Traveling abroad is probably a top tier of every person’s dream bucket list – making it one of the key reasons why the working class saves. Traveling abroad is really blood, sweat and tears that yield a rewarding feeling and experience.
After booking your ticket and processing your visa, you might be thinking of supplies or clothes that you need to pack with your luggage. But have you ever thought of your finances when you get there? One of the harsher obvious realities and undesirable nightmares for foreign travelers is to run out of cash in a foreign land. Or worse, drowning in debt due to shocking credit card bills. To help you become prepared on your first international travel, here are some good old financial hacks for you.
1. Prepare cash.
Having cash is a must for foreign travelers especially if you’re into exploring the city and buying some local stuff. But first, make sure that you only withdraw cash once and preferably from the ATMs inside the airport. Money withdrawals in other countries usually have higher charges. You don’t want your hard-earned money to go to withdrawal charges only.
When you withdraw money, make sure that you get the amount enough for the entire trip. Or you can have it changed before your flight. Just make sure that you adhere to the limit of cash money allowed by the immigration bureau of the country. The point being is, having too much cash can be risky. First is the issue of theft. Second is getting a lot of excess foreign cash after the trip, which in return gives you a potential lower currency conversion to peso.
Lastly, make sure that you get an accommodation with a secured safe for your valuables and spare cash. You should only bring an amount intended for your day trip.
2. Always have a credit card with you.
Credit cards are really meant for emergencies. If you ran out of cash, then that is the perfect time for you to swipe that irresistible plastic card. Just make sure that you instruct the cashier to bill you on your preferred currency (home or local) as some banks charge a 3% international transaction fee. Keep in mind that the more you use it, the more you suffer after your trip. Paying a huge amount of debt after enjoying your trip will just ruin the entire experience.
3. Ensure data roaming.
This might not be a financial issue at first but the more you look at it, the more you will know that communication-related expenses are still part of your financials when traveling abroad. The first thing you need to do is to set up your cell phone to avoid international data roaming. Many business travelers have an international call and data plan to cover them. But leisure travelers don’t. And the reality is, one of the biggest costs can come from transmitting data overseas.
Again, you wouldn’t want to get billed with a large sum of money for data and calls.
Traveling abroad is meant to be a pleasant and rewarding trip from distress. And in order make the experience worth it, you should take care of your finances as you go on a trip to a foreign land. There are ways to lessen the cost of your spending. All you need to do is to plan your itineraries well and make sure when to spend using cash or when to swipe your card. Also, be cautious about dubious ATM machines that could steal your card’s identity for fraudulent transactions.
For the best travel experience abroad, you can rely on the years of experience of Marsman Travel and Tours Inc. Visit our website to know more.