Skip to main content
Advertiser Disclosure
We do receive compensation from some partners whose offers appear on this page. We have not reviewed all available products or offers. Compensation may impact the order in which offers appear on page, but our editorial opinions and ratings are not influenced by compensation.

Ascent-logo

  • Credit Cards
  • Banking
  • Brokerages
  • Loans
  • Mortgages
  • Knowledge
  • Latest Picks
  • Search Icon Click here to search

Credit Cards

Top Picks
  • Best of March 2021
  • Cash Back
  • Balance Transfer
  • Travel
  • 0% APR
  • Rewards
  • Bad Credit
Knowledge
  • Beginners Guide to Credit Cards
  • How to Rebuild Your Credit
  • Maximize Your Credit Card Rewards
  • Learn More About Credit Cards
Credit Card Tools
  • Compare Cards
Looking for a new credit card?

Explore the best credit cards in every category as of March 2021.

Get started!

Banking

Top Picks
  • Best Savings Accounts
  • Best Bank Accounts
  • Best Money Market Accounts
  • Best CDs
  • Best Checking Account Bonuses
Knowledge
  • Beginners Guide to Banking
  • Everything You Need to Know About Savings
  • Money Market Accounts Made Easy
  • Learn More About Banking
Looking for a place to park your cash?

Check out our top picks of the best online savings accounts for March 2021.

Get Started!

Brokerages

Top Picks
  • Best Brokers of March 2021
  • Best Online Brokers for Beginners
  • Best Options Brokers
  • Best IRA Accounts
  • Best Roth IRA Accounts
  • Best Robo Advisors
Knowledge
  • How to Open a Brokerage Account
  • Beginner's Guide to Brokerages
  • Learn More About Brokerage
Just getting started?

Explore our picks of the best brokerage accounts for beginners for March 2021.

Get Started!

Loans

Top Picks
  • Best Loans of March 2021
  • Best Personal Loans for Bad Credit
  • Best Loans for Debt Consolidation
  • Best Low-Interest Personal Loans
  • Best Personal Loans for Good Credit
  • Best Personal Loans for Fair Credit
Knowledge
  • Personal Loans Made Easy
  • Debt Consolidation Guide
  • How to Pay Off Debt
  • Learn More About Loans
Thinking about taking out a loan?

Before you apply for a personal loan, here's what you need to know.

Get Started!

Mortgages

Top Picks
  • Best Mortgage Lenders of March 2021
  • Best Mortgage Lenders for Poor Credit
  • Best Refinance Lenders
  • Best VA Mortgage Lenders
Knowledge
  • First Time Homebuyers Guide
  • Home Loans Made Easy
  • The Complete Guide to Refinancing
  • How to Get a Mortgage with Bad Credit
  • Learn More About Mortgages
Tools & Calculators
  • Mortgage Calculator
Compare Rates
  • Today's Mortgage Rates
  • Refinance Rates
  • 15-Year Mortgage Rates
  • 20-Year Mortgage Rates
  • 30-Year Mortgage Rates
  • Jumbo Mortgage Rates
  • VA Loan Rates
  • 5/1 ARM Rates
  • 7/1 ARM Rates
  • FHA Mortgage Rates

Knowledge

Knowledge Section
  • All Articles
  • Credit Card Articles
  • Banking Articles
  • Brokerage Articles
  • Personal Loan Articles
  • Mortgage Articles
  • Personal Finance Articles
Recent Articles
  • Senate Cuts Weekly Unemployment Boost in Stimulus Bill

    Personal Finance

    Senate Cuts Weekly Unemployment Boost in Stimulus Bill
  • Personal Finance

  • The Sad Reason U.S. Wages Are Up

    Personal Finance

    The Sad Reason U.S. Wages Are Up
  • 3 Expenses You Probably Didn’t Know You Could Charge on a Credit Card

    Credit Cards

    3 Expenses You Probably Didn’t Know You Could Charge on a Credit Card
  • The Ascent
  • Knowledge
  • Credit Cards

9 Travel Lessons I Learned After 1 Year of Living Abroad

by Lyle Daly | Jan. 16, 2020

The Ascent is reader-supported: we may earn a commission from offers on this page. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation.

Here are my best pieces of travel wisdom.

In the past year, I've gotten more firsthand travel experience than ever before. It was my first year living as a digital nomad, and with no lease agreement tying me to one place, I've had the opportunity to move around and take a lot more trips.

Being a frequent traveler is a kind of crash course in what to do and what not to do. After spending time in three countries and counting, taking a dozen flights, and suffering through the occasional delay, these are the travel lessons I've learned to live by.

Middle-aged man looking at an iPad while sitting on rocks overlooking a sunset over mountains.

Image source: Getty Images

1. The most direct route is worth the cost

It's tempting to save some cash by booking airfare with more stops, but it's also important to consider how that extra stop will affect your travels. Flying to your destination will take you longer, and you may be more tired when you get there. You probably have limited vacation time to begin with. Do you want to spend more of it sitting around in an airport?

That doesn't even touch on the potential problems that could arise, such as delays or flight cancellations. Each stop you add to a trip makes it more likely something could go wrong.

2. Travel points you can redeem as cash are extremely valuable

I know that everyone raves about transferring points in hopes of those high-value redemptions, but I've found that I actually redeem points as cash more often.

If you're unfamiliar with how this works, some travel rewards cards let you redeem your points at a fixed rate to purchase travel in cash. For example, a card issuer may let you redeem rewards at $0.015 per point. In that case, you could use 10,000 points to purchase a $150 airline ticket.

This option comes in handy when you won't get a lot of value out of award tickets, which is often the case for shorter domestic flights. It's also helpful when there aren't any convenient award tickets available for the route you want.

3. You won't need to pack as much as you think

This is popular travel advice, but it's popular for a reason. Many travelers overestimate what they need to take and come to regret it when they're lugging around multiple heavy, awkward pieces of luggage.

A good way to approach packing is to treat it like writing a paper for school. Your first attempt is just the first draft. After that, it's time to review your work and cut unnecessary items. Odds are you won't use every piece of clothing and gadget that you initially thought you needed.

4. Always have a form of entertainment at the airport

If you're the type of person who dreads going to the airport, that could be down to a lack of planning. It's no fun to sit around an airport. But it can be nice to relax and spend the wait watching shows you downloaded or catching up on the reading you've always wanted to do.

Of course, this is especially important if your flight gets delayed. As frustrating as that can be, it's much worse when you're waiting for hours with nothing to do.

5. Vacation rentals are better than hotels for the budget-minded traveler

Trying to take a vacation without breaking the bank? One of the best ways to spend less is by choosing a vacation rental instead of a hotel.

Hotels typically cost more per night, with prices that are often twice as much or more than comparable vacation rentals. The price disparity becomes even greater when you consider the extra charges you can incur at a hotel. There may be resort fees or additional taxes charged upon checkout. And since most hotel rooms don't have kitchens, you'll likely go out to eat more.

6. Bring at least one backup credit card

Hopefully, you won't ever lose your credit card while you're traveling. But you should bring along an extra one in case it does happen. If you'll be outside the United States, you should also make sure that the credit cards you take with you don't charge foreign transaction fees. 

7. Be prepared, not paranoid

When discussing the safety of an area, the loudest voices often split into two groups. There are those who assume 95% of the world is dangerous and you'd be crazy to go there. And then there are those who would tell you an active war zone "really isn't as bad as people say."

As it often goes, this is a situation where the most sensible option is the middle ground. Any time you're traveling somewhere new, you should read up on common crimes in that area and watch out for potential dangers when you're there. However, you shouldn't let paranoia keep you from enjoying yourself.

8. Use an ATM instead of exchanging currency

Although currency exchanges are the traditional way to get cash while abroad, the exchange rates are rarely a good deal. It's better to withdraw money from an ATM using your debit card. You should check what kind of fees your bank will charge before you go, and if it will be expensive, look into checking accounts with no foreign transaction fees.

9. Unlock your phone and buy local SIM cards

Wireless carriers may charge an arm and a leg if you want to use your cell phone internationally. Fortunately, there's a much more affordable solution -- unlock your phone and when you arrive at your destination, buy a SIM card with a prepaid plan. You can often buy a local SIM card at the airport upon arrival. In many countries, weeks of prepaid data costs just $10 or less.

Making the most of every travel experience

It's always exciting when you have the opportunity to travel. By following the right strategies, you can save money and ensure you have an amazing trip.

Top credit card wipes out interest until 2022

If you have credit card debt, transferring it to this top balance transfer card can allow you to pay 0% interest for a whopping 18 months! That’s one reason our experts rate this card as a top pick to help get control of your debt. It’ll allow you to pay 0% interest on both balance transfers and new purchases until 2022, and you’ll pay no annual fee. Read our full review for free and apply in just 2 minutes.

About the Author

Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly icon-button-linkedin-2x icon-button-twitter-2x

Lyle is a writer specializing in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. His work has also appeared on MSN Money, USA Today, and Yahoo! Finance.

Share This Page
Facebook Icon This icon shares the page you are on via Facebook
Blue Twitter Icon Share this website with Twitter
LinkedIn Icon This image links to share the page over LinkedIn.
Email Icon Share this website with email

We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.

The Ascent is reader-supported: we may earn a commission from offers on this page. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation.

Related Articles

Credit cards on a desk image for Best Credit Cards for 2021

Best Credit Cards for 2021

Interest spelled out on a calculator image for Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

Man holding cash image for How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

Cyber security and computer screen image for How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud

How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud

Featured Articles

Best Credit Cards for 2021

Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud


The Ascent Logo

The Ascent is a Motley Fool service that rates and reviews essential products for your everyday money matters.

btn_facebook-yellow btn_twitter-yellow btn_instagram-yellow

Copyright © 2018 - 2021 The Ascent. All rights reserved.

About The Ascent
About Us Contact Us Newsroom How We Make Money Editorial Integrity Ratings Methodology
Legal
Terms of Use Privacy Policy Accessibility Policy Terms and Conditions Copyright, Trademark and Patent Information
Learn
Credit Cards Banking Brokerage Loans Recent Articles

By submitting your email address, you consent to us sending you money tips along with products and services that we think might interest you. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please read our Privacy Statement and Terms & Conditions.

Back to The Motley Fool