Travel Contest: What YOU Need on the Road, Week 3 Challenge

I run a travel vaccination clinic in Los Angeles and each week I encounter a patient who is surprised that travel vaccinations are recommended for their destination. When visiting European countries one is much more likely to come home with a surprise on the credit card than a communicable disease, but when one goes to SE Asia, it’s not the case! Proper preparation for many international trips should include a visit to a travel specialist who will take time to vaccinate as well as educate their patients on the health risks of travel abroad. This is often an unforeseen expense, but one that can be easily budgeted into every travelers plans!

A few years ago we made our first trip oversea’s to Amsterdam . We were very excited about being there.We were waiting for our connecting train looking very touristy in our air- plane clothes all the while being watched by a group of young men.When the train arrived they caused a big commotion getting on, and as quickly as they came on they ran off the train with all of our camera gear.At first we were devastated .But have no fear we were on vacation and we did have a credit card.We bought what we needed and had a wonderful time. My suggestion to avoid a situationl like this would be to be aware of your surroundings, you never know who’s watching you be a tourist.  

In 2000, I was returning from CDG to SEA via CHI.  Seems before we left Paris there was already news about a severe snowstorm on the east coast but we took off anyways.  We touched down in STP for gas and finally landed in CHI, but by then I missed my connector.  The next day, after spending the night at the airport, I was finally called to board from a standby basis.  It happened so quickly that I had no way to contact my relatives in SEA, so I opted to use the airphone just before taking off.  This was before texting was common and I had left my cell phone at home.  I knew these airphones were expensive and rightly so when I received my credit card statement.  Thank goodness for more options now and I won’t leave home without my cell phone.

We booked a rental car from Hertz through our AAA office and prepaid the full amount, as indicated on our contract.  When we picked the car up in Venice, the rental office demanded an additional 20 Euros.  Despite the fact that our rental contract stated “paid in full,” we were charged the extra sum.  The rental office reps could not explain the reason for the additional charge (in English or Italian). They merely shrugged it off with “We can do nothing – it is in the computer!” Although not an enormous sum, we did complain about the overcharge upon our return and AAA had Hertz refund the charge.

When traveling to Europe last summer we flew ryanair to all three of our destinations (Venice, Barcelona, Frankfurt), which is suppose to be an extremely cheap airline.  Don’t get me wrong, it was VERY cheap, $20 flight from Venice to Barcelona, can’t beat that!!  However, an expense we did not anticipate were the taxi’s to our hotel from the airports.  Ryanair flies at very inconvenient times, usually late at night and 3 times out of 3 when we arrived to our destinations the trains or buses have already stopped running.  In Barcelona we had to take a 60 EURO taxi ride just to get to our hotel!  So just a reminder when flying Ryanair, it is a great cheap airline but anticipate extra costs to get where your going once you arrive!!

I’m trying to remember something that my then-boyfriend/now-husband and I realized on a brief weekend in Paris- but that was 2002, pre-kids and pre marital couple responsibilities so I bet we spent money like water and didn’t care a bit. Today of course, it’s a totally different story with 3 little ones. We are most likely moving to Germany in the next few months- followed by Romania 9 months later for a 3 year assignment. I only hope and pray that some of these tips your readers share are things I can recall at a point I am most desperately needing in advice. We aren’t going to have ‘extra money’ (what is that anyhow?) to blow while going from country to country via taxi, plane or train. Thanks for the topic!

We just returned from Italy and I exchanged our dollars for euros at the airport’s currency exchange. I exchanged $400. It didn’t feel like I received many euros back so I checked my receipt to se that they had charged me $68 to exchange my US dollars! I couldn’t believe the high fee. Thinking that it was just an airport thing, I tried to exchange dollars in Venice at a Currency exchange bureau and it was the same cost! I was told that if I doubled my exchange, that the fee would be about the same cost, so I did. Bet bet is to check with or bank before you leave to see how much they charge at an ATM. We ended up paying much less by using an ATm…approximately 3%.

I had gone to spend 3 months in Italy with my boyfriend (now husband) and decided, perhaps stupidly, to overstay my tourist visa and remain for one month more. I’ve heard of numerous people doing this, staying for months and years past their visa expiration, so I didn’t think much of it. When we were heading back to the US for Christmas we flew out through Zurich which is where I had flown through and the way over. We were delayed by a day because of Snowpocalypse in the DC area but managed to book a flight for the next day. (Incidentally the airline paid for hotel and meals. Nice!) As we were leaving we had to go through passport control, which I’d never had to do when leaving through Rome, and, of course, I managed to get the one agent who felt the need to read through every stamp in my passport. When she came across the entry stamp from exactly 4 months earlier she seemed almost giddy. I was informed that I needed to go wait in the security area which turned out to be a giant glass cube nearby. After struggling to communicate between German speaking guards and my non-German speaking self I was informed that I owed 500 Swiss francs for violating my visa. That was definitely an expense I had not anticipated but at least I wasn’t banned from returning to Europe!

I was very careful to only use my Capital One credit card during my trip to Ireland in 2010.
They charge no foreign currency conversion fee which can really add up.
When I returned my Hertz rental, on the plane I noticed that their exchange rate was significanly higher than what I had experienced during my stay.

I later found out that written into the Hertz contract (which nobody reads throroughly) states that Hertz does the currency conversion before it gives the charge to the credit card.
That one event cost an extra $70, just for the difference in the exchange rate for the one car for a week.

Peter helped me get my money back but I am absolutely certain they are still using this practice and still dinging unsuspecting customer to the tune of millions of dollars each year.

Being a big familiar name doesn’t necessarily mean they are the best deal.
Read the contract and walk away.

We had a new credit card and it suddenly would not let us get a cash advance. We hadn’t checked the policy to find out the limit. Good thing we had a backup card.

Peter, I am heading back to Italy this Wednesday to visit relatives in Alba and Torino Italy. You know how we don’t like those credit cart exchange fees or ATM charges? Well I found that you can get a Schwab Debit card, set up an account, transfer money into it and withdraw what you need.  If the ATM’s charge you a fee, Schwab reimburses all exchange and ATM charges to your account. I tried the pin out yesterday here before I ventured so far from home and it works.
This isn’t an “un-expected” expense rather I am preparing to use my cash in Europe without paying more to withdraw or exchange my cash.

Several years ago we traveled to Italy and rode the train to Lake Como and a very small town on the east side of the lake where we stayed several days. Of course, we needed money and used our ATM card which we had used in Milan. We got nothing but an error notice. Then a notice saying “funds not available” and then did not even get that. So we went into the very small bank to see if we could get money on our VISA. After a long while (waiting for someone to return) a young man who spoke English said we had to call our bank. He gave us his phone and showed us what we had to do to call our credit union in Florida (we don’t use a bank), and after talking to a person who knew we were traveling out of the country, our ATM card worked perfectly. All this took 15-20 minutes.

Asking the young man what we owed him for the international call, he said “one euro only”–when we tried to insist on paying more, he said “remember your visit to Italy with a smile!”  

I’m not sure if it’s the biggest unforeseen travel expense but it was definitely my most frustrating.  We were in the Mayan Riviera for 2 weeks and had everything we needed packed and ready to go.  We had pre-booked a ‘swim with the dolphins’ trip for one of us and my daughter.  I was prepared to stand at the side and take photographs but sadly it was prohibited.  Not only could I not view the swim but I was carted off afterwards and shown some amazing photos that I had the opportunity to purchase on a disk… for $200US.  We paid $190 for the swim in the first place and then had the memories dangled in front of us like my daughter was the bait in their scheme to get rich off of loving parents.  

A warning to the wise – look into the reviews of each and every tour or package before you purchase it because had I checked into it for 5 minutes before booking, I would have read the complaints of hundreds of other ‘loving parents’ and saved myself $400.  Next time just jump in the ocean with a waterproof camera and the odds are pretty good you’ll get a shot with a dolphin for no more than the cost of a bottle of sunscreen.

I just got back from Ethiopia last week after learning a very valuable, yet costly lesson; never travel internationally without trip insurance. I traveled on a mission trip & had used USAir ff miles for a multi-leg biz class tix from CLT to ADD, with a flight to Kenya for a 3-day luxury debrief trip to Little Governors in Masi Mara. Five days into the trip, I became ill in Ethiopia & decided it best not to fly into Kenya & deeper into the bush, so I tried to change my FF tix to fly home directly from ADD. Despite having USAir’s top tier FF status, they would not rebook my flight. I had to purchase a 1 way tix from ADD-CLT and also forfeit the cost of safari. Total cost for not having trip insurance? More than $5,000 out of pocket for the schedule change…

Buses went on strike on the Amalfi coast and left us stranded a $100 cab ride from our hotel.

Flying an alternative air carrier in Singapore, we paid $450 each way to check two regular sized suitcases.

Peter,  we we’re just in London for 10 days and I had the privilege of a kidney stone attack on our very first day.  We spent the night in a London hospital on the first day of our vacation.  ACK!  What I need is to be better prepared for medical emergencies next time we travel outside of the US.  Fortunately, our London hospital was excellent and the kind people of Britain picked up the tab.  There is definitely travel insurance in our agenda from now on with all overseas travel.   

An unforeseen expense was a story in itself. While in the Provence, my sister desperately needed a photo of herself next to a certain grape vine. As I continued to back up to take the photo for her, I backed right into a rain bird sprinkler which went directly into my leg. In a comedy of errors, I wrapped my bleeding leg in a plush, white towel and went to the only doctor in town….a veterinarian who only took cash…and charged me whatever he could since I was his sole human patient. He then sent me to a pharmacist who handed me a Tetanus shot to administer to myself. Since neither I nor my sister could do that, we were told to track down a nurse who happened to be shopping in town. For a hefty fee, she agreed to administer the shot for me.

This makes for a good story…but it was a costly mishap and one I certainly couldn’t have ever truly planned for. Rule to the wise…plan for emergencies and have cash!!!

It was more of an unexpected situation. The battery charger one of my fellow travelers loaned me to recharge my camcorder battery did not work. So next time, I will be sure to make sure I have a proper adapter for the battery charger as well as extra batteries and other photographic equipment. I just need to be sure I’m covered on all options for film, camcorder/video, and photography.  If that means an extra expense, well, its well worth it to guarantee its a sure thing.

I encountered an unexpected exit charge when leaving Panama. It turns out a lot of countries have this charge. The I now keep a few extra bucks in my purse for just this occasion. It’s “untouchable money” until I get home and then becomes layover snack food money once I’m out of the country.

Peter, I don’t travel without my flat iron and a packet full of adapters. On a trip to Barcelona, Spain,  I plugged in my flat iron using the appropriate adapter.  Then suddenly there was this burnt, terrible smell. My flat iron got fried.  I did the best I could to deal with my curly hair for that night. It was not a pretty sight though.   The next morning I hit the pavement in search of a new flat iron.  Believe me, it is not easy finding a flat iron in Barcelona.  To my shock the cheapest one I could find was close to $300 USD. My advice,  be careful when using adapters and electronics on international trips.  The good news is, I now have a very expensive European flat iron to use on all my future European trips.  

 When I was traveling in France with my then boyfriend, now husband, we didn’t pay any attention to actual costs when buying food.  We only realized it after the fact, that we paid $15 for two Cokes in Paris.  Now, we pay attention. (Also, more recently, had an unexpected bill when paying for online fees in Norway = $90 for internet access fees.  Yikes.)

I’m so excited to have won your week 3 contest, thank you Peter.  I’m not sure how to claim my travel gear so please let me know how to send you my information.  Have a wonderful weekend and keep those tips coming!

Four summers ago, we took a train from Frankfurt to Vienna, arriving after dark.  We had our hotel’s name and address and knew it was near the train station, but the unfamiliarity of the surroundings bested us, and it took us nearly two hours to find our hotel.  Now before taking a train (our principal and usually only mode of travel in Europe), I first pinpoint, on Google Maps, the train station in our destination city.  Then I research hotels for best price vis-a-vis quality and features within a short distance of the station, usually an easy task in older towns and cities where principal activities and facilities are concentrated around the train stations.  Finally I simply plot a walking route from station to hotel.  Ever since, we’ve had no problems, even when rolling suitcases and carrying other bags.  And we’re both in our 70s.

Rental car company Europacar (also known as Sixt) overseas demanded we sign BLANK credit card forms in order to pick up the car we had reserved thru a travel agent. We signed, as we were literally blackmailed over it. When we returned the car (which was a banged-up lemon, on top of everything else, with doors and a trunk that wouldn’t lock, brakes that stuck, etc.) they wouldn’t give us back our signed, blank receipts. After we returned to the USA they put thru an unauthorized charge- we closed the account Immediately- and then they tried to make several more charges! The bank managed to get back some of the money, & we did not get further burned as we had shut the acct., but we will NEVER, EVER use them again. Advice: if you Do have to sign blank receipts- and this apparently the “norm” in many places- close your acct. IMMEDIATELY once you return home. 

Also: Cell phone roaming charges- even in the USA!- nearly gave me a coronary. I came back to NYC from Wyoming and had a $300 bill for 3 short calls, because my phone- unbeknownst to me- was “roaming in the gloaming”! Friends from Puerto Rico got Whacked by similar Insane charges making phone calls in NJ! BEWARE! Check your cell phone policy & charges BEFORE you travel! And check IF your cell phone will work overseas: we had to buy a special phone for Israel and Italy (bought one a Lot cheaper in Israel than it would have been the USA) because our USA phones wouldn’t work in either place.

 I would like to take the Night Riviera Sleeper train from London to Penzance. Upon arriving,  I would like to visit several of the towns and cities of Cornwall. It will be very rewarding to see the picturesque coastlines and landscape of Cornwall. Dining would include the local seafood and Cornish pastries. The train journey will be the hassle out of long drive and arrive refreshed ready to enjoy the sights of Cornwall. Using Penzance as a base, we could travel to towns of Cornwall on the train.