Travel Travel tips and trick to know before you travel

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Travel tips and trick to know before you travel
Need Directions? - When visiting a foreign city, carry a matchbook or postcard with the name and address of your hotel, which you can show to taxi drivers or when asking directions.......

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TIP1
Need Directions?
- When visiting a foreign city, carry a matchbook or postcard with the name and address of your hotel, which you can show to taxi drivers or when asking directions. This is particularly important in countries like Greece, where the alphabet is different.

TIP2
Pack Items to Give Away
- I've been working as a guide for 18 years. When I've taken folks to developing countries they kind heartedly wanted to give money or candy to the local children. Over the years I've returned to places where a traveler used to be able to wander down a street and not be swarmed by children begging for sweets or change, whereas now that has changed.

If you're inclined to contribute to the local population, bring items to donate to local social service organizations. I bring boxes of pencils and paper and give them to a local school. Boxes of rubber gloves, or medical supplies can be dropped off at a local clinic. Tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes are far better to leave behind than decaying teeth! When children approach you on the street, ask them why they're not in school. As long as children can support their families by begging they will continue to do so. An education will benefit them much more in the long run. If they can't pay for school (which is necessary in many places) find out where they accept donations for scholarships.

How we choose to travel and the decisions we make while doing so do make a difference! We are incredibly kind and generous people and it is not easy to see poverty and need and not want to help. Handing out a treat or money only gives both parties a quick fix.

TIP3
Pay Phones and Credit Cards
- Don't use foreign pay phones that only take credit cards. I was charged $400 for a 40-minute call home from Italy

TIP4Save Money
- Hotels in many countries often assess high charges for providing access to your long-distance provider. Save money by making shorter calls direct or using prepaid phone cards from local providers to call from pay phones.

TIP5
Take a Taxi and See the Sights
- Upon arriving at a new international destination, you might consider taking a taxi instead of roughing it and riding by metro or train (do not spend an arm and a leg for it) because you will more likely be able to see parts of the town. This is a nice way to get a glimpse of your new 'home', and it also gives you a chance to become accustomed to open spaces once again. (This is highly recommended - especially for arrivals to London - we saw so much more on the taxi ride back than we saw during other parts of our trip).

TIP6
Use Credit Cards When Possible
- You will get the best exchange rate for foreign currency from an ATM. If you must have local money on arrival, exchange only as much as you will need at the airport on departure or arrival, then use ATMs while you are in the country. (There are some exceptions - for example, it is almost impossible to obtain Hungarian currency anywhere but in Hungary, but they will gladly take dollars). Use credit cards as much as possible for a good exchange rate. If you are a business traveler, you will have a much more accurate accounting of your expenses. Learn the exchange rate as soon as possible - for example if there are 6 Francs to an American dollar, memorize the value of 20, 50, 75, 100, and 500 francs. This will help a great deal when trying to figure out how much something really costs.

TIP7

Water Sense
- Please do not trust the locals in a developing country to tell you if their water is safe to drink or not. For them, it is. For you, it probably isn't. Plan on buying bottled water, WITH SEALED CAPS, especially in Asia, South America and Africa. The price is small compared to what could be a disastrous effect on your trip by drinking the local water. When in doubt, play it safe!