When travelling, preparation is the mother of a good time. Make sure you’re informed and timely booked, because that can mean a difference between a great and cheap holiday and scraping for leftovers while paying premium prices.
TRAVEL GUIDES – YOUR SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE
Don’t be lazy, check travel guides for the country you’re going to. And not just those posh ones where there’s lots of gorgeous pictures of happy, smiling, tanned people sitting around a pool. Check for the things that are interesting in the area, of historical significance, things you might want to tell your friends about. Use the guides to see your options for transport, so that you don’t get ripped off by some local know-it-alls. Why not check a phrase book as well? If you learn a few words of the language spoken in the country that is your destination you might put a few smiles on people’s faces and that’s always a good thing!
MOBILE PROVIDERS – FRIEND OR FOE?
Make sure you check if your mobile provider operates at your destination. Major mobile providers are now present all over the world. However, if they are not, you should perhaps opt for a local provider pre-paid card (if you are lucky enough not to have your phone not region/provider locked). Always remember to turn off your data roaming, unless you really want to be shocked upon seeing your bill next month!
LOOK FOR GREAT HOTEL DISCOUNTS – THEY’RE OUT THERE
Even though you might want to avoid 5 star hotels for various reasons (the rating system differs from country to country, let alone continents) if you look hard enough you might end up in one of the big name hotels for a fraction of the price. First of all, you should check up on good travel deals online – websites such as priceline.com have an open list of hotel rooms available all over the world (as well as flights and rent-a-cars). It doesn’t hurt to give it a go, if you always wanted to stay at the New York Sheraton on Times Square and you were worried about the toll.
DON’T LET EXCHANGE RATES GIVE YOU A HEADACHE
Local currencies might occasionally present quite a headache, especially if you exchange your money at the hotel reception desk or ask to pay in something that is not the local currency (USD, EUR, GBP). People will generally accept your money, however, the rates will be highly in their favour.
A good way to do this is to get the money changed in advance, at home. If this is not possible, paying with your card in local currency is usually the best choice.
TO DRIVE OR NOT TO DRIVE?
If you plan to travel by car, it would be wise to check whether your car insurance abroad covers both the damage to your car or only the damage you may have inflicted on another. Or worse, if it has no option to cover stolen cars. You might need to notify the insurer of your trip beforehand, so give them a call to check. Don’t forget to see what are the various driving rules in the countries along the way, such as speed limits or the always interesting side of the road you’re supposed to be driving on. Just to be on the safe side, a maintenance check on your car is probably a good idea.
PASSPORT CHECK
You might think you have everything ready and packed and then get picked off at the border due to a passport that’s no longer valid or is expiring within six months, which is a prerequisite for travelling to some countries. Renew your passport on time to avoid the hassle, as well as the fee you might need to pay for a quick passport renewal.
SUN LOTION NECESSITIES
When travelling somewhere nice and sunny you will probably think of a sun lotion to protect your precious skin and avoid the pain and lessen the chances of skin cancer. Many people just go ahead and splash out on new sun lotion every time they travel somewhere (or worse, they splash out on it as a last minute idea, on airports and such). Remember to check the Period After Opening on the already used bottles – it might well say 12 or even 24 months. As long as your sun lotion was stored in a cool, dark place, it is safe to use during the POA.
FOOD CAN FLY
Remember that fluids are banned through airport security, however, food is not. If you’re flying budget airlines, they tend to offer you snacks (as well as trinkets, electronic cigarettes, drinks and perfumes) every chance they can. If the flight is a bit longer, you will grow hungry and you might think it a good idea to overpay for a sandwich that’s not even any good. Bring your own snacks and smile at them as they try to offer you muffins at crazy prices.
The list goes on and everyone who has ever travelled probably has a story or two on how to do it cheaper and better. Talk to frequent travellers and use the above advice to your benefit. You never know when that little extra you have saved will prove beneficial.
Author Bio
Olivia Still is a blogger, world traveler, and marketing consultant for a number of travel companies. She’s currently blogging on best travel deals.