Create a travel budget When people plan a trip, they tend to focus on the cost of flights and accommodation and underestimate the cost of everything else.
Everything from meals to entertainment to travel in a destination country costs money. You'll also incur countless small expenses, such as coffee and snacks, sports fitness .
Research helps. Read travel blogs about your destination, read guide books like Lonely Planet or Frommers for reputable up-to-date information.
Budget every expense you can think of, and then budget for 20% to 30%. Once you've made your plans, be careful not to exceed your travel budget.
Notify your bank and credit card company Banks use algorithms to detect unusual credit and debit card activity. When transactions start taking place in a foreign country, this often triggers them to lock your card, which can put you in serious trouble.
Therefore, please log in to your online account and fill out the travel notice. Believe me. You don't want to find yourself unable to pay anything in a foreign country.
However, if you can't find that information on the bank's website, don't panic. Some banks and credit card issuers no longer require—or even allow—travel notices.
For example, Bank of America no longer uses them. They monitor your card security using a combination of your purchase history, your GPS location when you log into the Bank of America app, and AI data points beyond my pay grade.
