International Travel

[kygirl]

My best friend and I are trying to start planning a trip to Italy next summer. It's kind of our law school graduation trip. She's getting out a semester before me, so we decided to do next summer. Does anyone have any good tips for traveling abroad?

I know I have to have a passport and that it's important to be careful what I take in and out of the country, but anything else I might want to know that I might not be aware of?

Would you suggest that we should use a travel agent? I travel in the US a lot but never been outside of the borders.

[OhThereYouAre]

Watch your purses in Italy!

Also, you may want to check with your credit card companies and see what kind of fees they impose when using your credit/debit cards overseas.

If the fees are more than you can stomach, buy some traveler's checks, or take some cash.

Also....if you have an unlocked GSM phone, you can leave your sim card at home and buy one there for cheap. It's much cheaper than using the international roaming feature on your current plan.

Have fun!

[kygirl]

Watch your purses in Italy!

Also, you may want to check with your credit card companies and see what kind of fees they impose when using your credit/debit cards overseas.

If the fees are more than you can stomach, buy some traveler's checks, or take some cash.

Also....if you have an unlocked GSM phone, you can leave your sim card at home and buy one there for cheap. It's much cheaper than using the international roaming feature on your current plan.

Have fun!

Awesome! I didn't think about there being fees. THIS is why I'm asking

Also I feel very not tech savvy right now, but what is "GSM"??

[Isabellacat]

I'm planning to visit Tokyo,Japan next year alone.Never been to another country before but I've always been interested in seeing Japan.Still have to get my passport too. I can see how this thread will help....I have absolutely no clue where to get the plane ticket. Any advice is appreciated and I wish you luck also.

[rcoreyus]

Kygirl: Italy is great fun but out for pickpockets: gypsy children around the train station. Bring a passport and some local money. Figure out where you will stay the first couple of days- you will be jetlagged and don't want to need to think. Bring a map of the city, a guide book with a few phrases.

Rome, Florence, Venice are all fantastic. Trains work well in Italy, often late, but otherwise fine. Don't try to drive in the big cities. Old saying in Italy: the more you pay, the worse you eat! Eat a local tratorias, pizza shops etc, avoid the fancy restaurants.

I've been in Italy several times, PM me if you want more info on good places to go.

Have fun!

[Isabellacat]

Anybody can give me advice too? Dang I hate feeling like I'm being ignored....I asked a question too.

[rcoreyus]

Isabellacat: I have been to Tokyo several times, happy to give more suggestions by PM, but here are a few:

Japanese are exceptionally honest, but exceptionally law abiding.

Bring some Japanese Yen, passport. If you are traveling outside of Japan, get a japanese tourist rail pass. You can only get one in the US (There is a travel agent in redwood city I think - your profile says SF bay area). This is much cheaper and easier than buying tickets in Japan. You need to get it validated at the japan rail office at the airport when you arrive.

You will fly into Tokyo. (United has good flights from SFO). Follow signs (in english) for the railway station. You wil pass the ticket office on the way. There are several trains to Tokyo:

The Narita Express: expensive but very easy. Goes to Shinjuku. Not a bad choice the first time

The Kasai Skyliner: nice, cheaper than the express, but for many destinations you will need to change trains.

Regular train (either Japan Rail or Kaisai line). A bit slower (maybe hour and a half rather than an hour), cheap. Work just fine. Both rail lines work. Kasai line uses different tickets - you will need to buy new tickets when you reach tokyo.

where to stay: I really like the Shinjuku washington hotel. It is in the western side of Shinjuku (big fancy buildings), but not too expensive. Rooms are very simple, but very clean and quiet. Located about 1/2 mile from the Shinjuku train station. Staff mostly speaks English.

Western Shinjuku is a fancy office and hotel area. East Shinjuku is - a sort of strange nightlife area - Safe to walk through, a bit blade-runner like.

If you get out of Tokyo, its worth going to Kyoto, Nara, the fantastic fushimi-inari shrine (all the orange arches), Niko, etc.

If you let me know what you like to do, I can provide tons of suggestions.

Outside of the cities there isn't much english spoken.

Have fun!

[Isabellacat]

Very interesting.Thank you for that information,I really appreciate it. I'll look into going to Redwood City sometime to see that travel agent you say. Is a travel agent where I can buy my ticket too?

Wow you make me feel like going there already lol.

[OhThereYouAre]

Awesome! I didn't think about there being fees. THIS is why I'm asking

Also I feel very not tech savvy right now, but what is "GSM"??

Yes, most card issuers charge an international transaction fee. This is kind of a mark up to make sure that they make money on the currency exchange.

Sometimes the fees are justified in that you get a better exchange rate. Usually they are about 1-2% of the transaction.

Also, the dollar is weak right now so things will seem more expensive than normal.

A GSM phone...more technical than I want to get right now, but if your phone has a SIM card in it, (a little microchip looking piece of plastic put in the back by the battery) it's most likely a GSM phone.

And don't fly out of CVG if you want to save a couple hundred bucks! Look for flights from Dayton or Columbus and just put up with a layover.

[kygirl]

I've been in Italy several times, PM me if you want more info on good places to go.

Have fun!

How do I PM?? I am still not too familiar with the nuances of this particular message board. I'd love to find out more!