I agree that practical problems might be limited, but you can be asked to show your passport both within countries (everyone in the Netherlands is required to carry id, for instance, and I’m pretty sure there’s some EU countries where the same applies) and when crossing borders. I’ve been asked to show my passport on trains from Germany into the Netherlands and vice versa on several occasions.
They asked for my passport when I was crossing over from France to Italy. And from Ireland to France, for that matter.
Did they stamp your passport, or did they just want it for ID?
FWIW, I didn’t need my passport for my connecting flights between the Netherlands and Spain, or when travelling between Spain and Portugal. There wasn’t any border control at all.
You’ll need a passport to get into Switzerland from the surrounding EU, too.
Overall, I have found travel through Europe to be safer than travel through the US. For example, I’ve hitch-hiked through the Balkans and parts of Eastern Europe, something I would never do in the US, but felt completely normal and safe there. The main thing to worry about is property crime and tourist scams. Guard your stuff, watch your pockets and your wallet when on public transportation, use your common sense, and you should be okay.
My experience is mostly with Central/Eastern Europe (primarily, Budapest). There’s no neighborhood there I would feel uncomfortable walking at night, although there are plenty in Chicago I would prefer to avoid at certain hours. The bigger, Western European cities, though, definitely had more pockets I would feel uneasy about.
As Svejk says upthread, just be sensible and you’ll be fine.
This depends on where you go - many cities in Europe have cobbled streets, and you will have a lot of trouble wheeling a suitcase - I remember commenting on this to friends as we walked around Barcelona and watched bus loads of tourists struggling. I carried a backpack myself and found myself much more mobile. Plus, you can attach your daypack to your front, allowing you to keep an eye on your valuables and get easy access.
I lived in London for a year in 05, and travelled by myself around Europe - and provided you are careful and aware, I never felt worried at all. The common sense things apply:
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research the location of hotels to make sure they are in well populated areas and close to public transport
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be sensible - do your exploring during the day not at night (unless it’s busy), plan routes to get to interesting restaurants for dinner etc so you know where you are going.
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read the Lonely Planet thorn tree forums for the most up to date info about destinations
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always be aware - don’t take short cuts, keep an eye on people around you, make sure you keep to populated streets etc.
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keep a lock on backpacks/daypacks, keep bags in sight when sitting etc.
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Take a cable lock and use it when leaving your bags in a hotel room
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avoid standing in a busy street with a guidebook or map looking confused! Pull off to the side, get into a cafe etc, less of a target
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don’t faff around with cash in public view - if taking it from an ATM grab it, walk away and sort through it later.
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keep jewellery simple, and don’t carry a lot. In some countries a wedding ring can make life a little easier, depending on their culture.
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Scan in copies of passport, visas, credit card details etc into something like gmail, and leave copies with someone at home in case things go missing. I also separated my money/cards and kept some in a couple of bags in case one got stolen.
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be aware of diversion scams - if someone’s trying wildly to keep your attention, have a look around and see if anyone is trying something else.
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when in doubt, don’t.
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don’t be paranoid! All the above is basic common sense, and people in general were lovely to me when travelling by myself - keeping a special eye on me on transport and in restaurants etc. I never had a really bad experience, and it’s such a boost to your confidence!
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accept that sometimes you may get ripped off a little - extra cab charge, etc, but know when to fight your battles, and chalk it up to learning on the journey.
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staying at hostels as opposed to hotels is also good for meeting people, although be aware that it’s not only the locals that can rip you off.
Journeywoman is a travel advice site aimed specifically at women. They have a section particularly for women traveling alone, as well as a section giving advice on what to wear in different places (e.g. don’t wear shorts in Italy).
They stamped it when I came over to France from Ireland. I can’t remember if I got a stamp for Italy.
Ireland isn’t in Schengen either. Their only land border is with the UK, the cost and hassle of passport checks between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland outweighed the savings from doing away with passport checks for flights arriving from within schengen.
Continental hotels ask for “i.d.”, tourists tend to hand over their passport locals their national i.d. card or driver’s licence with photo.
Carry a photocopy of your passport, colour if possible, on your person - many continental Europrean countries require you to carry i.d. at all times - leave the original in the hotel when you can.
“Equivalent ID” (namely your driver’s license or any national ID with picture, name and address) also works. They ask for the passport because that way they’re sure that they’re copying your information correctly, more than anything else.
I guess I wasn’t explicit enough. I was warning AGAINST taking wheeled luggage unless you can also carry it some distance! To really see tourists struggle, sit outside the train station in Venice for ten minutes, and see the growing expressions of dismay as people realise they’re in a city not designed to accomodate wheels at all…
People travel differently. I’m a big fan of dumping off my main bag at my hostel/hotel/left luggage office, in which case you can get away with wheeled luggage if it’s light enough to carry/drag it from the train station to wherever you’re staying. But personally I much prefer a rucksack, and my only experience of wheeled luggage is helping other people with theirs.
Yes to all of the above. Especially the final three.
I have to admit, I’ve done this a time or two–and actually was helped rather than ripped off.
But I agree that going into a cafe with my map would have been a better idea.
I really wouldn’t worry about it. I just spent two years living on my own in AFRICA with nary an incident.
Travelling alone is the best way to travel! For every person you take on a trip, you lose 10% of the trip. One of the good things about Europe is that it is easy enough to meet people to travel with for short periods of time without sacrificing your freedom.
My advice:
[ul]
[li]Assume everything is going to get stolen. Don’t bring stuff that would make your cry if you lost it- this means no jewelry, ipods, etc. [/li][li]Pack light. Go to www.onebag.com and follow their advice. Ideally you want to be in physical contact with your stuff at all times, and that is easiest if there is not too much of it. Don’t put your bags on top of busses or in luggage areas of trains- touch it at all times. When eating out, loop your purse or backpack strap around your leg. Take your bag into the restroom with you when you have to go. Backpacks are the most mobile (and therefor safest) way to pack. [/li][li]Buy luggage locks for zippers (or at least twist ties) and a cable lock. You might want to look at the new Pac-Safe bags, which have all kinds of anti-theft stuff. Anytime you are near something you can lock your bag to, lock it. Make sure your purse is cross-shoulder and zippers. [/li][li]Use a moneybelt, ideally a slash-proof one. Keep it pinned to your undies. Never keep more cash than you need for the next few hours in your pocket.[/li][li]Don’t leave valuables in the hotel. Lock your bags when you are gone. If you have to leave money, etc. hide it well (tape it behind a mirrior, hide it in a closet, etc.)[/li][li]Keep small stashes of money and lists of important numbers everywhere- in shoes, backpacks, sewn into seams, etc. That way if the worst does happen, you’ll be able to get to a city and make phone calls.[/li][li]Keep photocopies of important documents in a seperate place. Also email yourself a copy of important documents and phone numbers. [/li][li]Look as local as possible. Wear decent clothes and shoes. Try not to look lost. Tear out pages from the guidebook that you need for that day and keep them in your pocket so that you arn’t always looking in a big book. Stop someplace inconspicious if you need to read a map or root around in your backpack.[/li][li]Walk on the side of the road that is busiest, best lit, and least full of hiding places. Learn to look at shadows and window reflections to make sure nobody is following you. Never use an ATM alone- have someone watch your back. [/li][li]Don’t do stuff you wouldn’t do in America- stay inside at night, don’t put your trust in strangers, don’t wander dangerous neighborhoods. Common sense is all it takes to stay safe. [/li][/ul]
Every Lonely Planet/Rough Guide has a section on safety in it that will outline common scams in the area. A trip to the bookstore will yield all kinds of travel safety guides and guides for women’s solo travel. If you really want to scare the girl, give her a copy of Robert Young Pelton’s Come Back Alive, which is focused on journalists, businesspeople, etc who are going into seriously dangerous territory.
As to the bag: When I travelled Australia, I used something like this - a backpack with wheels. That way you can wheel it most of the time, but if you have to carry it up steps or something, you can use the backpack straps. The one depicted also has an additional little backpack that you can attach to the front if you’re wheeling it somewhere, but take off for daytrips, which was also excellent. However, I would recommend getting a smaller one than the one in the link, because at some point, the best straps won’t help you lugging a 70 kilo behemoth up some steep hostel stairs.
[QUOTE=even sven]
[li]Don’t do stuff you wouldn’t do in America- stay inside at night, don’t put your trust in strangers, don’t wander dangerous neighborhoods.[/li][/QUOTE]
This seems a bit OTT - in Mediterranean countries at least, people often don’t eat out 'til late evening, and then drink into the early hours. Because there’s a cultural trend to these sort of late night shenanigans, there are a lot of people about, so there’s no particular danger in going out at night.
Ok, try to go out with other people (meet people in hostels! But don’t forget they are still strangers!) or stick to neighborhoods you know pretty well and that are nearby to where you are staying. Don’t get smashed drunk! Heavy drinking seems like a great vacation plan, but that is how 90% of trouble happens. Resist the temptation to stay out really late unless you have someone you trust to make sure you get home okay. Make sure you have a plan if the people you go out with find dates or decide to make some bad decisions (move on to a bar in a sketchy area, stayout crazy late, etc.)
So yes for getting a single drink with friends from the hostel at the bar near your hotel. No on getting wasted at some bar you’ve never been to a twenty minute subway ride away with some guys who whistled to you on the street.