Rec and Sports

Budget Traveling To France – Europe

Polluted, dreadful or revolting, most people have their own judgment about France and the French people: If you think France you think: fashionable, stylish, sexy, impolite, bureaucratic, bitchy as hell, pavements studded with dog excrements, French baguettes that dry out before you get a chance to eat it and a habit of torching cars is some of the talk on the street. Spice up the cauldron with the regular metropolitan riots, political gossip and a 35-hour working week – not to forget The Da Vinci Code, a gigantic box-office hit taking over Paris as well as celebrity Angelina Jolie supposedly plumping for a castle in Normandy to raise her children – and the worldwide press is all over too.

This is, after all, that magical land of good food and wine, of majestic chateaux and flawlessly restored farmhouses, of landmarks known the planet over and hidden landscapes few really know. Take pleasure in art and romance in the unblemished center on the River Seine. See celebrated pasts blaze forth at Versailles. Take a trip south for Roman developments and the dazzling blue Mediterranean Sea ; pander to your jet-set fantasies in pleasant Nice and St-Tropez. Ski the Alps. Experience the fine blend of language, music and folklore in Brittany brought by 5th-century Celtic invaders. Smell embarrassment on the beaches of Normandy and battlefields of Verdun and the Somme. And know that this is but the tip of that gigantic iceberg the French people call culture.

Yes, this is that enduring land whose citizens have a accepted joie de vivre and savoir- faire – and have for centuries. But change is going on. France and the French are fed up – and stimulated. It’s on the tip of everyone’s tongues, go and see it when you travel there [I:http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/extras/pics/ningbothumb1.jpg]. Some practical information

Money Cash: Carry as little cash as possible while travelling around. Pickpockets are unavoidable. You always get a better exchange rate when you are in-country. However you should have some money in your pocket when arriving to take a taxi or public transport to a hotel. The currency is Euro. Do not forget that 500 Euro note is a big amount of money, dont expect that a normal shop will give you small change for that.

Charges offered for Money Exchange fluctuate, so it pays to compare. Banks charge roughly 3.40 to 5.30 to cash travelers cheques (eg BNP Paribas charges 1.5%, with a minimum charge of 4Euro).Moneychangers business banks regularly charge a rigid 3 % to 5% comission per foreign-currency operation (eg BNP Paribas charges 3.3% or a minimum of about 4 Euro).

In the capitalParis, exchange bureau (bureaux de change) are quicker and easier, open longer hours and provide better rates than most banks. In general, post offices in Paris can offer the best exchange rates and accept banknotes in various currencies as well as American Express and Visa travelers cheques. The expenses for travelers cheques is 1.5% (minimum about 4 Euro).

On small dealings, even exchange places with less-than-optimal charge may leave you with more Euros in your pocket. Familiarize yourself with rates offered by the post office and compare them with those at exchange bureaux.

Travelers cheques The most flexible travelers cheques are those issued by AmEx (in US dollars or euros) and Visa (in euros) because they can be changed at many post offices as well as commercial banks and exchange bureaux. Note that you will not be able to pay most merchants with travelers cheques directly. AmEx offices dont charge commission on their own travelers cheques.For lost travelers cheques call AmEx (0 800 908 600) and Thomas Cook (0 800 908 330) for replacements.