Electricity - "The Electrical current is 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the linear, rounded three-pin type, but rounded two-pin plugs will fit the outlet. " Jackie and I bought a converter kit from WalMart that has several different types of plugs. I see you can get them on Amazon, also. It may say that you can use blow dryers and curling irons, but you also have to pay attention to how powerful they are and we found that we didn't own a blow dryer or curling iron that was low enough to not blow their circuits. So, we just didn't use either in the UK. A friend suggested we bring a butane curling iron.
Currency - They take Euros or Swiss Francs in a lot of places, however, they prefer Swiss Francs so when we get there we will want to convert to that (banks offer the best rates). We will want to bring traveler's checks or the traveler's check card. But, the card our bank gave us could not be used as an ATM to actually pull out money - it could only be used as a credit card. Because we are going to be in rural areas some will not take traveler's checks and/or credit cards. A couple of our hotels will take cash only. But, your regular ATM will also work (again, limited in rural areas). If you are interested in checking out the rates, here is a good site: Converter. By the way, about a month ago it took $44.50 US dollars to get 50 Francs - it is now at $42.44 - so we are going in the right direction there!
Medical - you will want to check your health insurance and see what they cover for out of the country. Most will cover emergencies, but you may want more - if you got strep throat while traveling it isn't an emergency but it could ruin your vacation. You can buy health insurance online - or you can buy it at the airport (I think). Or, you can figure you would pay cash for non-emergencies. Just FYI - we did nothing when we went to UK - figured we would pay for non-emergencies if they came up.
Tipping - A service charge is built into the price at restaurants. Tipping is not expected, however, many people leave an extra Franc or so. For hotels if they carry your bags you should tip 1-2 francs per bag. It is also included in the taxis so you can tip a little but it is not expected.
Documents - They suggest you have a photo-copy of your passport that you keep somewhere different than you keep your actual passport. Same with your birth certificate. Jackie and I scanned ours and emailed to ourselves as a third precaution.
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You are really too much. I so do appreciate all of your hard work. I know you love to organize but you are also busy people. Thank you! Thank You! Great information I would never have thought about all of the important items you know about. Thanks again and Love from Aunt Linda Ovando.
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