JK: Lessons Learned from 2 years of full time travel: 1 of 3

 Lessons Learned from 2 years of full-time travel: 1 of 3

April 2024

Join Loyalty Programs: do this now!!

• Sign up online in advance for the major Airline, Hotel, Rental car loyalty programs
• There is No COST, and might get you a discount
• Think about if there is a Hotel or Airline Credit card that might makes sense for you
• We avoid luggage fees with United Airlines by using their CC
• We get 2 free nights at Hyatt hotels each year by having their CC

Premium Credit Cards (Travel Credit Cards)

•  Premium Cards like Chase Sapphire Reserve, AMEX Gold or AMEX Platinum, and more…
• These cards have high annual fees, but you get a lot of perks
• Accumulate points:
• Use the card ALL the time - at home and when you travel!
  
• Every purchase accumulates points with CC program
• Premium cards let you book Flights, Hotels, almost anything with points thru their Travel Portal
• Most Important: the good Programs will let you transfer points to Airline Partners or Hotel Partners
• They also have Extra protection = Insurance
• Trip cancellation
• Medical coverage
• Lost luggage
• Rental car indemnity
• Can extend the warranty on items purchased with the CC
  
• Access to Airport Lounges (example: Priority Pass)
• Priority Pass program will get you into all kinds of Airport Lounges at most major airports around the world. This means a quiet place to sit and relax, free food and beverages.
  
• Will refund your membership fees for US programs like: Global Entry, NEXUS
• Look for large “sign up bonuses” before you apply (often > 60,000 pts)
• Travel Loyalty Program Reference: The Points Guy website = www.TPG.com
• lots of info on various Credit Card, Airline, Hotel and Rental car loyalty programs
  
• We use: Chase Sapphire Reserve VISA card
• Accumulate Chase Ultimate Reward Points
• Can transfer points to: United Airlines, Air Canada and more, Hyatt Hotels and more

Researching where to go

• Read the online reviews but…
• I’m dubious about travel bloggers. Many are just shills for whomever is paying them.
• Tried and trusted:
• Frommers, Lonely Plant, Conde Naste, Rick Steves
• Have to weed thru a lot of sales info:
• Trip Advisor

 

Before you go

   

• Check expiry date of your Passport:
• Many countries need you to have at least 6 month left before it expires or they won’t let you in

• Check VISA requirements for the country you plan to visit
• sure many countries have no requirement for a Tourist VISA if you have a US or Canadian passport - but NOT ALL countries !!!
• if you need a VISA, Make sure you use the country’s official GOVERNMENT Visa webpage
• Many semi-shady companies have web sites that charge you a big fee to get a VISA when the Gov’t agency charges much less or is free.
• AutoPayments: set up your Bank to AutoPay all your Bills while you are gone
• Emergency Contacts
• Tell Tour Operators your Emergency Contacts
• Give your Emergency Contacts your Itinerary
• Notifying your government:
• US State Dept has website to tell them what countries you will be traveling in and how to contact you

Prepare your mobile phone

• Clear sensitive data
• What Apps do you need?
• What ID, documents do you need on your phone?
• Pictures of passport “data page”, photos of you, photos of credit cards, driver’s license. (NOTE: I place these in my Bitwarden Password Manager program so they are hidden and encrypted.)
  

 

Organizing your Travel Plans

• Use what Calendar program you and travel partners want to share (Google Calendar, Apple Calendar)
• Put EVERYTHING in your calendar
• Flights, hotel reservations, tours, trains, ferries, sights to see
• Expiration dates for:
• Credit cards, passport
• List ALL the details:
• What website you booked thru, When you booked
• Dates and times (ex: departure time, arrival time)
• Use the Time Zone feature to book actual local times AND always write the times in the body of the Calendar item in plain text (example: “Flight 101 departs at 2:25 pm local time”)
• Confirmation number
• Phone number or email of the local entity 
• Price you are to pay in LOCAL currency (and estimate in your currency), what partial payments you may have made, what credit card you used
• Lastly: Don’t overbook yourself
• Leave some free time here and there to rest and appreciate your surroundings
• Optional: if you want a nice itinerary built from your plans look at the free program (and App) called TripIt (TripIt.com). You can email your plans to TripIt and it will build a nice dossier for you.

 

Important Documents

• Passport!!
• Make sure more you have more than 6 months before it expires
• Take a PHOTO of the “data page”, with your picture
• Often need to add a photo of your passport when applying for an online VISA (aka E-VISA) to various counties
• Also need a “passport style” photo for many E-VISA applications
• No smiling, neutral background
• Driver’s License
• Needed to rent a car
• I’ve NEVER been asked for the International Drivers License that AAA will sell you. That doesn't mean it's a bad idea to get one.
• Maybe someday: vaccination records might be required again, not now though

 

 

Emergency Travel Funds

• Suggest crisp, clean US $20 bills – bring $200. Stored in an envelope or a zip lock bag.
• consider placing these in a hidden money belt
  
•  In some countries people, banks, and businesses will not accept a US banknote that: has a small tear, is dirty, or has any writing on it. Don’t try to argue, come prepared with clean, new notes!
• If you can’t bring $US, your second choice should be Euros – again approx. €200.
• You do not spend your Emergency Funds unless it’s an …..

Getting Spending Money in the Local Currency

• While we encourage you to put as many purchases on your Travel Credit Card as possible, you WILL need some local currency
• You might be able to obtain certain currencies at your local bank at home with some lead time
• We have always found that withdrawing local currency in the country from a local ATM  is the best way to get a good exchange rate.
• try to use a BIG international bank’s ATM 
• the local Currency Exchange Office (aka Cambios) will NOT give you the best exchange rate
• your hotel will NOT give you the best rate.
• Just in Case: have TWO savings accounts at different Banks with ATM cards that have some money you can access in case one ATM card stops working, or in case one ATM network stops working. Keep a few thousand in each Savings Account
• We do NOT use our main "day to day checking" account just in case something goes wrong in a foreign couontry.
• Do NOT withdraw money as a Cash Advance on your Credit Card ($$$ very expensive)
• Just withdraw money at the ATM in the local currency.
• if there is a complex screen showing conversion rates, commissions and fees DO NOT use that option. Just do a simple withdrawal in the local currency (whatever: 200 Euros or 5,000 Yen etc.)
• Try to take a few “big withdrawals” rather than many smaller withdrawals to minimize banking fees.
• Most foreign ATM’s will charge a fee to withdraw cash. Some are very good about showing their fees right up front. Try a few machines to see what the fee is (and cancel the transaction before completion). Use the bank with the lowest fees.
• For US based travelers: there are several American banks that will refund the foreign ATM fees back to your bank account
• Example: Fidelity Bank and Charles Schwab Ban
• One way to get rid of surplus local currency at the end of your trip is to pay your final hotel bill with a combination of your remaining cash and supplement with a credit card charge.
• Most airports have Charity Donation boxes that will take all your foreign loose change
• Recommended FREE Currency Conversion Calculator App = XE 
• it has a great user interface