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My friend went to Europe for a month as a chaperone with a school group, but first he went to Goodwill and bought some decent looking clothes. Then, every night in Europe he simply threw away the clothes he wore that day to make room for souvenirs!!!!!! On his trip home, his suitcase was filled with remembrances!!!

I have flown in the US twice last month. I would say to definitely pack a rolling carry on with most everything you need. There were a lot of delays. In Atlanta our crew arrived, but they shifted them to another flight that had more people with connections, bc the original crew for that flight was in Boston on a weather delay. We waited 7 hours for a crew to arrive from St Louis, and a pilot to be flown in from AZ. 1/2 the passengers decided to get rent a cars (3 hrs from final destination), but they first had to stand in a line to request their bags to be taken off the plane. 🤯. I’m not complaining, and it probably won’t happen to you, just letting you know there are a lot of things going on, prob worldwide.
I also learned that nowadays, if your flight is cancelled, the airline’s computer automatically assigns you a new flight and sends the info to the app. If that flight isn’t ok with you, then you can call the 800 number. (At least that’s how Southwest handled it).

So, I knew I’d eventually get to my destination, and I just enjoyed people watching and eating some delicious food at the airport.

I’m not sure if there’s time, but definitely try to get TSA precheck or the Global pre-check program. On TSA pre-check line, those people go thru a very short line and get to leave their shoes on!!!!

One more item to consider... an Air Tag for your suitcase. If it gets 'lost', you can at least figure out where it is - stateside, or in Europe. We just bought some for our current trip to Boston, and put them in inconspicuous places (wrapped up in our underwear), so if anyone did rifle through our bags, they wouldn't likely find it. It was reassuring to see our bags made it to our destination when it took half an hour for the bags to come out on the carousel.

They run $29/piece, or you can purchase four for $99. We bought the four-pack, kept two for ourselves and gave two to our daughter for when they come visit us at Christmas.

People are using Air Tags for all kinds of things, luggage being among them. I know people who use them when they move distances from their current homes; they can track the moving van as it makes its way to the new destination. Those moving van drivers aren't always honest about where they are, and when they should arrive. So the Air Tags are a good investment for many reasons.

Big difference in Europe travel versus US is that stateside carry-on is the norm whereas in Europe its more check-in. I have experienced trouble boarding in Europe because my carry-on exceeded 22 pounds and some dinky size regulation.
Travel as light as you can. Rather than carrying an umbrella just buy one in Europe IF YOU NEED IT. Same with clothes and stuff – carry less and buy if needed.

Bigger - depends on the airline and what kind of plane..... some airlines care more than others. I always get pissed when I see one person trying (and succeeding!!) to make it on the plane with like 6 carry-on items, blocking the aisles, hogging all the overhead space, etc.....

Just sayin'!!

A few more thoughts, on the side of security:

= Photocopy or snap a pic on your phone of your passport (face page) and front/back of all credit/bank cards you are taking with you, and make sure that you have the phone numbers of where to report if they get lost or stolen. Print it out, email it to yourself, store it in the cloud.... should the worst happen, having all of this available will be invaluable.

= I don't know how you have stored contacts in your phone, but the most 'transferable' way is to lead with a + sign, which indicates the code for an international call. This is 011 in the US, but in Europe is 00. So for a US number, it would be +1 234 567 8910.

= As for the pickpocketing - just be aware of your surroundings and the typical tricks they use. If someone bumps into you, just move away from them and move on. Ignore anyone who asks you for the time, directions, etc. Especially pregnant women, that's a common ruse to distract you. Don't get stuck in a crowd, and try to avoid looking like a 'tourist'. Be especially careful around stations and major tourist places.

= I assume you are traveling alone. If you are accosted or feel threatened by a man, here are a few phrases in French you can use:

* Leave me alone: Laissez-moi seule (less-a-mwha sul)

* Rape / rapist: viol / violeur (Vee-ole / Vee-ole-ur), works best if you are screaming it, and you don't have to wait until you are actually being raped

* Help me: M'aidez (may-day)

= So, not to leave you paranoid, just saying that forewarned is forearmed!!

I know you are going to have a great time.

[This message edited by ZenMumWalking at 3:51 PM, Tuesday, September 13th]

I just got back from a week in Paris.
* have a day or hand bag that zips
* have at least 2 pairs of comfy shoes but otherwise limit shoes. They take up a lot of space.
* Use multitaskers. Instead of fleece + raincoat + down jacket, get a shell with a zip out fleece.
* have a blazer or sweater, not both. Again they are bulky.
* wash some laundry in the sink.
* go mix/match so you can make lots of outfits from a couple pieces. Add a scarf to add pizazz.
* my hotel offered umbrellas for free with a 30Eu deposit, and every tourist shop had them for sale. (I brought a tiny one I had, and I needed it most days).
* European carryon bag limits are slightly smaller than US carriers — I think 21" vs 22". But yeah, folks brought everything on. (I;ve had my US carryon rejected and had to check in the past b/c it was the tiniest bit too big. Super annoying).
* Make sure you credit cards are touch to pay. I never even changed money on this trip, but usually you will need to.

You guys are amazing. It's like having a tribe of really intelligent enlightened people giving good advice :)

So.. the amazing news is I get included checked luggage.

The other amazing news is I will be staying in a very nice hotel. Hotel from the airport is covered.

This is the Karma bus or my higher power or whatever anyone calls it delivering a nice vase of flowers 🌺🌹 and some Belgium 🍫🍫

Nice contrast!

A family member ordered me a travel shawl with a pocket. They bought me black...said it was practical lol

I am not flying through New York. The flight is direct. I am pretty excited. It's American Airlines.

I need to see if my phone can make calls but I think I will use data calling and maybe get a cheap phone with a sim card.

Also another thought - make sure that you inform your bank / card companies that you will be traveling (and where and when). Many will flag unusual transactions as potentially fraudulent and block your card. If they already know not to do this it can save some hassles with getting your card unblocked.

I need to see if my phone can make calls but I think I will use data calling and maybe get a cheap phone with a sim card.

This is getting better, but I usually pick up a $20-30 pay as you go sim and swap out on arrival. Never taking the phone out of airplane mode until I have the domestic sim out. Verizon charges $10 a day every 24 hours the phone is used out of country.

On the credit cards, some of them are changing on travel notification but it's definitely something to verify. My cards with no transaction fees no longer require a travel notice, yet the one we use for gas has tripped on my wife's runs to FL.

Great advice! Thanks!

Especially the sim swap. And the fact that I need to tell the credit card company. They locked my card once in Florida and I lived there lol

Comfy clothes are great. When I travel, I tend to take sundresses or lighter tops/bottoms because I can roll them up and pack a smaller bag or carry-on and they don’t get creased and wrinkly. Obviously I hang them when I get where I’m going but it works for light traveling.

Rolling is a great idea thanks Deena!

Yes, rolling is the most efficient way to pack. When I pack, I lay out all of my tops, one on top of the other, and then roll them all together. Same with bottoms. In the end, my suitcase is a couple of very big rolls, and a couple of small ones (underwear, etc. rolled into my PJs. And I don't do it for the reason of avoiding wrinkles (although I do take it all out and hang when I arrive at my destination); it's just more efficient.

They locked my card once in Florida and I lived there lol

We use one card for gas since it gives 5% cash back on gas. Wife's driven to AZ and back without issue. Drives to Florida, about half the distance, and they fraud lock the same card.

Duplicate

[This message edited by grubs at 2:19 PM, Friday, September 23rd]

This is all great advice. Thanks! I am rereading as I prep to leave.

Things are tight financially and my self esteem is pretty low at times from years of what we don't talk about in this thread...but...

I just found out how really nice the hotel is.. I knew it would be nice but ...
Cab from the airport, checked bag on the plane, spa at the hotel kind of nice trip...6 days several thousand dollar trip kind of nice as a gift.

I am feeling a bit anxious because I don't know the social context of when to tip, how much to tip if at all, what I need to wear in a European hotel of that caliber etc.
There are pools and saunas.
executive meals out etc

Any tips about expectations etc when eating out, room service, bags to the room, can rides, what to wear etc are welcome.

So true about me being able to go about anywhere and not get locked down but go to the gas station around the corner from the apartment and bamm lockdown!

My cc company said they don’t need to know when I travel internationally anymore— they just know. But I called anyway, just in case. I also called AT&T, my mobile carrier, and they had a plan that was kinda expensive but only applied when you were actually traveling. And again, they just knew. I use an iPhone and that just was easier for me than dealing with another phone or SIM cards. (But WhatsApp is great and I do use that to talk to my friends who live in other places).

As for tips, check out a travel book from the library or order a used one online. I love those ones from Fromers/Fodders/LonelyPlanet, etc— they cover all those cultural things plus have tips on skipping lines, what metro card to buy, what days things are closed or open late, and all that. I always get one - and last years’ edition is fine. To me they are worth the small expense. (Plus they have lots of history about the things you will see, so that just adds to the adventure). You can get them online, too. And reading them in advance of my trip helps me get super excited and plan out my "must-see" things. You can also download the metro/public transportation apps too- I found that SOOOO helpful for getting around in Paris b/c it was super easy to use and accurate to the minute. Also, your Uber app works there too, so also very easy.

Enjoy the trip, and have a great time!

Not sure about Belgium, but many countries in Europe have service charge included in the price (unlike most places in the US) and also pay a decent (though not spectacular) wage. So tipping is generally just rounding up the change - which seems chintzy by US standards but typically not here. However, tipping extra is still appreciated, especially post-covid.

Dressy but not glamourous is pretty standard. No sports t-shirts hahaha......

Most European women tend to wear a dressy scarf with whatever they are wearing, if you do that you won't look out of place. You can try out different ways to tie them by doing an internet image search.

And a 's'il vous plaît' (seal-voo-play) = please and merci (mare-si) = thank you won't be out of place in Brussels.

I know you're going to have a great time. The dollar is strong so you will get a lot of bang (ie euro) for your buck.

Tipping is appreciated but it isn’t on a level to the US, hospitality staff have a decent wage.

Normally you may see a service charge at the bottom of your bill so that means the tip is included, I don’t tip on top of that. If no service charge a 10% tip would be appreciated.

I don’t know how posh your hotel is but you should be ok, they may have a rule around no trainers in the restaurant for dinner, no jeans but I doubt it, rather than guess though ask the concierge on arrival if the restaurant has a dress code.

Other than that I wouldn’t expect a dress code in the hotel overall. Spas have their own rules with regards to towels, robes etc, again, ask the concierge to confirm if you’re planning to use the Spa.

Safe travels, have fun.