European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 14, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Travel tips by Barbara Shea new Day Vou be prepaid All the big Bills a for flights hotels rental ear. Now if you can just stay out of expensive restaurants during your trip there might even be enough left in your vacation budget for an ice Cream Cone every Day or two. But then you wheel up to your first night s lodging and discover a significant expense you had t counted on parking. Business traveler International Magazine recently surveyed hotel parking fees in Europe and the United  the Magazine found that hotel parking fees can be As High As $40 a Day which can take a Large bite out of the Cash you be set aside for food and fun. In general european hotels charge far More for parking spaces than their . Counterparts the Magazine found. But things apparently Are changing All Oyer. It said properties that once offered free parking or charged a nominal sum have jacked up their rates in recent years. Two . Cities were surveyed Dallas and los Angeles and four in Europe London Paris Amsterdam Netherlands and Frankfurt Germany. Of the six London s hotels charged by far the most a up to $40 a Day. Rates in los Angeles were found to be Quot much More expensive than those in Many other american cities and not far parking can Jack up vacation costs when planning a vacation Don t forget to Factor in the Cost of parking. A amps Fife behind the parking charges of some european  los Angeles hotel parking prices Range from $9 to $16.50. Quot decisions about How much individual hotels charge for parking Are Industry set based on what other hotels and parking lots in the area Are charging Quot the Magazine said. But the study found several inconsistencies. Tor example guests Are charged for parking at most hotels in the los Angeles area but parking is free almost hotels in equally sprawling Dallas. And in Europe some three Star properties charge More than those with five stars. You re Likely to find free parking Only if you Book a hotel on the outskirts of cities like London and Frankfurt the article said. London hoteliers blamed several sometimes contradictory factors for their High fees. One hotel with no on site parking of its own says its $37.50 fee covers the Cost of Valet parking at a nearby lot. Another said its $30 fee was in line with competitors rates. A third which claimed that its $40 fee is set by an outside contractor is located next to a deluxe hotel that charges $19.50, the least of All the London hotels surveyed. The article also noted that properties in Amsterdam manage to undercut London rates even though City Center parking space is probably scarcer there than in London a and where the use of covered guarded parking is Quot essential because of car crime against foreign registered vehicle in downtown  parking in Paris is More plentiful than in London which the Magazine speculated May be Why rates Are lower in the French capital a even when a hotel does t have its own parking lot. So How can travellers Cut parking costs if you re staying in a City hotel on the first nigh of your vacation the Magazine suggested taking a taxi from the Airport and waiting until you re ready to head for the Countryside to pick up your  article added that Large firms May be Able to get parking fees waived As part of a corporate Deal. I d make a plea for leniency on a Leisure trip As Well. The family travel Market carries considerable clout too a Don t Ever doubt it. Add these to your summer Reading list from wire reports recently published travel books include the following a travel buying guide by de Perkins and the editors of consumer reports travel letter. Published by consumer reports books it Sells for about $8.99. The Book guides travellers to discounts on airfares hotels car rentals and tour packages. Also advice about shopping lodging complaints insurance and other books minutiae of arranging travel. A newly revised is the Vietnam Guidebook by Barbara m. Cohen. It is published by Houghton Mifflin and Sells for about $19.95. The author served in Vietnam during the War years and is now a resident of that nation. Includes sections about visa requirements and health precautions. Exchange rate strategies can help travellers by James t. Yenckel the Washington Post what Rotten Juck. You want to do some travelling in Europe and the Dollar is falling. Of course a weakened Dollar does mean prices will be higher but the following Are ways to ease the pain when the Dollar is on a downward trend at your destination a buy foreign currency traveler s checks or Exchange dollars for foreign currency now before the Dollar sinks Tower. A be cautious with credit cards pointers especially when making expensive purchases. The Dollar May weaken Between the Day you use your card and the Day the charge is actually processed. A prepay As much of your trip As you can at today s Exchange rates and do so in the local currency if possible. A always keep informed about worldwide political events and How they Are affecting the Dollar. A european Telephone numbers. And what they mean calling the Paris Uso from Italy or Germany 00 1 40.70.99.68 calling the . Embassy in Bonn from the United kingdom 010 49 228 this is the International Access code from Many countries including Germany and Italy it is 00. From the United kingdom it is 010. This number gets you out of the country you Are calling from. This is the country code. It normally appears in parenthesis and is usually two or three digits. This number gets you into the country you Are calling. Many cities also have their own codes. Paris is 1. Bonn is 228, Berlin is 30, Frankfurt is 69. In Italy Rome is 6 and Naples is 81. The last set of numbers is the local Telephone. For example All numbers in Paris have eight digits after the City code. U is common for periods to separate every two digits. Many european countries however have no set number of digits. If calling from inside most countries drop the Access and country codes and add a 0. To Access an International line from Canada and. The United states dial 011 from Germany dial 00 my. From Italy dial 00 from the Netherlands dial 00 from Spain dial 07 v from the United kingdom dial 010 then dial the country code Austria 43 azores 351 Belgium 32 Bulgaria 359 Canada 1 Croatia 385 Cyprus 357 czech Republic 42 Denmark 45 Egypt 20 Finland 358 France 33 Germany 49 great Britain and Northern Ireland 44 Greece 30 Greenland 299 Hungary 36 Iceland 354 Ireland 353 Israel 972 Italy 39 Kuwait 965 Liechtenstein 41 Luxembourg 352 Malta 356 Monaco 33 Morocco 212 Netherlands 31 Norway 47 Poland 48 Portugal 351 Romania 40 saudi Arabia 966 sgt Varia .42 Slovenia 386 Spain 34 Sweden 46. Switzerland a 41 Turkey 90 United Arab emirates 971 United states 1 a amps Susan Harris july 14, 1994 stripes Magazine 25