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11 countries in 11 days... I just spent 2 full days (arrived friday afternoon and departed monday morning) in Münster and wasn't able to see everything I wanted to see, 4 days would have been better and Münster isn't even that big. Visiting 11 countries in 11 days means, you don't really experience any of them and waste your time and money. Travelling isn't a competition, take your time and enjoy it, don't try to win it.
If you want a taste of what’s Europe really like? Avoid the big cities and go for the smaller cities. They give you a way better glimpse of what a country is like and are usually much cheaper and safer. Also the locals are usually more friendly because they aren’t confronted with obnoxious tourists all the time. The excellent public transport will bring you there cheap and easy. In the south you might have a bit of a language barrier but in the more northern parts people will have no problem speaking English. Be aware that Scandinavia use their own currency but debit cards are so widely accepted you can do without any cash.
„The excellent public transport“ - well everywhere ive been its been better than in my sweet home of the self proclaimed „bahnland bayern“ trainland bavaria … literally took me 80 minutes to get home today instead of the normal 30
@@hunchbackaudio same in the US, don’t go to the cities. Our small towns are much more friendly and helpful, most cities are packed with rude, non natives.
@@simonbolivArrrich komme aus hannover, arbeite in neustadt rb. und fahre normalerweise so 30-40 minuten, letzte woche sind die züge ausgefallen und ja mitm bus war ich erstmal 5 stunden unterwegs xD
It's been about 30 years, I was in the US with my parents. My dad and me walked into a bank somewhere in a small town and tried to exchange D-Mark for Dollars. The employee had never seen money like this (All different sizes and colors!). She called her boss and asked him what to do. She also described us to him. The reason they decided we were trustworthy seem to have been the Mickey Mouse pants I wore...
I'd say the issue is that sights in Europe are *way* more dense than in the US. You can easily spend 11 days in just one city and not have seen everything.
Or visit Mini-Europe in Brussels. sightseeing the main sights of Europe (even the UK) in a few hours. As a bonus you can visit the real Atomium (actually it's a scale model too) nextdoors.
I only own credit cards for traveling outside Europe. In a way, I did get cards especially for upcoming trips, but not for any bonus points (not sure if that even exists in Germany), but to be able to pay in the US. In Central Europe, debit cards make much more sense, especially when combined with Apple pay ore similar
If you have an American Express card you can collect bonus points with your card aswell (and of course there are those cards provided by Amazon or Payback or companies like these), but considering how few shops in Germany actually accept AMEX that card was totally useless for me, so I cancelled it after a year.
@@MyRegardsToTheDodoAmerican companies have complicated bonuses and schemes like this to hide costs. Airmiles are a good example, why do I need airmiles when a Ryanair flight it €20 or complicated coupons when I have Lidl. It's all to hide that you are being charged more.
@@Lootensansy2308 What didn't exist in Europe? A bonus program for credit cards? Those do exist in more than one way. Amazon Germany for example offers a Visa credit card where you get points for every Euro spent (double points for every Euro spent on amazon), that you can then trade in for Amazon gift cards. American Express also has a bonus program here, but considering that there are very few shops that actually accept Amex here, that one is kinda useless. Other companies also work with banks to offer credit cards with bonus programs.
Why abroad? German tourists in Germany wear that uniform, too. I live in a mountainous tourist area in Bavaria, and I see them everyday when they go hiking. Besides of the usual Nike, adidas, you name them. I'm always trying to find good quality things without any logo on them, but that has become hard.
I don't really understand why people use credit cards instead of debit cards in general, like why do you need to be taking loans essentially for literally ever purshase, doesn't it make more sense to pay with money you actually already have? I feel like if you don't have the money to buy a new phone, you should probably not buy a new phone and save up money first.
If you have a credit card and the money you can take a interest free loan for a month. Buying a phone for example for something like 1000€. Can give you money if you buy it with your credit card. If you let the money rest and use a creditcard the 1000€ you would have spend lets you get the interest for a month longer. To be precise trade republic gives you 4% for your money. 1000 * 0,04 = 40€ for a year but you only get 1 month so... 40 / 12 = 3,333€ congratulations you just earned 3,33€ for paying with your credit card. Obviously it depends on the day you have to repay and the day you pay for the item, but as long as you have the money there is just no downside to using a credit card. You will always have more money as long as you get some interest for your money.
in USA the citizens need a good "credit card score" ,you took out a credit and paid back in time and get good score in your account, without a good score, you can not do much in USA, its stupid. for a good score, you have to take a lot of credits and pay back. some people just take credit and pay back without real spending, just to create a good score to take a huge credit to be able to get a loan for buying a house. banks will not accept you if you take a loan without a good credit card score. so, its not just for replacing debit card or purchasing things one doesnt need, but all about how to create your good credit card score.
Totally agree. Moreover, my German banking card can be used all over (western) Europe, that's good enough for me. And as to online shopping, I prefer shops that offer direct debit, and (if absolutely needs to) use Paypal. In everyday life here in Germany, I mostly use cash.
@@beckysam3913 Yeah well I understand that that is how the system works in America, but I guess I just mean that it doesn't have to be that way, it seems like a very strange system to me. I don't have to test any kind of credit score to get a bank loan and my society hasn't collapsed yet 😅
@@buurmeisje Notice that those transactions you get problems at with a bad score are all involving banks. Notice also that banks usually make you pay for getting a credit. Maybe you might have an idea why these rules have developed?
European here, went 10 times to the USA... one time for 2 months....vacation... i am low income guy...my car costs just €16.000 i worry more about guns and bad car drivers, in the USA! and dont forget the normal corrupt cop you will met while walking!
I lived for two years in the USA and for some weird reasons I got used to two totally different mindsets regarding distance. In Germany I load my German customs from my inner file system (it’s a hard disk since I’m already 56 😉), which means that I find a 300km drive (yes, I measure distance in Km in Europe) is way too far away for just meeting up with friends in a nice restaurant in the evening and right away drive back. As soon as I visit some friends in Tennessee, driving 3 hours (yes, in the US I measure distance in hours ) to meet friends and then drive back is not a big deal 🤣. However, certain other of my good ole‘ German habits - I suspect that’s true even for most Europeans - survived even two years of living in the US. I still LOVE sparkling water, I will never understand why Americans drive 300 yards with their cars to their Gym only to run there for an hour on the treadmill (and no, crime was not a valid reason in Oak Ridge, Tennessee where I lived 😁). Oh, and a very European thing I deliberately kept as a futile resistance to American culture was my loathing for eating and drinking from styrofoam or plastic paper plates or cups. Up to this day I find that utterly repulsive. Am I a posh German bastard? Yessssssssss 😂. Drinking wine from a plastic cup or - even worse - eating steak and fries from styrofoam plates just turns my stomach. Don’t get me wrong. Not one lifestyle ist „better“ than the other per se, but for me as a Europeans, eating and drinking in style from porcelain plates and cups using real silverware turned out to be a cultural trait which was way deeper ingrained in me as I thought. On the other hand, I just wish Germans would learn certain traits from Americans. For instance, waiting to be seated in a restaurant is a cultural achievement for which America should be proud of! After the Pandemic, this custom began to spread more and more in Germany as well. I consider it as a good thing 😁. Sorry for the long comment. I’m a bit tipsy already ( from some very delicious Pinot Blanc served in real wine glasses 😉 actually made of real glas). But please don’t take my comments as an offense. I really loved my two years (2000 to end of 2001) in the Oak Ridge, Tennessee. And if you decide to visit Germany, here are my „secret“ tips: Bamberg, Leipzig, the little wine valleys west of the Rhine valley, Burg (castle) Eltz. Bamberg has a special place in my heart since I would consider I’d as the beer capital of the world and for some strange reasons foreigners does not seem to know about it. Cheers, Frank from Mannheim
The American fixation on credit cards makes zero sense for a German. The system of "building credit" doesn't exist in Germany. The Schufa score used in Germany works differently. Bonus points in Germany are earned through providers like Payback or Deutschland Card. But it takes forever to earn enough points for anything useful, so a lot of people simply use them for grocery shopping.
Americans also like to buy things they can't afford, hoping that they will be able to pay it off later on. That's how millions of Americans get into debt that was easily avoidable, but their economy relies on spending, so it's great for those corporations when people keep buying stuff. Europeans are more sensible with spending and educated about money, that's why credit cards aren't that popular here, except for the UK (just like with many other things, they like to do it the American way)
I believe that american "credit score" would be literally illegal in Europe because it discriminates people who don't use credit cards. But even with standard bank account and using only debit card, you have something like score, my Czech bank for example gives me better loan offers and such things when my "score" is good, when I keep money on my account and don't pay more than I can handle etc...but I don't want any loans, I don't know how it is in the west, but here in Czechia, everyone knows someone who fell into a debt trap, so for us, loans are something bad and only stupid people who are not finnancialy educated take them. Only things like leasing for car or mortage are acceptable, when you take some random loan for vacation or new phone or something, you are considered stupid here.
In the Netherlands it's not that easy to have several creditcards. They check your income, and they also check if you are in debt or not. If you do, your applicatieontwikkeling will be declined.
I've met a japanese couple during a train ride. they asked me how to switch traines, apparently, the booking system gave them a stupid route. when riding from vienna on the südbahn/southern line to graz, there is a stunning masterpiece of engineering, called the semmeringbahn / semmering railroad. they did not know that. this is a nearly 170 years old masterpiece of a mountain railroad, some people travel just to see that. once I told them about the significance of that railroad, they were fascinated and looked out of the window. they would have been oblivious to it.
People tell me that in 2 days you have seen bangkok. I’m here now for 3 years and still barely scratched the surface. Coming from Switzerland this city is extreme lol
Cash out of the pants! 😄 We often use a "Brustbeutel" (neck pouch) what is often used for children as well. I think that is save and not so crazy, if you pull it ouf of your shirt, rather than grabbing in your pants.
In NL we very seldomly use cash. I don't know of a single supermarket that allows creditcard payments. Only debit cards (or cash at the one checkout with a cashier 😉). Obviously not that extreme everywhere in NL but an indication that cash is not the norm here and neither are creditcards.
Last time I went to the catacombs, there was a huge American guy having difficulties with the staircase (it’s hard) but he clearly wanted to do it by himself. I really loved his determination, it was inspiring.
The great difference between the US and Europe in my opinion is, that the US ist mostly landscape with a few people and then the big metropole areas where half of the people are living. Even if Texas is twice as large as Gernany, it has only about two fifth of the population of Germany. And also most villages have a longer history than the US. So there is a really high density of tourist attractions in Europe from ancient castles to roman buildings and modern architecture. Both are totally different but with the right planning both equally worth the time spending for en extended traveling.
So I am 30 now and I don't own a credit card anymore, I just had one after i graduated school and went to south america. I just don't need it and I dislike the feeling of having less control over my spending. Since I just see what I spent at the end of the month and not immediately on my account... Seconds reason I dont use credit cards is the fact, that they charge pretty hefty using-fees so so the stores where I buy stuff get less money and more goes to the credit firm. For the random question: Propably Praque. The city center is beautiful, it's relatively cheap and you are literally in the middle of europe and since europe is 12 feet long you can basically walk into every country you could wish. (For real though, since it is between eastern and western europe you have the chance to see pretty different cultures relatively easily. And lastly you have the chance to get a "real" absynth wich is a pretty rare drink in europe (at least as far as I know)
11:34: "fanny pack". You will get very weird looks if you use this word in the UK. In British English "fanny" mean "vagina" or "having sex with a woman". Brits call this travel accessory "bum bag".
RQotW: Vienna, of course. 🙂 Re money belt: I have used it all over the world, but I keep mine a bit higher up, straddling just over - or under my bra. :-) If I need to access contents, I pull it down, lift blouse slightly, and there it is. I also sew(ed) a little pocket inside my pants at belt level, big enough for a credit card and/or ID card in case everything gets lost/ stolen, or I'm in an accident etc. I'll still have that on me.
One city? Rome or London, I can't decide 😅. My weird travel accessoire would be a wristband with a small pocket for bills and coins. I use it for running, but also for festivals, street fairs and other super crowded places where I don't want to wear a handbag. I also have a 'Nackenhörnchen' for sleeping on the train, I don't know if they are very common in the US, but I know a lot of people, at least in Germany, who own one.
If you're just there for a day anyways go to Cologne. Visit the Dome, the Römisch-Germanisches Museum and maybe a few other Roman ruins, but definitely don't come during Carnival. During Carnival the city is way overflowing with tourists, really not fun. Otherwise you can get a lot of impressive pictures with really antique stuff to impress your friends. And if that's not your thing, go to the Pascha. But maybe better not tell your wife (and I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to take photos there).
Random question of the week: If I could recommend one city in Europe to you or other Americans, it would be Stockholm, Sweden. For me, it's the most beautiful city I've ever visited. Stockholm is located on a total of 14 islands, so you have water all around you in the city. It also has a beautiful old town (Gamla Stan), very nice buildings and squares, lots of interesting museums (some of them, like the Medieval Museum or the Royal Armoury in Stockholm Castle, are even free) and even the underground stations are very pretty with art installations (google Stockholm underground stations!). The most interesting and best must-see museum in Stockholm is the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is a warship that was built in 1628 and sank in Stockholm harbour 20 minutes after it was launched due to a construction error. It was salvaged and brought ashore in the 1950s and a museum was built around it. The ship is in its full size in the museum and you can walk around it on 6 floors, with many more exhibitions about the ship. Outside Stockholm are the archipelago islands, which you should definitely take the ferry to. I could write so much more about this city, but you just have to go there yourself!
On Travel i use a chest pouch or "Brustbeutel" like i learned to used as a kid. These things are usesable as an adult too and it is suitable on a beach.
This! Perk: It's a bit less weird to pull money out of your shirt and you can do your business without having to bother moving your pouch. I still use them for fairs and Christmas markets, basically everywhere where pickpocketing is a given. You just have to make sure the pouch is safely tucked away under a couple of layers of clothing, so you don't lose it when upside down on a rollercoaster.
If you are worried about carrying a lot foreign currency you can get a currency card and load it with the currency of the country you will be visiting. Also, in the UK at least, American Express cards are not always accepted in smaller establishments. Make sure you have travel insurance that includes repatriation in event of accidents.
Decades ago, when I was a teen, my dad got his first credit card because we wanted to take a trip to the US. He choose American Express, because it had brand-name recognition even in Switzerland. We quickly found out that only expensive places took Amex, and all gas stations, cheap hotels and restaurants only took Visa and Mastercharge. Ooops. We actually had to take a cash advance on our card to finish our holiday.
From Estonian perspective, the cash/card situation was reversed - I used way more cash in US than home. In Estonia, almost every one pays with a card or a phone app; the cards are usually debit cards, but they are somehow affiliated to major credit card providers, so I can make Mastercard or Visa payments with my debit card; and also, they sometimes function as a credit card for online purchases ("virtual credit card"). I could use it in US as well, but I was aware of how essential tipping is in US, so I had a lot and lot of smaller bills in my wallet and pockets and purse just in case I need to tip someone. Also several US businesses seemed to prefer a cash payment. While in Estonia, card payments are pretty commonplace even at the farmers' market.
I was in Tallinn recently and I was expecting a totally cashless stay and I was even in the exhibition of the Estonian central bank where one text said "in Estonia, people even pay the smallest amounts with card, Germany is a country where people like to use cash". Afterwards I wanted to visit the tower of the Olav church and guess waht - they only accepted cash to pay for the tickets.
@@Alex-wt6kp ah! I didn't know that. I suppose any country is experienced quite differently, depending on whether we live there or are just visiting. The things we do and purchases we make are so different in everyday life vis-à-vis holiday.
Cash is also needed in the USA. For example, using the public transport in San Franciso in 2017 the only option was to pay the fee at entering. Of course the drivers never had enough exchange money.
In Europe is not so easy to collect credit-card points. I had used for years a platinum card because I had free access to Business lounges. But after the last crisis on subprime mortgages which the US caused, what it was 'for-free' it became the possibility to enter a lounge for 20-30 Euro per entry... Which most probably it is 5%-20% off what one would be paying if they did not had that card but at the same time having to pay a year-fee... Plus many perks were not there I had kasko insurances for free but i could not profit, these were/are part of the 'standard' rental contract. Purchase insurance: I would have had to purchase something really expensive before i could profit and I was not going to buy diamonds and expensive items abroad just so that I had to pay 20-30% extra import taxes.
Hmm, getting weird travel accessories... I don't think that's a common thing to do for Germans, at least I can't remember anyone ever getting weird accessories for a vacation. Maybe you could count hats for children. When you travel, you usually spend more time outside than you would normally, so some parents like to remind their children to wear a hat to prevent sunburn, but they also do that when they stay in Germany, so I don't think that counts.
Only 1 European city?? There are hundreds and thousands. Each one worthy of staying several days! I LOVE Nürnberg as my (almost) hometown, in Bavaria, Germany... modern and medieval, and it even has Nazi-history (which Americans seem to love, urghs....), beautiful and serene, much nature, great food, relaxed and modern. I really like your style and content!
I'm British, and got rid of my credit card years ago, so I can't take advantage of the rewards. Oh well. Note: Total credit card debt in the US is over one trillion dollars. Just sayin'. Also...11 countries in 11 days? Uh huh. 🤨🤔🙄
For a 1 city to visit I would recommend Ghent. It's compact, old and modern. Good food, drinks etc. But still I think every old and not fully modernised little city with caring locals in Europe would d be recommendable. (Bamberg/ Trier / 's-Hertogenbosch to name a few)
The most German travel accessory ever is, and always will be, the small, portable, blow-up neck pillow.If the war ever ends, I would highly recommend visiting Lviv in Ukraine. It's stunning.
I think it's mind-blowing US Americans think of Europe as "small". Underestimating the size of one huge country is one thing. But how can you underestimate the size of an entire continent? With Americans obsession to compare their country to our continent, how can they come to the conclusion that Europe is small? Europe is larger than the US in size and has more than double the population. I've also had a US American once tell me that being "well traveled" means traveling long distances and therefore many Europeans wrongfully claim to be well traveled, because tgey often "just" travel between European countries. My European brain could not comprehend how I'm less well traveled when I've been to over 10 different countries in the past 5 years compared to someobe who's been to Mexico twice in their life. I also feel that many Americans have trouble realizing the amount cultural differences within small places in Europe.
@@PassportTwo Yeah, I do get that and maybe I've spoken to the wrong people, but I've come across this "I'm right, you're wrong" mentally a bit too often. I can give you credit for traveling more miles than I have, but I've been to more places than you have. Can't we appreciate what we both do? I've had Americans explain the EU to me. Or let me rephrase that: I've had Americans correct me about how they think the EU works. And they wouldn't have it when I tried to tell them "Look, this is not how it is. That's how it is. I live here, I know how it is from experience." I'm sure not everyone is like that, but don't try to explain Europe to a European. I mean... WHY?
Haha, I have exact same experience the other way with Germans 😅 I 100% understand what you’re saying know Americans who do this, but the exact same thing is true with Germans telling me why they are right and I’m wrong about everything. Just read through the comments on my videos and you’ll find that’s often what most of the comments are 😅 Honestly, I believe this isn’t necessarily and American or German thing, but a human thing to do.
- I never had a credit card and I'm not planning to get one. So I don't get these points really. - Training for a vacation-trip? Okay, a vacation means walking a lot, but there is no training needed. - 11 countries in 11 days seem way too stressfull for me. Even if it would be one country in a week, then it would be much. I can't talk about other countries, but I assume that is just like Germany: Each region is so different, that you could say "One region in a week". - I wouldn't buy extra clothes for a trip to the US. I might buy new clothes for that occasion, but only if my clothes are too old and/or shabby for that trip. - These fanny-bags are very new to me. I still know about a neck pouch. But I really don't know. - I don't recommend any of the big cities, but rather a smaller city, as you wouldn't be overwhelmed by this. And you can see enough many people. I think of Hameln, which is home of the pied piper and should be known. And when you want a trip, then you could follow the "Märchenstraße" ("fairy tale street") from Hanau near Frankfurt (the birthplace of the brothers Grimm) up to Bremen were the Town Musicians of Bremen are at home.
I am austrian and I travel a lot. I have never heard of a money belt that you wear under your pants. Fannypacks yes. Splitting your money in different pockets and bags also, but no under the pant wearing. Sidenote: as a young adult I once had some safe spare money in my bra und had to use it in a turkish basar. That was really akward.
German here (from Trier, hi there!). I got my SECOND credit card for my first trip to the US (2016) because of the good general conditions of the card (Bonus points? No clue what that is). And I'm typically German in the sense that I don't like debt, so I always pay off my credit card purchases immediately and don't wait. ;) In the US, I felt very European when I missed sidewalks here and there.
If you have a bank account where there is enough money for the credit cards to take the money from, there is no "debt". The money is there and it doesn't matter on which of your accounts it is. And my credit card has money of itself, and the card is only a convenient way to spend it.
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there is no "european city" as there is no "one pan-european language", question would be "which country and culture" and i would not recommend any, avoid venice, the natives are suffering from over exploitation, same as many european countries and their big cities. stay at home. dont contribute to gentrification.
Only Reason i have a credit card, are my trips to the U.S. Really, in Germany you don't need one. Debit cards/cash is enough. But when during my first trip to the us a cashier checked my 50$-Note for about 5 minutes while nobody is irritated when you buy a single softdrink with a credit card, I decided to get one (also for car rent etc you need one)
I gotta say, have *never* seen someone wear a fannypack underneath their pants. The thought didn't even occur to me. Anyway, I prefer a somewhat obstrusive and sturdy handbag over back- or over-the-shoulder bags. My thinking being; if it's too comfortable to wear, i'll forget it's there and won't pay much attention to it and that's how stuff gets stolen. Whereas with my handbag, i have to move it about relatively often (but that also gives me more options where to put it) and it's a bit too unwieldy to be easily stolen in a flash. And as a bonus, i can easily fit a big tablet inside of it if i want to. Also: Copenhagen. Beautiful city. Lots to see.
RQOTW: this is a hard one: first I wanted to say London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, or Vienna but then on second thought I choose Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The city itself is beautiful, it's the capital yet small enough to get the typical European (small compared to metropoles in America or Asia) charme, and it's situated at a kind of crossroad smack in the middle of the Mediterranean, Alps, and Balkan, somehow belonging to the East as Slovenian is a Slavic language and to the Germanic sphere as they were ruled by Austrians for most of their history. The country is small so you can reach every touristy attraction on a day trip - and there are a lot: the Adriatic Sea, the stud in Lipica, Postojnska Jama (big stalactite cave), Predjama (a castle built on a rock cliff hiding a stalactite cave), the valley of Socha (Isonzo), Savica with Bohinj and Bled lakes, Triglav and Planica in the Alps, Maribor and Drava river valley with vineyards galore and the oldest grapevine in the world and so much more.
I know that most people would get a Kredit Card to be able to pay in the other Country, but in Germany I don't think you get points or other bons with a new Card. At least not with the mainstream banks.
Yes, I do know someone who got new creditcard before traveling from Germany to the USA. A friend of mine got her first ever creditcard for a trip to the US because she had heard that you can't get along without one in the US - which I supose is true. It was back in the early 90s, when even EC-Cards were not that popular in Germany yet. At the time, I worked a short Internship in a bank, where they proudly told me a lot about this exciting new thing. People still used euro-checks then. Speeking of this - I wounder if traveler checks still exist? Back then they were considered the safes means of payment when traveling abroad. This many-european-countries-in-one-week- thing I asociate more with Japanese than with Americans. They have an even longer jorney to Europe and also get or want to take only few days off from work.
Here too, there is the option of "flying" discounts using a credit card + Miles & More function, but for many people the effort is too much for one or two vacation trips by plane. This function is used more by so-called frequent flyers (usually those who travel by plane for work).
Being able to fly business class every other year because my dad goes on business trips constantly is pretty great. But otherwise yeah it's rare to get a useful amount.
Ironically enough, I'm a European and wear 'typical ' American clothes when I travel.Especially to Southern Europeor other warm countries . .I wear short cargo pants because it has many pockets. a baseball cap to keep sunstroke at bay , and yes....Even a 80's ' fanny pack ' when I visit high density areas with pickpockets . ;)
One city? Hard😂 I liked Berlin, Leipzig, Prag, Pilsen, Bukarest, Amsterdam, Oslo and so on😊 The only thing when travelling is having a second wallet with me. When strolling the city or going out, the main wallet stays in the hotel. In the second wallet is just some cash, id, a debit and a creditcard.
European here, in my perception credit card is a very dangerous tool if not an outright scam of a mini loan that lures you into debt. I had once when I was young, fool and wild and didn't know better - I will not use any credit cards ever again.
Fun fact, when we visited the US and spent a few minutes in the evening walking the quarter mile from the local bar back to our motel, people in cars stopped and asked if we needed help.
Im not a fan of the random dirt effect on top of the charts and stuff, am i ment to look at the chart or the bugs jumping all over the place (i know theyre not bugs but tell that to my peripheral vision)
When I (from Germany) travelled to the US I got myself my first-ever credit card. Cancelled it immediately after I returned, so even got the fees returned.
RQotW: Rome. It is hectic, full of history and architecture. You step in and literally breathe in ancient history. Of course only if you like that type of vacation. Plan at least a week for that bustling city. Take your time, don't cram as many cities into as little time as possible. You perfectly described my cousin and his wife from California who wanted to visit Sicilly, Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice in a week. Including their arrival and departure day. Yeah, it was before 911, so check-in times were far shorter but even so the flight to and from LA to Rome took a total of 13 hours, single trip. With usual transfer times added on top, each flight took them almost 24 hours. They still wanted to visit five cities or regions in Italy in five days. Mind you they thought they were reasonable trying to visit only ONE country.😂😂
Americans fly for free with 60.000 bonus points* *60,000 bonus points only after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.** $550 Annual Fee & Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 22.49% to 29.49% plus several other costs on top. I havent payed a penny in the last 15 years for my bank account or credit card in Germany. You pay for your credit card, I pay for my cheap 50-80€ round trip to Paris, Rome or so. This or that way, nothing is free. 🙄🤷♂
11 countries in 11 days is such a misguided concept, too. If all you want to do for your vacation is stand in lines to stand in crowded places to see landmarks you could easily get cheap printouts off of Google from, what are you even doing? Your not relaxing or enjoying your vacation. You made your vacation into a chore, completely missing the point.
European credit cards don't offer points. Some offer very small amounts of cashback, with only certain partner stores. There is a cap of only 0.3% on card transaction fees in the EEA, so the banks aren't making enough to offer these "free" perks. There also aren't tons of credit card companies, like in the US; you want a credit card - you go to a bank. My "daily driver" is a debit card that offers 0.1% cashback inside the EU, but bumps that to 1% outside the EU (because I'm sure they charge much higher transaction fees there).
If I could recommend just one european city to someone, it'd be Riga in Latvia. In summer it has an almost Mediterranean atmosphere in the center, post-soviet and eastern european atmosphere in the surroundings, good infrastructure, affordable prices and overall just a really cool vibe. Can only recommend going there.
The term "EC-Karte" is still very much used in daily life, but technically it's doubly obsolete. It originated from the long obsolete eurocheque system, which came with its own card, abtly named eurocheque card, or EC card. Later banks added ATM functionality to the EC card. Even later this card got POS functionality added. The eurocheque system was abolished for good in 2002, but the combined ATM/POS cards continued to be called "EC Karte" because they retained those functions. This was helped by the fact that the POS system was renamed "electronic cash" (EC) and used the same logo as the now defunct eurocheque system. But that has been renamed "girocard" years ago, the logo has also been changed, breaking the last visual links to the "EC Karte" of old. But people are stubborn, they insist on calling it that. While eurocheque was a truly European system, electronic cash and girocard are purely national German systems who don't work in other countries. So none of what I said will sound familiar to fellow Europeans. For use abroad, debit cards issued in Germany double up as Maestro (Mastercard) or V-Pay (Visa).
Your description of a American Europe Tripp does excaust me. BTW dead giveaway not often mention to identify an American is his graduation ring. Europeans don't wear those. Uhm... Uhm... NO. FANNYPACKS will ruin your siluette. Put documents in the hotel save and cash in a moneybelt.
first question regarding credit cards: No, europeans don't "play that game", because for the vast majority of credit card companies, the game simply doesn't exist. Almost no credit card gives points or a lot of benefits. As for the under-clothes fanny pack: I didn't even know they existed :D But I don't see a problem with it either, it's a smart thing to do, so no problem with that.
I must say that I did most of my travelling when I was young... on a motorbike. There aren't many ne'er do wells who feel confident in taking on somebody who is covered, head to toe, in leather armour. Having said that, I did try a money belt, but found that simply using a credit/debit card is much easier. I have criss-crossed The States and found the experience to be one that I wouldn't willingly repeat (too much blatant racism, food that is meh - bear in mind that I now live in Spain, where the food is probably, on average, the best in the world, and I just detested being forced to use a damned CAR, even to go a block or two). and there really aren't that many countries that I would want to go to LESS than the USA. Russia/Bielorus, N. Korea, some of the African trouble spots, but even some of them are more appealing to me than the USA.
You are so wrong from the start. Europe is a continent and not a federal state like the US. hence, you do not travel to Europe but to a specific country, even though most you can enter with the same Visa (Schengen). Credit Cards not really used in these countries but you can use a debit or credit card in all ATM's with a Cirrus logo on it. We do not live on imaginary money here to buy things we don't need. And talking about "Europeans" as you do is pretty disrespectful, considering the culture that each individual country has for centuries and it is not a common identity at all, but merely an American perception. And extremely wrong at that! Dutch doors, French fries, Mediterranean style, Italian fashion is just an American sales pitch. Although you copied all our originals, your copy is not what you claim it to be, attaching an imaginary source as if Americans have culture. It is just a mediocre copy at best, fully customized or not even existent in reality, hence your low quality Mexican and Italian that cannot meet the threshold.
at least in regards to Western/Northern Europe, Germany uses cash to an absurdly high degree, to the point that ready cash other places is usually either; kids with their first pocket money, tourists, elderly (like, 80+), and criminals
As a European, I see the benefits of having a credit card (only building creditworthiness) because, as the name suggests, it is an interest-bearing loan. Why consciously go into debt and pay usurious 10 or 15% interest rates? It's like being an American and then working for interest and not having a family life 😂
I have one credit card and one debit card. I mostly pay with credit card (in Germany) for everything because my money stays on my bank account longer collecting interest :) Before when interest was 0%, I used mostly just debit card. Ok, we are talking about a few cents here but hey, it's still money :) And the credit card has no fees.
Working in a touristy business in Stockholm Sweden, the biggest things I see that's different is for sure she stress. To me US tourists seem to have a checklist of things they want to see rather than things they want to experience. The other big thing is using cash. Sweden is apparently the most cash-less country in the world and there can sometimes even be hard to find a restaurant, cafe and so on that will accept cash as payment. That seem to be common knowledge among European tourists, but I've met a LOT of hungry Americans who left their cards at the hotel. I can honestly say I haven't used an ATM in Sweden to at least ten years. Oh and one thing I've learnt is that while not all Americans are Karens, but all Karens are American. They are usually the rudest OR most polite/friendly people I see in a day.
About the money belt: isn’t that’s where thieves will look first? Better spread the money over different places on your body. In Europe, I leave my passport in the hotel. And my bank card always in my bra. Best place to find it quickly.
I´ve heard about this system in the US that you get a lot of credits by using credit cards. Actually you get access to a lot of life mattering items amd oportunities. I think, that´s a big difference to the european way of thinking. Here you get access (to oportunities of [and in] life) by being reliable, educated and not criminal. How much you earn is (or at least: was until the US capitalist system underminde our way of living) not a value, is not so much important concerning this topic.
5:36 "The work life balance between US and Europe is obviously a point of very common discussion when talking about differences between these two countries." Bruh 💀💀💀
When i went to the USA (12x in the 90s), i took minimal clothes with me and bought everything new in the USA. In the 90s the USA was much cheaper then the Netherlands.
Some of these are less "american vs european" and moreso experienced vs first time travellers. I have seen plenty of Europeans try to go for the "we have to see everything" stuff. Or buying weird accessories. Though considering Europerans travel far more I suppose that checks out.
We don't have this credit card game. Yes, sometimes you will get some benefits with a new credit card, but nothing as high as with this bonus and points you have in the US. I'm using my credit card a lot, but I have had never any bonus points or something else on it.
BTW, you can get a 75,000 point bonus if you sign up with my favorite credit card right now 👉 www.referyourchasecard.com/19n/U7RLJ5OH9F
Yes, this is a referral link, so I get a small point bonus as well if you use this one to sign up, but it truly is my favorite card I've used for years. If you aren't interested, that's fine! I appreciate you watching this video 😊
11 countries in 11 days... I just spent 2 full days (arrived friday afternoon and departed monday morning) in Münster and wasn't able to see everything I wanted to see, 4 days would have been better and Münster isn't even that big.
Visiting 11 countries in 11 days means, you don't really experience any of them and waste your time and money.
Travelling isn't a competition, take your time and enjoy it, don't try to win it.
3-4 days is a good number for larger cities I find. But you can easily spend more than a week in the big ones like Rome, Paris, NYC etc.
If you want a taste of what’s Europe really like? Avoid the big cities and go for the smaller cities. They give you a way better glimpse of what a country is like and are usually much cheaper and safer. Also the locals are usually more friendly because they aren’t confronted with obnoxious tourists all the time. The excellent public transport will bring you there cheap and easy. In the south you might have a bit of a language barrier but in the more northern parts people will have no problem speaking English. Be aware that Scandinavia use their own currency but debit cards are so widely accepted you can do without any cash.
„The excellent public transport“ - well everywhere ive been its been better than in my sweet home of the self proclaimed „bahnland bayern“ trainland bavaria … literally took me 80 minutes to get home today instead of the normal 30
@@hunchbackaudio same in the US, don’t go to the cities. Our small towns are much more friendly and helpful, most cities are packed with rude, non natives.
also visit the more unknown main towns rather than those like berlin or munich as example
@@simonbolivArrrich komme aus hannover, arbeite in neustadt rb. und fahre normalerweise so 30-40 minuten, letzte woche sind die züge ausgefallen und ja mitm bus war ich erstmal 5 stunden unterwegs xD
It's been about 30 years, I was in the US with my parents. My dad and me walked into a bank somewhere in a small town and tried to exchange D-Mark for Dollars. The employee had never seen money like this (All different sizes and colors!). She called her boss and asked him what to do. She also described us to him. The reason they decided we were trustworthy seem to have been the Mickey Mouse pants I wore...
ayo lol
11 countries in 11 days …
Maybe just spend 2-3 days at Europa-park theme park in Rust/Germany would be the easier option 😂😂😂
Great insider tip! 😂
I'd say the issue is that sights in Europe are *way* more dense than in the US. You can easily spend 11 days in just one city and not have seen everything.
Or visit Mini-Europe in Brussels. sightseeing the main sights of Europe (even the UK) in a few hours. As a bonus you can visit the real Atomium (actually it's a scale model too) nextdoors.
@@flitsertheo Or the Minuatur Wunderland in Hamburg … the World on a scale of 1:87
I only own credit cards for traveling outside Europe. In a way, I did get cards especially for upcoming trips, but not for any bonus points (not sure if that even exists in Germany), but to be able to pay in the US.
In Central Europe, debit cards make much more sense, especially when combined with Apple pay ore similar
I'm 48 years old, only traveled in europe so far but this year I got my first credit card - to be prepared if I ever leave europe for a trip.
If you have an American Express card you can collect bonus points with your card aswell (and of course there are those cards provided by Amazon or Payback or companies like these), but considering how few shops in Germany actually accept AMEX that card was totally useless for me, so I cancelled it after a year.
@@MyRegardsToTheDodoAmerican companies have complicated bonuses and schemes like this to hide costs. Airmiles are a good example, why do I need airmiles when a Ryanair flight it €20 or complicated coupons when I have Lidl. It's all to hide that you are being charged more.
It dint exist in Europa
@@Lootensansy2308 What didn't exist in Europe? A bonus program for credit cards? Those do exist in more than one way. Amazon Germany for example offers a Visa credit card where you get points for every Euro spent (double points for every Euro spent on amazon), that you can then trade in for Amazon gift cards. American Express also has a bonus program here, but considering that there are very few shops that actually accept Amex here, that one is kinda useless. Other companies also work with banks to offer credit cards with bonus programs.
You can spot the German tourist abroad by the Jack Wolfskin uniform. This is their ultimate being-prepared outfit.
Why abroad? German tourists in Germany wear that uniform, too. I live in a mountainous tourist area in Bavaria, and I see them everyday when they go hiking. Besides of the usual Nike, adidas, you name them. I'm always trying to find good quality things without any logo on them, but that has become hard.
There's also the elderly men in Camp David, usually trying way to hard to look younger.
Thats just my normal Jacket of cause I will take it with me on vacation 🤷♀️
And it also works!😊
@@Llortnerofwho would blame them ? At least the „Camp David“ main advertising face is an annoying 70yr old „music producer“
I don't really understand why people use credit cards instead of debit cards in general, like why do you need to be taking loans essentially for literally ever purshase, doesn't it make more sense to pay with money you actually already have? I feel like if you don't have the money to buy a new phone, you should probably not buy a new phone and save up money first.
If you have a credit card and the money you can take a interest free loan for a month. Buying a phone for example for something like 1000€. Can give you money if you buy it with your credit card.
If you let the money rest and use a creditcard the 1000€ you would have spend lets you get the interest for a month longer. To be precise trade republic gives you 4% for your money.
1000 * 0,04 = 40€ for a year but you only get 1 month so...
40 / 12 = 3,333€ congratulations you just earned 3,33€ for paying with your credit card.
Obviously it depends on the day you have to repay and the day you pay for the item, but as long as you have the money there is just no downside to using a credit card.
You will always have more money as long as you get some interest for your money.
in USA the citizens need a good "credit card score" ,you took out a credit and paid back in time and get good score in your account, without a good score, you can not do much in USA, its stupid. for a good score, you have to take a lot of credits and pay back. some people just take credit and pay back without real spending, just to create a good score to take a huge credit to be able to get a loan for buying a house. banks will not accept you if you take a loan without a good credit card score. so, its not just for replacing debit card or purchasing things one doesnt need, but all about how to create your good credit card score.
Totally agree. Moreover, my German banking card can be used all over (western) Europe, that's good enough for me. And as to online shopping, I prefer shops that offer direct debit, and (if absolutely needs to) use Paypal. In everyday life here in Germany, I mostly use cash.
@@beckysam3913 Yeah well I understand that that is how the system works in America, but I guess I just mean that it doesn't have to be that way, it seems like a very strange system to me. I don't have to test any kind of credit score to get a bank loan and my society hasn't collapsed yet 😅
@@buurmeisje Notice that those transactions you get problems at with a bad score are all involving banks. Notice also that banks usually make you pay for getting a credit. Maybe you might have an idea why these rules have developed?
European here, went 10 times to the USA...
one time for 2 months....vacation...
i am low income guy...my car costs just €16.000
i worry more about guns and bad car drivers, in the USA!
and dont forget the normal corrupt cop you will met while walking!
I lived for two years in the USA and for some weird reasons I got used to two totally different mindsets regarding distance. In Germany I load my German customs from my inner file system (it’s a hard disk since I’m already 56 😉), which means that I find a 300km drive (yes, I measure distance in Km in Europe) is way too far away for just meeting up with friends in a nice restaurant in the evening and right away drive back.
As soon as I visit some friends in Tennessee, driving 3 hours (yes, in the US I measure distance in hours ) to meet friends and then drive back is not a big deal 🤣.
However, certain other of my good ole‘ German habits - I suspect that’s true even for most Europeans - survived even two years of living in the US. I still LOVE sparkling water, I will never understand why Americans drive 300 yards with their cars to their Gym only to run there for an hour on the treadmill (and no, crime was not a valid reason in Oak Ridge, Tennessee where I lived 😁).
Oh, and a very European thing I deliberately kept as a futile resistance to American culture was my loathing for eating and drinking from styrofoam or plastic paper plates or cups. Up to this day I find that utterly repulsive. Am I a posh German bastard? Yessssssssss 😂. Drinking wine from a plastic cup or - even worse - eating steak and fries from styrofoam plates just turns my stomach.
Don’t get me wrong. Not one lifestyle ist „better“ than the other per se, but for me as a Europeans, eating and drinking in style from porcelain plates and cups using real silverware turned out to be a cultural trait which was way deeper ingrained in me as I thought.
On the other hand, I just wish Germans would learn certain traits from Americans. For instance, waiting to be seated in a restaurant is a cultural achievement for which America should be proud of! After the Pandemic, this custom began to spread more and more in Germany as well. I consider it as a good thing 😁.
Sorry for the long comment. I’m a bit tipsy already ( from some very delicious Pinot Blanc served in real wine glasses 😉 actually made of real glas).
But please don’t take my comments as an offense. I really loved my two years (2000 to end of 2001) in the Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
And if you decide to visit Germany, here are my „secret“ tips: Bamberg, Leipzig, the little wine valleys west of the Rhine valley, Burg (castle) Eltz.
Bamberg has a special place in my heart since I would consider I’d as the beer capital of the world and for some strange reasons foreigners does not seem to know about it.
Cheers, Frank from Mannheim
The American fixation on credit cards makes zero sense for a German. The system of "building credit" doesn't exist in Germany. The Schufa score used in Germany works differently. Bonus points in Germany are earned through providers like Payback or Deutschland Card. But it takes forever to earn enough points for anything useful, so a lot of people simply use them for grocery shopping.
This👆
Americans also like to buy things they can't afford, hoping that they will be able to pay it off later on. That's how millions of Americans get into debt that was easily avoidable, but their economy relies on spending, so it's great for those corporations when people keep buying stuff.
Europeans are more sensible with spending and educated about money, that's why credit cards aren't that popular here, except for the UK (just like with many other things, they like to do it the American way)
Why don't you just cash in your Payback points. This option is tricky to find, you'll need to Google it.
I believe that american "credit score" would be literally illegal in Europe because it discriminates people who don't use credit cards. But even with standard bank account and using only debit card, you have something like score, my Czech bank for example gives me better loan offers and such things when my "score" is good, when I keep money on my account and don't pay more than I can handle etc...but I don't want any loans, I don't know how it is in the west, but here in Czechia, everyone knows someone who fell into a debt trap, so for us, loans are something bad and only stupid people who are not finnancialy educated take them. Only things like leasing for car or mortage are acceptable, when you take some random loan for vacation or new phone or something, you are considered stupid here.
Bank transfers work fine between banks in Europe, no need to put another institute in between.
In the Netherlands it's not that easy to have several creditcards. They check your income, and they also check if you are in debt or not. If you do, your applicatieontwikkeling will be declined.
I've met a japanese couple during a train ride. they asked me how to switch traines, apparently, the booking system gave them a stupid route.
when riding from vienna on the südbahn/southern line to graz, there is a stunning masterpiece of engineering, called the semmeringbahn / semmering railroad.
they did not know that. this is a nearly 170 years old masterpiece of a mountain railroad, some people travel just to see that.
once I told them about the significance of that railroad, they were fascinated and looked out of the window.
they would have been oblivious to it.
Talking about Austria, it is most important to visit the city of St. Pölten.
People tell me that in 2 days you have seen bangkok. I’m here now for 3 years and still barely scratched the surface. Coming from Switzerland this city is extreme lol
Cash out of the pants! 😄
We often use a "Brustbeutel" (neck pouch) what is often used for children as well. I think that is save and not so crazy, if you pull it ouf of your shirt, rather than grabbing in your pants.
Just position the belt a little higher, around your waist before taking something out ;)
Bamberg. Beautiful medival town, not so well known, so not overly touristy nice people, great food.
In NL we very seldomly use cash. I don't know of a single supermarket that allows creditcard payments. Only debit cards (or cash at the one checkout with a cashier 😉). Obviously not that extreme everywhere in NL but an indication that cash is not the norm here and neither are creditcards.
Last time I went to the catacombs, there was a huge American guy having difficulties with the staircase (it’s hard) but he clearly wanted to do it by himself. I really loved his determination, it was inspiring.
One difference you didn't mention:
You don't need a car in most of Europe. Rather, find out which is the public transport of the area.
Excactly this. I always wonder who told all the people that they need a car to travel inside Switzerland....
One European City - You are joking.
Hamburg. The Miniature Wonderland there. All 11 days can be spend there and you still would not have seen everything. 😅
The great difference between the US and Europe in my opinion is, that the US ist mostly landscape with a few people and then the big metropole areas where half of the people are living. Even if Texas is twice as large as Gernany, it has only about two fifth of the population of Germany. And also most villages have a longer history than the US. So there is a really high density of tourist attractions in Europe from ancient castles to roman buildings and modern architecture. Both are totally different but with the right planning both equally worth the time spending for en extended traveling.
So I am 30 now and I don't own a credit card anymore, I just had one after i graduated school and went to south america. I just don't need it and I dislike the feeling of having less control over my spending. Since I just see what I spent at the end of the month and not immediately on my account... Seconds reason I dont use credit cards is the fact, that they charge pretty hefty using-fees so so the stores where I buy stuff get less money and more goes to the credit firm.
For the random question: Propably Praque. The city center is beautiful, it's relatively cheap and you are literally in the middle of europe and since europe is 12 feet long you can basically walk into every country you could wish. (For real though, since it is between eastern and western europe you have the chance to see pretty different cultures relatively easily. And lastly you have the chance to get a "real" absynth wich is a pretty rare drink in europe (at least as far as I know)
11:34: "fanny pack". You will get very weird looks if you use this word in the UK. In British English "fanny" mean "vagina" or "having sex with a woman". Brits call this travel accessory "bum bag".
RQotW: Vienna, of course. 🙂
Re money belt: I have used it all over the world, but I keep mine a bit higher up, straddling just over - or under my bra. :-)
If I need to access contents, I pull it down, lift blouse slightly, and there it is.
I also sew(ed) a little pocket inside my pants at belt level, big enough for a credit card and/or ID card in case everything gets lost/ stolen, or I'm in an accident etc. I'll still have that on me.
One city? Rome or London, I can't decide 😅.
My weird travel accessoire would be a wristband with a small pocket for bills and coins. I use it for running, but also for festivals, street fairs and other super crowded places where I don't want to wear a handbag.
I also have a 'Nackenhörnchen' for sleeping on the train, I don't know if they are very common in the US, but I know a lot of people, at least in Germany, who own one.
Nackenhörnchen is a must-have in Germany when you travel. :D
It's actually normal for Germans to get a (new) credit card when going to the US. Because apparently you need one over there when paying for anything.
If you're just there for a day anyways go to Cologne. Visit the Dome, the Römisch-Germanisches Museum and maybe a few other Roman ruins, but definitely don't come during Carnival. During Carnival the city is way overflowing with tourists, really not fun. Otherwise you can get a lot of impressive pictures with really antique stuff to impress your friends. And if that's not your thing, go to the Pascha. But maybe better not tell your wife (and I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to take photos there).
Random question of the week: If I could recommend one city in Europe to you or other Americans, it would be Stockholm, Sweden. For me, it's the most beautiful city I've ever visited. Stockholm is located on a total of 14 islands, so you have water all around you in the city. It also has a beautiful old town (Gamla Stan), very nice buildings and squares, lots of interesting museums (some of them, like the Medieval Museum or the Royal Armoury in Stockholm Castle, are even free) and even the underground stations are very pretty with art installations (google Stockholm underground stations!). The most interesting and best must-see museum in Stockholm is the Vasa Museum. The Vasa is a warship that was built in 1628 and sank in Stockholm harbour 20 minutes after it was launched due to a construction error. It was salvaged and brought ashore in the 1950s and a museum was built around it. The ship is in its full size in the museum and you can walk around it on 6 floors, with many more exhibitions about the ship. Outside Stockholm are the archipelago islands, which you should definitely take the ferry to. I could write so much more about this city, but you just have to go there yourself!
Berlin. Can't go to Germany without seeing the contrast of East and West Berlin.
East Berlin is the most interesting part though, if you like history.
Or, quite frankly, the contrast between Berlin and Germany...
On Travel i use a chest pouch or "Brustbeutel" like i learned to used as a kid. These things are usesable as an adult too and it is suitable on a beach.
This! Perk: It's a bit less weird to pull money out of your shirt and you can do your business without having to bother moving your pouch. I still use them for fairs and Christmas markets, basically everywhere where pickpocketing is a given. You just have to make sure the pouch is safely tucked away under a couple of layers of clothing, so you don't lose it when upside down on a rollercoaster.
Less so for women, though
I am in fact a woman, so it depends on the woman, I guess. ;)
If you are worried about carrying a lot foreign currency you can get a currency card and load it with the currency of the country you will be visiting. Also, in the UK at least, American Express cards are not always accepted in smaller establishments. Make sure you have travel insurance that includes repatriation in event of accidents.
Decades ago, when I was a teen, my dad got his first credit card because we wanted to take a trip to the US. He choose American Express, because it had brand-name recognition even in Switzerland. We quickly found out that only expensive places took Amex, and all gas stations, cheap hotels and restaurants only took Visa and Mastercharge. Ooops. We actually had to take a cash advance on our card to finish our holiday.
From Estonian perspective, the cash/card situation was reversed - I used way more cash in US than home. In Estonia, almost every one pays with a card or a phone app; the cards are usually debit cards, but they are somehow affiliated to major credit card providers, so I can make Mastercard or Visa payments with my debit card; and also, they sometimes function as a credit card for online purchases ("virtual credit card").
I could use it in US as well, but I was aware of how essential tipping is in US, so I had a lot and lot of smaller bills in my wallet and pockets and purse just in case I need to tip someone.
Also several US businesses seemed to prefer a cash payment. While in Estonia, card payments are pretty commonplace even at the farmers' market.
I was in Tallinn recently and I was expecting a totally cashless stay and I was even in the exhibition of the Estonian central bank where one text said "in Estonia, people even pay the smallest amounts with card, Germany is a country where people like to use cash". Afterwards I wanted to visit the tower of the Olav church and guess waht - they only accepted cash to pay for the tickets.
@@Alex-wt6kp ah! I didn't know that. I suppose any country is experienced quite differently, depending on whether we live there or are just visiting. The things we do and purchases we make are so different in everyday life vis-à-vis holiday.
Cash is also needed in the USA. For example, using the public transport in San Franciso in 2017 the only option was to pay the fee at entering. Of course the drivers never had enough exchange money.
Germany is cash cracy. That does not apply to the rest of Europe.
In Europe is not so easy to collect credit-card points. I had used for years a platinum card because I had free access to Business lounges.
But after the last crisis on subprime mortgages which the US caused, what it was 'for-free' it became the possibility to enter a lounge for 20-30 Euro per entry...
Which most probably it is 5%-20% off what one would be paying if they did not had that card but at the same time having to pay a year-fee...
Plus many perks were not there I had kasko insurances for free but i could not profit, these were/are part of the 'standard' rental contract.
Purchase insurance: I would have had to purchase something really expensive before i could profit and I was not going to buy diamonds and expensive items abroad just so that I had to pay 20-30% extra import taxes.
Hmm, getting weird travel accessories... I don't think that's a common thing to do for Germans, at least I can't remember anyone ever getting weird accessories for a vacation. Maybe you could count hats for children. When you travel, you usually spend more time outside than you would normally, so some parents like to remind their children to wear a hat to prevent sunburn, but they also do that when they stay in Germany, so I don't think that counts.
At least, we don't think them weird :)
Most already have their saddle bags, tent... depending on your type of trip.
"Blabla....the US and Europe.....the differences between these two countries"??? Seriously? That's a stereotype right there!
Only 1 European city?? There are hundreds and thousands. Each one worthy of staying several days! I LOVE Nürnberg as my (almost) hometown, in Bavaria, Germany... modern and medieval, and it even has Nazi-history (which Americans seem to love, urghs....), beautiful and serene, much nature, great food, relaxed and modern.
I really like your style and content!
I'm British, and got rid of my credit card years ago, so I can't take advantage of the rewards. Oh well.
Note: Total credit card debt in the US is over one trillion dollars. Just sayin'.
Also...11 countries in 11 days? Uh huh. 🤨🤔🙄
For a 1 city to visit I would recommend Ghent. It's compact, old and modern. Good food, drinks etc. But still I think every old and not fully modernised little city with caring locals in Europe would d be recommendable. (Bamberg/ Trier / 's-Hertogenbosch to name a few)
The most German travel accessory ever is, and always will be, the small, portable, blow-up neck pillow.If the war ever ends, I would highly recommend visiting Lviv in Ukraine. It's stunning.
Is going shopping in PJ really a common thing in the US?
I think it's mind-blowing US Americans think of Europe as "small". Underestimating the size of one huge country is one thing. But how can you underestimate the size of an entire continent? With Americans obsession to compare their country to our continent, how can they come to the conclusion that Europe is small? Europe is larger than the US in size and has more than double the population.
I've also had a US American once tell me that being "well traveled" means traveling long distances and therefore many Europeans wrongfully claim to be well traveled, because tgey often "just" travel between European countries. My European brain could not comprehend how I'm less well traveled when I've been to over 10 different countries in the past 5 years compared to someobe who's been to Mexico twice in their life.
I also feel that many Americans have trouble realizing the amount cultural differences within small places in Europe.
People have different world views and different opinions 🤷🏻♂️😊
@@PassportTwo Yeah, I do get that and maybe I've spoken to the wrong people, but I've come across this "I'm right, you're wrong" mentally a bit too often. I can give you credit for traveling more miles than I have, but I've been to more places than you have. Can't we appreciate what we both do?
I've had Americans explain the EU to me. Or let me rephrase that: I've had Americans correct me about how they think the EU works. And they wouldn't have it when I tried to tell them "Look, this is not how it is. That's how it is. I live here, I know how it is from experience." I'm sure not everyone is like that, but don't try to explain Europe to a European. I mean... WHY?
Haha, I have exact same experience the other way with Germans 😅 I 100% understand what you’re saying know Americans who do this, but the exact same thing is true with Germans telling me why they are right and I’m wrong about everything. Just read through the comments on my videos and you’ll find that’s often what most of the comments are 😅 Honestly, I believe this isn’t necessarily and American or German thing, but a human thing to do.
@@PassportTwo Teaching and correcting other people is a behaviour deeply rooted in the German mentality! Has always been and will always be!
- I never had a credit card and I'm not planning to get one. So I don't get these points really.
- Training for a vacation-trip? Okay, a vacation means walking a lot, but there is no training needed.
- 11 countries in 11 days seem way too stressfull for me. Even if it would be one country in a week, then it would be much. I can't talk about other countries, but I assume that is just like Germany: Each region is so different, that you could say "One region in a week".
- I wouldn't buy extra clothes for a trip to the US. I might buy new clothes for that occasion, but only if my clothes are too old and/or shabby for that trip.
- These fanny-bags are very new to me. I still know about a neck pouch. But I really don't know.
- I don't recommend any of the big cities, but rather a smaller city, as you wouldn't be overwhelmed by this. And you can see enough many people. I think of Hameln, which is home of the pied piper and should be known. And when you want a trip, then you could follow the "Märchenstraße" ("fairy tale street") from Hanau near Frankfurt (the birthplace of the brothers Grimm) up to Bremen were the Town Musicians of Bremen are at home.
I am austrian and I travel a lot. I have never heard of a money belt that you wear under your pants. Fannypacks yes. Splitting your money in different pockets and bags also, but no under the pant wearing.
Sidenote: as a young adult I once had some safe spare money in my bra und had to use it in a turkish basar. That was really akward.
Nothing of this is europe related and would apply to trips to Japan or brasil just the same.
Sign on bonuses is, I think, something exclusively for the US. Never had this in Germany, or, where I live now, in Mexico.
Americans?
America is a continent not a country. There are nice people and nice countries there, not only the bully one.
German here (from Trier, hi there!). I got my SECOND credit card for my first trip to the US (2016) because of the good general conditions of the card (Bonus points? No clue what that is). And I'm typically German in the sense that I don't like debt, so I always pay off my credit card purchases immediately and don't wait. ;)
In the US, I felt very European when I missed sidewalks here and there.
If you have a bank account where there is enough money for the credit cards to take the money from, there is no "debt". The money is there and it doesn't matter on which of your accounts it is. And my credit card has money of itself, and the card is only a convenient way to spend it.
7:58 wait just over 40 % of people in the US have a valid passport???
Only reason I travel anywhere for fun is to use public transit
If you have the feeling that you take money out of your pants when wearing a belly bag, than you simply wear it wrong. 😂
👋🏼 Small struggling Travel Channel here. I love your content, thanks for this great video! You inspire me to keep grinding my channel, maby one day I’ll grow as big as you 🥲
there is no "european city" as there is no "one pan-european language", question would be "which country and culture" and i would not recommend any, avoid venice, the natives are suffering from over exploitation, same as many european countries and their big cities. stay at home. dont contribute to gentrification.
Only Reason i have a credit card, are my trips to the U.S.
Really, in Germany you don't need one. Debit cards/cash is enough.
But when during my first trip to the us a cashier checked my 50$-Note for about 5 minutes while nobody is irritated when you buy a single softdrink with a credit card, I decided to get one (also for car rent etc you need one)
I gotta say, have *never* seen someone wear a fannypack underneath their pants. The thought didn't even occur to me.
Anyway, I prefer a somewhat obstrusive and sturdy handbag over back- or over-the-shoulder bags. My thinking being; if it's too comfortable to wear, i'll forget it's there and won't pay much attention to it and that's how stuff gets stolen. Whereas with my handbag, i have to move it about relatively often (but that also gives me more options where to put it) and it's a bit too unwieldy to be easily stolen in a flash. And as a bonus, i can easily fit a big tablet inside of it if i want to.
Also: Copenhagen. Beautiful city. Lots to see.
Well, the point is that you DON'T see the (specially designet flat) fannypack underneath the pants ...
RQOTW: this is a hard one: first I wanted to say London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, or Vienna but then on second thought I choose Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
The city itself is beautiful, it's the capital yet small enough to get the typical European (small compared to metropoles in America or Asia) charme, and it's situated at a kind of crossroad smack in the middle of the Mediterranean, Alps, and Balkan, somehow belonging to the East as Slovenian is a Slavic language and to the Germanic sphere as they were ruled by Austrians for most of their history. The country is small so you can reach every touristy attraction on a day trip - and there are a lot: the Adriatic Sea, the stud in Lipica, Postojnska Jama (big stalactite cave), Predjama (a castle built on a rock cliff hiding a stalactite cave), the valley of Socha (Isonzo), Savica with Bohinj and Bled lakes, Triglav and Planica in the Alps, Maribor and Drava river valley with vineyards galore and the oldest grapevine in the world and so much more.
I’m amazed that Americans bring clothes to Europe. Isn’t it more interesting to buy them here? Wouldn’t Birkenstocks be cheaper in Germany?
If they purchaase them especially for that vacation anyqays...
Ich wundere mich nicht, warum viele Amerikaner überschuldet sind!
That reenactment at the end had me laughing so hard! What a great story
I know that most people would get a Kredit Card to be able to pay in the other Country, but in Germany I don't think you get points or other bons with a new Card. At least not with the mainstream banks.
You do for example with Miles and More or Hilton.
Amersfoort, titled Europe most nicely city of 2023!
Yes, I do know someone who got new creditcard before traveling from Germany to the USA. A friend of mine got her first ever creditcard for a trip to the US because she had heard that you can't get along without one in the US - which I supose is true. It was back in the early 90s, when even EC-Cards were not that popular in Germany yet. At the time, I worked a short Internship in a bank, where they proudly told me a lot about this exciting new thing. People still used euro-checks then. Speeking of this - I wounder if traveler checks still exist? Back then they were considered the safes means of payment when traveling abroad. This many-european-countries-in-one-week- thing I asociate more with Japanese than with Americans. They have an even longer jorney to Europe and also get or want to take only few days off from work.
Here too, there is the option of "flying" discounts using a credit card + Miles & More function, but for many people the effort is too much for one or two vacation trips by plane. This function is used more by so-called frequent flyers (usually those who travel by plane for work).
Being able to fly business class every other year because my dad goes on business trips constantly is pretty great. But otherwise yeah it's rare to get a useful amount.
I would recommend the capital city of saxony called Dresden
Ironically enough, I'm a European and wear 'typical ' American clothes when I travel.Especially to Southern Europeor other warm countries . .I wear short cargo pants because it has many pockets. a baseball cap to keep sunstroke at bay , and yes....Even a 80's ' fanny pack ' when I visit high density areas with pickpockets . ;)
In Denmark creditcard rules...you nearly never use cash, kinda strange being neighbour to Germany and cultural similar.
One city? Hard😂 I liked Berlin, Leipzig, Prag, Pilsen, Bukarest, Amsterdam, Oslo and so on😊
The only thing when travelling is having a second wallet with me. When strolling the city or going out, the main wallet stays in the hotel. In the second wallet is just some cash, id, a debit and a creditcard.
European here, in my perception credit card is a very dangerous tool if not an outright scam of a mini loan that lures you into debt. I had once when I was young, fool and wild and didn't know better - I will not use any credit cards ever again.
Fun fact, when we visited the US and spent a few minutes in the evening walking the quarter mile from the local bar back to our motel, people in cars stopped and asked if we needed help.
Im not a fan of the random dirt effect on top of the charts and stuff, am i ment to look at the chart or the bugs jumping all over the place (i know theyre not bugs but tell that to my peripheral vision)
No worries! 😊
When I (from Germany) travelled to the US I got myself my first-ever credit card. Cancelled it immediately after I returned, so even got the fees returned.
Getting points with credit cards purchases isn’t a thing in Europe. We use our debit cards as the Americans use their credit cards.
RQotW: Rome. It is hectic, full of history and architecture. You step in and literally breathe in ancient history. Of course only if you like that type of vacation. Plan at least a week for that bustling city. Take your time, don't cram as many cities into as little time as possible.
You perfectly described my cousin and his wife from California who wanted to visit Sicilly, Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice in a week. Including their arrival and departure day. Yeah, it was before 911, so check-in times were far shorter but even so the flight to and from LA to Rome took a total of 13 hours, single trip. With usual transfer times added on top, each flight took them almost 24 hours. They still wanted to visit five cities or regions in Italy in five days. Mind you they thought they were reasonable trying to visit only ONE country.😂😂
Americans fly for free with 60.000 bonus points*
*60,000 bonus points only after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.** $550 Annual Fee & Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 22.49% to 29.49% plus several other costs on top.
I havent payed a penny in the last 15 years for my bank account or credit card in Germany. You pay for your credit card, I pay for my cheap 50-80€ round trip to Paris, Rome or so. This or that way, nothing is free. 🙄🤷♂
11 countries in 11 days is such a misguided concept, too.
If all you want to do for your vacation is stand in lines to stand in crowded places to see landmarks you could easily get cheap printouts off of Google from, what are you even doing? Your not relaxing or enjoying your vacation. You made your vacation into a chore, completely missing the point.
European credit cards don't offer points. Some offer very small amounts of cashback, with only certain partner stores. There is a cap of only 0.3% on card transaction fees in the EEA, so the banks aren't making enough to offer these "free" perks. There also aren't tons of credit card companies, like in the US; you want a credit card - you go to a bank.
My "daily driver" is a debit card that offers 0.1% cashback inside the EU, but bumps that to 1% outside the EU (because I'm sure they charge much higher transaction fees there).
If I could recommend just one european city to someone, it'd be Riga in Latvia.
In summer it has an almost Mediterranean atmosphere in the center, post-soviet and eastern european atmosphere in the surroundings, good infrastructure, affordable prices and overall just a really cool vibe.
Can only recommend going there.
I’d love to visit Riga!
The term "EC-Karte" is still very much used in daily life, but technically it's doubly obsolete. It originated from the long obsolete eurocheque system, which came with its own card, abtly named eurocheque card, or EC card. Later banks added ATM functionality to the EC card. Even later this card got POS functionality added. The eurocheque system was abolished for good in 2002, but the combined ATM/POS cards continued to be called "EC Karte" because they retained those functions. This was helped by the fact that the POS system was renamed "electronic cash" (EC) and used the same logo as the now defunct eurocheque system. But that has been renamed "girocard" years ago, the logo has also been changed, breaking the last visual links to the "EC Karte" of old. But people are stubborn, they insist on calling it that.
While eurocheque was a truly European system, electronic cash and girocard are purely national German systems who don't work in other countries. So none of what I said will sound familiar to fellow Europeans. For use abroad, debit cards issued in Germany double up as Maestro (Mastercard) or V-Pay (Visa).
Your description of a American Europe Tripp does excaust me.
BTW dead giveaway not often mention to identify an American is his graduation ring. Europeans don't wear those.
Uhm... Uhm... NO. FANNYPACKS will ruin your siluette. Put documents in the hotel save and cash in a moneybelt.
Hard to choose one city, but I'd recommend Lisbon
first question regarding credit cards: No, europeans don't "play that game", because for the vast majority of credit card companies, the game simply doesn't exist. Almost no credit card gives points or a lot of benefits.
As for the under-clothes fanny pack: I didn't even know they existed :D But I don't see a problem with it either, it's a smart thing to do, so no problem with that.
I must say that I did most of my travelling when I was young... on a motorbike. There aren't many ne'er do wells who feel confident in taking on somebody who is covered, head to toe, in leather armour. Having said that, I did try a money belt, but found that simply using a credit/debit card is much easier.
I have criss-crossed The States and found the experience to be one that I wouldn't willingly repeat (too much blatant racism, food that is meh - bear in mind that I now live in Spain, where the food is probably, on average, the best in the world, and I just detested being forced to use a damned CAR, even to go a block or two). and there really aren't that many countries that I would want to go to LESS than the USA. Russia/Bielorus, N. Korea, some of the African trouble spots, but even some of them are more appealing to me than the USA.
I really enjoyed this video. For traveling, I make sure my clothes for the plane are comfortable.😊❤
You are so wrong from the start. Europe is a continent and not a federal state like the US. hence, you do not travel to Europe but to a specific country, even though most you can enter with the same Visa (Schengen). Credit Cards not really used in these countries but you can use a debit or credit card in all ATM's with a Cirrus logo on it. We do not live on imaginary money here to buy things we don't need.
And talking about "Europeans" as you do is pretty disrespectful, considering the culture that each individual country has for centuries and it is not a common identity at all, but merely an American perception. And extremely wrong at that!
Dutch doors, French fries, Mediterranean style, Italian fashion is just an American sales pitch. Although you copied all our originals, your copy is not what you claim it to be, attaching an imaginary source as if Americans have culture. It is just a mediocre copy at best, fully customized or not even existent in reality, hence your low quality Mexican and Italian that cannot meet the threshold.
at least in regards to Western/Northern Europe, Germany uses cash to an absurdly high degree, to the point that ready cash other places is usually either; kids with their first pocket money, tourists, elderly (like, 80+), and criminals
As a European, I see the benefits of having a credit card (only building creditworthiness) because, as the name suggests, it is an interest-bearing loan. Why consciously go into debt and pay usurious 10 or 15% interest rates? It's like being an American and then working for interest and not having a family life 😂
I have one credit card and one debit card. I mostly pay with credit card (in Germany) for everything because my money stays on my bank account longer collecting interest :) Before when interest was 0%, I used mostly just debit card. Ok, we are talking about a few cents here but hey, it's still money :) And the credit card has no fees.
Working in a touristy business in Stockholm Sweden, the biggest things I see that's different is for sure she stress. To me US tourists seem to have a checklist of things they want to see rather than things they want to experience. The other big thing is using cash. Sweden is apparently the most cash-less country in the world and there can sometimes even be hard to find a restaurant, cafe and so on that will accept cash as payment. That seem to be common knowledge among European tourists, but I've met a LOT of hungry Americans who left their cards at the hotel. I can honestly say I haven't used an ATM in Sweden to at least ten years.
Oh and one thing I've learnt is that while not all Americans are Karens, but all Karens are American. They are usually the rudest OR most polite/friendly people I see in a day.
About the money belt: isn’t that’s where thieves will look first? Better spread the money over different places on your body. In Europe, I leave my passport in the hotel. And my bank card always in my bra. Best place to find it quickly.
I´ve heard about this system in the US that you get a lot of credits by using credit cards. Actually you get access to a lot of life mattering items amd oportunities. I think, that´s a big difference to the european way of thinking. Here you get access (to oportunities of [and in] life) by being reliable, educated and not criminal. How much you earn is (or at least: was until the US capitalist system underminde our way of living) not a value, is not so much important concerning this topic.
My recommendation would be Freiburg im Breisgau.
5:36 "The work life balance between US and Europe is obviously a point of very common discussion when talking about differences between these two countries." Bruh 💀💀💀
When i went to the USA (12x in the 90s), i took minimal clothes with me and bought everything new in the USA. In the 90s the USA was much cheaper then the Netherlands.
Some of these are less "american vs european" and moreso experienced vs first time travellers. I have seen plenty of Europeans try to go for the "we have to see everything" stuff. Or buying weird accessories. Though considering Europerans travel far more I suppose that checks out.
Rverytime you use a card ( credit or debit) you have to pay for that service . Something between 2 - 3 Euros/Dollars. Why not try real money?
You are still very very American :D Have you advised Europeans how to act in USA? .. Really? .. I mean... really?
We don't have this credit card game. Yes, sometimes you will get some benefits with a new credit card, but nothing as high as with this bonus and points you have in the US. I'm using my credit card a lot, but I have had never any bonus points or something else on it.