Travel Ideas

by: Steve Gillman

My first time overseas, I had to exchange cash in $200 of travelers checks to pay a mountaineering guide who hadn’t heard of American Express. The bank charged me $8. During the same trip, I used my debit card at an ATM to get $200 from my checking account. Once home, I saw that the charge for this was one dollar, and that was the last time I used traveler’s checks.
Debit And Credit Cards When Traveling
I usually carry a debit card and a credit card when I travel now. I keep them well-hidden in two separate places. If they are stolen, which has never happened yet, they have either zero liability, or a fifty dollar liability limit for any unauthorized charges. Ask your bank or credit card company about this.
When an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) won’t take one of the cards for some reason - and this will happen - I use the other card, which usually works fine. Credit cards may be less trouble than debit cards. Your liability could be zero on your stolen debit card, but you probably won’t have access to your account until the matter is sorted out.
Of course, on longer trips it’s a hassle to pay the credit card bill on time, which isn’t a problem with debit cards. Carry both, and on longer trips you can wait until you’re a few weeks from home to use the credit card. That way you’ll get there before the bill does.
An important advantage credit and debit cards have over travelers checks, is that when you need the local currency, you’ll almost always get a better exchange rate with your cards. Also, the cash you get from the local ATM will truly be accepted everywhere, something even American Express Travelers Checks can’t promise.
I have nothing against American Express. Once, when I was robbed in Mexico, they quickly and curtiously replaced my stolen traveler’s checks. Also, at times it is appropriate to carry money in several forms, including theirs. However, times change and ATMs are everywhere now, so my policy is : Travelers checks; don’t leave home with them. You can take an American Express credit card instead.

About The Author

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. To read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com.

by: Gerron Woodruffe

It?s summer. And for some lucky Americans, this means going vacation to a far off land in hopes of relieving the stress of everyday life. In general, it is a very happy couple of months for the regular American family but it can also be an even happier time for credit card companies. This is because of the fact that credit card companies are making a killing off the money Americans spend on their foreign vacations through questionable fees.
Imagine this situation. You and your family are in Paris, France on vacation. Your wife sees a lovely pair of shoes that she ?must have? and so being the good husband that you are, you purchase the $300 pair of shoes using your credit card. Two weeks or so later, your credit card statement shows up and instead of you seeing a charge for $300 dollars, you statement shows a charge for $309. How did this happen? The answer is that you were charge 1% foreign currency-conversion fee by Visa or Master to convert your foreign-currency purchase into American dollars and were also charged an addition 2% foreign transaction fee by your credit card issuer.
If you are form the U.S., when you make a purchase abroad with your credit card, your credit card issuer will convert the charge to U.S. dollars before it appears on your statement. Usually, this is done through the Visa or MasterCard networks, which charge a 1-percent foreign currency-conversion fee for converting your foreign-currency purchase into American dollars. According to Kristin Arnold, a writer for Bankrate.com, this is a good deal since changing your money in almost any other manner will probably cost you a lot more.
What is unsettling, however, is the additional foreign transaction fee which your credit card issuer charges. This fee can range from 2-3%. According to Linda Sherry, the editorial director for Consumer Action in Washington, “Banks have been making a profit off their customers for a long time, while providing no service.” In Agreement, Ed Perkins, a syndicated travel columnist and author of “Business Travel When It’s Your Money,” says that these fees are ?pure gouging that credit card companies know they can get away with?. Foreign transaction fees do not relate to any service that the credit card issuer provides but instead is buried deep in the fine print of the credit card agreement between the issuer and the customer. So in retrospect, while Visa or MasterCard may have done you a favor by converting your foreign-currency purchase into American dollars for a fee of 1%, your bank?s additional charges were driven by pure greed.
So what can you do to avoid these fees? The answer is to do your research. Currently there is no standard rate at which all banks and corporations charge, so you could possibly find a card that does not add on any additional fees for overseas purchases. For example Bank of America, Citibank, MBNA and JP Morgan Chase all charge 2 percent on overseas purchases while Household Credit Services, Providian Financial Corp and Capital One do not.
Another way that one can protect themselves from being overcharged is to know and keep up with the latest currency exchange rates. Visiting currency conversion sites like http://www.gocurrency.com is a great way to do this. Having a general idea of the exchange rate will help you make more informed decisions when you purchase goods and services from local vendors.
In the end, credit card companies are in the business to make money, however, it is up to you whether they get it from you honestly or through underhanded practices.

About The Author

Gerron Woodruffe is a contributing writer for GoCurrency.com. GoCurrency provides information on global exchange rates, movements and news related information.

by: Doug Rogers

The Vacation Season is fast approaching and naturally you will be taking your digital camera along for the journey. After all your vacations are far and few between and it is nice to look back on those memories as you slave away at your job. However, when you travel with a digital camera, it is a completely different experience from that of traveling with a film camera. This is a lesson that far too many travelers seem to be learning the hard way, especially if you?re traveling to Europe. After a couples years of relying solely on digital for taking photos when I travel, there are things you should consider before you head off on your next trip.
Charging Batteries is one of the biggest stumbling blocks you’ll face when you travel. Outlets can be scarce in hotels. On a recent trip to Europe, only one of the five modern hotels I stayed in had more than one outlet available for use when charging up electronics. Charging your battery can be more of a hassle if you’re traveling by train: If you take an overnight train in Europe, they don’t have power adapters at the seats (certain trains do, but it’s not something you can count on). I suggest bringing at least two rechargeable batteries, three if you plan to travel with overnight trains, or don’t think you’ll be able to charge every night. If your camera uses regular AA batteries, consider yourself lucky-you’ll find those everywhere. Scope out the situation in your room when you check in: You should get at least one usable outlet, but don’t count on more than that.
Bring your plugs. Some digital cameras typically come with a power brick that can handle international voltages, so you won’t need a voltage adapter. However, you will need a power plug adapter to convert a US outlet plug to the local plug. Most of Europe is on the same outlet now-but not all countries accept the general “Europe” plug. Be sure to research what you’ll need to jack in, and try to buy it before you leave (try CompUSA, Radio Shack, Rand McNally, or your local luggage store). If you don’t have a chance to get what you need Stateside, don’t fret: You should have no trouble finding an outlet converter overseas.
How do I offload my images? For fellow travelers using digicams, this was the number one problem I have heard repeatedly. Many comments from folks traveling for a week or more are: “I’m taking more pictures than I expected to.” “I’m not shooting at the best resolution, because I need the room on my memory card.” “I’m only halfway through my trip, and I have only 50 shots left.” When you travel, odds are you’ll take more pictures than you expect to also. A 1 GB card is very useful, and should suffice for low-usage shooters. But for those of us, who can go through a gigabyte or more in a day, not a week? Whether it’s because your a high-volume shooter, shooting in RAW format, or a combination of the two. What I discovered is many who had digital SLRs, that had 5 megapixel or more reported they were traveling with a laptop to off load their images. None of these folks were traveling on business, so they didn’t need to bring a laptop along. The sad fact is, for now, a laptop remains the most efficient and usable means of off loading images. Epson and Nikon have dedicated handheld units with a hard drive, card reader, and LCD display for copying over and viewing your images. But neither has a full-blown keyboard. If you’re first buying a laptop, and intend to travel with it, I suggest going for the smallest one you can. Fujitsu, Panasonic, Sharp, and Sony all have models under four pounds. A laptop provides several additional advantages. For one thing, you can see your pictures on a big screen-to view how you’re doing, and if you see any problems you want to correct with your exposure, for example, or if your pictures are being affected by dirt. For another thing, you can properly label your folders, so you know which pictures were taken where. Most newer laptops have integrated memory card readers, but otherwise, you can buy a small external card reader. For the wire-free approach, use a PC Card slot adapter for your memory card; and invest in a 32-bit Cardbus adapter (Delkin and Lexar Media offer these), for speedier transfers. Nothing’s worse than coming back to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing, and needing to stay awake another 40 minutes just to off -load two 1 GB cards, at about 20 minutes a pop. If you bring a laptop, I also suggest investing in a portable hard drive. A portable hard drive can serve multiple purposes: It can be a means of backing up your photos on the go; a means of giving you a way to take your photos with you if you have to leave your laptop unattended; and a means of expansion, if you somehow manage to fill up your laptop’s built-in hard disk. If you don’t want to bring a laptop, and already have an Apple iPod, Belkin sells an attachment for using your iPod with memory cards; or, consider the pricey units from Nikon and Epson. And if you’re in a bind, remember you can always buy memory overseas. I was surprised that when I went to Europe, the prices were high, but not so outrageously so that I wouldn’t buy another card if I were in a bind. Cards were more readily available, too, than they were when I last traveled through Europe three years ago. Look at it this way: Even if you overpay on the card, you can still reuse it-which beats overpaying for a single use 35mm film cartridge when you were in a bind in years’ past.
Be prepared for problems. Things happen when you travel and I’ve had more things go awry carrying my digital SLR than I have had with my 35mm over the years. Lens paper is always useful to have on hand, but if you have a digital SLR, another supply is absolutely critical: An air blower bulb, to blast out the dust and dirt that will inevitably get trapped inside your camera. I never had problems with my 35mm SLR, but with my digital SLR, I constantly find dirt gets trapped inside, when I change lenses. And there’s nothing worse than having a splotch marring your otherwise awesome shots. Finally, remember the philosophy of redundancy. Whether your battery dies and you have no way to charge it, or you run out of space on your memory card(s), and don’t want to buy another at a higher-than-usual price, I suggest packing a second camera if you can. A digital point and shoot is a good option but I usually carry a point and shoot 35mm to use if I run into any problems just so I won?t lose any precious pictures.

About The Author

Doug Rogers has worked as a freelance photographer for the past 25 years in various fields of photography. In the past two years he has become an avid and devoted fan of digital and video photography and a life long lover of new technology. For tips on better digital photography and the latest reviews on the newest digital equipment that hits the market, Subscribe to his monthly Newsletter ?The ViewFinder? at http://www.best-digital-cameras-review.com.

A Lifetime Cruise - Hawaiian Cruise - An Exotic Hawaiian Cruise Trip

by: Colin Hartness

Hawaiian Cruises are everyone*s dream cruise to the Hawaiian Islands on an exquisite ocean liner. Being pampered from dawn to dusk with exemplary cuisine, entertainment and fun for all that too for a moderate sum on a Hawaiian Cruise is definitely something out of the world. An increasing number of cruisers and liners are now regularly calling on the Hawaiian ports as also at the neighboring islands of Kaua*i, Maui, Kona and Hilo.
Hawaiian Islands, a cluster of 137, provide adventure - sports, relaxation and a new insight to oneself. The islands make one wonder whether you are at land or at sea.
Hawaiian Cruises transport you to a heavenly state. Because of the tropical latitude, the weather remains the same through most of the year. The eastern side has more rainfall while the western part is the dry land. Locals enjoy skiing and snowboard in the snow-covered areas of the Big Island.
The Hawaiian culture is very diverse and almost every nation*s culture is found here. Hence, any newcomer is automatically drawn into the Hawaiian culture, which is enjoyment and adventure. Honolulu is the capital city. It is believed that the first permanent inhabitants of this island had sailed in from the islands of Marquesas in the southern hemisphere between 300 and 800 A.D.
Hawaiian Cruises along the different yet distinct islands provide an insight into the uniqueness of each island. Hawaii Island is a big one with Kilauea crater, said to be the home of the fire Goddess, Pele. Maui, once the sole property of the royals, is famous for its exquisite swimming spots. The rainbows across the cliffs and waterfalls of Honolulu are nature*s splendor. In spite of the diversity the common thing of these islands is *aloha*, the spirit of welcoming.
World know Hawaiian people for their hospitality and riendliness. They can mingle easily and in no time have others dancing to their music and enjoying themselves thoroughly with their cuisine. The Hawaiian Cruise enables the visitors to participate in the Hawaiian culture. The vacationing people get unlimited happiness aboard the floating cruise liners and fabulous treatment for little fare.
U.S and Canadian citizens need both proofs of citizenship and identity to board Hawaiian Cruise. Proof of identity could be driving license, Government*s identification card and in case of children between ages 6 to 17, a school identity card is good enough. In addition to these, a valid passport to sail is also necessary. Permanent residents of the United States need to have on them their Alien Resident Card (ARC). In cases of children traveling without their parents, the legal guardian with them should possess the parent*s consent letter authorizing the minor to travel with the guardian, which is also important in case of emergency of any kind.

About The Author

Colin Hartness

Looking for information about cruises? Go to:

http://www.whatcruises.com

*What Cruises* is published by Colin Hartness -

An excellent resource for Cruises!

by: Nathan Tyree

I tried not to lean against anything. Leaning, I Feared, would give the wrong impression. It could seem too casual. Sitting was also not an option. I also did my level best not to make eye contact. This was harder than it sounds. When you are surrounded by people with dentition that resembles broken picket fences and forearms adorned with jail house style tattoos (some apparently made by carving shapes into the skin then pouring India ink into the wound) it?s very difficult to look anywhere other than their eyes. Fear causes this.
The name of the bar was ?Twisted Sisters.? I?m serious. I wouldn?t lie about something this deep. The place was run by two little old ladies with deeply wrinkled faces and Tom Waits voices. When they handed you a mug of beer the obligatory ?Here ya? go hon? came in a voice that sounded like it was sculpted by cheap scotch and cigarillos.
The place was peopled by extras from ?Hells Angels on Wheels? and every bad prison movie ever made. This woman kept bumping into me. She was medium height, slender, had long brown hair and three teeth. Her face looked a little like it had caught fire and some caring person had tried to put it out with an ax. Every time we collided I apologized nervously and she walked away. From behind she could have been Miss America. I swear.
I was in this dive because my old buddy Murphy had invited me. Murphy?s the type of guy who actually enjoys this sort of thing. The fellow is something of an enigma. He looks like he belongs in the back room of a place like Twisted Sisters, but those who know him know of his masters degree and the years he spent teaching at community college. Murphy?s a tough guy; did a little stretch in prison and another in the navy. Then he used the GI bill to obtain an education. Now he hangs out in places like this.
Murphy kept buying me beers and trying to get me to talk to the other patrons. I busied myself pretending to be an anthropologist studying some exotic tribe. I didn?t belong, but maybe I could learn something.
I had just started on another beer when someone dropped a few coins in the juke box. The music was bad country. To my utter disgust the first song that played was that ?I wanna stick a boot up your butt? super-patriotic, ultra-jingoist thing by the guy in the Ford truck commercials. The people around me began to sing along loudly.
What the hell? Why would these people, this underclass, this despised minority, feel a kinship with a singer that represents the right wing status quo? Shouldn?t these guys be listening to Steppenwolf (or at least Eminem)? Lets face it, the main stream of America doesn?t hang out in places like this. In fact, most suburban middle class goons would prefer that these people simply vanish from the planet. So why would the customers at Twisted Sisters get behind this new super nationalism? This was like seeing Jewish kids singing Deutschland Uber Alles, for god?s sake.
I decided to conduct a little experiment. I sauntered (or tried to saunter, it?s hard to truly saunter when you fear that you could be shivved at any moment, or worse: have your glasses broken) to the juke box and looked over the selections. I was hoping for Randy Newman or Bruce Cockburn or maybe even the Dead Kennedys. No such luck. Then I saw it. A CD by The Dixie Chicks. I dropped my money and chose four songs by the Dixters (I can?t bear to type ?Dixie Chicks? more than once… Damn. I just did it twice). Then I went back to my spot near Murphy and waited.
When my songs started I half expected a riot to begin. I thought that if these folks loved that Ford truck guy they might revolt at the musical stylings of those un-American girls. That didn?t happen. After the first few bars someone started to sing along. Then a second voice joined in. Then a third. After a minute or so everyone in the place was singing along with these traitors with the same fervor and joy they had exhibited in response to that earlier song.
I quickly came to a startling conclusion: people will sing along to anything. The content of the song doesn?t matter. Politics simply don?t enter into it. People are really singing along to the melody, or the bass line or something. What the words actually mean is immaterial.
A little later I waved my hand around in front of my face to clear some of the smoke and give myself a line of sight. I drained my beer and told Murphy that I had to bail. He slapped me on the back and headed toward the old scarred pool table. As I walked out into the sunlight I was thinking that I?d never have to see the inside of that place again.

About The Author

Nathan Tyree is a freelance writer living in Kansas. His work has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Bare Bone, Flesh and Blood, Lost Souls, Gorilla, and The Journal of Modern Post. Vist him on the web at:

http://www.geocities.com/nathanctyree

nathanctyree@yahoo.com