Jim’s Travel Tips

When this next site provides you with a fare quote, it gives you a forecast indicator arrow. Green means the fare will likely be going up, so buy it now. A red arrow means to wait as it will likely be going down. My son tried out this page for a recent trip, but found that both airports he was using (Grand Rapids, MI and Tampa, FL) were not part of the system, so he couldn’t get any rate forecast information.  So, I’m guessing this will only forecast for very large airports.  However, there is a feature to request future forecasting for your airport if it isn’t already supported.  Again, I haven’t tried it personally, but just thought I’d pass it along. TIP: Try www.farecast.live.com

Here is an airline booking site that finds you the best flights and tracks the price and notifies you when the price drops. They claim you can get refunds if the fare drops even after you buy the ticket. I haven’t tried it so if someone out there can post a comment we would appreciate it. TIP: Try www.yapta.com

Travel insurance is something that most people don’t use for “everyday” travel. However, when a cruise is involved, the topic usually comes up. The cruise companies may offer or include it as an option. I can tell you from experience that you can usually get better coverage, and less expensive coverage, by purchasing your cruise insurance from a third party. I just went through this process and saved some considerable money. I used a web site that gives you easy comparisons to choose from. TIP: go to http://www.squaremouth.com/travel-insurance/index.pl

This web site works very easily. I called the 800 number on the site with a question and actually got a real person without going through a series of number options – that’s what I call service!

Exchanging US currency into foreign currency can be problematic and at a cost. Charging does avoid converting a lot of cash, but depending on your card – it may still involve exchange fees, but usually less than exchange booth rates. The best deal I’ve found is an ATM card. I have a Credit Union ATM card that is affiliated with a global network. My CU allows 5 free withdrawals a month. TIP: Use an ATM card and avoid fees and get the exact exchange rate.  But make sure you check with your credit union or bank as my experience shows not all fine print is the same!

I do carry a wallet when on foreign travel. But if your wallet is like mine, it has all kinds of cards, coupons, and memberships stored in it. Most of these are not needed or valid when you travel out of the US. If you will not be driving you may not want to carry your drivers license as you will have your passport for needed ID. I have a small folding wallet that can carry a few necessary cards and has a nice money clip for cash. This way you can keep the unnecessary cards, etc. at home in case something gets lost. Just take what you need. TIP: Bring a photo copy of all the cards you did bring in case of theft. This should include a copy of your passport. Include the back sides of credit cards as they provide phone numbers to call just in case. It might be a good idea to give a copy to someone at home too. Keep a “spare” credit card in your hotel safe along with your passport, as insurance against theft.

Traveling internationally requires thinking in terms of different monetary values or currency exchange rates. The tip that I am providing here can provide you with the easiest exchange reference that I have come across. It makes it a lot easier to determine if you are getting a good deal or not abroad. TIP: Go to www.oanda.com/convert/cheatsheet. This site lets you pick the country to country exchange you desire, which you can print. With the click of a button you can print the reverse exchange. These can be cut out and taped back to back creating a credit card sized exchange reference. Just be sure to run the rates relatively close to your trip date as exchange rates will vary somewhat from day to day.