Travel for the Over 30s

Planning on going to see Barack Obama’s inauguration in Washington? Well unless you’ve booked you may well be sleeping on the streets. Reports are that the hotels of Washington are fully-booked from the 18 - 23 January. In fact not quite true, but you are going to be paying top dollar to be staying anywhere near the most interesting inauguration Washington has seen for a long time.

Well I did quick check with my favourite online booking sites and guess what:

Expedia: the only availability was the 3 1/2 star Crowne Plaza Hamilton - conveniently located only 5-blocks from the White House, but hardly a steal at $1250 PER NIGHT!

Hostels.com : had availability in several hostels for some of the dates but there were two hostels which do have availability Quarles Street $380/night for a private room but shared facilites and Ames Street II $479/night again a privae room but shared facilities - 3-night minimum stay on both of these.

Pretty unacceptable prices for both of those. In fact I found some better deals on the local Craigslist which included a 2-bed apartment for $500/night (5 night minimum) Or a 5-bed, 3.5 bath which sleeps 7 for $1000/night.

Other options would probably include bringing the RV or tent, or finding some long-lost relatives to camp at. Sleeping rough is not going to be cold but the security is going to be pretty brutal for this Inauguration I should think.

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I wrote a few days ago about carrying large amounts of cash when I travel, as an alternative to plastic cards. To do this safely the trick is to not to actually carry the vast majority of your cash in your wallet. In fact I rarely carry more than a day or twos worth of cash in my actual wallet. The rest goes in my money belt. But not just any money belt - and not the type of money belt that most people take: which is something that looks like this:

There are numerous versions of these: they are in silk and cotton even leather, they even come in a deluxe version with place for padlock. They all miss the point - these things are not comfortable to wear and they aren’t even secure! Wearing something close to your body is bloody uncomfortable - if you are wearing anything but the loosest shirt it will be visible. Its also easily pick-pocketable too -unless well below your waistline - which again makes it - bloody uncomfortable. I’ve seen someone loose cash out of money belt which was below the waistline, with a shirt tucked in over the top - the bus was admittedly crowded and the Bolivian woman who did it was good - but it happens because everyone knows that travellers carry their money in a belt around their waist! Except that normally these belts get left in your luggage, or even in your day-pack. Anywhere to avoid the inability to bend over that these belts povide!

There are variations of these belts, the most common is the neck pouch. Try slinging a passport, vaccination card, couple of plastic cards and a wad of cash around your neck all day - you will get a sore neck or worse. The deluxe ones come with piano wire so they can’t be cut - pity the thief won’t know that until they try using their knife on your neck!

A money belt that actually works :I use a shoulder holster money belt. These hang over your shoulder and under an arm. I sometimes connect mine to a bra strap but with the right amount of weight they will stay put. They hang free - not close to the body - which makes them a lot cooler to wear. Because they are under your arm its also a lot more descret. I still wear a reasonably loose fitting top to conceal it but it works - I know I’ve worn it for months at a time.

That said, when I travel alone I don’t carry all my cash and valuables in the one place. I sometimes just fold a $100 into a diary or my laundry bag - but I better solution came along: something that looks like a legit belt - in fact is - but has a narrow zippered compartment which will hold a few notes.

Even if I am not wearing a belt everyday this is useful hiding spot. Another option is small pocket which loops around a regular belt which hangs down inside your clothes: but I think this option is more subtle.

You can also get belts which wrap around your leg to hide a few dollars - wouldn’t be big enough for a passport - but  I wear skirts too much for this to work for me- it would certainly work for many guys.

So there you go there are quite a number of options for money belts - but none of them work unless you wear them - and you won’t wear them unless you find them comfortable!  When I am travelling solo the belt never leaves my side. I don’t trust room safes - they are a pain to use anyway, but I never leave my moneybelt in the room if I am having a shower in the ensuite - the belt comes too - and yes I do sleep with it. Tell you what it works I’ve never lost anything more serious than my wallet!

Well I mentioned the other day that the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai had some great opening specials for a 7-star hotel! The Atlantis is the signature hotel on artificial island called the Palms. Quite a lot of the impressive building is underwater: meaning that you can truely dine and live under the sea!

Dubai really has a fascination with water theme parks and the Atlantis has one built right into the centre of the hotel. The Zigguaret tower features a 27m high verticle drop which takes you via the lazy river through the shark attack lagoon. What you won’t see in the photos are the black burqua clad girls having a great time on the water rides: a truely Middle Eastern site! Check out these cool photos of the Atlantis Hotel.

Mumbai Bomb Blasts: Appear to Target Foreigners

New is breaking of serious loss of life with several terrorist attacks in Bombay, or Mumbai, India. The terrorists appear to have targetted those with UK and US passports at the two 5-start luxury hotels that they targetted: the Oberoi and the Taj.

How to make yourself less of a target if you ever get involved in this type of situation.

• lie. Plain and simple if someone points at a gun or other weapon at you the first thing to do is to make sure your answers are self-serving and lying is a good start! If they were targetting UK and US passport holders those people wouldn’t have had their passports on them, its standard practice for paspsorts to be held at reception in India. So the correct answer if asked if you are English: say Irish, if asked if you are American say Canadian if asked if you are Australian say New Zealand. Why those countries: Ireland, Canada and NZ all have foreign policies that make sure their troops are not part of America’s foreign policy.
• don’t stay at landmark 5-star hotels in large cities. The Taj is the THE place to stay in Mumbai, the Oberoi is a close second. There are literally hundreds of very comfortable 3 and 4 star hotels that no one has ever heard off which will never be a target: because no one has ever heard of them and visiting celebrities and touring bands and sports teams don’t stay at them.

There is currently a siege at Bangkok’s International Airport. The official smarttraveller website of the Australian government is advising:

• Demonstrations and violent incidents at Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Muang Airport in Bangkok have disrupted services. Suvarnabhumi International Airport is currently closed and the duration of the closure is not known at this stage.
• Before travelling to Suvarnabhumi International Airport or Don Muang Airport, Australians should check with their airline on the status of their flight and the situation at these airports. They should closely monitor developments and follow any instructions issued by local authorities.

Anti-government protesters appear to have disrupted the airport and now the army, who have never understood they don’t have a political roll, have stepped in and demanded that the government resign.

So what do you do if you are about to jet off to Thailand for some sunny weather. Well first off, as Douglas Adams said: Don’t Panic!  This particular problem in Thailand is purely internal politics.  The trouble spots until now have been government offices and political headquarters: avoid them - they shouldn’t have been on your “must-see” list anyway.

If you are flying direct to another destination in Thailand e.g. Koh Samui or Phuket - you are NOT affected - don’t clog up your airline’s phone lines by ringing them!

IF you are flying to Bangkok in the next 48 hours: contact your airline, actually check their website for updates first and then call them.

IF you are already in Thailand and in Bangkok, it might be wise to keep a low profile, avoid the airport and head out of town by bus or train. Its not really that dangerous being in the middle of a revolution but the restaraunts tend to close down which is a real bummer.

If you are not in Bangkok, then have another green chicken curry for the rest of us and chill out to see what happens.

Dubai’s latest over-the-top, five-star luxury hotel, Atlantis The Palm Hotel, has opened with huge fanfare and a $20 million open extravaganza including more fireworks than the Beijing’s Open Ceremony display.

Atlantis Hotel was an expensive building even by Dubai standards , $1.5 billion dollars for the iconic hotel on the new Palm Jumeirah island. However rumours are that the huge, 1500-room resort is all but empty. Room rates are supposed to start from US$450 but the reports in the Gulf News are that Atlantis rates are as low as $44 night - that’s cheaper than the local youth hostel!

Unfortunately using tripadvisors’s fantastic rate comparison website I couldn’t find anything much under US$400 a night all the way up to US$1000, so maybe we’ve missed the opening special

If your heart is set on the Atlantis - check it out in July and August where Duba’s summer temperatures hit 50C and everyone leaves and hotel rates drop. With a resort the size of Atlantis there would be no real need to go outside to deal with the actual weather anyway!

Yesterday we looked at taking cash traveling : today let’s flip it around and look at what to look for in a credit card for traveling - and why you need one. Yes I do mean credit card rather than debit or ATM card. Lets be clear on the differences:

Debit Cards

• allows you to access your saving or check account. Easy to get because you are spending your own money: but because they have the VISA or Mastercard logo on them means that can use them in more places than a simple ATM card.
• can be used in ATMs to get cash out: but the fees can be very high.
• check your liability if the card is used fraudantly - you probably have less protection than with a credit card

ATM or EFTPOS Card

• works like a debit card: allows you to access your own cash
• can only be used outside your own country in ATMs which are on the same network as your issuing banks: look for a Cirrus logo on the back
• again check your liability if the card is stolen

Credit Cards

• allow you to spend money you haven’t got, therefore you need to apply for and get them when you have a job!
• because of the credit feature you can use them to guarantee hotels and rental cars without
• if they are used fraudulently and you report it promptly you will have all the illegal transactions reversed promptly, if you don’t report it your liability is still only $50 - this is why credit cards are the BEST card to have overseas.

Now a lot of people misuse credit cards: because they seem them as a source of free money: in fact they are often the first thing that go when people try to save money and get out of debt. But for traveling credit cards are a must have because they are the lowest risk card to carry, because they can be used as a guarantee and because if there is a genuine emergency (hint a cheap Prada bag is NOT an emergency) then you can use them to fly home, pay for a comfortable hotel even if you don’t have the cash!

Choosing a Credit Card For Travel

• Take two cards: one Mastercard one Visa: not every country accepts each equally
• Taking two cars will avoid you loosing your ability to use your card because the hotel or rental car hire company has blocked a large amount of credit as their guarantee - just remember which card you used!
• Set up automatic payments in full from your bank account on the due date if you are traveling for a long time.
• Choose a card which earns you points or credit for your next airfare: makes air travel just that bit cheaper !

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We’ve become a cashless society, but cash is king quite often when we are traveling and its as if we have fallen out of the habit of carrying more than $100 cash.

Yesterday I wrote about traveling overseas with a weak dollar and Robin over at US Work From Home Free asked about carrying cash rather than cards. I realised that my reply was a post in itself!

Lets be clear: I carry cards and cash, in the olden days I carried travelers checks and cash.  But people are far more likely to leave home without cash than a card and that I think is a mistake. If you have to choose I’d say that: you need cash more than a card:

• when you step of the plane, in Cambodia as you arrive you have to buy a visa: and no American Express won’t do, or even the local currency US dollars thank you!
• as you leave the airport USUALLY you can get cash at the airport for a taxi or bus into town but what if the ATM is done and the exchange desk is closed for a local holiday you never heard of: cash is king!
• bargaining: even in the Western World you will often get a discount for cash (or ATM transaction) rather than credit. Credit cards charge merchants. Just because a vendor in an Indian market takes cards doesn’t mean that you won’t get a much better price for cash.
• when your card is stolen, or just stopped by your helpful bank because you don’t normally spend money in Vietnam: cash will keep a roof over your head!
• when you need to, ahem, bribe someone. You can stand on morale high ground, or you can get what you want done in your time frame with the use of cash - US$ that is

How much cash do I carry? It depends: on where I am going and the price of living there normally: in cheap places such as Asia I would carry around 2 weeks worth of living expenses. In expensive countries such as Europe and America I would still consider carrying around a week’s worth of travel costs.
Thanks Robin - I love it when people ask questions: then I know what to write next: anyone else got questions about travel please leave a comment! I’ll answer them either as a post or a comment - if its a post I’ll give you a link

Photo Credit 

This is a topic I am an expert on. When I first went travelling we used to call the New Zealand dollar the South Seas Peso! Now the weak Aussie dollar is causing problems for those travelling with Australian dollars. Paradoxically the Americans consider their dollar to be weak against the Euro and British pound.

So how do you still afford to travel with a weak dollar. Here’s my tricks:

Minimise Your Exchange Risk

• Mix your overseas expenditure on both ATM or debit card and the credit card. The credit card delays the transaction and you will get a different exchange rate: whether its better or worse of course is the thing!
• Take some cash and buy it in advance if you think your dollar will get weaker. Buying the local currency in advance locks in the exchange rate. Spreading the exchange risk is the name of the game.

Minimise Bank Charges

Minimise bank charges -though not directly affected by the exchange rate you can save a lot of money here.

• Make sure you are signed up and know how to use on-line banking.
• Avoid branded VISA money debit cards and similar - the costs per a transaction - for using your own money are obscene;
• Avoid travelers checks which these days are both difficult and expensive and hard to cash -their day is past;
• Look for credit or debit cards which don’t charge you to withdraw your own money even at an overseas ATM. They take a bit of looking for: Wizard Mastercard is one in Australia.
• Take cash: either your own or a major currency if you don’t earn in US$ or sterling or euros. Cash is generally the cheapest way to exchange money and will get you a better rate for the local currency. Take high value, clean, untorn notes and be aware that US$100 notes are often unacceptable because of counterfeit notes.

Check out Travel Money for more tips on keeping your money safe while travelling.

Point Montara LightHouse is an unusual light house hostel just south of San Francisco. The lighthouse offers absolutely spectacular views, of course, at around $20 night. Interiors include the original wooden stairs and the whole structure is preserved because its actually owned by California State Parks and run by the American Youth Hostel association.

The light house was originally on the other side of the country at Cape Code, a link which was only recently rediscovered, the Cape Coders thought their lighthouse was removed destroyed back in the 1920’s but recently an enthusiast found that in fact it was sold to Point Montara! The Port Montara light house dates back to the 1880’s.

Just 25 miles south of San Francisco a night at Port Montara could turn to more as there are plenty of hiking, biking and surfing options in the area, with whales sightings in season to. Accommodation is in both dorms and private rooms. All facilities are shared and include a full kitchen: a private room will cost less than $70, a dorm bed $22 -that’s not a bad price for California - and especially as the view is free!

Photo Credit and more photos here