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Saturday, June 4, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016
How to bank in England as a tourist
The first thing you will notice when visiting England is that the currency is in sterling pound. Depending on your home country will depend on whether you will receive a good exchange rate. Generally speaking, Englands' currency dictates a higher rate than most other countries which can leave your wallet feeling empty on your way back home. It is therefore important for most tourists visiting England that they don't waste their money needlessly and that they know how to access their money.
Fortunately England's banks has a network of ATM's dotted across the land and they all seem to run on the LINK banking network. This is important to know as your bank card should be compatible with this network. It is always recommended to visit and check with your own bank before you depart on your trip. While asking your bank, they should also put a note on your account that you will be traveling overseas on certain dates so the bank does not put a hold on your account for suspicious transactions overseas.
Some of the major Banks and their ATM's you might recognize on the streets are Halifax bank, Natwest Bank, Santander Bank, Citibank, Barclays Bank, HSBC bank and many more. These banks are the best bet for tourists withdrawing funds. The fees are low compared to ATM's located inside shops, clubs and hospitals. The best thing is these banks are national, so the banks are in London, Plymouth and Birmingham.
Fortunately England's banks has a network of ATM's dotted across the land and they all seem to run on the LINK banking network. This is important to know as your bank card should be compatible with this network. It is always recommended to visit and check with your own bank before you depart on your trip. While asking your bank, they should also put a note on your account that you will be traveling overseas on certain dates so the bank does not put a hold on your account for suspicious transactions overseas.
Some of the major Banks and their ATM's you might recognize on the streets are Halifax bank, Natwest Bank, Santander Bank, Citibank, Barclays Bank, HSBC bank and many more. These banks are the best bet for tourists withdrawing funds. The fees are low compared to ATM's located inside shops, clubs and hospitals. The best thing is these banks are national, so the banks are in London, Plymouth and Birmingham.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Banks in Venice
Traveling to Venice? Then you will need cash and lots of it. Whatever your agenda is visiting Venice, one thing you will find out quickly is that the more Euros you have on you the better time you will have. Yes hotels, souvenirs, food and transport in Italy is not cheap. More so can be said for Venice.
Many major hotels and vendors in Venice do take credit cards like the big three, American express, Visa and MasterCard. However expect a transaction fee, foreign currency conversion fee and possibly other fees from the Italian banks. As you can see, using your fantastic plastic cc wile in Venice can run up a large bill back-home. To avoid high banking costs accruing in your own bank account back home, try to take cash out before flying into Venice, Italy. If that is not totally possible then take cash out from an Italian bank in Venice. Yes you will most likely pay a foreign exchange conversion fee but not nearly as much buying many small items in multiple transactions in different merchant shops. Cash is king, so having enough on you is important to avoid the accumulation of fees and charges. However you also need to consider not having too much cash on you while in Venice as there is ironically a risk of pickpockets and thieves that work the streets of Venice. The hot spots that you need to be aware of is the built up tourist crowds like Piazza San Marco and the Venice train station.
Many major hotels and vendors in Venice do take credit cards like the big three, American express, Visa and MasterCard. However expect a transaction fee, foreign currency conversion fee and possibly other fees from the Italian banks. As you can see, using your fantastic plastic cc wile in Venice can run up a large bill back-home. To avoid high banking costs accruing in your own bank account back home, try to take cash out before flying into Venice, Italy. If that is not totally possible then take cash out from an Italian bank in Venice. Yes you will most likely pay a foreign exchange conversion fee but not nearly as much buying many small items in multiple transactions in different merchant shops. Cash is king, so having enough on you is important to avoid the accumulation of fees and charges. However you also need to consider not having too much cash on you while in Venice as there is ironically a risk of pickpockets and thieves that work the streets of Venice. The hot spots that you need to be aware of is the built up tourist crowds like Piazza San Marco and the Venice train station.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Scams to beware of when backpacking through Costa Rica
Many popular tourist destinations around the world have scams to pry money from the unsuspecting tourists wallet. Costa Rica is no exception, although there is a concerted effort by the Costa Rica government to try to stop scam operators, there still are some industries where scams and price hiking still exist.
Whether you are backpacking Costa Rica or on a family luxurious holiday in Costa Rica, these scams can still impact on your stay. A common trap is when you depart Costa Rica by plane, you will travel out to the airport, but make sure you don't have an appetite when you get there. The reason, is like most airports around the world, there are price-hiking activities in shops performed here. If you don't want to pay USD$50 for a hamburger then i suggest you go hungry until you reach your destination.
Another infamous scam is the Time-share holiday apartment/villa. This one is simple to avoid, just say no to the Costa Rican sales man and no to any free offering he tells you. A common one is a free breakfast. If you realize that nothing in life is free, then you should be pre-warned and not follow the sales pitcher into any building/shop. Pay for your own breakfast and save yourself a big headache and half a day.
Similar to this scam is another scam in Costa Rica where you take a scratchie from a person on a street and you scratch it. Strangely you find yourself winning a watch, Great! you never win anything, and you just won what seems to be a luxurious watch. But there is a catch, to claim your prize you need to visit a building in town where you will be bombarded by sales bullshit and pressured into paying for extras and upgrades to your watch. Oh by the way your watch is a 0.50cent made in china watch that falls apart as soon as you walk out of the place. These scams are not just localised to Costa Rica, there are similar versions of this scam found all the way around the world. One take home message all backpackers and holiday makers should realise is that if it sounds to good to be true then it usually is.
Whether you are backpacking Costa Rica or on a family luxurious holiday in Costa Rica, these scams can still impact on your stay. A common trap is when you depart Costa Rica by plane, you will travel out to the airport, but make sure you don't have an appetite when you get there. The reason, is like most airports around the world, there are price-hiking activities in shops performed here. If you don't want to pay USD$50 for a hamburger then i suggest you go hungry until you reach your destination.
Another infamous scam is the Time-share holiday apartment/villa. This one is simple to avoid, just say no to the Costa Rican sales man and no to any free offering he tells you. A common one is a free breakfast. If you realize that nothing in life is free, then you should be pre-warned and not follow the sales pitcher into any building/shop. Pay for your own breakfast and save yourself a big headache and half a day.
Similar to this scam is another scam in Costa Rica where you take a scratchie from a person on a street and you scratch it. Strangely you find yourself winning a watch, Great! you never win anything, and you just won what seems to be a luxurious watch. But there is a catch, to claim your prize you need to visit a building in town where you will be bombarded by sales bullshit and pressured into paying for extras and upgrades to your watch. Oh by the way your watch is a 0.50cent made in china watch that falls apart as soon as you walk out of the place. These scams are not just localised to Costa Rica, there are similar versions of this scam found all the way around the world. One take home message all backpackers and holiday makers should realise is that if it sounds to good to be true then it usually is.
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