Do I use cash or credit card overseas? Do I pay foreign transaction fee? How is the currency exchange rate? What credit and debit cards do I use? How do I track my expenses?
I carry exactly one credit card and one debit card: A Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card for credit charges, and a Charles Schwab debit card for cash withdrawal. I do also have a backup credit / debit card in case the other one doesn’t work.
Why did I choose Chase Sapphire Preferred and Charles Schwab? No foreign transaction fee, competitive exchange rate, reward points, signup bonus, and a bunch of other perks. Notice that Chase Sapphire Preferred is different from Chase Sapphire Reserve: The latter got a lot of attention earlier this year because of its huge signup bonus and complimentary Priority Pass membership, which gives you (and your family and friends) free access to 1000+ airport lounges worldwide – Who doesn’t like free food and drinks while waiting for flights?
Before you think you can tag along with me to airport lounges, let’s be very clear that I am not a member either so sorry I can’t help you there J; but if you are a Priority Pass member, you have just become my instant best friend and next time you enter those lounges you might see me sneak behind you or hide inside your luggage.
As far as tracking expenses, I use the AndroMoney app on Android (or TripCoin on iOS). Although the two apps look quite different, they do essentially the same thing: After each transaction, you simply spend a few seconds to enter the amount paid, payment method, and a few words of what the expense was for. After a certain period of time, you export the data to a spreadsheet and email it to yourself – I have been doing this for years, so I always know exactly how much I spend. Nothing fancy, just basic personal finance.
Vienna is regarded as the City of Music because of its musical legacy, with Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) being one of the busiest opera houses. A ticket to Vienna State Opera with a decent view usually costs $80 Euro and up, and you would need to reserve your ticket in advance. But if you decide to go watch an opera the day of, or if you don’t want to drop $80 Euro for a ticket, you can opt for a standing ticket – $4 Euro a pop! And unlike regular tickets, there is no dress code for standing tickets.
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When it costs $3 Euro for a bottled water in Vienna, $4 Euro to watch an opera is a tremendous deal – Even when you have to stand
@Vienna
Vienna is regarded as the City of Music because of its musical legacy, with Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) being one of the busiest opera houses. A ticket to Vienna State Opera with a decent view usually costs $80 Euro and up, and you would need to reserve your ticket in advance. But if you decide to go watch an opera the day of, or if you don’t want to drop $80 Euro for a ticket, you can opt for a standing ticket – $4 Euro a pop! And unlike regular tickets, there is no dress code for standing tickets.
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When it costs $3 Euro for a bottled water in Vienna, $4 Euro to watch an opera is a tremendous deal – Even when you have to stand
@Vienna
When traveling in Central Europe, you will see plenty of war hero statues (statue of a man riding a horse).
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Here is an interesting fact: The number of legs a horse has in the air in a statue indicates how the rider died: 2 legs in the air means the rider died in battle. 1 leg in the air means rider died by wounds made in battle. 0 leg in the air means rider died by any other reason.
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That being said, plenty of sculptors value creativity / flexibility and choose not to follow this “tradition”.
@Vienna
Mozart, one of the most influential composers in the Classical era, was born in Austria. While for centuries he has been portrayed as an impoverished genius, a new exhibition claims that Mozart lived a solidly upper-crust life and was among the top earners in 18th-century Vienna – The rent Mozart paid for his apartment cost about 10 times of his dad’s place. Despite being a musical genius, Mozart was a hedonist who was incapable of saving for bad times. He spent money when he had it and suffered when he did not.
@Vienna
Mozart, one of the most influential composers in the Classical era, was born in Austria. While for centuries he has been portrayed as an impoverished genius, a new exhibition claims that Mozart lived a solidly upper-crust life and was among the top earners in 18th-century Vienna – The rent Mozart paid for his apartment cost about 10 times of his dad’s place. Despite being a musical genius, Mozart was a hedonist who was incapable of saving for bad times. He spent money when he had it and suffered when he did not.
@Vienna
Mozart, one of the most influential composers in the Classical era, was born in Austria. While for centuries he has been portrayed as an impoverished genius, a new exhibition claims that Mozart lived a solidly upper-crust life and was among the top earners in 18th-century Vienna – The rent Mozart paid for his apartment cost about 10 times of his dad’s place. Despite being a musical genius, Mozart was a hedonist who was incapable of saving for bad times. He spent money when he had it and suffered when he did not.
@Vienna
The original Sacher-Torte, invented by Austrian cook Franz Sacher in 1832, is considered the world’s most famous chocolate cake. The Sacher-Torte, being served at Hotel Sacher, is a dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam, served with a portion of unsweetened whipped cream.
@Vienna
St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
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Rathaus, city hall of Vienna. Some sort of festival going on that day.
@Vienna
Parliament.
@Vienna
Schnitzel (breaded, fried flat piece of meat), originated in Austria.
@Vienna
