Travel Tips for Your Money
June 14, 2009
We’ve written about saving money on your family trip and how you can have a cheaper vacation by planning ahead but I just ran across a few more travel tips for your money that we hadn’t covered yet.
Know when to use travel agents: A good travel agent can be a great money saver, particularly for lengthy or complex trips. It’s OK to compare prices yourself, but consult a travel agent if you are going to remote destinations – they’ll know the territory, and if you have to make changes, they might be able to help you do so without paying a lot of extra money.
Check your telecommunications options: Check with your wireless company to make sure your phone works where you’re going – that’s particularly relevant if you’re going overseas. Ask if your phone will work overseas and what the potential costs will be for roaming charges, which can quickly skyrocket.
Also, you might go online to see if your overseas airport rents cellphones at a daily or weekly charge or if it might be worth using a disposable phone you can buy when you get there.
Check on car insurance: For domestic trips, double check whether your own car insurance policy is likely to pick up the bill if you crash your rental car. For overseas trips, check with your rental agencies as well as your credit card company to see what insurance options you have.
Don’t think only in terms of accidents. Think about blown transmissions in small towns with only one mechanic who doesn’t speak English. Also, if you’re driving to Canada or Latin America in your own car, be very sure you have adequate coverage required in every country. You might have to buy supplemental coverage.
Consider travel insurance: There is insurance coverage available for travelers who face sudden cancellations as well as medical needs. Trip cancellation can reimburse you for non-refundable costs in the event of things like an illness for you or a family member that causes you to cancel your trip.
Look into what your current health insurance covers at your destination, so that you can understand your risk exposure and weigh it against the cost of supplemental insurance. It’s important to realize that health insurance issues crop up on domestic trips as well as those overseas – for instance, your health insurer may not cover claims in other parts of the country. Also, if you’re on a business trip, make sure your company health plan will cover you in an emergency.
Prevent theft at home and abroad: Photocopy your driver’s license and passports and keep the originals with your valuables in the hotel safe. Also, don’t forget to hold your mail and pay all your bills before leaving town.
This post about travel tips for your money is produced in association with the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the leadership and advocacy organization connecting those who provide, support and benefit from professional financial planning.
You should also consider the myriad of independent travel bloggers out there. There are dozens of people writing about their experiences in the places that you’re going to visit: some have local knowledge, others have a visitors perspective, but all of them can help you experience a place cheaper.
My wife and I run Indie Travel Podcast, for example, which is custom built to help budget and independent travellers do what we’re doing and travel full-time.