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Travel Tips - Money

Passport

Cash
Advantages:
Cash is king, no matter where you go. Of course, in most cases you'll need local currency. You can get currency before you go, or after you arrive, at a bank or currency exchange bureau.

Availability:
At banks and at bureaus exchange rates vary, so it pays to shop around. You'll probably get a better deal at a bank than at a currency exchange bureau, since exchange bureaus tend to charge higher fees or commissions. Of course, not everyone keeps bankers' hours, so exchange bureaus can come in handy. Recently, automated currency exchange machines have cropped up in airports, train stations and major tourist haunts. So if you're dashing through the airport at 4 a.m. and need a quick buck (pound, euro or yen), exchange machines can be very convenient � but will cost you a less favorable exchange rate.

Disadvantages:
Carrying too much cash can be dangerous. If you lose it (or it's taken from you), it's gone for good. Also, changing cash requires making an extra trip to either the bank or exchange bureau.
Travelers Checks:
Advantages:
Although use of traveler's checks has declined with the advent of ATMs and debit cards, there is still a time and place for them. The biggest benefit of traveler's checks is that if they're lost, they can be replaced, usually within 24 hours.

Availability:
As long as you're using a major issuer (American Express, Barclays, Visa, Citibank and Thomas Cook are a few), traveler's checks can be exchanged for cash at any exchange bureau or bank, as well as at many hotels.
Disadvantages:
Depending on the type of account you have, some banks will give them to you for free, while others will charge a 1 percent fee to buy the checks, plus the normal exchange fee when you exchange them for local currency.
ATMs
Advantages:
Thanks to conveniently located, (almost) always-working ATM machines, you can access cash in just a few minutes. In addition to being convenient for quick withdraws, ATMs carry out their transaction at the wholesale banking rate. This means you will typically get a better exchange rate by using an ATM than you would with cash or traveler's checks at a bank.
Availability:
As long as your card uses one of the major ATM networks (Plus, Cirrus, STAR, Visa and EuroCard are a few), you'll be able to access cash from machines at most major tourist destinations. However, it's best to check with your bank ahead of time about ATM availability and restrictions on access to your money.
Disadvantages:
Fees, fees, fees. The inevitable user fees of ATMs may offset the good exchange rates they offer. If you are withdrawing money from an ATM machine not operated by your bank, expect to pay the typical user fees. You will most likely have to pay a $1.50 to $2 charge levied by the machine operator as well as a fee levied by your bank. But help might be on the way. The Bank of America recently announced a Global ATM Alliance with Barclays Bank PLC, Deutsche Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia and Westpac. Under the alliance, the banks offer their customers free use of one another's combined 20,000 ATMs. Still, you may be hit with other fees. Some banks have begun charging as much as 4 percent in additional "transaction" or "conversion" fees for ATM use outside the United States. Check with your bank before you depart to find out what fees apply.

Credit/Debit Cards
Advantages:
Even if you don't plan on using a credit card, it's a nice thing to have along for peace of mind. First, it's safer than carrying too much cash. Second, it's also a great backup plan for paying bills should you get into an unexpected bind. Besides saving your credit card for emergencies, you might consider using it for basic purchases. Using your card will also let you take advantage of the wholesale banking rate. In addition, some credit cards offer valuable travel-related perks. American Express, for example, offers its cardholders help finding an English-speaking doctor, accident insurance and car rental insurance. Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club offer similar perks. Check with your credit card issuer about cardholder travel benefits.
Availability:
Visa and MasterCard are accepted at over 20 million locations; there will be no problem finding a place that will take your plastic. Debit cards associated with either Visa or MasterCard can be used anywhere the two are accepted. You can also withdraw cash through an ATM, provided that you know your credit card PIN, or walk into most banks and receive a cash advance using your credit card. However, be aware of the fees or interest rates your credit card carrier charges for cash advances. A credit card cash advance is probably not the most economical way to acquire additional money.
Disadvantages:
When you use any credit card internationally you are charged a 1 percent fee by the Visa/MasterCard clearinghouse. Most people are unaware of this fee. It's imposed at the currency exchange level as part of the transaction. But in addition to the clearinghouse fee, some issuers have begun to charge an additional 2 to 5 percent fee for international credit card transactions. American Express charges a 2 percent fee for international transactions with its card. Before you lay down the plastic, check with your credit card issuer to learn more about its fees.

Travel Tips - Passports and Visas

Passports

Passport is a travel document issued by the government of a traveler's native or adopted country as proof of citizenship.

Unless restricted to a specific validity, most US passports issued to adults (over 18 years at the time of issuance) are valid for 10 years. Passports for individuals under the age of 18 are valid for only 5 years. Non-US passport validity varies by nationality

A US passport is proof of citizenship, and permits you to re-enter the United States after your trip abroad. However, a US passport does not automatically permit entry into every country without a visa. Many countries allow US passport holders to enter without a visa because of reciprocal visa waivers and long-standing diplomatic relations; many countries do not.

Visas

Visas are the permission that are granted by a sovereign nation to a traveler permitting entry into that country for a specific purpose. Most visas are stamped into the traveler's passport.

The most common types of visas are granted for the specific purposes of tourism, conducting business or attending a conference or symposium, establishing temporary or permanent residence, or going to school. A traveler must follow very distinct guidelines and procedures established by each sovereign nation in applying for the appropriate visa category

Tickets & Bookings

It is very important that you do your travel and bookings in advance. Shop And Donate is a place where you will find a collation of such reliable UK based shops and also help make a small charitable donation when you buy from there.

Security

Travel Tips - Security

Enhancements in security measures since Sept. 11, 2001 came fast and furious. Although most of the kinks have been worked out, the new precautions and procedures may still lead to increases in travel time and inconveniences. Whether you're waiting on longer lines, subjected to closer personal searches or having to cool your (shoeless) heels while your bags are carefully inspected, you'll likely find traveling today a far different experience than it was in the more trusting pre-Sept. 11 days.

Security measures are still evolving and they tend to vary from airport to airport, but there are a few rules of thumb any traveler can use to make their next trip a little easier. Our tips:

Know your departure time:
Although the Federal Aviation Administration still recommends arriving at the airport two hours before your flight's scheduled departure, check with your airline or the airport first. Some airlines don't require you to arrive quite so early for all flights. Delta, for example, recommends that you arrive one hour prior to a domestic flight. Other airlines say 60 or 90 minutes. Ask first; you may be able to reduce your airport time significantly. For most domestic flights, you need to be at the gate, with boarding card in hand, 15 minutes before the flight is scheduled. For international flights, you need to be at the gate 30 minutes prior to departure.

Use curbside checking:
Unless you have a ticket that requires special assistance from an airline representative (for example you need to change your flight), you can use curbside check-in at most airports, where lines frequently are shorter. Not all airlines offer curbside check-in for all flights, however, so check with your airline or airport first. If you're traveling on an e-ticket, many airports and airlines allow you to proceed straight to the gate to check in, provided that you don't have any bags to check. To get through security you'll need a printout of your ticket or an e-ticket confirmation from your travel agent or airline, and your picture ID, of course.

Luggage restrictions:
Or better yet, know what you can't carry:
� knives of any type
� cutting or puncturing instruments (including pocketknives, carpet knives, box cutters, ice picks, straight razors, metal scissors and metal nail files)
� corkscrews
� athletic equipment that could be used as a weapon (such as baseball or softball bats, golf clubs, pool cues, ski poles and hockey sticks)
� fireworks (including flares or sparklers)
� flammable liquids or solids (such as fuel, paints or lighter refills)
� household cleaners (such as drain cleaners and solvents)
� pressure containers (spray cans, butane fuel, scuba tanks, propane tanks, CO₂ cartridges and self-inflating rafts)
� weapons (firearms, ammunition, gunpowder, mace, tear gas or pepper spray)
� other hazardous materials (gasoline-powered tools, wet-cell batteries, camping equipment with fuel, radioactive materials, poisons and infectious substances).

Find the entire list here at the U.S. Transportation Security Administration website www.tsa.gov/public

You can carry personal care items that may contain potentially hazardous materials (such as flammable perfume or aerosols), but only if they total no more than 70 ounces. You also can carry matches and lighters on your person, but "strike-anywhere" matches, lighters with flammable liquid reservoirs and lighter fluid are forbidden. You can carry on dry ice for packing perishables, but only if you have less than four pounds of dry ice and the package is vented.

Moving quickly through airport departure checkpoints:
Before you leave for the airport, or while you're standing in line at the security checkpoint, take everything � coins, pens, keys, lighters � out of your pockets and put them in your carry-on. If you're wearing a big belt buckle or clunky jewelry, put it in your bag as well. This will save you time from having to unload at the foot of the X-ray machine and enduring the grumbles of those behind you. You might want to stow such small loose items in a plastic bag inside your carry-on so that you don't have to dig through your bag playing "find the lost watch" later in the day.

Leave gifts loose:
You might get through security with your wrapped packages still intact, but airline security personnel will rip open your gifts if they can't get a clear view of what's inside from the X-ray scan. Save yourself the trouble and leave the paper off.

Obey the rules:
Don't leave your car unattended; the signs mean what they say and your car will likely be towed if you leave it alone. Security personnel also are hyper-serious about bags left alone or jokes about bombs or other threats.

Watch your baggage size/weight restrictions:
The FAA recommends � and most airlines agree � that each passenger bring one carry-on bag, plus one personal bag such as a purse, laptop or briefcase. Airlines are now enforcing size restrictions on your carry-on, so don't try to bring your steamship trunk onboard. Airlines typically require that your bag be less than 45 linear inches (height, plus width, plus length) and no more than 40 pounds. The good news is that the lighter you travel, the quicker you'll get through security and on your way.

Keep your batteries fully charged:
You may be asked to turn on your laptop or cellphone, so make sure your battery is charged and ready to go.

Keep your ID/passport, ticket and boarding pass handy:
You'll need them when you check in, when you go through the security checkpoint and when you board your plane, so keep them stashed in an easy-to-reach spot.

Watch your camera film:
Where you pack your film is more important now than ever before. The new, stronger X-ray machines used in some U.S. and overseas airports to scan your checked bags can fog undeveloped film. It's best to carry your film � including undeveloped film in your camera � on the plane, since the lower-dose X-ray machines used to screen carry-on bags are safe for film. The only exception is when your bag � and film � pass through the X-ray machine more than five times during an extended trip. Repeated exposure even at this lower dose could damage high-speed film. To reduce excessive exposure, you can try asking the security personnel to hand-check your film rather than putting it through for an X-ray, although not all airports will honor the request. Or you can also buy a lead-lined bag, which will help reduce the amount of radiation that hits your film, but it will likely cost you in the form of increased scrutiny by security personnel. And of course, you can have your film processed before you head to the airport � there's no risk to processed film.

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