Savvy Traveler: Eurozone vs. European Union

by Iva Skoch on

People who come to Eastern Europe (or East Central Europe–as those who like to remove themselves from any association with Russia–call Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic now) often wonder why even if they are in the EU, they can’t use euros here. Nothing is ever easy with the EU, is it.

There are 27 member states in the EU, yet only 13 of them have entered stage 3 of their EU membership: adoption of the Euro currency.

Here are the EU countries NOT using the Euro:

  • United Kingdom
  • Denmark
  • Sweden
  • Czech Republic
  • Bulgaria
  • Romania
  • Hungary
  • Poland
  • Cyprus
  • Estonia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Malta
  • Slovakia

However, only Denmark and the UK negotiated a Euro exclusion from the original Maastricht Treaty.

The rest of the countries must legally join the Eurozone sooner or later, whether it is an economic advantage to them or not. The Czech Republic, for example is trying to postpone the Euro adoption as long as possible (fears of inflation) while Slovakia wants to be on the Euro as quickly as possible (hopes for new business opportunities). What everyone agrees on is that adopting the Euro makes everything more expensive for the consumer…and for the tourist.

Savvy Traveler: Let Czechoslovakia Die, Please

by Iva Skoch on

It has been 14 painful years for me since Czechoslovakia broke up in what they called a “Velvet Divorce“. Not so velvet for me.

Since January 1, 1993, I have been trying to patiently teach everyone outside the country to learn to love the sound of “Czech Republic” and “Slovak Republic”. I know, I know. It doesn’t quite come out as easily but please, don’t make me suffer any longer.

See what I have to go through on a daily basis:

“I can detect an accent. Where are you from?”

“Czech Republic.”

“Ah, Czechoslovakia.”

“Well, it’s actually the Czech and Slovakia now. The country split up in 1993.”

“Oh, I see. So, in Czechoslovakia, do you have indoor plumbing?”

Well, OK. It’s not quite that bad but it often comes close. Sometimes, when I travel I just tell people I am from Iceland so I don’t have to put up with the whole routine of “Czechoslovakia” any more. Please, let the nonexistent country die a velvet death.

Savvy Traveler: Never Point Your Feet at People

by Iva Skoch on

…that would be in Southeast Asia. According to Schott’s Almanac 2007, here is some elementary etiquette when traveling to that part of the world:

  • Dress modestly, especially when visiting holy sites or important buildings (My take on it: Nope, those shorts with “Juicy” across your butt are not gonna cut it)
  • Remove shoes before entering temples, mosques, pagodas, and private homes (My take on it: This is especially true if you are wearing Crocs; unless you are 3 years old, you should just remove those things at the airport and leave them there)
  • Buddhist monks are not allowed to have close contact with women, so do not stand or sit too near them
  • The head is considered sacred, therefore it is considered very rude to touch another person’s head
  • Feet are considered unclean, so avoid pointing them at any person or religious image (My take on it: I assume he means the bottoms of one’s feet. Otherwise, I am not sure how you avoid pointing your feet at other people, or at least other people’s feet)
  • Left hand is used for personal hygiene, it is impolite to shake hands or eat with it

For those puzzled over what “Southeast Asia” means, here is a list of the countries.

Savvy Traveler: Arab vs Muslim

by Iva Skoch on

It is a little frightening how many people use the terms “Arab” and “Muslim” interchangeably. Shows how much we know about that region of the world even after years of being intimately involved with the Middle East.

One often hears that people say “Arabs” when referring to Iranians. They are actually not Arabs; they are primarily Persians. Yes, they might practice Islam but that’s another story. Iraqis, on the other hand, are primarily Arabs. Afghanistan is not an Arabic state.

Just last week, I heard somebody describing a person as “looking Muslim.” People don’t generally look Muslim, just like they generally don’t look Christian. They might look Arab, but even that’s questionable because there are many races that live in the Arab world. Needless to say, Muslims in the Middle East look different than Muslims in Africa or Indonesia.

Arab refers to somebody from an ethnic group that shares a culture, history and language. Muslims are people who practice Islam. The Arab world covers most of Northern Africa and part of the Middle East. Many Arabs practice Islam, but many are also Christians, Jews, etc. Arab world is only a part of the Muslim world.

List of Arab Countries:

  • Algeria
  • Bahrain
  • Djibouti
  • Egypt
  • Iraq
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Libya
  • Mauritania
  • Morocco
  • Oman
  • Palestine
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Tunisia
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Western Sahara
  • Yemen