Best Money Management Tips For Traveling Abroad
Best Money Tips For Traveling Abroad
If you are like most people, you can’t help but look forward to that time of the year when you finally get the chance to go on a vacation, relax, explore, and have fun in a new travel destination. It’s even merrier if your chosen destination is far away from home. You get a chance to learn new cultures, have a taste of cuisines, interact with different people, make new distant friends, and perhaps even learn a new language if you’re lucky enough!
However, long-distance trips don’t usually come cheap. A lot goes into the planning, and you might even have to take out a loan just to tick off an item from your “overseas travel wishlist”. Thankfully, here are a few money tips you could use to reduce money-related woes when planning to travel abroad.
Have a Realistic Travel Budget
Planning a trip abroad can be downright exhausting. There are numerous things to think about, from choosing a travel agency to booking flights, planning your itinerary, and booking hotel stays. However, the denominator among all these is that they all cost money.
How much you enjoy your trip abroad will outrightly depend on how well you budget for it. This means getting a good grasp on your expenses at home and having a clear budget for your trip.
Get Travel Insurance
Traveling doesn’t come without a fair share of substantial risks. For instance, you could get into an accident, fall sick, lose your luggage at some point, or even get arrested while abroad on a trip. While it might not appear extremely important at first, it’s good to make sure you have a good travel insurance policy in place before you leave. It will protect you financially if something goes wrong while you’re away.
Bring Some Cash in Local Currency
As exciting as it may be to get on board that plane and start enjoying your vacation as soon as it lands, it’s always wise to have some hard cash on you. Not all places accept paperless cash, and you never know when a few coins or notes will save your life or get you out of an emergency situation. This is all the more reason to bring some cash with you in the local currency during your trip abroad.
Stay Abreast of Currency Exchange Rates
The strength of currencies fluctuates from time to time, and this is inevitable considering factors such as an economy’s GDP, market performance, inflation, and so forth. It is thus wise to know how to get the best exchange rates in your destination just before you leave for your trip abroad.
Besides helping you to budget accordingly for your travel expenses, understanding the current exchange rates can help you avoid nasty surprises when you get your bill at the end of a meal or purchase something.
Take Advantage of Your Credit Card
Credit cards can help fund your travel in many ways besides just helping take care of your bills. For instance, many credit cards provide travel rewards such as redeemable points or air flight miles and cash back on purchases. While some won’t subject you to foreign transaction fees, a credit card like SoFi doesn’t usually require you to pay annual fees, can be applied online, and comes with cash-back rewards.
This can end up saving you a lot of money in the long run, as credit card fees can add up quickly. But let’s break it down a tad further.
When choosing a credit card that you can use while traveling abroad, some of the crucial things to look out for include:
- Low-interest rates
- Easy application and fast approval
- Little to no foreign transaction fees
- Minimal to no annual fees
- Low cash advance fees
- Impeccable support customer service from the issuer
- International credit card acceptability
If you’re headed on a trip abroad or you’re at least considering planning one, getting your finances in order is something you can’t afford to run away from. The above few money tips can go a long way in making your overseas travel smooth, merrier, and more enjoyable.
Valuable Tips For Saving on Rental Housing and Sightseeing While Traveling
Tips for renting housing while you travel and some other useful advice
Travel advice can be given endlessly because every country is rich with features, customs and attractions that differ one from another. In this article, we will tell you more about great ways to find travel housing to meet your personal needs and to enhance your trip.
Here are tips you should know about the housing in your travel
- Use local websites and forums to search for housing to rent.
Local websites can often offer prices for apartments at a lower price than international travel sites. On a local resource, you can find a villa that will be significantly cheaper than options on popular rental sites.
- Book your travel housing either in advance (more than 2 months in advance – but if you have traveling in high season, you should start much earlier) or at the last minute if you have nerves of steel.
This way you can find options with good discounts. Of course, this applies to situations when the trip falls in the low season. In the summer and during the generally accepted holidays with rental housing, it is better not to delay due to high demand.
- Feel free to ask for a discount on housing.
This option is possible, for example, when corresponding with the host on the Airbnb website. Turn off instant booking. Instead, first write a message to the owner – check the details of the check-in and ask for a possible discount. Often homeowners make concessions, especially in the low season.
- Keep your rental property clean
This travel tip is especially relevant when it comes to renting apartments on Airbnb and renting houses. Good relations with the house owners can be a benefit in the future. Also if there was a security deposit involved, you will be assured that it will be returned to you.
- Choose housing according to the purpose of your trip
For walking and sightseeing, it is better to rent housing in the city center, and for an overnight stay when traveling by car, you should choose a hotel with parking on the outskirts. At first glance, this is unimportant, but this way you save time and money. A common mistake of beginners is renting housing that is not suitable for their style of travel.
- Ask for a better room when you check-in
Always ask for a better room or a free upgrade. This method works especially in the off-season when more rooms are available. Just be friendly and kind.
- Get a hostel housing
First, hostels come in different levels (there are some that cost over $100/night). Secondly, there are hostels with private rooms that are worth considering as they will save you a great deal of money. Thirdly, you can meet interesting people who will advise you on non-tourist attractions and you will benefit from the experience of other you meet in the hostel.
- Choose housing on the 2nd or 3rd line away from the beach
This will help you save money while traveling because housing on the 1st line usually costs 2 times more.
- Rent out your accommodation
If you will be leaving your residence for the duration of your long trip, consider renting it out and earning money on AirBnb. You might prepare it properly and maybe buy some modern furniture online for enhancing its look. But of course, always keep your budget in mind.
And now, that your housing is in place, let’s see what else you can should consider while traveling.
Money Saving Tips While Traveling
- Go to the local tourist office or at minimum visit their website
If something interesting is happening in the city you are visiting, the local tourist offices always know about it. The staff will advise you on the activities (paid and free) that take place during your stay. Usually, tourist offices offer discounts on attractions, transport, etc. Their job is to help you get to know the destination better. It’s amazing how many travelers don’t take advantage of this opportunity, but now, you know about it!
- Visit museums for free
Almost all museums in the world organize days of free visits. Our advice if you are interested in museums, check on which days or evenings are open for you to visit at no or reduced fees. Sightseeing for free in a place that you are really interested in is doubly nice.
- Follow the Locals
Follow the locals when visiting sights and places of interest. If there are locals around you, you are on the right track. If you are surrounded only by tourists – for sure, this is a tourist zone and everything will be more expensive.
- Always keep your passport with you or in a safe
Never leave your passport as a deposit anywhere and to strangers.
- Get lost in a new city
Stepping off the tourist trails and wandering aimlessly around a new city is a good way to get to know it. You will surely be amazed by the hidden places you will find. Especially if we are talking about solo trips, it makes you more open to new experiences and opportunities. When you’re visiting the tourism office, you might ask if there are any areas that are not safe for tourists.
- Get up at dawn
First of all, there are fewer tourists everywhere in the morning. Secondly, the weather is often better in the morning. Thirdly, photographs during dawn are unusually beautiful, unlike noon.
- Ask the staff for help, even if you’re not staying in a hotel
Hotel or hostel staff work with travelers every day. They know exactly where to go for good inexpensive food and interesting sights. The staff is usually locals who know the city very well. Ask them about anything that interests you.
- Visit attractions early in the morning, before closing, or at lunchtime
Visit popular places with the least number of tourists – early in the morning, before closing, or at lunchtime, when most take snacks.
- Do not agree to carry someone else’s luggage when crossing the border or at airports!
You cannot be sure that someone else’s baggage does not contain items and substances prohibited for transportation. Do not fall for tourist tricks and never agree to help carry someone else’s luggage. Even if it’s just a towel or cloth.
- Assume that things won’t go exactly the way you planned them
Few people come back from their travels without some stories of spontaneous failures. No matter how prepared you are, at some point you can get lost, get robbed, miss your bus, get food poisoning, get hurt… the list is endless! Accept that it will happen and DO NOT get upset when it happens. After a while, you will tell your friends about it. Just take a deep breath and think as objectively about this situation as you can.
- Protect your equipment
Get a case for your laptop, a case for your camera, and a waterproof case for your phone. It’s worth it! After 2 phones are drowned by a wave, you understand that it is better to pay $ 10 for a case.
- Do not forget about Tax-Free
Before making purchases in the country of your travel, check the information about shopping and Tax-Free – from what amount it is issued, what tourists buy, and other conditions. So shopping while traveling will be more profitable.
- Go on excursions on foot
Thanks to walking tours (free) – you will get to know better the places where you are. It is useful, interesting, and causes a lot of positive emotions. Always take good and comfortable shoes with you! Take care of your feet and they will take you to the most beautiful places.
- Be flexible
Let your adventures be spontaneous. Plan two or three places/activities for the day and leave free time. This is one of the best ways to travel.
5 Top Budget Friendly Family Vacation Destinations in USA
Top 5 Family Vacations on a Budget
Traveling is an amazing experience yet it can be quite expensive. No matter where you go, certain expenses are inevitable. Thankfully though, you do not have to be a wealthy person to travel to some wonderful destinations. There exist tons of terrific vacations locations you can travel to on a budget with the whole family.
If you want to have a great adventure with your family but have a very limited budget, do not despair because it doesn’t mean that you cannot go anywhere. You can, and here are some of the best budget-friendly family vacation destinations. Consider these interesting destinations in your plans for your next family vacation.
Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s known places. People from all over the globe dream of visiting it, and you may do it almost for free. It will not cost you much but just to eat on your way to it and fill up your car. The expenses are the smallest while the impressions are unbelievable!
The Grand Canyon is nearly 277 river miles long and around 18 miles wide. This is a natural wonder of the world located in northern Arizona. You can meet thousands of tourists here coming from all over the globe and gazing at this miracle. The mighty Colorado River has expanded the Grand Canyon.
The wonder is managed by the National Park Service and belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage. If you are looking for a peaceful time to spend, though, this one may not be for you. Thousands of people are gazing at the Canyon, so this place may be pretty crowded.
The trip will be especially exciting for those who love hiking and camping. Thus, if you are this sort of a family, you should definitely include the Grand Canyon in your future top must-visit places.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is famous for rather a lot, though there are no pompous buildings that make visitors reflexively pull out cameras. The old city districts are perfect just to take a walk without a certain goal, except to drink a cup of coffee or look at the river standing by the seafront.
Downtown is a center of business, tourism, and cultural exchange. There are a few significant attractions, for example, the Ohio Statehouse that was built in the style of the Greek Renaissance in 1840-1860s. There’s also the Museum of Art, University of Franklin, Columbus-Commons Garden. The well-known LeVeque Tower is a 47-story Art Deco-style building that remained the tallest building in the city from 1927 until 1974 when the Rhodes State Office Tower was completed. It is difficult to see it from the bottom, but the top floors of the tower are decorated with stylish reliefs.
The best things to do in Columbus:
- See a copy of the Santa Maria ship.
- Take a picture of James Barney Children’s Fountain near the Battelle Riverfront Park.
- Walk to the south of High Street, admiring the old buildings. In particular, the famous Great Southern Hotel & Theatre (1897).
- Go look at the Indian mounds, which have been over 2000 years old.
Denver, Colorado
A lot of different low-cost attractions are situated in Denver, Colorado. If you are looking for a great destination on a budget, that is it! You can visit such places as the City Park, Denver Zoo, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado.
These are the greatest places for the whole family to visit and amuse. You can swim a lot, see cute animals, and just enjoy your time. This destination is very low-cost. Your kids will love the Children’s Museum of Denver on the Marsico Campus. Just one trip to Denver will keep you amused for a long time and bring you tons of amazing emotions!
Washington, D.C
Although it sounds banal, you will still find your trip to Washington D.C. very exciting, and it will become a great vacation on a budget for your whole family. Can you imagine that the Smithsonian Institution doesn’t charge for admission to the best museums in the world? Each of them is worth spending the whole day in.
All the sites have a very convenient location near the National Mall, the Reflecting Pool, and the Washington Monument. If you do not have much time, you can easily visit several museums in one day since they are located close to one another. The National Air and Space Museum is beloved by both kids and their parents.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Of course, Myrtle Beach can be both cheap and expensive. Everything depends on your own preferences and needs. If you are ok with just spending time on the beach, near the water, and laying under the sun, then you will only pay for a cheap hotel where you can access everything you need.
Families normally prefer the southern end of the beach since it is a bit remote and you are not overwhelmed with souvenir shops. Do not forget to have a Skywheel ride! If you are up to some social life, you will find plenty of restaurants and other places there.
A top-quality rest doesn’t have to be expensive, and there are plenty of options that may not require a lot of money and will bring unforgettable impressions to your family!
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About The Author: Chris Adam is a devoted free essay writer who holds an MBA degree and helps students cope with their writing assignments on various topics. Chris is not only interested in business and economics but also passionate about traveling all over the world. He enjoys reading and making his own contribution to the quality information people get online.