Last minute advice

Wear a money belt and have a good time!

Did you notify your cc co and bank?

Don't forget to have fun.

Check on last minute activities in Budapest http://www.jegymester.hu/ http://mupa.hu/ http://www.funzine.hu/

Hi, Enjoy that Viennese coffee (their coffee culture is different from that of everyone slse) and the Schnitzel.

Go to Hummus Bar in Budapest, eat amazing falafel.

Thanks, all good advice!! Susan - Yes, I had to notify Amex months ago bc they wouldn't let me purchase train tickets online. I actually work in the same building as my bank so that was easy, I just popped my head in and told my customer service rep. And I know Amex is going to be pretty much unless but I only have the two cards. Fred - I've got to study up on these coffee choices, I'm really picky. I like watery black coffee or coffee with milk not cream. I def want to do the Vienna coffee experience though! Anna - I like the sound of Hummus Bar, I think I could eat my weight in hummus, so the name has me, will def look that one up!! James - Thank you for all of your tips, you're awesome and I'm glad you had fun on your recent trip.

If Amex is the only credit card you plan to take, think again. I've had Amex since 1979. Three years ago, I booked hotels and airfare well in advance of my trip, all paid by Amex. Before I left, I notified my bank, Amex, and Mastercard. The day after I arrived in Salzburg, my hotel told me that Amex refused authorization to pay the balance of my bill. I substituted Mastercard without problem. Amex was at a loss to explain its refusal when I later called, though it first blamed some equipment failure at the hotel. I reminded Amex that the hotel was 5-star and had hosted heads of state and popes; Amex apologized but couldn't explain. I was doubly glad to have taken Mastercard as well as Amex. Best wishes on your trip, but be prepared to see streets without signage in Vienna

Linda, In studying up on Viennese coffee culture, you might also want to consult Rough Guide Vienna. You'll see that in Viennese menus there are unique coffee choices not offered anywhere else.

Bank card is a visa so shouldbe good! My husband has another from a diff acct that he'll bring.

Fred, I'll check that site. My Top 10 book also has a section on the coffees, it's just been a few months since I read that section.

Any suggestions on Prague hotels?

No ideas on hotels, we are doing all apartments. I can give you a review when I return!

Disposable wash cloths, never forget husband using his sock as washcloth in Ireland.

Clean underwear.

Here is a pretty decent article on coffee culture in Vienna. http://www.viennadirect.com/food/coffee.php and this is possibly the worlds most grand coffee house. http://budapestblog.luxuryhotelsbudapest.com/cafe-new-york-in-new-york-palace-hotel-budapest/ and this, possibly one of the worlds most enjoyable coffee houses http://budapestgolocal.blogspot.com/2011/07/art-nouveau-wonders-in-budapest-2-paris.html?m=1

My advice it not to expect any of the three cities to be like the other two. They are always spoken of as triplets, but I now think of them as apples, oranges, and bananas. Despite their shared history and geographic proximity, I found them really different from each other.

Put back half your clothes and 'be present' as much as possible to enjoy every moment!

Don't forget your swimsuit! The outdoor public baths in Budapest are so much fun.

USA Today has some great information on every city in Europe in their Travel Section. We're heading to Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Prague the end of March. Budapest has all their inside Turkish Baths, and it's just one big drunken party on weekends with everyone in the water in their bathing suits.
I also go on Wikipedia and get great travel information on virtually any city in any country.

Anyway to notify your email provider. I use Gmail and got a notification from them half way thru our last trip that my email may have been compromised. I'm guessing it had something to do with logging in from various cities. Anyways, I had to reset my password, but in order to do so, they had to send the new password to my home phone. I used Skype to call home and listen to my answering machine. On top of the hassle, I now can't change back to my old password.

Warren, I was just thinking about your post, as we are half way through our two week vacation. I haven't been shut out of gmail yet but have been temporarily blocked from Linked In and Facebook! Good that they are watching out for us but did add some extra steps, def make sure all your on line accts are linked to your cell phone and personal emails before you go!