A guy I talked to the other day (a guy from Texas in his 20's, said he'd been to UK, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, some other European countries) talking about the French said "they hate us!" I asked about that. I think if you show some interest in speaking French, learning some key words, terms, expressions, they will warm to you. Haven't been, but I do have an interest in learning French, and if I find myself going to France, I'll be sure to bring that along.Oh and don't be a loud, obnoxious American. That will get you nowhere with the people.
A guy I talked to the other day (a guy from Texas in his 20's) talking about the French said "they hate us!" I asked about that. I think if you show some interest in speaking French, learning some key words, terms, expressions, they will warm to you. Haven't been, but I do have an interest in learning French, and if I find myself going to France, I'll be sure to bring that along.
I've never actually been to Spain, but I've heard great things about Barcelona and those southern areas. I doubt this has changed much, but Barcelona is supposedly super thievy. It generally isn't a problem for most people, but you should always be rather vigilant. Space is generally smaller in these areas and in the middle of tourist season, you really have to watch out for gypsies. Living in Florence for ~5 months, I never had a problem, but the first day my mom came to visit, I had been so used to the general flow of things that I briefly failed to notice a couple of shitheads sidling up to us as we were planning what to do during the next couple of rainy hours. I also failed to check her planned gear, which included a tiny knit purse with a button flap, so always completely open. We got back to her hotel about 1 hour later, discovered that her brand new passport, debit card, credit cards, and $300 cash (collected by her Sunday School class as a gift for her travel) was gone. This was Christmas time, so not touristy at all. Lesson to be learned is that you should always maintain a general vigilance to the people around you, even when you know the usual tactics and are comfortable with them. ...and doesn't take a crowd or the proper season to be a victim.
This is so true when vacationing in Europe. Most major cities are full of gypsy pickpocketers. You will get some old lady to appproach you and distract you with some goods she is selling while someone lifts your wallet. Dont let anyone put anything on your wrist e.g. bracelets. Dont give some stranger a light for a smoke if they ask for it. Its all a diversion. Dont even trust the children. They are the worst and fool you with their inocence. Keep your eyes peeled in a subway or other public trasportation where personal space is limited. Dont put important items in your backpockets and develop a habit of checking your bag zippers and pockets often. Learn what Europeans gypsies look like and you will begin to spot them
Two things.I think if you show some interest in speaking French, learning some key words, terms, expressions, they will warm to you.
About this:
France is a gorgeous, lovely place. Ruined only by the French. That is to say...the Parisians.
What you say about France and French people in general is true, but not so of Parisians. Attempting to engage them in their language without anything less than expertise in conversation and especially pronunciation of there imminently perfect language will more often than not result in derision. I find that in Paris, it's best to just come out and speak loud and obnoxiously with one's thick American accent (at least they hate the British more) because they are just going to treat you that way, anyway.
Outside of Paris, the opposite is true. Very lovely people.
Treated ourselves to a 2 night stay at the Parador within the gates. IIRC, it only has about 25 rooms, King Ferdinand, and Queen Isabella were once buried in the lobby by the check in desk, the graves are roped off. Once they kick all the tourist out, and lock the gates for the night, pretty much sealing you in, you have the whole place to your self. Now that was surreal!Wife and I took a two week trip to Spain a number of years ago. We spent some time in Madrid, Cordoba, Seville and Granada. All of it was great.
Be sure to get tickets for a night visit to the Alhambra if you make it to Granada. The Alhambra at night is amazing. The best part is tickets are limited to a few hundred for the night rather than thousands for the day.
I haven't kept my wallet in my back pocket for years. Don't like sitting on it, and figure it's where a PP would target. AFAIK, I've never been PPed. I typically wear cargo pants and have my wallet in a lower front pocket. Gauging from comments here I think I'll give a lot of thought to protecting myself from thieves when traveling, which I plan to do (have my passport application at hand now!). I already noted the admonition here to not carry your passport on your person unless necessary.This is so true when vacationing in Europe. Most major cities are full of gypsy pickpocketers. You will get some old lady to appproach you and distract you with some goods she is selling while someone lifts your wallet. Dont let anyone put anything on your wrist e.g. bracelets. Dont give some stranger a light for a smoke if they ask for it. Its all a diversion. Dont even trust the children. They are the worst and fool you with their inocence. Keep your eyes peeled in a subway or other public trasportation where personal space is limited. Dont put important items in your backpockets and develop a habit of checking your bag zippers and pockets often. Learn what Europeans gypsies look like and you will begin to spot them
Never been my experience in Paris and I've been there multiple times in the past few years for weeks on end. Everyone but this one lady at the airport was more than willing to conversate and help me in my broken French.
Had my wallet lifted in New Orleans late one night. Girl grabbed my nutz, and propositioned me. Should have known that was just a distraction. She managed to charge for over $200 in gas by morning when I called the bank. Guess that's why pumps now ask for a zip code now.The old/young lady with the baby in her hands is also very common. Shove the baby into your chest while her other hand (or other kids) rifle through your pockets.
Had my wallet lifted in New Orleans late one night. Girl grabbed my nutz, and propositioned me. Should have known that was just a distraction. She managed to charge for over $200 in gas by morning when I called the bank. Guess that's why pumps now ask for a zip code now.
They make those in two versions. One is made with silk and the others I think are made with poison ivy, nettles, and maybe some ghost pepper flakes. If you go with a money belt (I do), do yourself a favor and get a silk one.I travel with a backpack AND one of these: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/travel-moneybelt
They make those in two versions. One is made with silk and the others I think are made with poison ivy, nettles, and maybe some ghost pepper flakes. If you go with a money belt (I do), do yourself a favor and get a silk one.
After spending three weeks in the UK in December 2014 I quickly realized I would spend three months and still not see everything of interest in just the UK.
I usually carry my passport when in a foriegn country. The only exception is if I stay at one of those resorts in the Carribean that are basically walled off compounds. You are on hotel property and the passport can stay in the room (in a safe). But when walking around in a city, I carry and its because it is the only document that proves who you are. I also carry the customs document (visa) that shows my legal entry into the country. I also keep my airline tickets, train tickets, mass transport passes and most of my cash in a safe spot on me.
I travel with a backpack AND one of these: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/travel-moneybelt All my inportant stuff goes into here. I only keep pocket change or some small bills in my actual pocket. If I need to make a withdrawal from my money belt, I try to do it surreptitiously and out of view.
Keep in mind that US passports carry a substantial black market value.
When I was studying in Rome, the school told us to make a photo copy of our passport and visa and keep that on us instead of actually bringing along our full passport.
-- Stay in hostels and you'll save loads of money and they're very clean. You only lay the bones there for 6 hrs. so no need to get all fancy and shit with a place you'll barely be there.