Electricity

If you plan to bring electric devices abroad, check if your device is compatible with the voltage in the destination country.

For example, my laptop charger module has a sticker that says it can handle 220 V.  Thus it does not need a voltage converter in Europe.

Most other devices, however, will need a voltage converter.  Otherwise you risk blowing up your device and/or blowing out the sockets and starting an electrical fire in your hotel.

Voltage converters are not the same as plug converters.  You will need plug converters if the plug does not match your device.

Voltage Converter
I bought a Swiss Gear brand voltage converter for about $35-40.  It came with several plug converters, but they were all 2 prong and were not comprehensive of all possible countries.

Plugs
My only three prong device is my laptop, which does not need a voltage converter for 220 V.  Thus I needed to buy a "grounded" (three prong) plug adaptor for my laptop to fit into the sockets at the various destination countries.

I also needed to buy plugs for the countries not covered in my Swiss Gear kit so that the voltage converter would be able to fit into the respective socket.  The E/F plug fit into these other plug converters to look like:
 Device --> voltage converter --> E/F plug --> other plug (i.e. J or L type)--> wall socket.

Thus besides from the plugs that came with my voltage converter kit, my ancillary plug collection consists of grounded plugs (which can also be used for 2 prong items) for:

• Austria, France and Germany- E/F type
• Switzerland- J type
• Italy- L type

Of note, Canada uses the same type of plugs and voltage as the US.

USB Plug
When I am not traveling with my laptop, I bring a USB plug so that I can plug USB devices into my voltage converter.

Customs and Flight Connection Time

Expect to go through customs the first time your flight lands in the foreign country and the last time you are in a foreign country prior to returning to your home country.

Thus if you are flying an airline with a hub in a certain country, your passport stamps will all be from that country even if you are going elsewhere as your final destination.

My experience with foreign customs has ranged from zero questions asked to a few cursory questions regarding what is the purpose of your visit, how long are you staying, where are you staying, is this your first time here.  It is the same for arrival and departure.

One warning- at Charles de Gaulle near lunch time, my terminal was down to one customs agent.  I had plenty of time for my connecting flight, but others were in a rush.  By being vocal to the agents manning the lines, they were able to cut in front of everyone else.  This is also a good warning that if customs lines are long, it can eat into your flight connection time.  I think I was in that line for a good half hour or so.  You have some but not total control of connection times at the time of your flight purchase.  I have had airlines change connection times on me multiple times especially since I buy my ticket in advance.

For return to the US from Europe:

• The customs process occurred upon arrival at the US airport.  For US citizens meeting certain criteria, the process is sped up a bit if you use an automated kiosk to take your photo and scan your passport in advance of talking to the agent.  Interestingly on my most recent trip, there was seemingly no rationale for who got diverted to the automated kiosk.  I had used it before but got sent to the human attendant line.
• Expect to queue up to talk to a US agent who will ask similar questions as above.   
• Expect to queue up again depending on what you wrote on your customs form regarding whether you have food on you, whether you touched livestock in Europe, etc.  Your bags may need to be scanned and searched to ensure there are not parasites or verboten items entering the US.
• Families travelling together can present together one time to customs; however, make it clear to the agents when you are exiting and he or she collects your form that all members of your group are accounted for.  Otherwise the agent could try to block any laggards from re-entering if they think they are sneaking past without a form.

For return to the US from Montreal, Canada, I found the automated machines at Montreal Trudeau airport to be defunct.  There was something wrong with the receipt scanner in the express machines that everyone flocked to when first arriving to the screening area upstairs.  Luckily there were more machines further along in the airport.  I was also intrigued that the customs process all took place in Canada such that arrival in the US was a breeze.

Thus to sum up- pre flight prep time is minimally different versus a domestic flight for your first departing flight.  Prep time is longer when you first land in the foreign country because of customs.  If you are connecting flights, there is nothing special after clearing customs.  For the trip home, except for Canada, I have experienced customs and concomitant wait times upon arrival home and not at the foreign airports.

Airport Security and Water Woes

If you are used to the US Transportation Security Administration screening process, I have found Canadian and European screeners to be similar or less strict.

For example, shoe removal is not required at Charles de Gaulle in Paris.

In Berlin, the screener had me turn on my camera so she could examine that it was indeed a camera.

One recent annoyance is regarding connecting flights.  I usually pack an empty water bottle to fill after passing through security in the US.  I have not had issues previously with connecting flights in Germany.  However, in France, the airport screener for my connecting flight would not let me take my water bottle through security, and they did not have a place for me to dump the water, either.  My choices were to drink it all or to fish out empty water bottles others had discarded (the agent helped me find one or two) and dump the water in them.  Since my water bottle is rather large, I had to overcome germaphobia and do a combination of both.  Thus be warned- despite having passed through the rigorous TSA screening, you may be subject to additional screening including liquid limits (water bottles, whatever you bought at the duty free store at the US airport) when being screened the second time for your connecting flight.

Internet and Phone

I always bring either a tablet or laptop to take advantage of free internet in hotels and airports.  At the major airports I have visited, you may need to provide a valid email address and perhaps your name in order to register online to access unlimited or limited (60 to 90 minutes) wireless internet.  At Geneva airport, per Swiss law, you need to positively identify yourself in one of several ways (scan boarding pass at designated kiosk, visit attendant at kiosk) in order to obtain an access code for free internet.

I have survived up to 1.5 week trips without mobile phone access.  I paid to use the hotel room phone in the rare instance I needed to make a local or collect call.  You can have your mobile carrier unlock your phone to allow use overseas if you have a plan that allows international roaming (often at additional cost).  You may need to buy a SIM card at your destination country.

Check in, Check out

Hotels
What do you do when your hotel check-in time is well after your arrival into a city?

• Large hotels often allow early check-in with no extra fees if they have clean rooms available when you arrive
• The hotel may allow you to leave your baggage in a storage room if they have one
• You may rent a locker at the train station

What do you do when your hotel check-out time is before wahen you plan to leave the city?  See points two and three above.  That way you have more time to sight-see before heading to the next city or to the airport.

Planes
American airlines tend to open online check-in 24 hours before the flight.  I noticed Air France allows check-in 30 hours before the flight, which is a wider window for you to try to check in early and nab a seat if you have not purchased a seat reservation.  I have never purchased a seat reservation and have not had issues traveling off-season to get the type of seat I want (i.e. window vs. aisle).

Monastery Stays in Italy

If you are a no-frills traveler interested in an unconventional place to stay in Italy, consider a monastery!

I learned about Monastery Stays from one of my travel books.  I booked all of my stays through the Monastery Stays website.

Advantages:
- safe place to stay, generally run by nuns or priests
- relatively inexpensive although some small B&Bs and hotels may charge similar rates after you add in the Monastery Stays booking fees
- depending on the location you choose, free breakfast and internet may be included

Disadvantages:
- some of these monasteries have their own booking site, so check first, and you could save on the middleman booking fees
- not all of the clergy and staff at these small places speak English, so it is best to learn basic Italian
- these are NO FRILLS places- a very simple bed, no television, and there may be curfews, too

Of note, the places I chose allowed males and females to share a room, though you should check for each location (detailed on the Monastery Stays website).  There was no pressure to participate in any religious activities although you will doubtless hear bells when service starts and will see crosses, etc. in your room.

Overall I was pleased and would stay there again.

Bus Travel

Bus passes are often paired with museum access or discounts.  Depending on your plans and needs, check if the museum pass makes financial sense for you.

I have had multiple tourist information booth attendants only accept cash, so be prepared with cash should you encounter this problem, too.

Paris
- I made the mistake of buying the pass in advance and having it shipped to me in the US at great expense.  I should have bought it on arrival.
- Since my departing flight was very early in the morning, I had decided to take a shuttle to and from the airport.  In retrospect, I could have saved money by taking public transit after my afternoon arrival flight.

Germany
- Berlin: the Berlin card is a great deal because the entire entry fare to many museums is included, and others are discounted.  Plan your itinerary accordingly to take advantage of the days for which the card is active.
       - You can choose which zone(s) you need.  If you plan to visit the castles in    
   Potsdam (Schloss Sans Souci), you will need to include the outer zone.  I bought this
   extra zone and had to make sure my itinerary included Potsdam while the card was    active.  Otherwise, you can skip the outer zone and save money.
       - The card is available at the airport during certain hours, and they only take
   cash.
- Leipzig- there was a lot of construction around the public transit lines which did not even go to my points of interest anyways.  Thus I walked the relatively small tourist section of the city and skipped buying the transit/museum pass.

Switzerland
When you stay in a hotel in a certain city, such as Basel, Lausanne, or Geneve, you are entitled to a free transport card that covers local transportation for the duration of your hotel stay.  Check with your hotel front desk staff.
- The Geneva transport card issued by the hotel is good for train travel second class in Geneva, which means you can go to the airport for free if you leave the day you check out.  When coming from the airport, you can get a limited duration ticket for free travel to the city.
- In Basel, the two museums I visited shared one shared entry fee such that it did not make financial sense to buy the Basel card with half off museum prices.  Instead, I bought just the transport card for 9 CHF per person.  If you are staying at a Basel hotel, you could choose to buy the Basel card just with museum discounts since your hotel will provide a free transit card.

Austria

- Vienna- Transit on the S-bahn is free with a Eurail pass, but you would have to use one of your travel days.  I did not want to use one of my days for this, so I bought a travel card which included museum discounts for just under 14 Euro a person.  The booth is at the airport during certain hours and only takes cash.

- Salzburg- Transit is not included with the Eurail pass.  I bought the Salzburg card from my hotel front desk.  It includes free entrance to many museums.  Of note, it does not include the rooms in the fortress unless you visit early in the morning.  This was the most high tech card I encountered since it was barcoded and activated by the vendor.  One scans the card at each point of interest. It allows you to skip the lines for the funicular to the fortress.

Italy

- Naples- transit day pass is available from the attendant in the booth at the train station

- Venice- I had trouble using my credit card that day in the machines and even at the booth with the attendant.  I was told the communication lines with the credit card company must have been down.  Thus I had to pay cash for the vaporetto day pass.

- Milan- transit day pass was available for purchase from my hotel front desk

- Rome- transit day pass available from booths at the train station

Canada

- Montreal- the Opus card with weekly pass is available from one specific machine at the airport.  When you are inside the airport facing out towards the exit doors, the machine is on the left of the Opus/metro information attended booths.  The other machines do not sell weekly passes for people who do not yet have an Opus card.  This machine on the left will sell you an Opus card to which you can add a weekly pass, which will start on Monday.  If you are coming on the weekend, you should consider adding a weekend pass, too, if you plan to sightsee a lot before Monday.  The fare from the airport to the city covers public transit travel for 24 hours, so consider your time of departure from the airport and whether you still need the weekend pass.

- Ottawa- the day pass is available from the bus driver.  I took a bus from the train station to the city and back for a day trip.