I’ve traveled throughout Europe quite a bit over the last couple of years, and I’m more than happy to share a few tips when it comes to money in Europe. You may have questions about tipping and the best way to change your money, which I’ll cover off in this article.
The currency in most of Europe is the ‘Euro’ – this was introduced in 2005, and most countries within the European Union have adopted this currency (except for the UK).
So do people actually tip in Europe?
It’s a tough question to start with actually, as tipping in Europe is, to put it bluntly, extremely confusing! In the really nice restaurants it might be appropriate to leave your waiter a 10-15% tip just like you would back home, but at a cafe leaving absolutely no tip is normally perfectly fine.
A good idea is to just simply round up to the nearest dollar. This can work at cafes, in taxis and at restaurants too. Make it easy on you and on them and just round it on up!
What about changing my money whilst in Europe?
Whenever you travel, changing money can always be an extreme annoyance. Everyone knows you get ripped off at the airport for example, so it’s generally a good idea to find somewhere else to change your money. One great advantage to Europe is the fact that the Euro exists, and you can move all around without changing money once! Bliss!
But if you do need to change some money as you find yourself in Croatia or another non Euro country, here are a few tips:
Rates will differ, even in the same areas and shops that are on the same street. So check out all your options.
The really nice rates can sometimes be a little deceptive as they will also charge you other fees, so make sure you investigate what the ‘flat fee’ is and what the commission is for the exchange.
Do it at a bank or post office – exchanging with a black market money lender is rarely worth it. It’s possible you can be given counterfeit currency or something else nefarious in exchange for your legitimate cash.
This was a guest post from Tom over at Active Backpacker – his website is all about providing backpacking tips, advice and helpful guides.
