Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Did I mention that I hate to travel?  I love being in new places, but the process of packing and getting there is one of my least favorite things to do. Every airline having different rules doesn't help. We knew we would be taking a plane from the USA, but we also had to fly from Dublin to Paris. Then a train to Zurich and Budapest. And we rented cars here and there.

The acceptable size for carry-on luggage in Europe is 21.75 x 15.75 x 8 inches. EIGHT INCHES! Sheesh. I finally found an appropriate piece at Kohl's -- a Samsonite Wheeled Boarding Bag 13"H x 17"W x 8"D -- a little smaller than necessary but it worked just fine. We found all sorts of gadgets to help shrink the size of the luggage. I used packing cubes and the Eagle Creek Pack-it folder. Melissa used compression bags.

My purse or camera bag had to be less than 13 x 9.84 x 7.87 inches. I skipped the purse and used a travel vest instead.  Everything had wheels, except my "electronics bag" which was actually a cooler disguised as a camera bag. The cooler doubled as a real cooler when we traveled by car. (I liked it so much, I'm still using it and have already purchased a second one at Walmart.) I found this lovely Travelon Bag Bungee at Amazon.com and it tied everything together nicely.

For the plane we both had a Travelrest "Ultimate Inflatable Travel Pillow." If you are on the fence about these, all I can say is they really worked well for both of us. I probably wouldn't bother for a short plane ride, but crossing the pond was much more comfortable. I actually slept most of the way and woke in Dublin relaxed, refreshed and ready to go.

Phones, Cameras, Tablets and Accessories!

I loved my phone -- Samsung Galaxy Nexus, but it wasn't a quad band phone so couldn't be used in Europe.  We were leaving on the 26th and my phone was eligible for replacement on the 25th with Verizon.  I considered everything, including biting the bullet and paying full price for a new phone.

I went phone shopping at Best Buy Mobile.  They told me that the International division of Verizon could often issue new phones sooner. So that's how I got a Galaxy S4 in plenty of time for the trip.

Melissa already had a quad band S3, but not to be outdone, she went out and added a Note 10" tablet.  I would be bringing my Nexus 7 for email, surfing, reading and reference. I also decided to take the old Nexus phone because it would take a photosphere picture. And the good Canon camera for its zoom.

We used every single gadget and in some cases really needed them. We also needed a suitcase just for the chargers! We had wall chargers and car chargers for each and even had extra chargers and batteries for everything.

We had an extension cord designed for European 220v current.  It was Melissa's idea to leave all the chargers plugged into the extension as we moved from city to city. All we had to do was change the plug in each country.

The extension cord featured a blue light so we could confirm there was power. This actually came in very handy -- but that's another story. 

Why bring extra chargers? Have you ever had a charger die on vacation?  I have -- on the third day of two week trip.  And it was for a camera that used proprietary accessories. We didn't find a replacement until the vacation was over.  

Melissa used an International sim card from One Sim Card that gave her a US phone number and a European phone number on the same card.  I went with Verizon's International plan.  The cost was about the same for both, but she used her phone extensively and I made one call per day.

I also erred by not turning off mobile data while in the airport in the US.  Something had a major update and used up the first 100MB of data before I even left but after I had switched over to the International Plan.

Traveling to Europe is different

Everyone knows you need a passport. You can't just hop a plane and go. Generally speaking you don't need visas within the Eurozone and even for some of the neighboring countries, but we checked all the countries we planned to visit. 

Planes within Europe are smaller and have a smaller luggage size and weight allowance. Check your airlines – all of them! Then adjust your baggage accordingly. Don't forget to check the weight limits too.

If you are renting a car you may need an International Drivers License. You can get that from AAA. You don't have to be a member, but if you aren't you pay a little bit more. Plan ahead if you will be crossing borders with a rental vehicle. Sometimes special advance authorization and paperwork is required. (We needed that for Serbia.)

People no longer use traveler's checks in Europe – just use an ATM and your debit card.

Credit cards are another story. Much of Europe has gone to PIN and Chip credit cards – especially in the UK, Ireland and France. I won't bore you with all the details, but if you are interested you can read more at CreditCard.com
http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/american-travelers-guide-emv-chip-cards-1271.php

Also Flyer Talk maintains a list of banks and credit unions issuing PIN & Chip cards and PIN & Signature cards: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ani-u3tGk5hedGRvcE1ELVg5UmlGZk01SHZvTUMxdUE#gid=0

And then there is power,110 volt in the US and 220 volts in Europe. If you are taking electronic equipment, check each item. Most will work at either voltage. But hair dryers and electric razors are another story. You may have to buy a converter, new gadgets or do without.

Once the power problem is solved, you have to worry about plugs. Ireland and the UK use a three pronged monster; the EU a simple two prong; but the exception is Switzerland which has it's own special plug. UG!

More on plugs and electronics next...

Cave Baths

Of course, we couldn't just stop with waterfalls.  In her unending research of places to see, Mom kept sharing different sites she came across. For the most part, this was Mom's trip, so I was willing to go wherever tickled her fancy.  But a few of her suggestions caught my fancy, one of them being the Cave Baths of Miskolc Tapolca.  These I wanted to see!

We have the best travel agent in the world!

It helps that my travel agent is also my oldest and dearest friend.  

She spent Thanksgiving with us in 2012 while we were still in the talking phase of the trip. When she left we had a deadline.  The airline tickets had to be purchased by the end of January 2013.  Talk about planning ahead!  

That gave us two months to set our itinerary.  It was complicated.  I live in Florida and Melissa is in North Carolina, so we decided to fly to Atlanta and meet in the airport for the final leg to Europe. 

Initially we were going to Hungary and Serbia to search for information on my paternal grandparents and of course Plitvice National Park in Croatia, but we had to fly out of Paris so it seemed a shame not to arrange a stopover and see the Louvre. (Every time we've been to Europe we planned to go to the Louvre, but for one reason or another we never made it.) 

We then found it was better to fly into Dublin, which gave us an opportunity to search for the birthplace of Michael Woods who died in Albermarle, Virgina in 1762.  Instead of just a trip to Eastern Europe, our plans expanded even more to include Switzerland, the ancient home of our Felder ancestors.  

I have to give credit to Rick Steves for all the advice available on his website and in his books.  The tidbit that finally set the itinerary was his suggestion to start in the north if traveling in late summer, so as you move south the temperatures will usually be dropping. The result should be a fairly even climate.  Also to save the places where the water is iffy and the food unusual for the end of the trip on the theory that if you get sick, you don't ruin the entire vacation.

The itinerary was set:
View Vacation 2013 in a larger map

Fly to Dublin - stay 3 days
Fly to Paris - 3 days
Train to Zurich - 2 days
Night train to Budapest - 3 days
Drive to Miskolc - 2 days
Drive to Novi Sad - 2 days
Drive to Erdevik - 2 days
Drive to Zabreb - 2 days (includes trip to Plitvice)
Return to Budapest - 1 day
Fly Home

21 Places to see before you die

I love waterfalls.  When I saw the picture of the Plitvice Lakes waterfalls posted to Google+ by Ralph Roberts, I just had to share.

Photo copyright Jack Brauer, used with permission.  For more of his
photography visit http://www.MountainPhotography.com
 
Melissa saw the photo and said she really wanted to see the falls. 

I had been thinking about crossing the pond to do a bit more genealogy research so we stuck a deal.  Melissa would accompany me and assist and we would also visit Plitvice.

That's the way it all began...