Having traveled a lot (about 50 countries at this point), I’ve made a lot of mistakes, had some near-disasters, and been ripped off a few times.  But, as these things happen, you learn what seem to be the best ways of doing things, to get everything back on track.  So here are…

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My best travel tips about MONEY

Cash: Always have some cash on hand (local or your own). And have it in a couple different places, so you are unlikely to lose it at one time.  Hide some in your hotel room, have some in a money belt, some in your bag, etc.  If you have US dollars or Euros, they can easily be exchanged in many locations if needed, although at usually a worse exchange rate than ATMs/banks, but in an emergency, it’s good to have that option. Also, it’s great for when someone is trying to rip you off if you have exact change (or close) so they have nothing to hold over you.

Exchange rate:  Check what the exchange rate should be before you travel, so you know when you are getting a good rate. It is generally best to not exchange money before you go to another country as ATMs in foreign countries usually have better rates than anything you’d get at home.  Additionally, some country’s money isn’t even available in the foreign market, e.g., Cuba.

ATMs: If your ATM fees aren’t reimbursed by your financial institution, try to limit the number of times you have to hit up an ATM by taking out as much as you think you’ll need in one or two bigger withdrawals rather than a series of smaller ones.  Try to only use ATMs attached to banks.  If you can’t find one, then look for one with a brand you’ve seen the banks for.  Try not to use the little ones tucked into random buildings as sometimes these have skimmers or other security issues.

First encounter with the local systems: Plan for your first financial encounter (or avoid it entirely). The first time you’ll likely need money in any country is when you are leaving the airport to get to your hotel.  You are probably tired, and you are carrying all your stuff with you (probably discombobulated if it was a late flight and you just jammed everything back into your bag).  You aren’t at your best.  So before you get on the plane, look up if your hotel offers a shuttle service that you can pre-arrange.  Or if not, is there Uber or Lyft and how much should that cost.  Or how much should a cab cost.  Also, check how long it should take you to get there so you know if your cab driver is literally taking you for a ride.   This can make your first encounter with the locals and payment less stressful. This is especially important to do in countries where it is common for cab drivers to rip people off.

Uber/Lyft/Grab/Didi/Cabify/Spark/etc:   Most countries have alternative options for cabs.  Before you go somewhere, it can be helpful to download whichever app is common in the countries you are going to.  While in Chicago, cabs and Ubers and Lyfts are all similarly comfortable for the most part, in some other countries the Uber or Grab or Cabify cars are much nicer (generally) than the rickety small cabs that are numerous.  Nearly always these options are cheaper than the local cabs, so they are worth a look. Also, with these services, you generally can see the route that the app says to take so you’ll know if you are being taken for a ride, as well as what sights you are passing, which can be a nice intro to a new area. One thing to note though is that many countries do not require license plates on the front of the car, so for safety’s sake, walk around to check that the car you are getting in is the correct one (especially since the makes and models may not be as familiar to you as they are at home; Great Wall Wingle anyone?). Using these apps also lets you pay through the app, so you don’t have to deal with cash and credit cards with the drivers.

Credit Cards: Have at least 2 credit cards, in different places, so you are unlikely to lose both at the same time. This way, when your wallet falls out of your pocket in Colombia, you still have a credit card (and cash) in your bra pouch. (Not that that happened to me or anything.)  Try to have your main travel credit card have no fees on international purchases, or some of those great deals you got while abroad will turn out to be more expensive than you thought.

Cell Phone:  Your phone may have an international roaming option that you can use in foreign countries.  I often do this when I’m just in a country for a day or two.  Through Verizon, it’s $10 a day (and other cell-phone companies usually have similar options), but I don’t have to do anything other than turn it on and I can just use my regular phone.  If I’m staying longer, I’ll usually get a SIM card for my dedicated travel phone so I don’t run the risk of messing up my regular phone (you often have to give your phone to the people you buy the SIM card from as they set it up).

Tickets: Pre-book some attractions if they are at risk of selling out the day you are interested or the price is more expensive when closer to the date you want to go.  This may also help you skip the lines at some sites.

City Cards/City Passes: It is also worth it to see if you should get a City Card which is a discount card offered under different names in many major cities that gets you discounts to certain popular attractions for a specified number of days.  Sometimes it’s not worth it as you don’t intend to go to most of the listed attractions, but other times you may want to go to most of them.  Also check if they allow you to skip the main entry line, as some give priority to the people who bought the card, which is nice.  Additionally, these are sometimes offered at greater discounts if you buy them before you on your trip, so check out the pricing in advance vs locally before deciding.  See: Paris Pass, London Pass, and City Pass for multiple US destinations.

Your credit card and ATM issuing banks need to know you’re away: Inform your bank and credit card issuers that you are traveling (where and when) so that you don’t have your credit cut off due to them suspecting fraud.  This will make you sad and should be avoided.

Tipping:  Don’t overtip.  In many countries, tipping is uncommon and may even be offensive.  In others, it is just standard to round to the nearest “dollar”.  Check out how things in the country you are visiting are done before wasting an extra 20% on a tip, when it wasn’t expected.

Flight: consider a red-eye: – If you are the type who can sleep on a plane, or you are going home and have time to readjust, it may be worth considering a red-eye as it lets you have a final day where ever you are, without having to pay for a hotel room overnight.

Eating out: Plan on getting lunch at a fancy restarant (where they often have the same foods as at dinner but cheaper and sometimes with more suitable portion-sizes), then eat more reasonable food at night (street food, local chains, etc). This can be a really good plan in places where it is uncomfortably hot around noon, so you can sit inside in comfort and then get something quick for dinner when it’s cooler.

But don’t forget to Splurge occasionally:  Take the balloon flight over Cappadocia, meet the tigers, try the expensive culinary delight, or climb the bridge.  Sometimes the most popular things are overpriced,  but usually, they are the most popular things for a reason.  If it’s something you are interested in, don’t reject it just because of the cost.  See if your savings elsewhere make it easier to afford to do the special thing you want to do.

Happy travels!