The following is a guest post from Pauline Paquin, a French girl who blogs over at Reach Financial Independence. Born and raised in Paris, Pauline blogs about how she has been traveling the world for the past 10 years, while trying to build wealth and achieve financial independence, and how you can follow your dreams and reach your goals too. You can follow Pauline on Twitter @RFIndependence.
Summer is only a couple of months away, and it is the perfect time to start planning your holiday, especially if you would like to travel abroad. The more you plan, the more affordable your stay will be. Whatever your destination, try to follow those simple tips to make the most of your holiday budget.
Flights: Search until it hurts
There are tons of flight search engines: Kayak, Travelocity, Ebookers are just a few you can try. Some allow you to search for the best flights with flexible dates, if you can fly early in the morning or on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the rates will usually be cheaper than for a 5pm flight on Friday. If you are going to Europe and want to visit several cities, try the major hubs first: London, Frankfurt, Milan… then you can fly low cost with a smaller carrier from country to country. Booking six to eight weeks in advance will help you get a better deal on the price of the flight.
Banking: Know the rules
Most banks charge you a fee to withdraw money abroad, so make sure you ask your bank before you leave how much the fees will be, to avoid surprises. On top of your local bank’s fee, some international banks will apply their own fee to withdraw money from their ATMs. In Mexico for example, it depends on the bank and can be anything from $1.50 to $4.5. The ATM will warn you and ask if you want to proceed. If the rate seems high, try another bank.
If the fee is per withdrawal, try to withdraw once a week instead of withdrawing small amounts every time you need cash. The bank will generally charge you less if you purchase items with your card than if you withdraw cash, and some banks have no fees at all. If you travel a lot, it is worth looking into one of those cards.
Cellphone: Be informed
The same applies to your cellphone. Call your provider before you go to ask what the rates will be where you travel, for making a call, receiving a call (yes, they charge for that too), sending a text message and downloading a megabyte of data. Try to use the hotel’s wifi connection or find a free hotspot to call home via Skype or email for free.
Hotel: Book early
I love going with the flow and usually have no specific program when visiting a city, but I always try to book my hotel before I get there. The earlier the better, to get the early bird rate. You never know if there is going to be an international show or a sports competition at the time of your stay, that will fill up most hotels weeks before. Once you have booked your flight, look for a hotel, or a housing options. I enjoy renting houses and apartments instead of getting a hotel room if I am going to stay several days, because the location is usually better for the price, and you can cook breakfast and dinner at home, to save on food.
Finally, be safe
“Hey, this has nothing to do with saving money!” I hear you say. Yes, it does. The last time my bag was stolen I had $30 cash on me, which is not a big deal, but by the time I had replaced my sunglasses, my sweater, the bag itself, my purse… I was out over $150. Instead of walking the deserted street where I got mugged, I could have taken a $3 taxi and still have my bag.
I also lost my passport once, and it cost $100 to issue a new one.
Oh, and there was the time my credit card was cloned and someone withdrew $500 in another country with it!
Being careless can lead to a jet ski accident, a broken arm, a stolen car, and so on. That will not only ruin your holiday but also cost you a lot of money.
Scan a copy of your passport and send it to yourself via email before you leave, together with the emergency numbers to blog your credit card, and the local US embassy. Do not let your credit card out of sight when a waiter takes it for payment. Wear sunscreen .
http://budgetandthebeach.com/
Summer is only a couple of months away, and it is the perfect time to start planning your holiday, especially if you would like to travel abroad. The more you plan, the more affordable your stay will be. Whatever your destination, try to follow those simple tips to make the most of your holiday budget.
Flights: Search until it hurts
There are tons of flight search engines: Kayak, Travelocity, Ebookers are just a few you can try. Some allow you to search for the best flights with flexible dates, if you can fly early in the morning or on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the rates will usually be cheaper than for a 5pm flight on Friday. If you are going to Europe and want to visit several cities, try the major hubs first: London, Frankfurt, Milan… then you can fly low cost with a smaller carrier from country to country. Booking six to eight weeks in advance will help you get a better deal on the price of the flight.
Banking: Know the rules
Most banks charge you a fee to withdraw money abroad, so make sure you ask your bank before you leave how much the fees will be, to avoid surprises. On top of your local bank’s fee, some international banks will apply their own fee to withdraw money from their ATMs. In Mexico for example, it depends on the bank and can be anything from $1.50 to $4.5. The ATM will warn you and ask if you want to proceed. If the rate seems high, try another bank.
If the fee is per withdrawal, try to withdraw once a week instead of withdrawing small amounts every time you need cash. The bank will generally charge you less if you purchase items with your card than if you withdraw cash, and some banks have no fees at all. If you travel a lot, it is worth looking into one of those cards.
Cellphone: Be informed
The same applies to your cellphone. Call your provider before you go to ask what the rates will be where you travel, for making a call, receiving a call (yes, they charge for that too), sending a text message and downloading a megabyte of data. Try to use the hotel’s wifi connection or find a free hotspot to call home via Skype or email for free.
Hotel: Book early
I love going with the flow and usually have no specific program when visiting a city, but I always try to book my hotel before I get there. The earlier the better, to get the early bird rate. You never know if there is going to be an international show or a sports competition at the time of your stay, that will fill up most hotels weeks before. Once you have booked your flight, look for a hotel, or a housing options. I enjoy renting houses and apartments instead of getting a hotel room if I am going to stay several days, because the location is usually better for the price, and you can cook breakfast and dinner at home, to save on food.
Finally, be safe
“Hey, this has nothing to do with saving money!” I hear you say. Yes, it does. The last time my bag was stolen I had $30 cash on me, which is not a big deal, but by the time I had replaced my sunglasses, my sweater, the bag itself, my purse… I was out over $150. Instead of walking the deserted street where I got mugged, I could have taken a $3 taxi and still have my bag.
I also lost my passport once, and it cost $100 to issue a new one.
Oh, and there was the time my credit card was cloned and someone withdrew $500 in another country with it!
Being careless can lead to a jet ski accident, a broken arm, a stolen car, and so on. That will not only ruin your holiday but also cost you a lot of money.
Scan a copy of your passport and send it to yourself via email before you leave, together with the emergency numbers to blog your credit card, and the local US embassy. Do not let your credit card out of sight when a waiter takes it for payment. Wear sunscreen .
http://budgetandthebeach.com/
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