Travel Tips
Vacations are meant to inspire relaxation and peacefulness. While you and your family may be excited to hop on the plane and travel to a tropical destination for your next summer vacation, read up on these few travel tips that will help to ensure you have a fun vacation, not a stressful one.
Tip 1- Always book flights and reservations under your legal name. This is especially important if you have just gotten married but have yet to change over your passport and ID. You may receive a hard time from TSA if the name on your ticket doesn’t match the name on your ID and passport. So remember, no nicknames or post-married names if that’s not what’s on your ID.
Tip 2- Shop around for the best discount and deals. Most of the major travel websites will offer discounts for combining hotels, flights, rental cars, and more. Also, check around for discount codes and coupons, and if you are a member of an agency that has travel reservations, make sure to take advantage of their travel deals. Don’t forget to check with brick-and-mortar travel agencies since they may have tickets available that are priced much lower than major travel sites.
Tip 3- Watch what you pack. With baggage fees and weight limit charges, you will want to be aware of what you are packing so you can avoid getting hit with more-than-a-couple-dollar-charge when it comes to your luggage. Only take necessities and consider bringing as much as you can on your carry-on bag. It will help to weigh your luggage at home before you head to the airport so you know what you are getting yourself into and can plan appropriately if you know you can’t get under the weight limit. If your luggage is too large to simply place on the scale, jump on first and weigh yourself. Grab your bag then hop on the scale a second time and see what the new weight is. Take this weight and subtract your weight alone and that’s how heavy your bag is.
Tip 4- Don’t carry cash. Instead, opt for prepaid credit cards. Travelling with cash is dangerous and can lead to theft or the loss of money. Sign up for a prepaid credit card and get all of the conveniences of playing with “plastic” without the worry of amassing debt or ruining your credit by choosing to buy that mink fur coat you saw on that Alaskan cruise. You’ll only be able to purchase as much as you preload the card with, plus many companies offer theft and fraud protection which is much safer than carrying cash.