Facts Every Traveler Should Know

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 467
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Experienced travelers usually are well versed on where to go to find cheap travel options, whether cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms or cheap vacation packages. However, not everyone knows critical facts that can make the difference in determining the enjoyment of an upcoming trip.

The following are facts well worth knowing before traveling:

• Only drink bottled water on planes. The holding water tank on planes is rarely cleaned so do not drink coffee, tea, or accept ice cubes in flight. Do not wash your hands in the airplane bathroom because its water comes from the same holding tank. Bring and use hand sanitizer instead.

• Hotel safes are not all that safe. Hotel employees often have a master code to access hotel room safes. You should keep your passport and other valuable with you or leave them in the hotel’s main safe.

• Be absolutely certain about your travel plans prior to using credit card points to make travel reservations since most credit card rewards are nonrefundable.

• Be aware, RV rentals sometimes come with hidden fees. Rental companies have been known ...
... to ask for $1,000, and sometimes even more, security deposits. Smoking or carrying pets often results in substantial fines. Bring your own towels, linens and kitchen products or expect to pay between $50 to $100 to rent them.

• Cell phone use on cruise ships results in significant fees if you are connecting through the ship’s onboard cell tower. Roaming fees can be as much as $5 per minute. Unfortunately many cell users do not realize until after the fact that their calls were through the ship’s onboard cell tower.

• Most people do not need the insurance offered by car rental companies. If you drive at home, you should already have waiver and liability coverage with your existing insurance. If not, check with your credit card company to see if it provides waiver coverage.

• If you volunteer to be bumped from a flight, or are involuntarily bumped, ask for cash equivalent vouchers vs. “free flight” vouchers which are harder to redeem and subject to several restrictions and blackout days.

• Even with a current valid passport you could have trouble entering or exiting a country unless you have at least two blank visa pages. If you need more pages, they can be ordered through the State Department. Be aware that many countries require passports be valid at least three to six months after your date of travel.

• Credit cards often do not work abroad if you are visiting a country for the first time. Make certain that you contact your credit card companies prior to your departure regarding your travel plans so that your cards are not later placed on hold out of concern for fraud.
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