 Poster: A snowHead
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I have reasonable german, but it doesn't extend to maut
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When I was a teenager we drove through Belgium and Germany several years to camp in Austria. I did O level German which in a "Kingdom of the Blind" fashion meant I was turfed out of the car to negotiate with the "Zimmer frei" people, campsites etc. I certainly wouldn't have known "maut" but my dad always had a German dictionary in the car. On one camp site we had no means of opening a bottle of wine (shows how very rarely we splashed out on anything so extravagant) and I had to look in the dictionary before pottering round asking to borrow a "Korkenzieher". It's how you learn stuff - I never ever forgot that word.  I am learning Italian but am at an early stage and if I see road signs or notices I don't understand I do feel a fairly burning urge to find out. Not just road signs - other stuff too. I find that people are only too glad to tell me, if I ask!
If you are going to drive in a country where you are not familiar with the key rules and regulations, look them up before you go. Maybe half an hour on the internet? Then you would know, for example, that the speed limit on French motorways is lower in the rain (a very good idea, we should copy it). What would we think if a driver from foreign parts came here and caused a crash because they didn't know what "School, slow" meant?
I wouldn't suggest anybody do a crash course in lots of languages but I still think someone intending to do lots of holidays in Austria could do worse than spend a few hours with a BBC "Get By in German" course. It adds immeasurably to the pleasure of being somewhere new. I did once do a crash course in what was still Serbo-Croat before a flotilla holiday in Yugoslavia but found that on the coast almost everyone spoke German. But when we did a ski holiday in Serbia (Kapaonik) it actually came in useful several times and was a lot of fun; we had to ask for our apartment key - a three figure number hard to get the tongue around - and the girl on the desk laughingly corrected me every day till I finally rattled it off perfectly on day 7!
If people really, really, really, can't be arsed to find out essential stuff about the countries they intend to visit so they can get themselves around competently and safely, even off the beaten tourist track, then they should probably stick to package tours.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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8611, Always worth checking on Ebay as some do come up occasionally.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Spinout, Swiss Vignette valid until Jan 2014 on Ebay at this very moment.
Just bought a 10 day Austrian Vignette from Tolltickets, total 10 Euros incl P&P, just got notification it's been sent.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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There is nowhere to stick on on my bike (naked so no fairing or screen). Never used one for that all over The Austrian and Swiss areas.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thought the bike ones stick on to the side (tank?) the normal way round, rather than in reverse on a screen?
Not sure why the recommendation to check ebay for the Swiss one  cos the Swiss rental car will already have it.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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skimastaaah, They only cost 8.30 Euro at any of the outlets approaching and including the borders, so you got done! 
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Scarpa, I've seen bikes in Austria with them stuck to the tank or forks.
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Samerberg Sue, Got it sent to me in advance. My ADHD won't allow me stops for anything, can't be @rsed having a pit-stop for some Euro-taxation vignette thingy.
Well worth the 1.20 Euro rip-off Deutsche Post/DPD. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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queen bodecia, There is no way I'm having some gunky square stuck to my tank. Talk about ruining the finish 
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If you're going through a few countries with them I reckon the cops wouldn't mind if you had it with your licence. Hell, I'd stick it over my tax disc holder.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Scarpa, Or stick it strategically on the headlight so that it doubles up as a dipped beam convertor...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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queen bodecia, Blimey you would have no light if you do Austria and Switzerland! Where do you put the Slovenian and Croatian ones if you then head off down that way? 
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I spent one tour bobbing from the Swiss to the Italian side of the Alps and never bothered. Also Slovenia and Croatia. Damn, Interpol are gonna be on my tail
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You know it makes sense.
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skimastaaah, I think they are worth every penny to have them sent in advance and then it's one less thing to be concerned about getting on the way through. It's a bit like a French telepeage tag, it doesn't save huge amounts of time, but there is just no faffing around once you have one. I'm all for an easy life and vs. all the rest of the costs the little extra from TollTickets is worth every penny IMO.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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For Austria I just get one where it's convenient and double up with either petrol or a pee stop. The actual buying of the thing takes seconds.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Megamum, exactly my perspective. Tolltickets are damn brilliant!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Yup been done at Bregenz crossing from swiss into germany. Was pre-internet and Austria was not my destination so I don't think my ignorance was "stupid".
I'm surprised they send them out by post though (including swiss ones). I thought the reason they insist on slapping them onto your windscreen themselves was so that you can't (easily) stick them to a bit of clingfilm to make them transferable. Not that I would, obviously... 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Been routed through the checkpoint on the A12 between Kufstein and Innsbruck a few times now. Presumably this is to check vignettes? (and maybe random paperwork checks, etc.). Checkpoint the other way always seems to be for trucks only.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Normally it's just vignette check, but sometimes (it happened only once for me in 30 years) it's also random documents check. Sometimes they route only truck through this, so I guess there's check for weight and papers for them, but I can't say for sure, since luckily I don't drive truck 
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