Travel Tips

 

       
       
   

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Topics:

bullet Charge Cards
bullet Real-time Traveler Alerts
bullet Frequent-Flyer Mileage
bullet Travel Insurance
bullet Travel Security
bullet Long Flights
  
bullet Dehydration
bullet Earaches
bullet Water Purification
bullet Hepatitis Test
bullet Bumped from Flight
bullet Trip Insurance
bullet Stay Healthy

 
Charge Cards Are Still Best. Be aware that some banks (such as Bank of America, Chase and Citibank) that issue charge cards are tacking their own fee -- generally 2% -- above the 1-2% charged by the card for charges outside the U.S. This is also spreading to debit cards. The extra fees are not listed on your monthly statement. Instead, they are included in the cost of the goods and services you purchase overseas. Check with your credit card company before leaving on your trip. Even with these fees, you will still get the best rate overseas by using a charge or debit card, according to . That is because you are getting the corporate exchange rate. The exchange rate at a local bank is 5-8%. Consider using cards issued by Capital One and MBNA, which charge no extra fees for overseas transactions; thus, you only pay the Visa, MasterCard, American Express rate.

Real-time Traveler Alerts Now Available. For a $25 fee, your traveling is now easier through a service by iJET Travel Intelligence. The company's Worldcue Traveler service monitors your destinations from the moment you begin planning your trip, alerting you to events or situations that might disrupt your travels and informing you of requirements, weather, etc. .

Using Frequent-Flyer Mileage Award Programs: 

  1. Do not use frequent-flyer miles for a ticket to a destination when a cheap or discounted ticket or senior citizen rate is available.
  2. Unless you fly many times a year, pick one plan / card and concentrate your miles with it.
  3. Choose an airline that is a hub for the convenient airport nearest your home.
  4. Discern whether hotel points are worth more than the miles.
  5. Consider keeping just two cards--your mileage-generating card and one other no-fee card.
  6. Programs like American Express Rewards are very versatile and can be used on various airlines, rather than having your points dispersed among several airlines.

When do you need to buy travel insurance?

  1. Your trip is particularly expensive
  2. You're taking a multi-leg journey
  3. You're a senior citizen
  4. You have a pre-existing medical condition
  5. You cannot risk having something go wrong with your trip.

Travel Security:

  1. When leaving your hotel room, leave the "do not disturb" sign on your door and turn the TV on to a channel in the local language.
  2. Do not volunteer information about your trip to any taxi or limo driver. Put your own luggage in the trunk of the vehicle or supervise it being put in.
  3. The safest rooms are on the second (the ground floor is the least safe) to the sixth floor (fire equipment reaches to here). 
  4. Watch for distractions when sightseeing--scam artists work in pairs or groups.

On long flights: If possible, choose a flight that arrives at night so you can go straight to bed and then get up on local time. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and most of the food, choosing to sleep more than eat. If you have to arrive in the daytime, immediately start living by the new schedule. Be outdoors as much as possible the first couple of days.

Dehydration: The main danger on long plane flights is dehydration. Drink plenty of fluids other than caffeine or alcohol. Too little fluid may contribute to blood clots in the legs. The airplane air (though some of the cleanest you will ever breathe) contributes also to respiratory problems. Lots of fluids will help. Also, a decongestant or cough medicine is handy if the symptoms become intolerable.

For earaches on a plane: New on the market are pressure-equalizing ear plugs. (They can be ordered on website.) Attempt to avoid boarding a plane with an ear infection.

Water Purification: Though all of our hotels in Latin America pride themselves in good potable water, it is always possible to have difficulty, even in the United States. Ionic filtration water bottles, such as those offered by Nikken, Inc., are useful whenever you're traveling. We use the water bottles ourselves when we are away from home. For more information about these and other great products, please contact my husband, Chuck Stilwell, at  

There is a test to check for immunity to hepatitis. Ask your doctor about it.

To avoid being bumped on flights: avoid early morning (7:00-10:00 a.m.) or rush hour (4:00-7:00 p.m.) flights on Mondays and Fridays. Sunday afternoons and evenings are also bad choices. (Ed Perkins, consumer advocate for the American Society of Travel Agents.

An alternative to taking out trip insurance each time you travel is a membership in the . Other options are: , , and . We recommend you shop around and ask for a specimen policy before buying.

To stay healthy:

  1. Pack your walking shoes and walk (in the airport, shopping malls, and city streets if nowhere else is available).

  2. Take along healthy snacks such as protein bars, granola bars, dried fruit, whole-wheat bagels and raw nuts as alternatives to high fat foods or skipping a meal.

  3. Practice a 10-minute stretch on the train, plane or ship. It will prevent traveling "kinks," as well as relax both body and mind.

Chooo Chooooo!

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