Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Here is a list of the countries that use the Euro: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta,
Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Vat-
ican City.
However, there are still some countries that haven't adopted the Euro and still use their own
currency. These countries are: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Herzegovina, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, FYR Macedonia, Mol-
dova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and
the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales).
he
Exchange Rate
is the value of one currency in terms of another. The rates change daily
(although in tiny increments). Be sure to know the current exchange rate while you're trav-
eling so you'll have a better idea what you're spending in your home currency. I like to write
down in my notebook how much currencies are worth compared to the US dollar so I can
have a quick reference when I make purchases. I use
XE.com
to find the current rates—they
also have an excellent free exchange rate app that can be used without an Internet connection
if you travel with a smartphone.
It is fairly simple to estimate prices on the fly with the Euro, British Pound Sterling, and
the Swiss Franc because those currencies are relatively similar to the US dollar. For example,
10 USD = 7.31 EUR, 6.12 GBP, and 9 CHF. However, it gets more confusing in other coun-
tries because the numbers get significantly higher so it is more difficult to estimate how much
you're paying for things. For example, 10 USD is worth about 2,185 Hungarian Forint. Now,
before you get too excited, this doesn't mean you can live like a king on $10. It just means that
a meal and a beer at an inexpensive restaurant in Budapest will cost about 2,185 HUF.
WITHDRAWING MONEY FROM AN ATM
The ATM is easily the best way to get cash while traveling in Europe. There are ATMs every-
where (airports, train stations, scattered across cities, etc.) and it's the most popular (and
sometimes only) way for Europeans to access their cash. Most ATMs have an English lan-
guage option (look for the little British flag icon), so you don't have to worry about knowing
the local language. Another benefit is that you will be given the current exchange rate when
you make a withdrawal (money change offices give you a poor conversion rate).
