Vacation Rental Help Topics

Passports
Passports are required of U.S. citizens visiting Europe. First-time applicants 13 and over must fill out an application form and appear in person at a U.S. Passport Agency office, or at a designated courthouse or post office. Bring your birth certificate or proof of citizenship, a photo identification and two recent identical "head shot" photos, 2" x 2", and apply well ahead of your trip. Children ages 13 to 17 must appear with a parent. If you are applying for a child under 13, the child need not appear.

Note: Most Passport Agency offices now serve only those departing within two weeks and require that you make an appointment in advance. Others will be directed to U.S. Post Offices and local courthouses that take passport applications.

Passport charges were raised in August 2002, with the fee for first-time applicants 16 and over now at $85 (10-year passports). The fee for children 15 and under is $70 (five-year passports).

Passports of adults can be renewed by mail for up to 12 years from issue date. All passports obtained in 1992 are up for renewal. Renewal fees are $55. Processing time is about three weeks, excluding mailing time, longer during the spring and summer months. If you wish expedited service (delivery within two weeks), there is an additional $60 fee, plus overnight delivery costs.

Passport, visa and U.S. travel-advisory information is available from the State Department's Consular Affairs site at http://travel.state.gov. You can download passport application and renewal forms, and locate the nearest Passport Agency, or designated post office or courthouse.

You can also call the State Department's new automated National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778.

Visas
Visas are not required for American tourists on short-term visits (usually less than 90 days) by any member countries of the European Travel Commission covered on this site, except Turkey. U.S. citizens must obtain visas ($100 as of December 2002) before entering Turkey, either from a Turkish consulate abroad, or at airport and border entry points.

Health Certificates
Health certificates are not required for entering any of the countries covered here (unless you are coming from an officially declared "infected area"). Nor are they required for your return to the U.S. from these countries. For information on health conditions abroad, see sites of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is strongly recommend for overseas travel. A comprehensive travel insurance plan should include coverage for Trip Cancellation & Interruption, Medical Expenses and Emergency Medical Transportation, Loss and Damage to Baggage, and a toll-free, 24-hour travel assistance hotline. Travelers should read any policy carefully, know what is covered, and consider the following tips:

Medicare does not extend beyond the borders of the United States – travelers on Medicare and other restrictive managed-care health plans can protect themselves with comprehensive third-party travel insurance.

Weigh carefully any travel protection offered directly by a tour operator or travel supplier – a comprehensive third-party travel insurance plan will cover the traveler’s travel investment in the event of a travel carrier’s financial demise.

Extensive weather and security delays can impact travel itineraries and baggage – travelers should look for coverage of Delayed Baggage and Travel Delays when considering any travel insurance plan.

Weather Forecast
Although most of Europe lies in latitudes more northerly than New York, warm Atlantic currents moderate temperatures, even in Iceland.

The Alps can be used as a rough dividing line for the continent's climate. To the north, summers are mild, while winters can be cool and damp. To the south, from Portugal to Turkey, winters are mild and summers are hot (much like southern California), with rain most common in autumn and spring. As always, temperatures are cooler at higher altitudes. Take a raincoat or sweater, even in summer.

European countries measure temperature in Centigrade rather than Fahrenheit.

For five-day forecasts for any of 66 European cities, go to the Met Office, Britain's national weather service. You can also check U.S. newspapers for Europe weather information or call 900-WEATHER, a Weather Channel service that offers updated reports for 95 cents a minute.

Click here for the mean high and low temperatures in Fahrenheit for selected European cities, with a few U.S. cities included for comparison.