On Jan. 1, 2002, the Euro became the official currency and legal tender of 12 European Union (EU) member nations. The new currency gives the traveler the advantage of changing currency once while visiting a variety of countries. It's also easier to calculate just how much you're spending in US dollars.

Confused about the new European currency? Don't be, here are the facts:

• Participating Countries: Austria, Belgium , Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain.
• Non-participating countries: the Czech Republic Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
• While national currencies will be accepted as legal tender for most financial transactions for a period of time, be preprared to receive your change in Euros. Banks, ATMs and currency exchanges will also issue the new currency.
• The euro comes in euros and eurocents -- 100 eurocents makes a euro. Coins come in the following denominations: 2 EUR, 1 EUR, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 eurocent. Euro notes come in 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 euro denominations.
• Euro coins carry nation-specific reverse sides but are accepted as legal tender wherever euros are accepted. Paper money is uniform across all nations.