Anyone who says "Money can't buy Happiness" has never spent a week at a Villa in Provence!

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

First and foremost you need to know that they do accept common credit cards in France... Mostly Visa, MasterCard and American Express is excepted, \ (note: Discover Card is usually not commonly accepted France).   

But sometimes at smaller establishments, just like here in the US, it is cash only.  As far as how much 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  75 - 100 Euro per person over the 8 days) and other guests spending ten times that....

it always seems so far away, but
it'll be here before you know it!

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 in some of the villages we'll be touring...   On these 3 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 and simple sandwich or slice of Pizza and Soda from a street vendor (typically available for around 6 -7 euro)...   

On the other end of the scale, some prefer to relax outside at a table with a view in one of the nicer 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 - 25 euro per person (depending on the view)!   And of course anyone that's spent any time at all in tourist destinations, knows that it's not hard to spend 50 to 75 euros per person, if lunch to you means either steak or lobster with a bottle of wine...  A simple and casual relaxed lunch with a glass of wine and a little people watching is always one of our favorite things in Provence... we tend to favor the moderately priced Cafes with a nice view to just relax and soak in the French ambiance...

And of course, you'll have small miscellaneous personal expenses throughout the week... perhaps a glass of wine, a gelato, a caffe, 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 around 10 - 20 euros per person/per day (+/- 150 euro per person for the week)...  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, perfumes, pottery, clothing, paintings, sculpture,  Provençal tablecloths, etc...  Usually anyone selling more expensive items, will take credit cards...  (and when using a credit card, if you're asked; would you like to be charged in Dollars or Euros, always say Euros... choosing Dollars gives a retailer the ability to do his own "dynamic conversion" and charge a higher exchange rate).

best if you start watching the
fluctuation in the price of the 
Euro so you can buy them 
when they're at a low point...

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 a branch, but they'll get them for you in a day or two...  Your personal bank usually gives you a very fair exchange rate and typically any fees are covered in the exchange rate.  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.  

we'll have future posts about Euro notes & coins

So our 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 when you leave your hotel or the Villa during the day...

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

these types of booths at airports tend to be 
an expensive way to exchange currency

You know these places... You've seen 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

This is what we suggest to our guests as 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 a fair 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 networks 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 ATM's as the fees can be substantial, and 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 and credit cards are slow to start in Europe, even when you tell your bank you're going to 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 an inconvenience for you. (that's why getting at least some euros in advance is the safest route)

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

Whichever way you choose to exchange currency, you should definitely do it before you arrive at the Villa on Saturday, as you'll want to already have Euros in your pocket before our Touring activities  start on Sunday morning... we also suggest you fill your car with gas before you arrive at the Villa on Saturday... 

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