Euro Travel Tips and Surprises

Some things we discovered this year:

- The Lufthansa 'Fly and Rail' program offers reduced prices with flexible train tickets when flying to or from an airport in Germany. I found out about it well after I bought the flights but with a phone call still got 50% off the tickets from FRA to LEJ.

- A passport must be valid for 90 days after the return date. I thought it was 2 months. But this varies by country and of course also changes. Better check well ahead of every international trip.

- Hertz car rental: This came as a bit of a surprise... the driver's license needs to show that the owner has had a license for more than one year. There is no info about when a license was first issued on the Canadian one, so if it was renewed less than year ago it is a problem. Chances are 20% since licenses are renewed every 5 years. Get an international license (but they are only valid for 1 year... although its not stated on the license). Keep an expired license and bring it?

- New rules to get a SIM card in Germany: a German address is needed. Before activating ID identification is needed which is possible at a Post office or by submitting passport info online. If you already have an European SIM card hold on to it! On the bright side; there are no more roaming charges within the EU.

- Blau Cell Provider. We bought a prepaid phone/data plan. The plan has to be activated. If you do the activation when not on WiFi it uses data which doesn’t leave enough money to get plan. Activate plan only via WiFi!

- Welcome to the future rental car (Ford Focus): 4 cameras in the front, one in the back, line assist, distance assist, automatic high beam, automatic windshield wiper, blind spot warning in the side view mirror, doors open when key is nearby, so you can't check if the doors are closed ;-). We also couldn’t open back door from inside even with key. First time I saw heat wires in the windshield. And the car would display speed limit signs on the dashboard (occasionally also the speed signs that are attached to big trucks).