When traveling for pleasure, the last thing you want is to spend time solving problems. Aside from suggestions like “make a list,” in three installments we will explore ideas to make travel easier. First ideas that can help with trips of all types, however long.
Mix up credit cards. Don’t rely on two cards with the same number – especially when in locations where replacements are difficult – because if one is stolen, the other is dead to you. We each carry two cards, no two of which have the same number. Documents can be heavy, and they take up room. PDF everything:
driver’s licenses; reservation confirmations; travel company docs; medical insurance cards; travel insurance policies; backup copies of passports and visas; and in case of an emergency, prescriptions, including vision. These should be readily available, like on your mobile phone or tablet. Ask your travel agent to list everything that requires a hard copy.
Travel insurance. A benefit of buying through the tour company for the trip is many have a flat rate; they don’t price by age, which becomes more noticeable every successive year.
If you choose to find your own insurance (including medical or evacuation), think about credit cards. We pay $1,100 a year for American Express Titanium cards. On two recent trips, we used the free, automatically included travel insurance and cut the amount remaining by half—saving more than $6,000 (we’re old and the trips were long). If there are a lot of flights, certain credit cards can grant access to multiple airline clubs, many of them private and unaffiliated with a single airline. Our AmEx cards list more than 1,500 clubs worldwide, leading us to drop American’s Admirals Club, another way to pay for the card. It seems to work well. Finally, we all know we should stay hydrated on planes. That should include saline nasal sprays. Sure feels good.
By Chuck & Kathie Neuenschwander, Your Savvy Blackhawk Travelers, Photos by Chuck & Kathie Neuenschwander