Euroland Concerns

[wotme]

It will be our maiden trip abroad this year, heading to Walchsee Austria. The thing that concerns me most is filling stations, toll roads using Aires and ATMs Ever since using a car wash in France any foreign machine scares me. What happened in France I suppose was quite funny though not so much at the time. We were in a hired car that I stupidly left overnight under a tree where bats roosted. If you've ever tried getting bat shit off a white car then you'll know what I was up against. So I've driven round the back of this garage to their car wash and stopped tight up in front of the rollers, nothing happened. I got out the car, spied the machine that obviously operates the machine but I can't decipher the instructions. A guy from the garage came over and offered to help, he shoved some euros in the machine, pressed a few buttons and then I realised my mistake, I'd left the drivers door open, the rollers moved over the car and my wife got a lap full of soapy water, she was not happy.

 

[autorouter]

Best to have some cash in case the card is not accepted for some reason. Having said that, some cash machines switch to English when you put your UK card in.

 

[SpeedyDux]

I laughed out loud at your story but now I feel a bit guilty.

 

[Figaro]

There is often an option to select a language on ATM's press the union jack and it switches to English.
Metro / tram tickets also work the same.
Stop fretting and just do it, not nearly so difficult as pondering on it makes it seem.

 

[missmollie]

The car wash incident reminds me of when I was towing our caravan in Spain before we got the motor home. The car was covered in dust so I thought I would use the automatic wash at a supermarket near Estartit. All was going well, the car had been sprayed with soap and the brushes started, the main brush that goes over the car tangled in my towbar and started pulling the roller off its mounting and then it stopped. Not wanting to be charged for the damage I managed to untangle it and made a hasty retreat with all the soap suds blowing off the car as I left the car park. Needless to say we never went back in the car.

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[tofo]

Just for amusement car wash wise

 

[Lenny HB]

You are worrying unnecessarily, all the things you are worrying about are not much different to the UK. Far harder to use a Motorhome in the UK than any other county.

 

[Emmit]

The BIG no no when using an ATM is that, immediately before it hands out the dish, it will ask you in anything but a straightforward use of English whether you want the money converted by them to Pounds Sterling or to leave it in the local currency.
No matter what, at this point, read the blurb carefully.
What you do NOT want to do is let them convert it. You want the transaction in the LOCAL currency.
Example. Recently I was offered a Sterling conversion that would have cost me £93+ for €100. Leaving it at the local rate I paid £84.
NB. This was before the exchange rate went up to €1.20 to the £

 

[Clickem]

The problem is that while you are reading the blurb carefully it will make the decision for you, and it will be the one that you don’t want

 

[bigguspeckus]

I laughed out loud at your story but now I feel a bit guilty.

Wish I hadn't read that,,, was laffin ma bits off,, now I feel guilty,,, not! ???
Great story ????

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