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The Travel Dynamics and Process ... Whether making plans early to ensure availability and locking in a price, or
flexible enough to wait until last minute and or deeply discounted fares and
travel deals, there are options to suit every pocket, taste and travel budget!
Investing in trip cancellation insurance and travel medical insurance are travel
necessities you cannot dismiss, discard or under-estimate. This is not the spot
to be thinking cost cutting. Protect your travel investment best you can.
If travelling on an international flight, re-confirm your booking 72 hours prior
to departure - some charter companies reserve the right to cancel your booking
if you do not! When confirmed on a domestic flight, airlines cannot bump you.
Try to get plenty of sleep the night before your trip. Call to find out whether
there are any delays before leaving for the airport.
Having an 'out-the-door checklist' prior to departure and before returning home,
with a few miscellaneous items to pack, as a last minute reminder, always proves
helpful and avoids unnecessary stressful moments and wasteful and hasty cash
purchases.It might contain any, some or all of the following:
- First aid kits should contain, at the very least some band-aids and
anti-bacterial ointment, all prescriptions, cold and allergy medicines, dosage
spoon and chart. Tylenol for the traveling adults, children and babies is always
a good idea as well.
- Foil-packaged, coffee and tea are a necessity. You can also pack, if you
prefer a certain type, Sweeteners and Cream/Milk or whitener.
- Camera and film supplies
- All relevant travel documents, tickets, passports, birth certificates, travel
insurance information, baggage, currency and travelers checks (if applicable),
Phone numbers and maps, emergency contact and identification cards for the kids
and individual travelers
- Addresses for sending postcards, and stamps, Cell phone and/or prepaid phone
card
- Favorite books, music, DVD's and videos for the children (most hotels have
VCRs now)
- Bathing suits, extra towels, and sunscreen
- Snacks and juice or water for the hotel (every penny counts)
Finally yet importantly… do not forget the EXTRA pillows and favorite toy or
sleeping friend for the kid(s) if required or deemed a necessity!Ensure to set and arrange for a couple of alarm clocks or wake-up calls on your
day of departure. Confirm ground transportation to and from the airport if you
are not driving yourself and using the park-and-fly service. Allow lots of
transit and en route times. Confirm your bookings and remember to always let
hotels or resorts know if you are running late, delayed and or if your trip is
cancelled altogether.
Use Traveling Services
Utilize travel services, that is why they are there, remembering that all extras
like valet parking, baggage handling, luggage carts, tips etc. all add up and
need to be budgetary items or categories in your overall travel and financial
plan.For the budget conscious, select the neighborhood-friendly hotel that caters to
the local crowd, not the pricy touristy options. You might be surprised at the
value and hospitality you might find. Make the concierge your friend and
information centre - they are the main link to the corner of the world you find
yourself in. Get that special insider and local insights, tips and expertise at
your disposal, waiting to make your trip and experience that more special and
memorable.
They can also offer some handy referrals and give ideas on what things might
cost, book ground transportation and much, much more.
There are always also hostels, YMCA, and YWCA's that are clean, safe and
reliable. If visiting multiple cities, picking one hotel chain might also be
more convenient and save you time and money in the process.
A discussion on travel logistics, dynamics and process would not be complete,
without mentioning safety and security. A couple of tips follow:
- Do not travel with precious possessions and be discreet with cash and other
valuables. Leave sentimental and irreplaceable items at home preferably.
- Protect your essentials like travel documentation, passport, traveler's
checks, credit cards and more. Concealing them on-person, in a pouch or
somewhere in your clothing is all accepted practice.
- Be watchful but not paranoid about being at risk of becoming or being a
robbery victim. You will end up spending excessive money on cabs everywhere as
opposed to taking a gentle stroll and or exploring by foot!
- Keep valuables concealed in crowded places. Do not consider hip pockets and
dangling bags good places for your wallet!
- Do not carry excess cash you do not need, especially at night and do not
flaunt cash in public under any circumstance. Do not make yourself a visible and
easy target.
- Divide and spread your cash and other money instruments like traveler's checks
around your luggage - do not carry it all in one place.
- A good budgeting tip is wrapping your wallet with a rubber band or two to make
it harder for pickpockets to remove it from your pocket without detection!
- Keep your luggage safe, with you and secure at night when you sleep.
- Never leave luggage and or valuables in a car, bus, taxi, train or other form
of transportation.
- Always watch at security screenings and customs checks to ensure that your
belongings do not disappear.
- Speaking about customs, when exceeding the duty-free limits, know that it will
cost you dearly, up to as much as 10 % on the next $1000 worth of goods.
- If you purchased many items (over $50 each) and mailed them to yourself, they
are still dutiable. Personal items can be shipped home and you will not have to
pay duties if returning them to your destination as long as you write on the
package "American goods returned" for example.
This might not be the case for other locations, so verify this with your mail
carrier beforehand. Again, planning well ensures an informed consumer. These
steps can and will save you money, avoid costly errors and or oversights.
Attention to detail will assist you in being a smart, well-informed,
money-conscious and dollar-and-cents saving traveler.
Again, most of these statement and suggestions are general in terms and do not
necessarily list every time how you will be able to save money, avoid cost,
benefit from paying attention to detail and be a savvy, money-saving and SMART
traveler. It will mostly do so through implied inference and deduction, you will
be able to come up with your own interpretation of how these tips can help you
save money.
That is the bonus of budgeting, planning and the format of this tips-guide. You
can take as little or as much as you need, relevant to your trip and customize
and tailor it into a strategy that is right and suitable, appropriate and
guarantees savings for your unique circumstance, means and action travel plans
and budgets.
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