Travel Secrets that Eliminate Hassle from Your Trip
It may be the middle of summer right now, but you may already be thinking about your next holiday overseas- or perhaps you're about to take off on your next big adventure. Either way, here are some secret tips that could really help smooth the way once you're on the road. There are four essentials, which we've gathered from dozens of great ideas, but which represent the best ways to change your traveling life for the better, in our opinion. So, from money travel tips to ways of eliminating hassle, here are four of the latest and the greatest secrets for traveling smart.
Avoid rental car price sticker shock overseas.
Sometimes, when renting a car overseas, nasty surprises can occur at the rental counter. Price gouging is common and you could end up with upwards of £15 per day tacked onto your rental fee. This happens to unaware travelers who sign up for a rental car company's "collision/loss damage waiver" (CDW). It's not unusual for this to run as much as the charge for the car itself. Find out if your own credit card offers CDW for no extra charge. Call your credit card company and ask them if it's included, and if so, have them put it in writing and email it to you. Use that to show to the rental car clerk wherever you're renting. Many rental agencies will actually require that letter, so make sure you order one before you travel.
Download a GPS app that works offline.
Almost everyone has a smartphone and just about every traveler has keyed into the joys and ultra convenience of using the GPS function to navigate in foreign places. But what happens when your cell plan lets you down while traveling and you have no internet? Many map apps require a connection to the internet, so it all goes south when you're offline. Purchasing a dedicated GPS is hardly the answer, so good thing there are now mapping apps which work offline. They all work the same: you download the map packs onto your phone, then work with the GPS function of your phone to plot your position and chart your course. Shop wisely: some are free while others require endless add-ons to work the way you want them to.
Avoid outrageous ATM fees when traveling overseas.
ATMs were a great invention about 30 years ago, but the fees can really knock your budget off track...especially when you travel. The big banks are particularly harsh when it comes to charging outrageous fees. For example, at the time of this writing, Lloyds Bank charges 2.99% of the value of the withdrawal amount. TSB and Barclays are no better. Santander, HSBC, and RBS all charge 2.75%. That can really add up! To avoid these sky-high ATM cards, go for pre paid travel money instead. This means you pre-load your foreign currency on a mastercard before you travel, and if you need to withdraw cash in a pinch while abroad, use the card at an ATM. The cash withdrawal fees on pre paid cards are much lower ...a flat fee of $1.50 in the United States, for example (or Ä1.25 in Europe). It could well turn out to be one of the most important money travel tips you ever learn.
Consider smart luggage for your carry-on.
For many of us who fly, the laptop has become an essential companion for long layovers. The trick, however, is keeping the thing charged while you use it during travel. Sames goes for your phone: finding a seat in the airport next to an outlet can be as challenging as finding a seat on the airplane using your rewards miles! Not anymore: now there's smart luggage, too. Make your carry-on luggage your charging station and all your problems are solved. Bluesmart makes "connected luggage", which not only holds a battery strong enough to power your laptop plus your phone as you await your next flight, but also does many other useful and impressive things. We love this travel secret the best, along with the pre paid travel money secret we let you in on above. Here's what you can expect from smart luggage:
- locks digitally, via your phone
- allows tracking via your phone
- weighs itself so you don't get surprised by your airline's cabin requirements
- delivers neat and handy trip data
- partners with Uber to offer lost luggage recovery so you don't have to wait for the airlines to deliver your luggage after it's been recovered
