<p>"…a pickpocket would have to go through two zippers"</p>
<p>Seasoned thieves do not bother with zippers. Slash and grab is their preferred way of stealing stuff from bags. They are so skilled that can cut through a Guccissima bag (and that type of leather is thick!) in a nanosecond. Happened to a person I know. The thousand-dollar bag was destroyed.
I keep my bag under the arm or crossbody and keep my hand on the bag all the time. I would not even think about walking around a European town with a backpack. </p>
<p>It is intended that you put stuff you do not need that day in the money belt, with things that you do need that day in more accessible places. So if your wallet with €50 and one card that you expected to use that day is lost, you still have the €500, other cards, passport, etc. that is in your money belt.</p>
<p>Be careful what you eat in Barcelona. My daughter and I got really sick, and we suspect it was from fruit or fruit juices from the Boqueria. You might want to bring some Immodium.</p>
<p>We always take Advil and all of my H. prescription drugs and measuring devices on all international trips, Europe included. He basically has a small pharmacy.</p>
<p>Scott’s vest is a great way to go–lots of lightweight travel jackets with a ton of pockets–no purse, hands free and it doesn’t look like you have anything on you. Pockets on inside and velcro on the outside.
Read up on Rick Steves site for how pickpockets can get you–it’ll open your eyes so you can spot things happening.</p>
<p>One difference between those two bags is the strap. One is “slash proof” which usually means there is a metal wire in the strap that doesn’t allow a simple “slash and grab”.</p>
<p>Have a super time! I’ve enjoyed every trip we’ve made to Europe and I really love Spain! Travel light and leave anything you absolutely don’t need at home. None of this advice is to make you anxious but a wary, informed, and luggage-free traveler has the most hassle-free trip who will be ready to go back!</p>
<p>Thanks Gouf78! One last question: what’s the general recommendation in terms of bringing cash? Better to bring a small amount in $$ and then exchange when in Spain or do it here? There shouldn’t be any problems accessing ATMs there, correct?</p>
<p>Hope someone can chime in on cash recommendations. Haven’t been to Spain very recently. As a general rule we bring enough foreign currency with us to get through a couple days. Much goes on credit cards and then ATM withdrawals. We split up the cash among family members and everyone wears a money belt (the correct way!).
Keep some money handy–in your purse so you aren’t reaching into the money belt–it’s there so you don’t lose everything not to be inconvenient. As said before make copies of your credit cards so you have all the info if the need arises. But really, just empty your wallet of absolutely everything you won’t need. </p>
<p>Some foreign ATMs use new cards with a magnetic strip (or some other change.) This is a bank question (or check tripadvisor) - or something to ask the tour folks, who should be experienced. We always used credit cards and checked for usage and conversion fees. I never take more cash than I’d need for a day or two. </p>
<p>I may be one of the last people to also take traveler’s checks- because the process for replacing them beats other gyrations (lose a card, then what?) Never, ever had an issue (at least able to cash them at a bank) til a trip last December, to the country of Georgia. If you take them, clarify with the seller and originator. They may be able to tell you the “member banks” that accept them. Or you bring them home, use them later. I’ve never taken the foreign country’s currency, unless I happened to have some left over. Sometimes, you get a better conversion rate here- but it’s small potatoes.</p>
<p>But remember, with cards, you have to tell them where you will be, when, so their fraud detectors don’t flag the account. (Yeah, we had that happen.) </p>
<p>About the purse- the reason I don’t worry about my string cord is that I wear it under the jacket or under an outer shirt. Out of sight. I don’t like being weighed down by some heavy purse, when traveling. (When I lived abroad, a friend invented a pretend game: spot the American tourist.) </p>
<p>On that note, remember comfy shoes, no matter if they’re ugly. :)</p>
<p>Use your debit card to get cash at the airport in Spain, preferably from a bank ATM. The Travelex ATMs and exchanges as well as the Banks in the US will kill you with fees and the poor exchange rate. </p>
<p>If it’s not a bank-affiliated machine, either take out only enough to cover the taxi or wait to get anything until you get to a bank near your hotel. Then Pull out enough to get you through a few days and keep excess in a money belt. </p>
<p>I don’t know about Spain, but you can’t exchange dollars for euro at banks in France. ATM withdrawals are it. </p>
<p>Chip and PIN cards are standard in Europe, but you shouldn’t have trouble using a mag strip CC in most places. Unmanned ticket kiosks are an exception. </p>
<p>Install Viber instead of Skype and you have free calling. (Both parties have to have installed it.)</p>
<p>I get foreign currency here through my bank and get far better rates than at airports (horrible) or banks abroad (slightly less horrible). I bring the currency I need; you don’t want to waste your vacation finding bank branches esp if your card won’t work overseas. </p>
<p>Learn the relevant phrases - hello, please, thank you and so forth - in any country you go to. </p>
<p>Snap a picture of a google map of your hotel so you can show it to a taxi driver. </p>
<p>Probably a moot point with elderly parents who do not use a computer or text. Skype Out or Viber Out still require data access in Europe but work with regular phones. Roaming with a US phone is a potential landmine. A local SIM is a good idea, especially on an organized tour with plenty of time … between hotels and on the road. </p>
<p>Airport exchanges are expensive and only good for small amounts. It is virtually impossible to change dollars for Euros short of the Western Union thieves. ATM is the way to go. Carry reserve credit cards as you can expect the cards to be blocked routinely by the fraud warning systems. </p>
<p>If you switch to TMobile you’ll get unlimited international internet and text. We did for my D’s trip. She could text us, use the Internet (including GPS), facebook, use email 24/7 which was a big relief safety-wise. And calls were 10c a minute. She only made a few quick ones locally but still … It was a trivial amount. And the fact that she could text us when planes landed or she had gotten to her next destination was priceless. </p>
<p>The TMobile is a good plan, and one that can bring an end to the absolute thievery carried by US carriers for international roaming. My parents still get hit with 5 dollars per MB charges abroad! Coupled with the new EU data laws, the days of affordable roaming are near. In the meantime, the best option remains to have an open or unlocked phone with a local SIM card plus the US one for mere emergencies. One option that has worked well for me has been to install the local SIM in my iPad and use a combination of Google Voice and a program like Tapatalk to convert the GV on the iPad. A bit circular, but it worked. The other option I have used is to buy a mobile router to create my own hotspot without messing with iPhone chip. </p>