this out.

I have generally found most people to be cordial enough when I travel. You might want to get an Italian phrase book and learn some greetings and pleasantries, also so you'll have the restaurant section to refer to so you can figure out menus/food.

I would buy on amazon.com or borrow from your library, a couple guidebooks for Italy. It is too hard to plan a first trip to Europe, starting from zero, using only the internet (in my opinion).

Is there a reason you are going to Amsterdam for just 1 night? It's fairly out-of-the-way in relation to Rome or Athens.

I would use your ATM card to withdraw cash, not expect to use it directly to make purchases.

punchypinky is incorrect about ATM cards costing you money. There is no charge added on to an ATM withdrawal anywhere I've ever been in Europe.

We are with Wells Fargo and we are charged a $5 fee for each withdrawal by WF. We haven't had any additional charges from the European banks. So we just take out several days worth of cash each time to minimize the fees.

I have used my ATM card to make purchases all the time. I also use it to withdraw Euro. It is no different than using a credit card. Check with your bank.

You have already received lots of info re cell phones and ATM's, so I will concentrate on what you can do in Rome in July.

We spent 5 days in Rome in July '06. Stayed in a convent near the Vatican...clean and inexpensive compared to the in-city hotels. It was VERY hot (near 100 degrees), so be prepared. You should dress appropriately to visit the Vatican and the multitude of other churches(no shorts, covered shoulders) but make sure whatever you have on is lightweight and comfortable. Good walking shoes are a MUST.

We used the walking tour of Rome in Rick Steve's guidebook. And you can walk until fairly late at night with no fear, plus it's cooler then. The water in the city fountains is drinkable, so take a plastic bottle and fill it up often.

Besides St Peter's and the Vatican museum which are must-sees, we most enjoyed the Forum and the Pantheon.

And you don't need to worry about not knowing Italian in most of Rome. They may not talk to you in English, but you can make yourself understood and they will take your money for food, wine and souvenirs gladly.

StCirq,

any time you use an ATM card at a bank other than the issuing bank, your bank and the other bank both charge you money. Chances are, if you are withdrawing money from ATMs in Europe, the ATMs you are withdrawitng from are not your issuing bank.

Hi PP,

In almost all of Europe, the banks do not charge to use the ATMs.

((I))

Hi J,

Well, you have lots of niggling little questions, but I think your most important one should be, "I am flying into AMS and staying one night before flying to Rome for 9-10 nights and on to Athens for 3-4 nights; is this a good idea?".

Answer: NO.

Either fly to AMS and on to Rome, or fly to Rome and on to Athens.

Overnight in AMS just to get to Rome is a waste of time.

Better yet, fly into Venice and out of Rome.

((I))
All of the above is preceded by "I respectfully suggest".

Here is an idea...I live in Italy and when friends come over for a long stay I buy them a phone for 30-50 euro and then put in a 25 euro phone card and they are all set. Calling back to the States is only about 1.60 euro per minute and when people call you it costs nothing (to you of course). I always advise my friends to give the number via email or phone (relatives can pass it on to one another)and have them call you if there is an emergency, etc..All of my friends have been so HAPPY with this arrangement. Yes, you do own the phone and can take it home with you but you can always use it on your next trip! You can buy a phone right in the airport or at any number of places in Rome..The phone stores are EVERYWHERE!!! Hope this helps you..BTW..I use WIND phone service.

Regarding Rome..I have a great friend who does small tours of the Vatican and St. Peters. She just chooses the most important things to see and makes it very fun and informative..The name of her company escapes me but I will email her persoanl address and get the info for you..Look for my post again soon..Ciao