Security Issue with Passports and Credit Cards

Wanted to alert you all to a security issue I just learned about. Some passports and credit cards have embedded RFID (radio frequency identification) chips that transmit a signal, as do work badges, packages, etc. Scammers can pick up the signal and steal your identity. I don't have time to research all the issues, but am summarizing the little bit I've heard and providing links to more info if you want to look into it and verify what's here.

There are cheap and easy ways to shield the chip. See the 3 easy steps for protecting your passport with aluminum foil at http://epic.org/privacy/rfid/
Or you can buy shields at places like REI, Amazon or travel-supply shops. Passport shields run about $5; shields for credit cards are cheaper.

For more information, see:

• Researchers See Privacy Pitfalls in No-Swipe Credit Cards - by the NY Times
• RFID-enabled credit card theft - on CNet, which I consider a reliable source; a good article with an awful layout; I copied the text into a Word file that I uploaded to GoogleDrive.
• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Systems - by EPIC, a well regarded organization whose privacy enewsletter I was already subscribing to
• House of cards: Why your accounts are vulnerable to thieves - by Consumer Reports
• A Threat Analysis of RFID Passports by ACM, the Association for Computing Machine, the "world’s largest educational and scientific computing society"; I used to belong, and I trust their information: The long article says in part: "Six pieces of information can be stolen from the RFID chip on a U.S. passport: your name, nationality, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and a digitized photograph.1 Numerous problems of identity theft could arise from someone taking that information, but this article focuses on the financial risk."
• What is RFID? by the RFID Journal, which I've never heard of but has a nice summary about the technology.

Lots more info on the Web, including on Wikipedia.

More Preparations

Documents

• Passport - make sure it is "valid for at least 3 months after the end of your stay," per the Festival's General Info page
• Airplane tickets
• Festival confirmation letter
• Hotel reservations
• Transportation details, maps, guidebooks, etc.

Pets

• If you have a pet, arrange for their care.

Communications

• Unless you've arranged a house-sitter, stop the mail at the Post Office's online Hold Mail Service.
• Make sure you have contact info for key people (family & friends at home).
• Send contact information to a family member or friend, so that they can get hold of you in case of an emergency. The Festival doesn't yet have a number to contact.
• Ask a trusted neighbor to keep an eye on the house and give them your travel dates.
• Consider setting vacation notice on email if you're not going to be checking it regularly.

Financial

• Gather phone numbers for credit cards you're taking with you, so that you can contact your bank in case they're lost or stolen.
• Call your credit card companies to tell them you're traveling overseas. This is standard travel advice you will read in many places, but if you forget it probably won't be an issue, especially if you bring more than one credit card. Your karma may vary ; )

Flight

• If you want a vegetarian meal or need a wheelchair, contact your airline.
• Double-check your airplane seats and see if you can get better ones. For a long trip, it's worth doing, even if you have to ask again when you check in.
• Make sure your airline has your frequent-flier #. If you're not a member of their program or an alliance, it's probably worthwhile to sign up for their program because you'll accumulate so many miles on this long trip.
• Label all your bags. I use an initial for my first name for a bit of security.

Right before you leave, don't forget to turn over the offering bowls on your shrine.

More on Phones

But not from a moron this time - sorry, a dumb play on the first words of the title of this post, for those of you not used to my sense of humor - but from Tom, who I used to envy for having a working mobile at Summer Festival, just like the Brits and other civilized people. (Aren't Americans supposed to be the tech-y ones?) He was one of the first people I know to demonstrate the benefits of the iPhone in a way that I valued. His email is quoted here, with some interjections in brackets from me:

"Having a phone is only really necessary if you have people to call - if you are traveling or your other friends have arranged to have phones. If your friends do have phones, then having one yourself is quite useful.

[In case of emergency, it makes a huge difference to have a phone. Not that anything ever goes wrong in samsara, of course ; )
Other possible people to call might include family members coming to Portugal who aren't attending the teachings, so that you can coordinate your activities. However, note that for calling from Portugal to the U.S., it's far cheaper and easier to get a phone card. I can't be responsible for your mobile bill if you're calling to the U.S. on your usual phone or if you're using your smartphone to check the Internet while you're there: I just read of a traveler who ran up a $4,000 bill! I'm bringing an IDT/Costco phone card, which only charges 4 cents a minute for calls from Portugal to the U.S. Jody has used that card for many years to call home from Summer Festival and highly recommends it. After you buy it, before you leave the U.S. you need to call the toll-free customer service on the back of the card. I already had the card, but called their excellent service to get the number in Portugal (800 813 000 but double-check) to "top up" (add minutes) and confirm the rate. If you're not a Costco member, there are lots of places you can get a cheap phone card before your trip. After all, immigrants use them all the time for calling their home country.

Speaking of friends, I've started thinking about how I'm going to find Sangha friends who I only get to see at Festival - and there are going to be 8,000+ people there! Can't really imagine what that's going to be like. In that case, too, it helps to have a working phone. There are other low-tech ways we can find our friends at Festival, of course. I'm expecting there will be some kind of message board, as usual. It helps to know where they're staying. Or for people you really want to see, you can contact them before you leave and arrange to meet: "After the empowerment in the bookstore," for example. Or ask the Buddhas to have your friend appear before you. It works, as many longtime Festival-goers will testify! Who needs technology?

If you're leaning toward buying a cheap mobile that works in Portugal (and pretty much the rest of the world except the U.S.), there are a few more advantages I can think of:

• It's so much easier to call a taxi or even a local restaurant or museum, etc.
• If you're not a big traveler - or you want to help finance future trips - you can resell it when you get back, and probably make some money on it, judging by what I've seen when I investigated getting an international phone here. Check out eBay, for instance.
• If are a traveler or you're planning to go to Summer Festival and/or other international Festivals, it will come in handy. We bought a very basic international mobile when we were abroad, and now we can simply buy a SIM card for whatever country we're traveling in.

For a short summary, see the post Cheap Mobile Phone. If we everyone reading this post decides to buy a cheap mobile at the Vodaphone store in Lisbon Airport, however, they will sell out. That's what happened to the cheap mobile phones they used to sell at Woolworths in Ulverston, the closest town to the site of Summer Festival. There are other phone stores in Lisbon, and maybe even in Cascais, at the big shopping mall CascaiShopping on the outskirts of town?? USA Today writes about that mall in their article How to Shop in Cascais, Portugal. I emailed a Cascais local about local phone stores but haven't heard back yet.

OK. Long digression Back to Tom ...]

The simplest option is to have your traveling companion get a phone, then stick close to them.

 

The simplest solution may be to get an international plan from your current provider. These are expensive. ATT's was about $70 for the minimum use of voice and text. But it is not that much more expensive than unlocking your phone or buying another phone and it is much simpler. If you want simplicity and don't anticipate that much use, this may be the best option.
 

[I don't think this is an option for most of us, but check with your carrier/phone company. One reason I consulted Tom is that his experience has been so different from mine, partly because as a computer programmer he's much better at technology than I am, but also because it's very different if you're with ATT vs. others. I haven't been able to find a reasonable way to use my Verizon smartphone abroad, and I have looked into it.] The next option is to use your own phone. There are two requirements for this: it must be unlocked and it must be compatible with the cell network in Portugal. If you bought your phone with a contract, it is probably locked to that carrier. Different carriers have different policies about unlocking phones. I think Verizon is fairly liberal and your phone may already be unlocked or can be unlocked with a call to customer support. [There are U.S. laws that prevent unlocking phones, but there are efforts to overturn them. For more information, you can start with this CNet article.]
 

ATT does not unlock phones until they are out of contract. However, with some effort I was able to discover that I could end my contract by paying an early termination fee and that the termination fee would apply to my next payments. I didn't know about it being applied to your next payments. In my case, 1 year into contract, the fee was $215. This will apply to my next 2.5 monthly payments. In effect, you are just making an early payment. As long as I stay with ATT until that payment has been fully applied to monthly bills it costs me no extra money. My service with ATT continues at the same rate but my phone is now "out of contract" and they unlocked it for me.  

 

I don't know about policies of other carriers but give them a call.

 

As for compatibility, that it a little more complex. I believe that most of Europe uses "GSM." [Don't even ask why doesn't the U.S. doesn't simply adopt the otherwise universal standard of the rest of the world? Hmm ... think metric?] ATT uses "GSM." My iPhone has worked in England. I expect it to work in Portugal. Verizon's network uses a different technology and Verizon phone's may or may not be compatible. You can find out by researching what frequencies your phone supports and what frequencies are used in Portugal. [A few years ago when I was shopping for a new phone, you needed buy an expensive "dual-band" or even "tri-band"phone to get those frequencies.]

 

I don't plan to do the research. I'm just going to hope it works and move to alternate plans as needed: "B" (buy a phone there), "C" (stick close to a friend with a phone), or "D" (hang out with whoever happens to appear). It will be what it is.

 

Buying a phone there is potentially very simple or very complicated. If you search on the net you will find companies who will sell you European SIM cards and phones. If you buy and use one of those, it is pretty simple. If you think: "but are they giving me a good price? Maybe I can find a better price.  Maybe I want an unlocked smart phone" and then look on eBay for options, that quickly gets very complicated. [That was definitely my experience.] You may then think: "I'll just wait until I land in Lisbon. Surely there will be phones for sale there and they should all work in Portugal. Guaranteed."  There probably will be and probably for a good price. This could be very simple. Unless it is complicated or impossible. It will certainly be one of those: simple, complicated, or impossible. If you then think: "I don't like leaving that up to chance, urm, my karma." Then you could buy a phone off the internet and be content with the price you paid, which is probably pretty good. [Not that I could find, and I did a pretty thorough search.] But you should compare that to just adding international service to your own plan…" [When I contacted Verizon a few years ago, it was prohibitively expensive.]"

 

OK we're done talking now. You can hang up. : )

What I Like to Pack

In case you're interested, here are a few items I like to bring that mostly aren't on the usual packing lists. What finally ends up in my bag depends on how much room there is, but I'm hoping reading this may stimulate your own ideas for what might make your trip a bit more comfortable. Just don't drive yourself crazy with details!

IMPORTANT
Electrical converters! You already know about them if you followed the link to Rick Steves' packing list in an earlier post called Packing Thoughts & Lists, where he has a link to a nice explanation at Electric Europe: Adapters and Converters. Wise and experienced traveler LindaL helpfully reminded me to emphasize this: "For those who are bringing cell phones and other electronic gadgets, they will need to figure out a proper electrical plug adapter and maybe a converter. Our standard US plugs won't fit. I wouldn't count on the hotel, because everyone might be requesting to recharge cellphones. At a minimum you need to have a compatible electrical plug adapter."
Think through your everything you're bringing that uses electricity. Are you bringing an iPad? an eBook reader? (By the way, I got Kindle as a gift and find it great for travel. Did you see that Tharpa has ebooks for The New Heart of Wisdom and The New Guide to Dakini Land, as well as Eight Steps and Modern Buddhism and some sadhanas? It's nice that most of the books are also available as audio MP3s, for listening to on the plane with an iPod, for example. The Kindle only comes with a USB recharger, and I'm not planning to bring anything with a USB port, so I went looking for a wall charger. Amazon had various ones for around $20, but for $5 more, you can get a wall charger that comes with 6 adapters for international travel, as well as a long cable.)

It might not just be recharging your cell phone. (By the way, is your phone even going to work over there? Click the Phone label in the right column of this website to get more info; warning: potentially complicated!).
Linda and I both thought this page had some useful details: Electrical Plug/Outlet and Voltage Information for Portugal. See also the post Electricity in Portugal

Safety travel pouch - for keeping your passport, a credit card, and other essential items close to your body, away from thieves. They come in different forms, such as money-belts and over-the-neck pouches. You can see some of the styles at the Rick Steves Travel Store, all of which are reduced in price through the end of the day. For more information, see the excellent Rick Steves' article Travel with a Money Belt: Your Portable Safe.

FOOD/DRINK
Travel Food - I like healthy energy bars (especially Lara Bars, which taste good and have a short, simple list of ingredients) and nuts or trail mix. Trader Joe's seems to have the best prices on both. For the first leg of the trip, you can bring food like carrot sticks, peanut butter sandwiches and hard-boiled eggs (stored in a egg container, such as the cardboard container they're sold in the store pared down to fit the number of eggs you're bringing), along with salt & pepper packets. The bars and nuts are good for later in the trip. I like knowing that if there are delays and I'm stuck somewhere, I won't go hungry and won't have to overpay.
Go Greens - a health-conscious Sangha friend uses these all the time. A powder made of organic fruit and vegetables that comes in small, light packets that are easy to add to a bottle of water and are reasonably priced. I got mine at Vitacost, and I know they sell various kinds on Amazon, but saw online that they also sell them at Costco. Note that there are other products named "GreensToGo" that are much more expensive, which seem to be sold  by possibly dubious alternative healers.
Emergen-C - the supplement mix that has vitamins C and B, electrolytes,
nutrients, and antioxidants, for preventing colds and infections. It comes in travel-friendly light packets, but check the ingredients for the somewhat healthier flavors with less sugar. The Lite version, which the Vitacost website which helpfully lists the ingredients of the supplements they sell, says it has 1g of sugar (vs 6g in some of the other flavors), but I'm the  not sure if that's sweetened with one of those more dubious chemicals such as Aspartame. It's cheaper at SuperSupplements and Trader Joe's.

Teabags - I love tea and always carry around a few of my favorites in my bag. When I travel I bring various flavors, including some chamomile in case I need a mild sleep aid. Traveling tends to constipate some people; I recommend a senna-based tea such as Smooth Move, a mild but effective laxative. Some places don't offer green tea, and some have really bad black tea.
Coffee drinkers may want to get some of those instant Starbucks Via packets, which I've heard are pretty good for instant and sometimes appear at Costco.

Water Bottle - I don't like water in plastic bottles, because they're not environmentally friendly, the water is not good quality (although it presents itself as healthier than drinking from a tap) and I have reason to believe the plastic leaches possibly toxic substances, particularly if the bottles have been in the sun. They are convenient, however, and I do buy them occasionally, particularly for Go Greens or Emergen-C so that I don't have to clean out my bottle.

Travel Mug - optional if there's room, but I've found I'm happy to have it. I often put my teabags inside, to save room and keep things organized.

By the way, if you want to save money on meals, even if you don't have access to a kitchen, there are some tips on things to pack that will allow you to prepare simple meals at Self-cater Meals in a Hotel Room: What to Pack

OTHER
NoJetLag - see the post Jet Lag Remedies for more information.

Thumb drive - for a few essential computer files. I'm going to try to learn how to encrypt the info. Apparently Windows comes with an encryption program, and I know there are others on the Web. Do I need to warn you about installing software from the web on your computer? Find a trusted site, possibly CNet?

Travel Pillow - finally decided to get one when I saw my acupuncturist with hers at Summer Festival. Certainly nice to have on the plane. For me it's a very optional item, only if there's room.

Headlamp - useful for safe, hands-free walking at night and for reading in bed.

Compass - a quirky item, I admit, but there have been so many times I've wished I had one. I don't have a good sense of direction. I'll have a good map but not know what direction I'm facing.

Map - because I like them, especially paper ones. If you've gotten used to relying on your smartphone, you'll want to think through how that's going to work in Portugal.
Speaking of maps, I've found some interesting or useful ones online.
For example, there's a post Good Cascais Map Showing Attractions, Hotels, Grocery Stores

Other Travel Info - for example, because I'm a vegetarian and a lot of countries have largely meat-based diets (ever been to Scotland?), I research vegetarian restaurants for the cities I'm going at websites like Lucky Cow and Lonely Planet, then and pack a printout. For more info, see the Vegetarian Restaurants & Portuguese Desserts post.

Save Money: Easy ATM Card without Fees

Most of us are on budgets, so I wanted to recommend getting a Charles Schwab ATM card that doesn't charge fees, even abroad, which is rare. Even credit unions charge flat fees and/or percentages, as does the bank hosting the ATM where you're withdrawing money.
In my experience, the best way to get foreign currency is at ATMs in the country you're visiting, so you can save a lot of money if you're not paying extra fees.

The only place I know of that offers this is Charles Schwab. I just signed up for an account, and the process was easy. In fact, I was very impressed with their support. (I had a more complex situation, so I used their chat, and they had someone phone me a few minutes later, on Sat afternoon!) For most people, you can easily fill out an application online.
The minimum deposit is $1, and there don't seem to be other fees associated with the account.

They told me I would get my ATM card in 1-1/2 or 2 weeks, so there's still time to do this.

If you just want a checking account, you can read about it and sign up at http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/banking_lending/checking_account

If you want a linked brokerage account as well, which has $0 minimum balance, or might want it in the future, go to
http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/investing/accounts_products/accounts
(Schwab told me that it's impossible to add the brokerage account to an existing checking account later.)

If there's a Schwab office in your area and you prefer doing it in person, you can go to their office and someone will walk you through the application process; take your checkbook with you.

Note: I have no stake in whether you go to Schwab or not, and of course you should review the details carefully because finance is not my area and you need to see if it will work for your particular situation.

Packing Thoughts & Lists

I'm a bit of a Girl Scout (motto: Be Prepared!), but I've found that when it comes to travel, it's been helpful over the years to start thinking ahead about what to bring, and the Festival is only a month away.
On the other hand, when a bunch of us were headed off for Summer Festival, my first Dharma Teacher laughingly said that we think a lot more about what we bring on a trip in this world than we do about what we're taking with us to our next life. I've always loved the teaching about being travelers in this life, just passing through - no need to get so wound up about everything.

I also find the baggage metaphor helpful. When you have a big ego, it's like carrying around a bunch of bulky shopping bags, struggling to carry and keep track of them, and always bumping into things and people. In fact, I used to have a recurring dream about traveling where somewhere along the way, overwhelmed and exhausted, I had to stop and deal with all the luggage I'd accumulated. At first I'd spend some time working on how to bungee it all together. Then I'd find myself thinking, "How did I end up with so much stuff?" and realize I needed to pare it down, letting go of the things that were bogging me down and even unnecessary. Hmm ... I wonder what those dreams mean? : )

There's certainly a middle way, and people have different approaches that work for them.

I use a list. I have a standard packing list as a Word document that I use as a starting point and modify for each big trip. Knowing I have a good list, I feel confident about packing at the last minute if I need to. One part of the list is what to pack, with a section of what to wear and carry on, and another on what to put in my main bag, knowing that it might be checked or deciding ahead of time that I will check it. (By the way, even though almost all airlines charge for checking a bag for domestic travel - unless you're a frequent flier or have the airline's credit card, which may allow you to check the first bag free, as United does - on international flights usually you can usually check one bag without paying. Do check with your airline.)

Within that list of carryon's is a subset of essentials, such as passport, money (cash, credit card, ATM card) and tickets - and *medication.* As long as I have those, I know I can buy whatever else I need when I get there. (My husband and I have a ritual when we're leaving the house on a trip where we ask each other: Money? Tickets? Passport?)
I also have a folder that I carry on that has all my travel info: Flight, hotel, car rental, etc. Now a lot of that can be stored on a device like a smartphone or a iPad if you're savvy that way. If you're traveling abroad, however, make sure you'll have access to them.

There's also a subsection for Dharma items. Don't forget your mandala kit! Of course, I bring my mala so that I can recite mantras, especially on takeoff and landing. You'll be able to buy Dharma items at the Festival shop, but if you already own the books, sadhanas and office supplies (notebook, pens, pencils, etc.) you need, you can pack them. In the past the Festival registration email would include suggested sadhanas. At Portugal the empowerment is Prajnaparamita, so I'm bringing The Yoga of Great Mother Prajnaparamita (not The Great Mother, which is for those who don't have the empowerment). I always bring Wishfulfilling Jewel and Geshe-la's Long Life Prayers, so that I can loan them to someone sitting nearby who doesn't know them and didn't get a loaner copy when they entered the Temple. I heard we're also getting commentary on the new Vajrayogini sadhanas, The Blissful Path and The Uncommon Yoga of Inconceivability.

The other page of my packing list is preparations beforehand, such as stopping the mail, arranging care for pets and plants and buying anything I think I'll need. I've also heard that it's good to call your bank beforehand to tell them you're going abroad so that they allow credit-card transactions to go through. The State Dept has some good advice about what to do before you leave, although I don't agree with all of it (I bring cash but not travelers' checks, for example).

Travel "guru" Rick Steves (who has popular travel shows on PBS and happens to live in the Seattle area and even has a travel store just north of the city) has excellent travel advice on his website, including packing tips here. It's a good starting point, but his suggestions are for travelers who are making multi-city visits, so a lot of the emphasis is on packing light. For the Portugal Festival, if you're not traveling before or after, I'd recommend bringing more stuff so that you're comfortable, but not overdoing it. I've never regretted having a lighter bag. There are going to be Festival shuttles to take us from the airport to Festival accommodations and back, so you shouldn't have to carry your baggage too far.

Note that it's still possible to sign up for the shuttles by adding them to your booking cart; see the "Fall Festival confirmation​ letter" you should have gotten after you registered and click on the link called "your booking cart" toward the bottom; in the booking cart at the left, click Add an option. This is also the process for adding lunch or for pre-paying for recordings of Festival teachings, two new options that haven't been offered for Festivals before.
You may have seen the NKT e-newsletter about the lunch option, which said: "Each day during the Festival, teams of Festival volunteers will provide a wide selection of healthy, affordable vegetarian lunch options. These will be served at the Festival site in a food court style dining area. As there will be a limited number of meals available each day, you will need to pre-book through the Festival booking system if you wish to benefit from this new option.")

By the way, I've found that Rick Steves' travelgear is well designed and affordable. (I'm considering getting his Civita daypack, which is only $25 and looks like it's a good size but packs small. It isn't waterproof, however.)

Weather in Cascais in October

According to Accuweather's historic average for Cascais, the low is 12 Celsius (54 F) and the high is 18 (64 F).
Of course, it's best to check the predicted forecast shortly before departure, because we all know it's highly variable these days.
For example, here's the 10-day Forecast on the Weather Channel, or you can use whatever weather site you prefer.

According to first-hand reports, as well as a site called Holiday Weather (which I've never seen before), Lisbon averages 11 days of rain in October and November.

Probably it's from living in Seattle, but I always pack a rainjacket (helpful for wind too) and sometimes a small umbrella.

On the other hand, it may be warm and sunny, so I'm also going to pack a sunhat and even sunscreen (because my skin is sensitive to the sun).

ATM and Credit Cards for Travel

Start by reading Rick Steves' advice, Cash and Currency Tips, then click to read his pages with more information about cash vs. plastic, ATMs and credit-card fees.

From the NY Times Travel section:
"As You Travel, Making Money Work for You" of March 6, 2013:

"Q. Where do you have your bank accounts?
A. In addition to the bank you use at home ... I suggest opening a checking account with Charles Schwab Bank to use abroad. It doesn't charge any A.T.M. fees and even reimburses you for fees other banks charge anywhere in the world.

Q. What about credit cards?
A. I recommend using one of Capital One’s No Hassle Rewards cards while you travel because none of them charge foreign-transaction fees. Neither does Chase Sapphire Preferred. You don’t want to pay 3 percent on every transaction; suddenly the cost of your trip has gone up 3 percent.
If you really want to get in on the mileage game, I recommend getting a general rewards card and one that’s branded to a specific airline or hotel to use at home. Make sure the rewards card allows you to transfer points to that particular airline or hotel; this way you can add to your miles or hotel rewards. ..."
But see also the blog post Credit Card with Chip

Travel Insurance

You should check your medical insurance to see what kind of coverage, if any, you have abroad.
If you want, you can add travel insurance, which offers different options for medical treatment, evacuation, terrorist acts, trip cancellation, etc.

The company TravelGuard gets an A+ from the Better Business Bureau and is what AAA offers. I've never gotten travel insurance before, but there's a Sangha who has bough policies from them, which thankfully she has needed to use. Because of health issues, I will probably buy a policy from them.

Rick Steves' Do I Need Travel Insurance?

Medical & Health Issues when Traveling Abroad

General
U.S. State Department Health Issues - how the local consul can help if you are sick and other useful info

Portugal
U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) Health Info for Portugal - prevention, vaccinations, medications, what to pack, etc.

Travel Insurance
You may want to consider travel insurance; there's also a blog post here called Travel Insurance.

Valid Passport + 3 Months

Just wanted to make sure everyone saw on the Festival's General Info page that your passport needs to be "valid for at least 3 months after the end of your stay."

If you're from the U.S. or an EU country, you don't need a visa for Portugal, per this link about Entry Formalities on VisitPortugal from that page.

Credit Card with Chip

It's a good idea when traveling in Europe to have a credit card with a chip (EMV) - there are some places that only take cards with chips.

When I looked into it, I found a bunch of banks that offer them. In fact, there are cards with chips that have no transaction fee for purchases abroad (usually banks charge 3% or more). 

Note that some cards with a chip use signatures, others PINs:

American travelers' 2012 guide to chip-and-PIN cards on Yahoo Finance

which has a link to American travelers' 2012 guide to chip-and-PIN cards on CreditCard.com

America’s Best EMV “Chip-with-Signature” Credit Cards on Nerdwallet

36 Top Credit Cards Without Foreign-Transaction Fees on Huffington Post (and mentions ones that also have a chip, as well as annual cost and other benefits)

P.S. The Seattle Times Travel section had a short article on May 26 by their editor who tried out a chip card in France. She says that some automated ticket machines in train stations, highway toll booths, gas stations in Europe only take the credit cards with chips. Overall, she says, "Having the card made life much easier" but notes that the Bank of America card she used is "not a true chip-and-pin card (and at least the bank isn’t calling it that any more, now referring to it as simply a chip card). It’s really a chip-and-signature card with the transaction supposedly verified by signing instead of punching in a PIN. That makes it much less secure than a real chip-and-pin credit card, and few merchants ever required a signature from me."

You may also want to read this article about Chip-and-PIN vs. Chip-and-Signature cards.

Cheap Mobile Phone

I recommend buying a cheap mobile phone, especially for those traveling a week or more. The prices are much lower in Europe (maybe ~20 euros, or $26 for a very basic phone) and you can get a pre-paid SIM with 10 euros of calls for use with it and then "top up" as needed.

There is a Vodaphone store at the Lisbon Airport, in Cascais (both in town and at the big shopping mall, according to the owner of our apartment) and all over Lisbon. (The other mobile-phone providers in Portugal are Optimus and TMN, which I've never heard of; Vodaphone is all over Europe.)

You want a GSM phone, with dual band (900/1800), which is what they sell there but are harder to get in the U.S.

Unlike most US mobile phones, which are tied to a particular service provider (carrier), those phones are unlocked: For other countries, you simply swap out the SIM card. You can keep it for future international travels including Festivals in England, or on return you could sell the phone in the US and probably make a profit, because those phones tend to cost more when bought here.

Portuguese the Language

I have read in various places that it's not necessary to learn Portuguese because most people speak English, especially in tourist areas like Cascais and Lisbon.
One person commented online that "You can guess the meaning of many written Portuguese words if you know Spanish or any other Romance language, but [spoken] Portuguese is nothing like Spanish or French or Italian" and is different from Brazilian Portuguese, even in spelling and terminology.

It is always considerate - and an enjoyable part of travel abroad - to at least try to learn a few words of the local language. Usually even if your pronunciation isn't perfect, people appreciate your effort. On YouTube there are various videos for learning basic European Portuguese, including this one called Portuguese 101 - Common Words & Phrases - Level One that has useful phrases for travelers.

Luckily the Seattle Sangha have Michel, who offered to translate for us because he lived in Portugal for 3 years.