Travel tips I have learned (Part 4)

Posted by sbarrymore

on March 13, 2009M at 6:02 am

Travel tips I have learned along the way (Part 4)

16. Change down- Whether you are dealing in U.S. dollars or the local currency, I always try to keep bills in very small denominations. Depending on the country, often times taxis and vendors may not keep much change. If I have big bills, I am constantly “changing down” when the opportunity presents itself in order to maintain a small bill inventory. I know people who always start out their trips with $100 in USD $1 bills for tips.

17. Only small bills in your pocket-I always keep some small bills in my pocket for incidentals so I don’t have to pull out my money belt every time I need to pay for something. When you do have to access the money belt, always do it out-of-sight. I also carry a “decoy” wallet with a little bit of money in it.

18. Customs and immigration forms-Always have the customs and immigration forms filled out BEFORE leaving the plane. Saves you a lot of time and hassle later trying to do it as you are going through the line–or worse yet, the line gets longer while you stop inside the airport to fill out the forms. Always carry a pen with you for this purpose.

19. Have cash-When I land in a foreign country I always try to have a little bit of the local currency with me just in case my ATM card won’t work (I have had this happen several times) or in case the airport change booth is closed.

20. Multiple credit cards-I always try to travel with 2 different types of credit cards in case there in a problem. In Shanghai, the hotel refused to accept my VISA card because they said it was a problem with the Bank of China to process Visa cards. They wanted a different type of card, either a MasterCard or Amex. Unfortunately, I only had a VISA card with me. They were just trying to be difficult! I had to call my wife in the states where it was 4 a.m. and have her get VISA to call the hotel. This was even after I had executed on Tip #3 above! Plus, the first ATM machine I went to would not accept my ATM card. I had to walk through unfamiliar streets where no one spoke English and try to find an ATM that would accept my type of card. Save yourself the hassle!!

More travel tips coming-stay tuned!

If you have some travel tips post them here or e-mail me at ssb11@prodigy.net

See my other travel blogs on NewsOk.com:

Colombia:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/colombia/

Mexico:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/mexico/

Caribbean island of Barbuda:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/barbuda/

San Juan with a 5 hour layover: http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/san-juan-puerto-rico/

Fly around the U.S. for the day:

http://blog.newsok.com/thewanderer/category/day-trip/