The Euro is Doing Its Part

The euro has dropped to under $1.28! This is the lowest it's been for a very long time and would be the lowest it has ever been for us when we travel. I think it was $1.47 on one of our trips, so anything near $1.30 would be great. We're still 45 days away, so let's keep our fingers crossed for the rate to keep dropping. You'll notice on the right column of the blog that I've added a live exchange rate widget. This way we can keep an eye on that pesky euro.

Updated Leonti & Browne Itinerary Pages

Hello Family!

I have updated both the Leonti and Browne itinerary pages to include our individual flight numbers and the hotel/B&B information, along with the links to their websites. I also added a few links on the sidebar under the "places we really want to see" section that are on my folks list.

You can share this blog with Lisa, Chris, Ethan, Granny, Sally, Frank, Carm, Uncle Keith, Travis, Karalee, Grams, Luke, Levi, Mackie or Crumbs if they need to get a hold of us, they can not only email us, but can also reach us at our hotels.  Please note I did not include our employers in the above list, that is for those of us who are sadly still working, they are not welcome to contact us.

At the time of this post we are 53 days and 23 hours away from our departure, eeeeeekkkkkk!

That being said, since we still have 53 days and 23 hours before we fly out, here is video that is well worth your 1 minute and 10 seconds.  This Shetland pony can really move!

Hotel Options for Browne Alternate Itinerary v1

Hi again Brownes!

Here are some hotel options for the itinerary we sent your way earlier. Follow the links for more info on each property and to book.

We encourage you to book ASAP - especially the options which offer free cancellation...cuz why not? Some of these properties don't have many open rooms left....

Berlin - May 12 & 13
Hotel Tiergarten - $128 per night
Swissotel Berlin - $144 per night
H10 Berlin Ku'Damm - $106 per night

Munich - May 15 & 16
Hotel Laimer Hof - $171 per night
Bed & Breakfast Zeevat - $91 per night
Motel One Munchen - $141 per night

Bertchesgaden - May 17 & 18
Hotel Bavaria - $129 per night

Baden-Baden - May 19-21
Hotel Alte Laterne - Geniesser-Tage Package - $400
*Package includes 3 nights hotel, breakfast, welcome drink, map, calendar, coffee & cake, guided walking tour, candlelight dinner at the Alte Laterne Restaurant, glass of schnapps and a free sausage at the Lowenbrau Beer Garden. Not too shabby.

Heidelberg - May 22 & 23
Leonardo Hotel - $110 per night 
Gasthaus Hackteufel - $182 per night

Koblenz - May 24
Hotel and Gasthaus Berghof - $93 per night 
Aran Hotel - $124 per night

Paris - May 25-28
Shared Apartment - no action needed

Paying for Stuff in Europe

In general, banks are real jerks and will add on a bunch of extra fees when you try to pay for something in Europe. There are ATM fees and "foreign transaction fees" in addition to that pesky exchange rate that's already screwing us (check the current rate here).

These fees occur when:
A) You get cash from and ATM
B) You pay for something with a card (debit or credit)

Let's look at ATMs first. And, actually, before I do that, let me say that you do not need to go to a bank and exchange dollars for euros prior to the trip. Banks and the Forex exchange places at airports will rip you off at some crazy rate. There will be ATMs at the airports in Europe that will give much better rates. If you do want to get a few euros before we go, do just that - get a few euros.

Now back to the ATMs. If you just go up to the first ATM you see and take some cash out, you will be charged an ATM fee (up to 5e) and a foreign transaction fee (about 3% of how much you take out).

So if you take out 100e, it could cost you up to 8e (currently $10.41) to make that transaction.

But if you select the proper ATM, you can save some money. Bank of America has the best ATM network in the world. They partner with the following banks:
Germany: Deutsche Bank
France: BNP Paribas
Belgium: BNP Paribas or Deutsche Bank

If you use one of those ATMs - and they are plentiful - you do not have to pay the ATM fee, just the foreign transaction fee.

So that same 100e would only cost you about $4 instead of $10.

If you don't have Bank of America...it will be a little tougher and a little more expensive to get cash.

Also, those of us going to Holland should notice that Holland is not on the list, so let's try not to use a lot of ATMs while we're there.

 If we feel safe carrying cash, we should just carry a lot of cash.

Now onto general credit/debit card transactions.

When you make a purchase with a card, you will, once again, be charged the foreign transaction fee. Again it's about 3% of the purchase price.

The only card that doesn't charge you anything for foreign transactions is Capital One. So, go ahead and get yourself one of those, if you like.

Also, notify the banks of any card that you'll be using in Europe that you will be traveling or else they might think a transaction in Germany is "suspicious" and suspend your account. We don't need that.

That's the scoop!

Night Train Info (for the Brownes)

If you want to look at your options for taking the night train to Munich to save yourself a considerable chunk of daylight hours, click here.