You're gonna want a little pocket money!

Hi Guys, as we're slowly closing in our your departure dates for France, we just wanted to remind you that  you're going to need a little pocket for your week in Provence... and of course that means you're going to need "Euros".  With that in mind, we're reposting an article from the Blog back in early October on options for currency exchange.  If you want some Euros in your pocket before you leave we suggest you start out by checking with your bank to see if they do currency exchange. Also typically at least one AAA office in most cities here in the US offer currency exchange.  We know for a fact that Bank of America & TD Banks do currency exchange.   

  So a common question we always get is: How much money do we need for our Provence trip... Do we actually need cash... and how do we get Euros ?

First and foremost you need to know that they do accept common credit cards in France... Mostly Visa, and MasterCard...  American Express is accepted, but not quite as widely as MC & Visa... (note: Discover Card is usually not taken in France).   But sometimes at smaller establishments, just like here in the US, it is cash only.  As far as how much actual cash you'll need... That's of course totally dependent on your personal choices & lifestyles... Over the last 24 years that we've been taking these groups, we've seen some of our guests get by using very little in euros (maybe a 100 Euro per person over the 8 days) and other guests spending ten times that....

During your week at The Villa, for your Adventures to Provence Tour, most all of your "hard expenses" are included with your Tour price, with the exception of three lunches while we give you free time while we're out touring in some of the Villages...   On these days,  some prefer to maximize their time sightseeing & shopping and forgo lunch... (the Breakfast spreads at the Villa are substantial) or just grab a quick sandwich or slice of Pizza and Soda from a street vendor (typically available for around 6 euro)...   (as far as meals; all your Breakfasts, three of your lunches, all your Dinners, the never-ending snack basket, and of course our OPEN Wine, Champagne, Prosecco & Beer Bars at The Villa are all included in your Tour).

On the other end of the scale, some guests prefer to relax outside at a table with a view in one of the nicer Bistros, Brasseries or Cafes and have a larger hot lunch and a glass of wine and do a little people watching...  this is likely more in the neighborhood of 20 - 30 euro per person (depending on your choices and the view)!   And of course anyone that's spent time in high aspiration tourist destinations knows that it's not hard to spend 50 to 100 euros per person, if lunch to you means either steak or lobster with a bottle of wine...  A simple and casual relaxed hot lunch with a glass of wine in a Bistro and a little people watching is always one of our favorite things in Provence... we tend to favor moderately priced Bistros with a nice view... 

And of course, you'll have small miscellaneous personal expenses throughout the week... perhaps a glass of wine, a crème glacée, a café, a take-away crepe, some Belgian chocolates, parking, maybe something you need from a drug store, etc. Nothing big, but you will need a little pocket money...  So you can see, as far as how much money you'll need, this is not an easy answer...

We always suggest you budget and plan for a minimum of  20 - 30 euros per person/per day (+/- 200 euro per person)...  And you can certainly get by on a whole lot less if you want to...   But your personal expenses for shopping can be a whole other story... There's leather purses, shoes, belts, soaps, perfumes, pottery, clothing, paintings, sculpture,  etc...  If you're buying things at an outdoor market, they're often taking only cash... But usually anyone selling more expensive items, will take credit cards...  

So there's quite a few options for accessing Euros... We'll address the three main options:

#1.   Buying Euros in advance from your bank

Buying Euros ahead of time from your local bank here in the states is a safe & conservative approach... This is what we do... In our opinion, this is the most convenient and easiest way to get Euros, and already have them in pocket when you arrive in France.  Often they won't have the euros at your local branch, but they'll get them for you in a day or two...  They usually give you a very fair exchange rate, and of course they'll charge you a small fee depending on your relationship with the bank.  We always buy them easily online in advance from our bank; Bank of America...  and they just ship them to us.   That way, we have the euros in our pocket when we get there.  

You need to know the Villa is a private residence, not a hotel, so there are no room safes, and we strongly advise against leaving valuables in your room when you're not at the Villa. (cash, expensive watches, expensive jewelry, etc).  In fact we strongly advise against even bringing & wearing expensive jewelry/watches at all... If you're going bring these types of things with you on your vacation, we suggest carrying them with you when you leave your hotel or the Villa during the day...

#2.  Buying Euros from one of those all too familiar Currency Exchange Booths

You know these places... You see them all over the place at international airports and in large tourist cities... These booths, while very convenient, and always touting "The Very Best Rates" are usually the most expensive way to get Euros...  We don't suggest them basically because they're just so expensive... Their exchange rates are typically 10% or more above the going rate. 

#3.   Using your ATM Debit Card to access cash from ATM Machines

If you don't get Euros in advance before you leave the states, this is usually the most economical way to access Euros once you're in Europe...   If you decide to go this route, we always suggest to our guests to bring a couple hundred US dollars as emergency cash, two credit cards, and an ATM debit card... And just hit an ATM at the airport in Europe as soon as you get in and access Euros with your ATM Debit Card. (you probably don't want to use a credit card for this... that would be a cash advance and be costly).   Most banks give you the very best exchange rate doing it this way, and charge little or no additional fees... We always suggest checking with your bank to find out which European ATM network you're in... It's best to use a Bank ATM in your network as the fees will likely be less.  Be careful using small private (non-bank) ATM's as the fees can be substantial, and always stay away from "dynamic conversion" offers at ATM's or retailers as this is typically a very costly option.  Have them charge you in Euros, NOT US dollars, as your bank offers the best conversion/exchange rate. (note: sometimes ATM cards are slow to start in Europe, even when you tell your bank you're gonna be in Europe... We always advise to have an international phone number handy, in case you need to call your bank. With all the credit card fraud that's going on these days, banks are super cautious... and their abundance of caution can be inconvenient for you.

We always suggest that you call your bank and credit card companies a month in advance and tell them your travel plans and dates.  Many will tell you there's no need to do this, but we strongly suggest you do...  and insist they please note the info on your account... Often you can do this on your bank's website.

Whichever way you choose to exchange currency, you should do it before you arrive at the Villa on Saturday, as you'll want to have the cash on hand during our Touring activities which will start Sunday morning...