When I mentioned to a co-worker that I was vacationing in Europe this summer, this intrepid traveler shared an excellent money-saving tip with me:
When you're using your credit card to pay for a purchase in a foreign country, make sure you're charged in local currency, not your home currency.
Topics: Credit Card, Saving Money, Travel
You’re about to purchase airfare online. You’re almost done booking the ticket when you’re confronted with the question: Do you want to add travel insurance to your purchase?
Do you remember being a teen, when your folks insisted on knowing where you were going, who you’d be with, and when you’d be back? It was annoying then, but as an adult you probably understand they just wanted you to be safe.
Well, we don’t care so much about the company you keep, but giving us the “where and when” of your travel plans can help prevent problems when you use your card, especially if you are going overseas.
Topics: Credit Card, Travel
When you visit a beautiful vacation destination, have a wonderful time, and plan to return again and again, you may dream of owning a home there. However, for many, a vacation home – with the big down payment, monthly mortgage, and ongoing maintenance costs — just isn’t in the budget. An alternative many people consider is a timeshare, which can seem like a cost-effective alternative to hotel stays. However, as with any major purchase, a lot of careful research should go into deciding whether or not a timeshare is the right choice for you. Here are four questions to consider before buying a timeshare.
Topics: mortgage, Home Ownership, Travel
You’ve decided to take a cruise. Get ready for beautiful views, stewards to clean your room and those famous buffets. But first, read these money-saving tips. After all, even when you’ve paid ahead for your meals, accommodations and entertainment, there are lots of ways to spend more than you planned.
Topics: Travel
That vacation you planned last winter is almost here. Whether you’re hitting the road to visit family or taking the trip of a lifetime, you’ll need a plan for handling finances on the go.
Topics: Travel
Saving money involves removing all uncertainty. With just a little bit of planning, you can remove the uncertainty around whether or not you’ll have to pay a fee to access your money at an ATM. We believe you should never pay to access your cash. Here are six tips to use on trips this summer:
Summertime often means getting away on vacation, but it can also mean spending too much. According to an American Express study last year, the average American spent some $1,145 on vacations. Flights and hotels can take up the majority of that, but there are other ways to save so that you can still relax without busting your checking account.
What better way to shake off the cold of winter than a spring vacation? Unfortunately, the high price of gasoline (at $3.60 a gallon for April 9) and other travel costs can leave many a family thinking a trip during the spring is unaffordable. But it does not have to be. The following inexpensive spring break ideas can help you and your family enjoy a break without breaking the bank.
A new fad in overseas travel is called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). It is a financial service in which holders of credit cards have the cost of a transaction converted to their local currency when making a payment in a foreign currency. Currently this feature is only possible for Visa and MasterCard networks.
