50 Overseas Travel Tips - official forum discussion 23 January 2013 at 3:08PM edited 13 March 2013 at 12:37PM in Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning 48 replies 32.4K views

Former_MSE_Rose

Hi all,

This thread's specifically for discussing the 50 Overseas Travel Tips checklist. Which have worked best for you, and do you have any extra travel tips 'n' tricks of your own that could help others save cash? If so, just click 'reply' to post,

Thanks,

MSE Rose

finrod

If you are going on a hiking holiday, you get (up to, and usually 50% off accommodation) in any alpine association's mountain huts. Most associations are federated, giving reciprocal rights. I have an Italian membership, but have used my card in Spain and Austria, to get the same rights and prices as the locals. There may be other more modest membership discounts on food and chairlifts etc.

NB there are some private huts that do not offer any discounts, but you can often find a route to avoid staying in these - I never have stayed in any.

You can join the British branch of the Austrian Alpine Club http://aacuk.org.uk/

Or it's slightly cheaper to join the Club Alpino Italiano (Lugo) http://www.cailugo.it/Default.cfm?lingua=EN

The Italian option is more complicated, as you have to pay in euros. Although it might not be recommended, I've successfully sent (well-packaged) cash (euros) to them for the past several years. There was a link for cheap (99p) on-line transfers, but it now comes up as an untrusted site.

Membership usually pays for itself after four-five nights in mountain huts. Standards of accommodation vary as do prices (I've paid as little as six and as much as 13 euros). It's worth familiarising yourself with the rules. Huts are often like hostels (but much friendlier and cosier), and the higher up, generally the more spartan.

Wardens will generally try to allocate the maximum degree of privacy, so if they can offer you a room to yourselves, they will. Very occasionally they ask a small supplement ( in my case, once only, two euros). Many refuges have some two bedroom rooms. Travelling in September I've very often had a dormitory to myself.

To conclude, hikers abroad are often very social, and I have enjoyed "adoption" by groups of Spaniards, Italians, Germans and Austrians. This has involved being invited to eat with them, swapping of hints on routes and b & bs; and lifts in their hired coaches. English is widely spoken, but even a basic knowledge of the language will pay unexpected dividends. The best times I've experienced were in populated/crowded refuges rather than empty ones.

Hope someone out there finds this useful. Mark

jackieblack

MSE_Rose wrote: »

Hi all,

This thread's specifically for discussing the 50 Overseas Travel Tips checklist. Which have worked best for you, and do you have any extra travel tips 'n' tricks of your own that could help others save cash? If so, just click 'reply' to post,

Thanks,

MSE Rose

That link doesn't appear to be working

bailey70

I guess this is in some ways a money saving tip... while I agree that buying travel adapters at airports is a waste of money, quite frankly the ones for use in the US that I have got in the past are woefully inadequate and should be avoided at all costs.

By way of an explanation, these things come with two thin and flimsy metal pins, sometimes they're adjustable so they can be used in other countries, and they are so flimsy that when used with a regular UK wall plug they hang loose in the socket (leaving the metal pins exposed) or just fall out.

My advice... wait and buy one in the USA. They may not have a plethora of EU approvals stamped on them but they are generally quite solid and sturdy and feature the earth pin which is often missing from some of the cheap adapters you get over here (and that also helps hold the weighty over-engineered UK plug in place).

Sometimes safety outweighs savings.

bailey70

Another tip I would like to share involves travel money. If the amounts are small and you're likely to use it again I would argue that changing money back to pounds is actually pointless, if you're a regular traveller the amount you spend will add up.

Having around US$10 in smallish change can actually be quite use useful when arriving at some US destinations (Orlando for instance) as it means you have something in your pocket to use on the expressway toll booths if you don't want to spend out extra on the PAYG toll devices if you're not intending to make use of the toll roads.

On the same basis having a few Euros stashed away can be handy for buying the odd snack if you're driving or transiting through Europe and is better than having to dish out the debit card because you don't have the right currency to hand.

sarahemmm

Wildly enthusiastic about Navfree, I went off to install it, but Google Play says it cannot be downloaded in the UK

jackieblack

jackieblack wrote: »

That link doesn't appear to be working

Works now, thank you

AngelinaV

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I would like to add that when hiring a car through an Agent for use in Spain, don't add the excess insurance to the original booking because when you go to pick up the car in Spain from the car hire companies you will have to pay again as they say it is the Brokers who are getting the money and nothing to do with them so you will have to pay twice! I have been caught once and I have rented through various companies and hear the same story - the tourist saying that they have already paid all insurances - and the companies refusing to release the car until they have either been paid a daily rate or had a lump sum blocked on your card. If you are going for a short break it is advisable to pay the daily rate, as otherwise, any damage would result in you losing the lump sum which can be at least Euros300 depending on the size of the car!


Don't be caught!

zagfles

AngelinaV wrote: »

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I would like to add that when hiring a car through an Agent for use in Spain, don't add the excess insurance to the original booking because when you go to pick up the car in Spain from the car hire companies you will have to pay again as they say it is the Brokers who are getting the money and nothing to do with them so you will have to pay twice! I have been caught once and I have rented through various companies and hear the same story - the tourist saying that they have already paid all insurances - and the companies refusing to release the car until they have either been paid a daily rate or had a lump sum blocked on your card. If you are going for a short break it is advisable to pay the daily rate, as otherwise, any damage would result in you losing the lump sum which can be at least Euros300 depending on the size of the car!


Don't be caught!

You don't have to pay twice, if you've already paid the broker you are covered, it's just they'd charge your card and the broker would pay you. But better value is usualy a separate excess insurance from the likes of insurance4carhire.

Buying excess insurance when you pick the car up is generally a rip-off, that's why they give you the hard sell on it, and try to con you into believing the excess insurance you've already bought doesn't cover you. But they will reserve the excess on your card so make sure your credit limit is sufficient.

Roger1

sarahemmm wrote: »

Wildly enthusiastic about Navfree, I went off to install it, but Google Play says it cannot be downloaded in the UK

Strange. I was able to download UK/Ireland, Switzerland and South Africa to my Android phone. They even added a UK postcode finder.

algerry

Navfree:

I have now managed to download Navfree together with the terms of use. However I cannot activate the "accept" button because it is obscured by an advert for an audio book. Help please somebody!