Traveling to Barcelona...looking for general traveling to Europe tips

[jacksmomtobe]

My family is taking a trip to Barcelona in Aug with a soccer tour. Embarrassingly enough i have not travelled out of the country as an adult so not since cell phones existed , 9/11 etc and am looking for some general tips. Our trip itinerary will be provided by the tour co so i am looking more for info on general things to think about and/or plan for. Here are a few of my questions however I would appreciate any tips for a novice like me (DH has done way more traveling but I am our family coordinator/logistics person):

*What things we may need to take that I might not think of
*Any tips/things to think of related to our cellphones/tablets
*Any pre trip tasks we should do- I'm planning on calling our bank and credit card cos. Many of the expenses are paid for and our team manager has collected funds to cover some of the other incidentals.

Thanks!

[nfceagles]

You need travel adapters.

BUT
If you use a curling iron or straightener or blow dryer (hopefully hotel will have that), an adapter isn’t enough. You need a dual voltage hair styling tool plus an adapter. Plugging your US device into an adapter will cause it to either not work and/or fry it.


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[nfceagles]

iPads, phones and such are probably the easiest to deal with. Many adapters have USB slots if the hotel room doesn’t already have usb plugs. Or an adapter plus a multi-usb brick could prove handy.


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[Zansu]

Banks can be notified online. Don't bother calling. Make sure your cards do not charge a foreign transaction fee.

Set cell phones up for international use.

Buy some euros before you leave, so you can buy snacks at the airport or when you first arrive. We have several jewelry stores in town that sell foreign currency.

[gatorsmom]

You need travel adapters.

BUT
If you use a curling iron or straightener or blow dryer (hopefully hotel will have that), an adapter isn’t enough. You need a dual voltage hair styling tool plus an adapter. Plugging your US device into an adapter will cause it to either not work and/or fry it.


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This is good advice. Your hotel should have a hair dryer you can use but make sure your other applicances can do dual voltage. I had to buy a new curling iron and rollers before I traveled to Europe. You will also need outlet adapters. And since you are buying new ones look for ones that say they provide surge protection. We used those for charging our iPads and iPhones at night.

Bring melatonin chewables in your carry- on (and we always bring more in our checked luggage) to deal with jet lag. We primarily needed it for our kids who were still giggling every night at midnight and would.not.go.to.sleep.

If kids and parents are bringing electronics, I’d bring an extra charger bank that you can keep in your purse or backpack. I got a small one about the size of my iPhone that could charge 3 phones and 2 iPads. I think this is the one I got. https://smile.amazon.com/Belkin-Dura...ref=mp_s_a_1_1. On our last school trip I had teachers and students charging their phones from it because they were running out of battery and didn’t want to miss any photos. Also, you just don’t know if you will have access to outlets on the plane (unless you fly first class).

I never travel anywhere without Miralax packets. So many people I know have terrible trouble with constipation while traveling.

Current copies of prescriptions, particularly glasses. They are easy enough to pack in your suitcase. Or bring an extra pair of glasses or contacts.

[HannaAddict]

Banks can be notified online. Don't bother calling. Make sure your cards do not charge a foreign transaction fee.

Set cell phones up for international use.

Buy some euros before you leave, so you can buy snacks at the airport or when you first arrive. We have several jewelry stores in town that sell foreign currency.

Just use the cash machine at the airport or card. I don’t know anyone who buys currency nowadays.


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[smiles33]

I'm planning for our first trip to Europe later this year and have looked into buying/bringing/doing these things:

- make sure passports have more than 6 months left before expiration (this may vary depending on the country)
- comfy walking shoes that aren't sneakers so I can wear with a dress (I like the Ecco Damara sandals I found that a travel blogger recommended)
- scarf or some other light jacket to cover your bare shoulders in case you want to go into a church but are wearing a tank top or sleeveless top
- any brand-specific toiletries (e.g., DD2 has Vanicream sunblock for her eczema so I'm just going to check a tube of it)
- headphones for the plane ride (it's a really long 14+ hour flight for us, so even more important to have than on our typical 3-5 hour domestic flights)
- pen for customs declaration forms (I always forget a pen and had to borrow from someone sitting near us on our trips to Canada, Mexico, and Asia)
- Add Google Translate app to your phone (unless you're fluent in Spanish). It works decently well. I took a picture of the washing machine's menu and it translated the options sufficiently well that I could do a load at our apartment rental.
- We usually buy a local Sim card, but I'm considering renting a wireless hot spot that a travel blogger recommended. We normally use our phones to look up directions, research a last-minute itinerary change, etc. I'm not sure we actually need a local in-country phone number. Would love to hear from others about the sim card v. wireless access issue.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

-make sure passports are updated..can take 6 weeks to renew
-some cell service allow you to use data for a fee, like $5 per day. with iPhone7/verizon i got an automatic text.
-Spanish restaurants tend to be open different hours..e.g. a lot of them close at 2pm and don't reopen until 8pm or even 9pm for dinner (Spanish people tend to have dinner at 10pm).

[TwinFoxes]

I've found that in some ways flying internationally is easier than flying coast to coast. For one thing, they feed you! international flights are just nicer in general, I've found, so don't worry too much about that. If you plan to sleep on the plane noise canceling headphones really help, or at least earplugs. I love my Blardigan (Barfoot Dreams cardigan) for travel. Warm, lightweight, very packable. Stay hydrated on the plane.

I've been to Barcelona, but never flown in, so I can't give advice about the airport. ATMs are everywhere in the city.

Don't stress too much. Smart phones make traveling easier. Like PP said, put google translate on your phone, and use google maps, and take a picture of things like street names.

[musicalgrl]

We were in Barcelona earlier this summer and had an amazing time. What a beautiful city! Before we went I’d read online and subsequently heard from many other people that pickpocketing is very prevalent there. I wore a crossbody bag and didn’t have any issues, but others we were traveling did. Just something to be aware of.


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