Trip Prep
What to know before you you go: essential things to do or bring that will smooth your trip…
First: Download the Essential Apps
Here is a list of the Best Phone Apps for Nice. Download them before you go so you don’t waste valuable vacation time trying to do it from your hotel room once you’re here…
- Install the free app Find My Iphone and test it before you go… it is peace-of-mind in an app. There is always that moment when you can’t find your phone and think maybe you’ve been pickpocketed… but in fact you just left it in the hotel, restroom or Uber… this app gives you your answer fast. (for Smartphones, download Google’s Android Device Manager)
- Uber is so much cheaper and easier than dealing with taxis, especially if you don’t speak French. Sign up and download the app before you go: you can’t be overcharged, no cash changes hands, and the Uber car can find you even when you have no idea where you are! Even better: first-time Uber users can click here and save 10€ on each of your first 5 rides!
Figure out your Internet Roaming Strategy
First check to see if your data plan has free international roaming. If not, see if your phone is unblocked to use a French SIM card, and if you go this route the cheapest SIMs with the most data need to be ordered online 2 weeks in advance and delivered to your hotel (details here).
- Or… avoid all this hassle and just order a Pocket Wifi Hotspot for 8€/day for unlimited internet everywhere for your whole family (recommended); you can order it online and then pick it up at the nearest tourist office when you arrive.
- Alternately you can just not use your phone outside of free wifi, and if this is your choice download Skype and buy $10 worth of Skype credit so that you can call local businesses and land lines worldwide easily and for pennies.
Prepare your Credit Card and Wallet Situation
- Don’t bother taking your Discover or Diner’s Card; nobody has ever heard of them here.
- Call your debit and credit card companies to inform them of your travel plans so that their fraud department doesn’t automatically block your card the first time you use it in a foreign country. While you’re at it, get their local France number in case it happens anyway (which it does) and you need to call to get your card unblocked.
- You can get Travelers Checks, but really, the cheapest and most convenient way to get cash from a cash machine with a debit card with a pin code. Revolut is the best debit card to have, but Bank of America debit cards are a close second because you can use them for free in BNP Paribas machines here (no transaction fees on either end). A good credit card is Cap One which doesn’t charge any international transaction fees (most cards charge 3%). Click here for more advice on changing money and cards.
- Make sure you bring two cards that will give you cash and keep one somewhere out of your wallet (hidden in your luggage lining, maybe?) so that in the unlikely event that you get pickpocketed, the incident will not be compounded by a complete inability to get cash!
- Make 2 copies of your passport and credit cards (both sides) and leave one with someone at home, and one hidden in your luggage.
- Empty your wallet of photos, address book, and unnecessary things that would be a huge pain to replace in the unlikely event that you were pick-pocketed.
- One card you should bring is a student ID card, as there are deep student discounts for most festivals and events, and you can get them at any age if you have a valid student ID.
- Don’t go through the hassle of getting the AAA international drivers license; all US drivers licenses are recognized in Europe.
Essential Accessories to Order Ahead of Time
It’s much less expensive to order these kinds of things from Amazon at home, than have to buy them for a premium and pay euro prices, or from an overpriced airport or hotel sundry shop!
- Bring an extra-long phone charging cord as sometimes the closest plug is far from your bedside… trust me you will be happy you did!
2 Adapter Plugs
for your phone and computer: Most communication equipment takes 220 as well as 110 volts, so all you need is just an adapter plug to make your plug fit into our socket.
- Luggage weight restrictions are quite severe, and overweight fees are high, especially on inter-Europe flights with low-budget carriers, so bring along this nifty pocket luggage scale
and you won’t be faced with the pay-or-ditch airport dilemma.
- Pick up a money pouch to wear under your clothes. Trust me, you don’t want to be walking around Europe in high season with a wallet full of euros!
- For Airbnbs, bring a pair of cheap rubber flipflops for your apartment balcony.
- Not essential, but a small bluetooth speaker is a nice thing to have to be able to listen to your music in your apartment.
- For women travelling alone, I recommend a cheap plastic doorstop, just for an extra level of security, especially in holiday apartments.
In Nice, the beaches are covered with smooth stones, so you will want a pair of rubber water shoes for getting in and out of the surf… otherwise you will be doing the most unflattering stork dance! You can get them here, too, but why waste beach time trying to find them?
Don’t Bring:
- Your good curling iron or straightener – Computers work fine, but less sophisticated electronics, like curling irons and straighteners all need a plug adapter plus a voltage converter
, but even then, anything that heats up tends to short out really easily, so I highly recommend just leaving your good one at home and buy a cheapie one here that has the right voltage and plug, and then you can just leave it when you’re done… If your good one shorts out you will have to buy the cheapie one anyway (plus another good one once home!).
- Hairdryer – All hotels and airbnb’s have hairdryers at least, so that is one thing you don’t need to bring.
- Travel Iron (Unless you really need it) – Airbnb’s have irons, but most European hotels don’t provide them, so check ahead and if not you can always pack a micro travel steam iron
, but better yet, just use my favorite travel hack: Pick up a spray bottle of Evian water
at the corner store, lay your clothes flat on the bed, mist lightly, wait 15 seconds, then ‘iron’ with your hand. It’s a travel miracle!
Brush up on your French
Start a month ahead and brush up on your conversational French with Pimsleur French; for me it was the easiest method… there is no book, it takes just 20 minutes a day, and you’re not supposed to do more than 1 a day. A lot of people like Rosetta Stone, which is more visual, whereas Pimsleur is more like a podcast… so it just depends on your personal style. A lot of people that have taken years of French and can maybe read and write it, but once here they find themselves completely tongue-tied when they try to speak because they are too in-their-head trying for perfect grammar. Pimsleur gets you out of your head so speaking becomes more natural and instinctive.
And for fun, download the DuoLingo app for fun learning games to play when you have a few minutes to kill.
Related Pages on Getting By in France:
- Avoiding French Restaurant Pitfalls
- Dealing with French Public Restrooms
- How to order your Café like a pro
- Tips for Shopping like a local
- Money and Credit Cards in France
- French Grocery store tips
- Crime and Scams in Nice
- Best iPhone Apps for Nice
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Photo Credit: Nice Poster available at AllPosters.co.uk