Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NEWSPAPERS
BritishandAmericannewspapersandmagazinesarewidelyavailableinEurope,sometimesontheday
of publication, more often the day after. They do, however, cost around three times as much as they do
at home. Look too for locally produced English-language papers and websites.
Left luggage (baggage deposit)
Almost every train station of any size has facilities for depositing luggage - either lockers
or a desk that's open long hours every day.
Mail
Bear in mind that in most countries you can avoid long waits in post offices by buying
stamps from newsagents, tobacconists and street kiosks. If you know in advance where
you'regoingtobeandwhen,itispossibletocollectlettersaddressedtoyou,marked“
poste
restante
” and sent to the main post office in any town or city where they will be kept under
your name - for at least two weeks and usually for a month. When collecting mail, make
sure you take your passport for identification, and be aware that there's a possibility of let-
ters being misfiled by someone unfamiliar with your language; try looking under your first
name as well as your surname.
Maps
Though you can often buy maps on the spot, you may want to get them in advance to plan
your trip - if you know what you want, the best advice is to contact a firm such as Stan-
fords in the UK (
stanfords.co.uk
)
or Rand McNally in the US (
randmcnally.com
); both
sell mapsonlineorbymail order.Forextensive motoring,it'sbetter togetalarge-pageroad
atlas such as Michelin's
Tourist and Motoring Atlas
.
Money
The easiest way to carry your money is in the form of plastic. Hotels, shops and restaurants
acrosstheContinentacceptmajor
creditanddebitcards
,althoughcheaperplacesmaynot.
Moreimportantly,youcanusethem24/7togetcashoutof
ATMs
throughouttheregion,in-
cluding Morocco and Turkey, as long as they are affiliated to an international network (such
as Visa, MasterCard or Cirrus). In some countries
banks
are the only places where you can
legally change money, and they often offer the best exchange rates and lowest commission.
