This is a section dedicated to any travel tips and tricks I found useful in my 16 years of travel experience. You can choose to use the advice or do without, again this is just what learned from my experiences. So without further ado,
Travel Tip #1: Multi-Destination International Travel
Traveling international can be pretty expensive and when on the budget you need all the money you can save. Starting with flights. Probably the most expensive part of a long international trip other than finding hotels.
So, let’s say you want o take a trip down under and visit Australia! Fun! But you want to visit more areas than just Sydney. You may also want to visit the Goldcoast and Melbourne during your trip. Let’s explore your options: So if you go on a popular website like Expedia.com and search for a multi-destination trip it can be pricey. For example, If you plan your trip for February (during Australian summer) for a 3-week vacation. Leaving on February 4th coming back on February 25th. As of right now, that multi-destination trip would cost almost $1,800.00 (U.S) per person. I can show you how to shave off at least $600.00 from that flight it’s simple.
Book the roundtrip from LAX-SYD that drops the cost to around $930.00 per person You then use the local airline (for this example we will use Jetstar) to go between Sydney-Goldcoast-Melbourne and back to Sydney. These flights will cost anywhere from $75.00 to $100.00 per person. Saving you a significant amount. A few caveats on this type of travel. You must be back in Sydney in plenty of time to make the return trip back to LAX! What I suggest is flying back into Sydney the day before and staying a night at the airport hotel and defiantly purchase travel insurance for the roundtrip from SYD-LAX. Keep in mind these prices fluctuate depending on when and where you travel from but booking multi-destination international travel this way saves you money on that travel budget. Hope this helps!
Travel Tip #2 Travel Rewards Cards
So this tip is not hard to understand but so many people are not fully aware of the value. This is how rich people travel. Now, I know a lot of us are not rich but we should use any advantages we can. This is one of them! If you are going to use a credit card why not use one that will at least give you something for using it?! For years I had cards where all they offered was credit and high-interest rates. Well, those days are gone. Travel rewards cards are the best possible way of spending money and having it help towards travel. A travel credit card gives rewards to a consumer in the form of points or miles that can be used for travel-related purchases, most commonly plane flights and hotel rooms. Nowadays they also offer cashback bonuses etc… One of the more popular is the Venture card from Capital One or the Chase Freedom or Sapphire cards. You will need credit scores of 700 pts or higher to obtain these cards but when you do the benefits especially towards travel and purchases are endless. Plus most offer a 0% APR from anywhere to 12-15 months! All depends on credit history and score of course. Some may have an annual fee but that’s usually pretty standard. For example, the Venture ONE card from Capital One has no annual fee but the Venture has a current fee of $95.00 annually. So do your due diligence and research then be sure and check your credit score to see what works best for you… and as always use credit wisely.
Travel Tip #3. Carry Cash $$$
How often has your mom or dad told you to be sure and carry cash on you in case of emergency? About a million? More? Well, they are right! Over the holidays while traveling to visit family I stopped in the airport duty-free shop to grab a snack and drink before the flight. It’s overpriced but whatever, it’s convenient and helps me relax for my trip. I get to the cashier and the machine is frozen go to the 2nd machine and the same deal. She tells me she can only take cash. I have none. She says I have to wait till the machines come back up and she does not know when that will be. Well, this sucks. Lucky for me a gentleman waiting in line asked to pay for my items and I said thanks and shook his hand. I got lucky. But I can’t rely on the kindness of strangers in the future so now I know I need to: ALWAYS CARRY CASH IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. My situation was just one example of why it’s a good idea to take heed to my parent’s advice. You also never know when your credit or debit card won’t work on your end either. If you are worried about being mugged or pick pocked well of course try and have your pocketbook or wallet in a safe spot on your person but if you need any added tricks and safety measures you can always purchase accessories with hidden compartments. For example, I bought a belt on Amazon.com that has a hidden zipper on the inside part of the belt for you to store money, ID’s, etc… Plus having money on hand makes it easier for tipping and converting currency in foreign countries. So, listen to your parents and always carry cash!
Travel Tip #4. Travel Insurance
One of the most asked questions I get on travel is should I get travel insurance. My answer is always yes (especially on an important longer than usual trip). Better to be safe than sorry. But just like car insurance, you want to get the one that works best for your travel needs. Not the one that is most convenient just cause to happens to be offered on the travel website your booking from. So let’s start from the top. The why. Why do I need travel insurance? Well, that answer should be obvious. From the time you book your travel plans until the time you actually travel, so many things can change in your life. It’s quite alarming. Just look what happened during Covid19. Also, while on your trip keep in mind you are in foreign territory anything thing can happen. As a traveler, I have heard many stories of travelers booking activities and being injured or worse! Perhaps you ate something unhealthy, and thus need to go to the hospital, or possibly your appendix bursts, and therefore you need to be rushed to the ER. You get my point; the list is endless. So don’t risk it. Get the insurance it’s worth it for your safety and the safety of others if you are not traveling alone. Now the 2nd part is the who. This is where it gets tricky. In most cases, online travel companies have a relationship with an insurance provider. You will find it to be convenient and affordable, just click the radial button and you’re done. But wait, things are never quite that simple. In most cases, providers only cover airfare and hotel costs. And what about my health needs? Or what happens if my luggage is lost or stolen? Tough cookies. They primarily care about airfare and hotels. Even then, there is a good chance you will have to fill out a lengthy claim form explaining why you cannot go on your trip, and whether your claim falls within the guidelines they have outlined, and if not, there will be no refund. So now you are wondering, what the hell am I doing purchasing travel insurance from them? It sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Exactly. This is why it’s tricky.
So in most instances, you cancel with an airline 72 hrs or sooner you will be given a credit for the trip in normal times this would be accompanied by a cancelation fee of $75.00 or more upon rebooking but in times of the pandemic, the airlines and the partners have temporary waived that to my knowledge but make no mistake that will come back around!
I will give you an example. This past February, I was scheduled to travel to Australia for a 3-week stay starting on the 19th. However, Australia did not permit visitors into the country until later that month due to the Omini Covid variant. As soon as I was made aware that I could not travel on my scheduled trip date, I contacted Expedia.com to cancel my booking. I was then told that a credit of $1,300.00 would be issued. When I asked the agent about my refund since I purchased the flight protection plan, she explained how I might obtain it. I was told I would have to cancel the booking for the credit and then make a claim with AIG, the insurance company handling flight protection claims. After submitting my claim with the necessary information, it was denied. AIG and Expedia.com were both contacted with my displeasure with the way the process was handled. I have not heard back from either company. AIG sent me a survey asking me about my claim experience. It didn’t go so well. It was a $79.00 learning experience, I would say. My suggestion obtain travel insurance before your trip through a reputable travel insurance company you can book insurance right before a trip there is no rush. Go through the company’s see which would fit your travel needs and make arrangements with them. Partnerships between corporations such as AIG and Expedia are never in your best interests. It is highly likely that AIG pays Expedia a commission. Expedia will in turn allow AIG to promote their “Flight Protection” on the travel site. When all they are protecting is their wallets.