I had a photo of my passport and the numbers to call for lost or stolen credit card on my phone AND on paper somewhere other than in the same shoulder bag as my phone. This was in case the entire shoulder bag was stolen; my phone with it.
Lot of places won’t take AMEX
Look up how pickpocket scams work and “what’s new”. Like the “hot chocolate” ploy mentioned above or “falling down the elevator” or “need help with your bag?” Or the “homeless guy” at the ATM.
That business man with the fine suit and briefcase is a pickpocket or grandma on the train–you’ll never see it coming. And they work in groups.
Keep your hand on your suitcase and buy a cross body purse with metal in it so straps aren’t cut.
If you prepare you won’t be a target–there are easier targets.
Just some knowledge and self-awareness will help keep you out of trouble and keep you having fun.
And it’s a ton of fun! I absolutely loved Spain. Especially Barcelona.
I have a Travel-on purse with metal mesh and a locked zipper on it. Not fool proof but again “easier pickings” are around.
I agree you can mostly get by without cash, but we still bring the 200 just in case our card is not working or for small items from street vendors.
Set it up so your cell phone provider sends a text/email to you should your bill or your allowed data usage be approaching X. It is no fun to find out a month later that your darling child forgot to turn off data roaming, etc.
Use a bank-owned ATM. Any charge to use one for cash withdrawals comes from your bank, not the Spanish one.
My credit union Visa has no foreign transaction fees. My CU debit card charges 1% for cash as well as purchases. I use it for cash only. A €400 withdrawal would be equivalent to $465 at today’s exchange rate plus $4 for the transaction fee.
I’d typically pull the cash needed for two-three days and keep minimal in my wallet. The rest would be left in the safe at the apartment or hotel. I also use the Visa as much as possible to avoid losing cash.
If we have € left from the last trip, we bring them. Otherwise, we will get 100 or so at the airport, even at a travel Ex machine to cover the taxi. I might have $100 or so brought with me for an emergency- I’d never change $ at a bureau de change unless it was absolutely, positively unavoidable. I also never buy cash at home - the exchange rate and fees are horrible.
if you are renting a car then having a working cellphone is a good idea. Otherwise there is no need. Using google hangouts or Skype or another VOIP app you can make low-cost calls back to the US.
If you are bringing any wifi-enabled devices (phone, ipad, etc) i recommend subscribing to a VPN service which encrypts your wifi traffic. I use Private Internet Access, there are many others. Note that you want a pay version of whatever one you choose because the free versions have lower privacy safeguards and often selll info about you to make it “free”.
set up a hotmail account as a safety measure. I email myself info like phone numbers to customer service for the credit and ATM cards I bring, travel itinerary, etc. Do NOT send any information that you would worry about losing like actual credit card numbers. The idea is that if I run into trouble, say my luggage is stolen, I have a backup way to at least get the info I need. I’d go into an internet cafe and log on. Assume that any terminal in such a place is compromised, so I would not use my regular email account for the info.
I travel to Asia and Europe multiple times per year. Before my trip to Bangkok, where purse snatchings from motorcyclists and cars driving by as the tourist is strolling down the sidewalk is common, I read some new advice. Carry an underarm bag - not a crossbody shoulder bag - and the bag should be on the inside of the sidewalk. There have been tourists injured after being dragged by thieves grabbing the straps on their crossbody shoulder bags. I know motorcycle purse snatchings can be a problem in Rome also, I don’t know if it’s a large consideration for Spain.
As one who had always previously carried a crossbody bag with all sorts of anti-theft devices, I was surprised that I wasn’t as prepared as I thought. I have since purchased an underarm bag (a tote style) and took it on my last trip to Asia. I really liked it! I liked the way the crossbody distributed weight off my shoulder and was afraid that the tote underarm would make my shoulder sore and distort my posture. No problems! Good to see that I can learn new tricks at my age!
@Momofadult - I never thought about motorbikes zooming by. Good tip!
H and I had a little trouble in Barcelona when 2 teens stood on either side of him and 2 pressed up behind him at a crowded interaction. They tried to grab his camera bag, but were unsuccessful. For the rest of stay since H and I carry our bags on opposite shoulders we always stood tightly together with the bags to the inside.
if your credit card has a chip, do you need a PIN number? We are heading to England… I don’t even know the PIN number for my card!
Ask the bank. In Europe (like in Canada), the credit card machines they run your credit card on will accept PINs. I think when we were there last year, they didn’t require PINs for US chipped cards, but the Euro cards all had to put in a PIN.
Although a Verizon customer in the US, we keep a T-Mobile plan on hold for when we travel. Yes, it has free texts and data. Most voice calls are .20/minute.
Regarding the credit cards. It’s best to have a Chip and PIN card, not simply a Chip and Sign card. Most US cards that have an embedded chip are chip and sign. The PIN to which they refer is for withdrawing cash at ATMs. A true Chip and PIN card requires you to enter you PIN at a point of transaction. This becomes critical when purchasing from an unattended kiosk - i.e. train tickets, metro, student cafeteria. Some smaller establishments will not accept a signature but rather the PIN technology. The Barclay Arrival Plus card has no foreign transactions fees and is true chip and pin.
Most ATM’s charge you a set fee - whether you withdraw $50 or $500. We guesstimate our cash requirements and try to make as few ATM transactions as possible.