0 Planning a Trip? Eleven Tips to Save Money When You Travel

Are you planning a holiday? With smart preparation, you can arrange a trip that will not overload your credit card. Here are eleven easy tips to help keep you within a reasonable budget.

Comfort Yes - Luxury No

Opt for budget rental cars, economy class plane tickets, and reasonably priced accommodations. Do you really need a suite, or will a standard room serve your needs? Would a homestay or hostel be acceptable? They are certainly not for everyone, but might work for you.

Book Tickets in Advance

You may be able to save a great deal by booking accommodations, flights, and rental cars in advance, especially if you shop for deals on the Internet. With early booking, you are also more likely to get exactly what you are looking for.

Compare Air and Train Fares

In some parts of the world, train travel is considerably cheaper than air. Eurostar tickets, for example, can be booked online for many destinations in Europe. Enjoy a speedy, comfortable trip for much less than a plane ticket. While you ride the train, soak in the panoramic countryside views and make friends with some of the locals.

Use City Transit Services if Possible

City buses, trains, and subways are cheaper than taxis. Not only do you save money, but you also have the opportunity to interact with other people. Talk to your concierge or another knowledgeable person about the safest routes as well as areas of the community that you should avoid.

Try a Bicycling or Backpacking Holiday

When you go bicycling or backpacking, you can explore the countryside without the expense of gas. Of course, this isn't for everyone or for every area of the world. However, it will save you money and keep you in shape. If you don't own the proper equipment, try to borrow or rent what you need.

Travel with Friends

If you are planning a solo trip, travel with one or more friends for safety and economy. Accommodations and other expenses can be reduced significantly in many cases.

Use Rewards Cards

Earn travel miles and discounts by making all your travel purchases with a rewards card. Plan a budget and stick to it. Try to pay off the full balance of your credit card when you return so that you avoid paying interest charges.

Join Travel Rewards Programs

Many hotels, airlines, and car rental companies offer programs for travelers. Even if you are not a frequent traveler, you should be able to find a program that will offer you some benefits.

Take Advantage of Discounts

Discounts are often offered to auto club members, veterans, seniors, and other groups. Always ask; and make sure you carry proper identification, registration cards, and other required documentation to qualify for the discounts.

Do Not Buy Anything on Impulse

Do you really need that expensive T-shirt or souvenir? Think carefully before making impulse purchases. Avoid expensive boutiques and restrict your spending to true bargains. In some areas of the world, bargaining is expected. Give it a try. You might turn that deal into a steal!

Avoid Paying for Wi-Fi

Search the Internet for "free Wi-Fi directory" before you leave. You might be able to locate hotspots in advance. If your hotel charges for Wi-Fi, investigate free services offered by places like McDonalds, Starbucks, and public libraries. You might be able to access nearby networks from your room. Check to see what is available before you sign up through the hotel.

Have a great vacation!

Read more articles to help you save money while you travel at 111 Travel Directory. You will also find over 1500 free travel tips at 1000 Tips 4 Trips, arranged in 26 different categories from Air Travel to X-tra Travel Resources.

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0 5 Ways to Save Money on Your Holiday

The words 'money and relaxation' often come to mind whenever we hear the word 'holiday' that we could almost imagine ourselves relaxing on a beach chair and sipping some refreshing beverage while waving goodbye to those dollar signs. So, you might ask "how can we save money on our holiday?" when in fact we would be spending our hard-earned money in order to have some fun and relaxing time away from home.

Well, you actually can!

Save money on different vacation deals
Take the time to check social networking pages or official websites of holiday accommodations, hotels, resorts, and discount websites offering holiday packages. You'll be sure to find deals which could lessen the strain on your pocket.

Booking your holiday as early as you can
Be sure to book in advance if you really want to save money on your holidays, because you'll have more choices to select from. You might even come across some discounted packages for the family.

Going in group
Going with friends on a holiday will not just be more fun and relaxing, but cost effective as well, because you would be able to do more activities and even choose a better holiday accommodation without straining your budget. So, instead of booking a hotel room with limited space, you can get one of those vacation rental homes for your group and still have space for loads of fun and exciting activities.

Make a list of things to bring
One of the worst things you could do in a holiday is leave without the essential stuff you need like food, medicine, snacks, and even clothing, because buying them while on a holiday will put additional strain on your budget. Remember to put tick boxes on your list that way you can mark them as you pack things for the holiday.

Pack lots of food
Most people don't take lots of food with them on a holiday because food tend to be bulky, but if you really want to save and still have enough space, pack a lot of them because prices of things tend to skyrocket in areas frequented by tourists and holiday makers. Choose food that are easy to prepare, but will not easily spoil.

I could probably add more to the list, but let's just scratch the basics since you still want your holiday to be fun and not a struggle with your budget.

Whether you are seeking a relaxing and carefree Byron Bay family holiday or you simply want to stop the world and spiritually recharge, Moonbeach is the perfect getaway destination. There's only 30 metres between your backdoor and the breathtaking stretch of sand and surf that leads you directly to your own slice of paradise where you can take in the unbelievable views to the Byron Bay Lighthouse or enjoy Byron Bay holiday accommodation.

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0 Money Tips for the Frequent Traveler

ATMs and credit cards have made it easier for us to withdraw and exchange money whenever we go to trips abroad and it is also quite safe compared through other means. Although this may be true most of the time, it is still a possible to find ourselves stuck in a country where our plastic cards are not being accepted by the machine we are transacting with.

This may seem like bad news but fortunately, there are American banks that have started issuing credit cards that are now more accepted widely around the globe. Below are some tips on how you can manage your money and cards abroad.

Check for Foreign Transaction Fees
This is one of the things that you should consider as this can be very frustrating if it catches you off guard. Find out whether the issuer of your credit card charges you for every foreign transaction that you make. This is usually between 1% to 3% of the purchase and an additional 1% MasterCard or Visa fee in which the banks will be sending towards the customers they have. There have been some companies who have gotten rid of this feature as the government has started to require the card issuers to put a stop on these fees.

There are many finance websites in mobile broadband which provides a list of credit cards that do not charge their clients with transaction fees. One of the best credit card issuers out there that is a good example of this is from Capital One, which has started this trend a long time ago before other banks gotten into it.

Yet there are many of the credit cards being used by travelers that still impose this charge such as the American Express Delta SkyMiles card for frequent flier miles. There are also those that do not have big fees annually such as the Chase British Airways Visa which ranks at $95 per year. This type of annual fee is not really worth taking unless a person will be frequently traveling abroad or will be spending much using their credit card.

Find Out the Exchange Rate Beforehand
It can be daunting to think that each time you travel abroad, you find an ATM in the airport and then get stuck when the machine asks you how much money in the country you are looking to withdraw. This is not easy to ponder if you have no idea about the exchange rate. You cannot just tell the machine to give you an equivalent of the dollar amount you have in mind.

To save yourself from the hassle of panicking in an airport abroad, visit currency conversion websites in the Internet or learn about the exchange rate before the trip. Have it written down including the calculation of the amount you wish to withdraw before landing.

It is also recommended for travelers to check out the section about money in a guidebook of the country to see if there are any financial quirks going on. One example is that of many ATMs in Japan that do not accept foreign bank cards while those that do accept are only rare.

Go for a Credit Card That Has a Chip
There are many American credit cards toady that have outdated magnetic stripes, and a lot of people find out when they start using them from places around the world. Nowadays, these are no longer accepted as cards are shifting from those that have a smart chip instead. Although there are many merchants in Europe and Asia who accept vintage plastic swipe cards, there are many automated kiosks which no longer allow this and can be a problem when trying to travel through train subways and stations.

Stephen Will X Kim is connected with top of the line technology companies for over 12 years. He is an expert on finding and assessing the latest trend in broadband and mobile broadband to keep readers updated with what's hot and what's antiquated. Boosting your internet connection at home is something that can be done without calling in a professional. To learn more about high speed internet, see the Broadband Expert

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