Vacation Money-Saving Tips
By Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada
If you are traveling overseas, call your credit card companies in advance to find out what fees they charge for overseas purchases. While a 1% fee for overseas purchases is common, some issuers will charge as much as 4%.
Always check the cost of the individual components of a vacation package against the package price, if possible. One may be cheaper than the other, depending on the destination and time of year.
If you travel to a specific city in the U.S on a regular basis for several days or more, buy an Entertainment Book for that city at www.entertainment.com. You’ll get a whole book full of discount coupons for restaurants, entertainment and more.
Bring pre-packaged snacks like granola bars, trail mix, jerky, gum, or bottles of water. These items are much more expensive in hotels and airports. If you’re driving, pack a small cooler for keeping beverages and snacks handy.
Don’t forget to budget for gratuities. Examples include hotel housekeepers ($2 -$5/day), bellmen ($5-$10 for delivering luggage to room) airport skycaps ($1/bag), cab drivers (15%), wait staff (15-20%), tour guides ($1-$2/day). Tipping on cruises can really add up, so plan ahead! Visit www.tipping.org for guidelines.
Get a cheap long distance phone card before you travel and use it! Avoid hotel phones, which can charge outrageous long distance rates. If you will use your cell phone when you travel, find out whether roaming charges will apply. If you plan to get online at your hotel or on a cruise ship make sure you understand what it will cost you.
Excerpted from "Vacation Budgeting". Reproduced with permission of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada Inc., www.consolidatedcredit.ca.
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universitybound3 wrote:
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Hadn't thought about all the things that go into vacationing; eye-opener! (Y)
Posted on Aug 12, 2012 at 02:22
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