Since life is short and the world is wide, the sooner you start exploring it, the better. 

My good friend in Barcelona Nora always said she loved Monaco. To my knowledge, Monaco is the smallest country in the world if you exclude the Vatican. It's a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to the French Riviera and tax free status. It's also a place where the rich and famous flock to - full of luxurious hotels, resorts and casinos. It also only takes 23 minutes from Nice to Monte-Carlo by train. So I decided to check it out myself before I left Europe. 

Apart from the luxurious atmosphere I immediately noticed after I got off the train, I had my first taste of Monaco prices within the first 5 minutes. A notification flashed up that my cell phone was roaming and in the time it took me to get out of the station, I had already accumulated a 60 euro bill. At that time, I had a phone number from Spain and the data plan said it covered most of the European countries. Oh well, the 0.78 square miles that make up Monaco seemed to be outside this plan. 

So, just be aware that when traveling across borders in Monaco and in Switzerland you need to turn off your phone’s roaming coverage. Otherwise, don’t be surprised when you go home and see a huge phone bill! I hope my unfortunate experience will help you when you plan your next trip to Europe.

Stay tuned...there’s much more to come! 

In the next episode I’ll be sharing my journey into Switzerland, and the encounter with an incredibly hospitable Couchsurfing host.

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