> 1) Is it better to get Euros or native currency?  We'll be in
> Paris for a few days, then down to Malaga, Spain and Estoril,
> Portugal.

I can talk about Spain ;)
By using credit cards you can pay without worrying about exchanging. Only
remember that lately 100 Euro is more money than 100 US$. I would only have
a limited amount of cash for small payments (ice creams, teas, etc.). And
you could always go to an ATM and get Euros, but with some fees.

There are places with a sign saying 'Tax Refund', meaning you can get the
taxes paid back by the time you leave the EU. I suppose they print some type
of invoice that later you present to the customs at the airport when
leaving.

> 2) What is the typical dress code for young people (24-25 yrs
> old) during the summer?  For going to restaurants or clubs,
> will they be mostly formal?  I'm a jeans and t-shirt guy mostly.

There is some tendency to formal dressing, specially on the evenings when
people go out.

> 3) Has anyone been successful with booking hotels online?
> www.hotelclub.com looked good but I'm a bit nervous about
> booking something this important over the net, especially
> with the language barrier.  My French is ok, but my Spanish
> and Portuguese are very poor.

I would also ask any local travel agency near where you live. They can make
reservations ahead and have some ideas of prices and qualities.
There should not be a problem to find someone talking some English or
Spanglish.

> 4) Would it be more economical to get flights on local
> carriers for getting around Europe, or taking the train?  And
> any recommendations on booking tickets over the net?

Malaga airport has lots of European tourist originated traffic. I think the
cheapest way to go from Paris to Malaga will be by plane. In Spain, the only
fast train going full speed goes from Madrid to Sevilla. The one from Madrid
to Barcelona is not finished and doesn't go full speed yet. Get more
information on renfe.es. There are some cards for travelling during a
limited amount of time all over Europe. You can check that too, for example
eurail.com.

> 5) Are web cafes with the ability to upload pictures taken on
> our digital camera available and cheap?

I think it would be slow and expensive to do it that way. An alternative
could be going to a photography shop where they let you save the card
pictures onto CD.

Regards,
Moises

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