If you’re looking to get away from it all with a trip away from home, don’t forget to travel smart. A mishap, mistake or forgotten item can ruin a vacation as surely as bad weather or an unpleasant travel companion. While there are some things you just can’t control, maximize your chances of having a good trip with the following travel tips.
When in another country, use the ATM for pocket money rather than exchanging your cash at the local bank. Banks will get better rates for exchanging currencies than you would be able to get. This can save you a great deal of money.
Do not be afraid to ask your tour guide for their credentials. Many tour guides are often required to carry a permit. Do not be shy about asking to see it. If you are spending your money on their services, it is well within your right to do so.
When traveling to a strange city, always be aware of your surroundings. Both, extremely busy and extremely quiet streets, can carry added risk. Tourists who are busy gawking at the sights may turn around to find their wallet gone. Always check to see who is around you and pay attention, if you feel like someone might be following you.
Airlines
While savvy travelers know that buying tickets directly from airlines saves them money, they also know that package deals from online travel agencies are an opportunity to save. By getting a single deal that includes airfare, hotel stay and car rental, a traveler can save money overall, even if certain portions of the package could be bought more cheaply on their own.
Pay attention to hidden fees when booking airline travel. It is becoming commonplace to charge fees for checked baggage, especially overweight baggage. In addition, airlines now charge fees for checking in at the terminal instead of online, and may even charge extra to select a more coveted seat on the airplane, such as exit row seating.
Make your travel plans more affordable by booking your flight through a meta-search site. It can be tempting to get your tickets from a website whose purpose is to locate cheap airfare, but a meta-search site looks through a variety of airlines and travel booking sites at the same time. It will then redirect you to the site that has the price you want, saving you money.
To save money when booking flights, see if you can fly to or from an alternate airport. Airlines often charge much less for different routes, so check out all your options to see which one is the cheapest. Even if you have to rent a car, it could still be cheaper to fly into a different airport.
Now that you’ve read the above travel tips, you’re more prepared to meet your travel destiny with the fearlessness of thorough preparation. Keeping these few simple things in mind whenever you leave home on a trip will give you more peace of mind and make sure you bring home more stories about great experiences rather than about stressful learning experiences.