by David McGuffin | Sep 26, 2015 | Destinations
I’ve struck off on my penultimate flight to Europe for the year. I’ve decided to put myself on some kind of regimented exercise plan to counteract all the fine dining I offer on my tours, ha!
So to get things started on the right foot I planned a layover in New York City for about 10 hours. Arriving at JFK Terminal 4, I stored my bag and took the subway to Central Park.
There, I put in about 7 miles on a jog through the park from bottom to top. Oh, I forgot to mention I purchased a Fitbit activity tracker watch to keep me on track and chart my progress. You can see by the route map below, I didn’t quite figure out the GPS tracking on this first test… there are some lapses in the tracking.
I hopped back on the subway and traveled all the way down to the Financial District and World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial site to put in another 3 miles of walking (at a McGuffin pace).
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Back on the subway at 7:00 pm and at JFK by 8:00 pm. I collected my bag, went back through security and headed to the Delta Sky Club where it pays to have perks from flying so much. They have showers, so… I showered and came out clean and refreshed.
My flight departed at 11:00 pm, ugh, so late. I slept for 4 hours, skipped the Delta breakfast and was on Irish soil by 11:00 am. Your Adventure Starts Here!
by David McGuffin | May 8, 2015 | scrapbook
Congratulations to our 2014 Digital Tour Scrapbook winners and thanks to all who submitted an entry. This contest was designed to showcase our tours to Europe from a tour member’s perspective. I hope it gives those thinking about taking a David McGuffin tour a little more insight into our tours and travel style.
2014 Winners
FIRST PRIZE – 1 seat on any David McGuffin tour departing in 2015 or 2016
Cora titled her webpage “The Whole Wide World is Mine” and it captures her special moments on a David McGuffin tour in December 2014. Be sure to click on her photo collage to see comments and descriptions. Our judges thought Cora’s scrapbook captured the essence of her travel experience by featuring engaging photos and commentary.
SECOND PRIZE – $500 Gift Certificate for a David McGuffin tour
Dianne titled her scrapbook “Scotland My McGuffin Adventure” and the judges thought she did a good job capturing some key tour moments during the Scotland portion of her tour with David.
THIRD PRIZE – $250 Gift Certificate for a David McGuffin tour
ELIZABETH POWELL – 
Elizabeth decided to go way back in time to share her experiences on David’s first official Exploring Europe Tour. The judges liked Elizabeth’s scrapbook because it showcased her family and friends.
If you are traveling with us in 2015, be sure to be on the lookout for details on entering our 2015 Digital Tour Scrapbook Contest. We will have contest rules and entry information available in late December 2015.
by David McGuffin | May 6, 2015 | Essential Travel Resources
UPDATED: August 2025
These smartphone travel tips will help you save money and get the most out of your overseas travel. Cell phone providers in the USA have made it easy to stay connected while traveling by introducing affordable temporary travel options that include messaging, calling, and data… all rolled into one plan. Sure, it cost a bit more for your travel period, but when you come home, the extra fees go away.
But before you strike out across the pond, here are my smartphone travel tips:
- Contact your mobile phone provider and sign up for one of their international calling plans. Plans vary, but usually, there is a flat fee per day of usage while out of the country.
- If you are trying to save money and not use your mobile device while traveling, turn off your voicemail, email, and data features when you leave the USA. Put your phone in airplane mode and turn on WiFi. Failure to forget this step, if you’ve not signed up for an international data plan, will rack up hundreds of dollars on your next phone bill.
- WiFi hotspots are all over Europe. Most certainly, you’ll find one at your hotel (often with slow speeds). However, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, and public spaces often offer free WiFi as well.
- Many of the new international plans include unlimited texting and reasonable data usage. Check with your provider.
- If you purchase an international plan that includes a finite amount of data (such as 90, 120, 180 mb/month), you’ll need to keep an eye on how much you are using while traveling. I “reset” my smartphone statistics when my flight takes off for Europe. That way, I can check the actual data used while out of the country.
CHARGING YOUR DEVICE
You do not need an electrical power converter for your smartphone, cellphone, camera, tablet, or any electronic gadget manufactured since 2005. All modern devices will charge without damage on any electric current in Europe. Typically this will be 220 volts AC. You will need an adapter for the wall socket. https://davidmcguffin.com/how-to-plug-in-without-a-meltdown-electrical-adapters-converters/
If you follow my smartphone travel tips, I believe the convenience is worth the cost. If for nothing else, it gives me peace of mind knowing my family, co-workers, and friends are just a phone call, text, or chat away. Knowing that, in an emergency, a family member could pick up their telephone at home and give me a call is an added benefit as well.
by David McGuffin | Mar 30, 2015 | Destinations
Value added tax or VAT for short, is added to most purchases within the European Union. Each country has its own VAT ranging from 12% to 23%. A tourist is entitled to a refund of this VAT as long as the purchase has not been used and is exported from the European Union. Each year, millions of dollars of refundable sales taxes are left behind by non-EU residents departing the European Union.
Personally, collecting the refund is not worth the time and few dollars at stake. However, if you do extensive shopping, it will be worth your while to collect the VAT refund. This must be done at your last point of departure from the European Union.
Here’s how it works in Ireland
There seems to be at least two VAT refund schemes and Ireland.
FEXCO Tax Free Shopping
This is relatively new and is by far the easiest. When making a purchase the merchant will offer a FEXCO tax-free shopping card. It looks kind of like a credit card. At shops participating in this scheme, the VAT may be deducted from your purchase at the cash register, but you must pay for your purchase with your own credit card. Other shops may not deduct the VAT straightaway, but you’ll get it later. In either case, present the FEXCO card wherever you see the FEXCO placard displayed in the stores. This is very important, the FEXCO card must be registered and activated before you leave Ireland. Otherwise, all the “saved” VAT will be re-added to your credit card.
Traditional Tax-Free Shopping Scheme
When you purchase items at a retailer, ask for a tax receipt. You’ll fill out your name, passport information, and other details about your purchase. This tax receipt will show the amount of VAT you are due to have refunded.
AT THE AIRPORT
It’s likely you’ll have at least two types of VAT refunds to turn in. Luckily, both can be handled in advance. VAT refunds that require a receipt should be filled out and placed into the envelope before you arrive at the airport. All you have to do with this is drop the envelope at the proper company. If you are using the FEXCO Card, be sure your account is set up online before you arrive at the airport. There are two kiosks available and you will need to finalize your purchases and refund before you leave. There are times the lines for this are long. And if you get stuck behind someone who hasn’t set up an account, the wait can seem like forever. During busy times you will, thankfully, find FEXCO agents offering assistance to help the lines move along.
by David McGuffin | Feb 10, 2015 | Culture & Customs, Destinations, Experiencing Europe
Ragusa Duomo
I am writing today from the island of Ortigia near Siracusa, Sicily. I am a little more than halfway through my Best of Sicily Tour and boy are we having fun traveling off-season and off the beaten tourist path. My group is small, just two single ladies, but we’ve seen and experienced a lot together these last eight days.
We began a week ago in Palermo. It sputtered rain on and off for two days, but we managed to get most of our sightseeing in between showers. The local markets and the historic town center topped our sightseeing, as did a trek to visit the Catacombe dei Cappuccini where more than 8,000 Palermitans are hung out to wither and dry in the crypt under the neighborhood church. Here we saw perhaps the most disturbing of all the dead folks, the perfectly preserved body of 2-year-old Rosalia Lombardo who died in 1920. See a picture here.
We also enlisted our hotel chef to teach us how to prepare arancini, a traditional dish in every Sicilian kitchen. After several hours of preparing and cooking the round, risotto-based “orange-sized” food balls, it was a delight to sit down and taste the fruits of our labor. Arancini are a meal in themselves with a ragú or cheese center being wrapped in a tasty layer of fried rice.
Leaving Palermo, we’ve traveled counterclockwise around the island visiting Trapani, Marsala, Agrigento, Ragusa, and today in Siracusa. There is too much to tell about all our adventures, but a few highlights have been: tasting Marsala wine, visiting a 4th century BC Greek temple and having it all to ourselves with not a soul in sight, getting “lost” while driving in a small hilltown and having to navigate some very tight lanes to return to civilization, and enjoying wonderful food!
Sicily is filled with fun-loving locals, fantastic destinations, and the best experiences Italy has to offer. I am coming back in September and would love to have you join me. Check out my Best of Sicily tour here.
-David
Back on the subway at 7:00 pm and at JFK by 8:00 pm. I collected my bag, went back through security and headed to the Delta Sky Club where it pays to have perks from flying so much. They have showers, so… I showered and came out clean and refreshed.
