European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 11, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Travel tips if i f y arms help travellers avoid currency Exchange ripoffs by dance Gay Scripps Howard news service one of the great rip offs of travelling through Europe is Exchange rates at Banks and currency Exchange bureaus. But there s a Money saving Way out that s now showing up across Europe Banks Here Are  link their computers directly to american Banks through the. Cirrus most and plus systems. It has t been Well advertised but what this Means is that you can use european automatic Teller machines to withdraw Cash directly out of your own Bank account Back Home if your Bank is linked to one of those systems. I came across this information quite by Accident As i noticed a new abm Amro Teller machine on Amsterdam s Leid Seplin has the same Cirrus logo As my atm card with the National capital Bank of Washington  where i Bank i slipped the Bank s atm card in tapped in my pass code and was astonished that it worked. The machine even offered English rather than the usual dutch found on arms in the Netherlands. Cirrus says its services Are now available in 44 countries and i be since used the service in London As Well. The National capital Bank charges me a $1 fee every time i use it but i be found the rate of Exchange is better than i can get Over Here and i avoid the extortionate fees and commissions charged by hotels Banks and bureaus of Exchange. There s even an advantage Over using visa and Mastercard to get Cash out of arms because those card companies regard foreign withdrawals As Cash is Michael abrants a Dav Casey changing bureaus left can be a Ripoff but arms linked to the states offer big savings. Advances and charge 1.5 percent fees. And Many Banks charge a commission on top of that tourists Are so victimized in Europe by Bank commissions and Exchange rates that the european Community which wants to unify european currencies says that if you took $100 and travelled around Western Europe exchanging the Money in each of the 12 countries of the european a Nion you will end your trip with $56 without buying a single item. Valerie my youngest daughter Learned this lesson the hard Way on her first trip to Europe. She cashed $20 into dutch guilders  because she did t spend any of the Money cashed it at the same Bank into dollars and received Back $12. The transaction slips told the Story of where the $8 went. The Bank took $2.50 for each transaction As its commission and the other $3 was lost in the difference in Exchange rates Between buying a currency and Selling it. I can still see the crushed look on her face. If it s any Comfort it s not just american tourists who Are victimized. Vacationing europeans complain that As much As one sixth of their currency is siphoned off at Exchange offices and Banks. The least favourable operations Are run at hotel cashier cages where i be found that Exchange rates typically Range from 5 percent to 15 percent lower than the daily rates quoted in newspapers. The hotels justify this As offsetting their operating costs although the Cashiers have to sit there anyway processing . I Only use hotels in emergencies when i run out of Cash and there s no alternative. Next in lie for rip off practices Are the bureaus of Exchange which typically Are privately run businesses. But Don t be fooled by the store front operations advertising that they Don t. Charge fees or commissions because their. Exchange rates Are often worse than hotel cashier cages. The european newspaper cites a recent consumer Survey that found one London Bureau charging 9.5 percent commission on currencies it exchanged while the difference Between Best an worst deals in Paris was 16 percent. If you have to Exchange Cash or traveler s checks Banks Are your Best Deal because Many charge a Flat fee and offer the Best Exchange rates. I carry traveler s checks for emergencies but use visa when i need to get Large amounts of local currency from Banks. The one glitch i be found with using european arms is that they frequently run out of Money on Long weekends and holidays. And not All arms Are linked to the system. While the abm Amro Teller machine at the Leid Seplin is linked to Cirrus the same Bank s machines in the suburb Aren t. Another problem is the amount of Money i can withdraw at one time seems to be limited to the equivalent of $150. But these Are minor complaints weighed against the satisfaction of avoiding one of the obnoxious rip offs that spoil  other countries. Lance Gay european correspondent for Scrippa Howard new service finally a usable travel agent perk by Barbara Shea new Day what s the Best Freebie you be Ever gotten for booking a tour a couple of plastic Luggage tags a thimble sized sewing kit a Dorky accordion pleated rain Bonnet most travellers have drawers full of these tokens which never seem to be As useful As intended. But a new perk has started showing up this year that s almost guaranteed to come in Handy abroad. It s a prepaid Telephone calling card. Phone cards represent a relatively Small expense for Large companies but they can be invaluable to vacationers. At least two major travel services companies Are now offering prepaid phone cards to their customers and More Are Likely to follow suit in Corning months. Currently vacationers booking rail Europe s euro plus Tours which Are geared to Independent travellers receive a sprint eur phone card Good for a three minute International Call from Europe or 10 minutes of local tailing in More than 30 countries a value of about $6. The Kemvel croup is offering $10 Worth of free Sci overseas phone service to travellers who Book rental cars in about 30 countries mainly european this year. If you opt for a new Peugeot through a lease Type arrangement of two weeks or More you la get a card Good for $25 Worth of Calls. Sprint s distributor Tel touch inc., is currently negotiating with european airlines hotels and other tour operators about distributing the card As a perk for their customers too according to a s spokesman. Eventually you la be Able to buy one to give to a student headed for Magazine measures Quality of plane s air from wire reports / consumer reports Magazine has jumped into the fray Over air Quality in air plane Cabins sending volunteers on 158 flights on 44 types of planes with instruments to measure temperature humidity and Carbon dioxide co2 Levels. They found the air in Cabins on about one in four flights exceeded Carbon dioxide Levels established As the Comfort threshold by r is Michael Abrams Telephone users in Germany can use its prepaid card the  this one costs 12 Marks about $8. A semester abroad or to carry along on your own vacation trip he said. I tested the 10-Unjt sprint eur phone card from my office recently first dealing a toll free Access number then the personal number printed on the face of my card. An automated voice prompted me to select from a menu either make any desired phone Call or Access an information services network including world National and financial news weather and sports. Within seconds i d heard news headlines of the Day and the weather forecast for Rome a City i picked arbitrarily and selected by spelling it on the Telephone push buttons. Rail Europe s euro plus travel programs offer. Essentials such As round trip airfare on major carriers and a Choice of 2,000 hotels abroad As Well As Tours River cruises and car leasing programs. For euro plus information Call 1-800-462-2577. For information on Kemvel Call 1-800-678-0678. The american a roundabout society of heating refrigerating and air conditioning engineers. St lest air the Boeing 757, where about half of it is recycled by the ventilating system. Freshest air the Boeing 747-400, on which Consumers should try to Fly whenever possible recommends the in depth report in the August Issue. Other tips if the air smells or feels Stuffy ask the attendant to turn up the ventilation. Get off the plane if there s an intermediate Stop. Bring an inhaler if you re asthmatic. And if you have serious heart or respiratory problems and a doctor s prescription ask the airlines in Advance to provide oxygen equipment. They liveth legroom and they Tabeth away. With Comfort class taking up Premium seating space on some of Twa s popular summer european routes the airline has now put some of the seats Back to squeeze in More passengers. Only 10 planes out of 192 Are affected mostly flights out of new York to Athens Greece Rome Milan Italy Paris and Madrid Spain says Twa. And once the summer Rush is Over the airline May take the seats out again. But if you re counting on Comfort better Check first. August 11, 1994 stripes Magazine 21