More thoughts on Paris savings

I always read the Travel section looking for bargains and was happy to see the article about deals in Paris [“The City of Light for Less,” Money Matters, by Debbi Kickham, Nov. 26]. All the ideas were great until it came to shopping.

What I don’t understand is why a tour guide for $125 an hour is a deal. If her fee is even less than the discount I would get, I probably couldn’t afford the final price. Does she charge you for the hour it takes to eat the curated lunch? Sheilah Palacios San Gabriel sands of travelers to the City of Light. Here are some more tips to add to the Money Matters column:

If you plan to use credit cards and bank debit cards while on your trip, make sure to notify your bank and credit card companies that you will be traveling; otherwise, the bank may put a fraud alert on your accounts and freeze your funds.

Choose credit cards that do not charge foreign transaction fees.

For maximum security, use your bank debit card only to obtain euros from an ATM and your credit card to make major purchases.

Get several days’ worth of cash at a time to save you from additional fees and bother.

If you’re visiting an ATM in front of a bank, do it during the day so that if the machine eats your card you have a better chance of getting help get it out.

Make a photocopy of all your cards, front and back, as well as your passport and keep in a separate, secure place. This will make it much easier to replace them if necessary.

Consider keeping a spare credit card and a couple of hundred dollars as an emergency stash that you keep with your passport.

Invest in a money belt or a neck pouch for valuables that you keep under your clothes.

Keep your wallet in your front pocket and leave nothing in your back pockets.

Best exchange rate I’ve found is at the Paris airport, so just hit the ATM when you land. Mark Anderson Adventure Vacations La Jolla

Nice article on saving money in Paris.

The French still value the pursuit of scholarship and intellectual endeavors. Showing your university or college ID may allow free access to Parisian museums with a cheerful “Bon jour, Professor!”

Some German museums have the same policy, often with a hearty Guten tag, Herr Professor Doktor or Frau Professor Doktor. Steve Dahms San Diego