Penny Wise, Pound (Euro? ) Foolish
 

Are there things on which you have found it isn't worth the time or energy trying to save money? Obviously, hunting for a good airfare can save one hundreds of dollars. But, what about other things? <BR><BR>

To use public transportation after a long distance (night) flight. Just forget it and take a cab home or to your hotel.

I spent far too much time before my Paris trip trying to decide if I should get a carnet of tickets, mobilis pass, etc. I tried to envision each day and how many stops I'd have, etc. I finally realized that at worst I'd spend and extra buck or two (franc or sou?) if I made the wrong choice. Big deal.

Definitely spend the money on that cab to and from the airport! That is the time that I have the butterflies and spend all my time thinking if I forgot something!<BR>If you see something that you want to buy, and you can afford it, buy it, most likely it will not be there when you decide and go back for it.<BR>Breakfast in the hotel room while you are getting ready to go out might cost a couple of dollars more, but the time it saves is worth it.<BR>

Ditto on the cabs! <BR><BR>Standing at the half price ticket office to pick up tickets for a show when you really want to see something that's not available there..how often do you get to go to the theater ( not much if you live where I do) so see what you want even if it cost more!<BR><BR>Also staying away from the center of things to save a few dollars then wasting precious time on traveling into the center to do them!<BR><BR>

Thanks for the replies. I see the point about taxis. My own favourite regards maps. I know I can get them cheaper at my destination, but I hate the thought of spending time trying to track down the one I want. The one time I went into a gas station to buy one, they seemed to have every map published since Columbus crossed the ocean - except, of course, the one I wanted! All this, to save 3 bucks?

Sue-we get the Streetwise Maps and the Penguin book maps.They are too expensive to my way of thinking but they last through trip after trip and I loan them to friends. <BR>Discussed in another thread, is the fact that sometimes you can free space and weight in your bag and buy some of your toiletries in the city you are going to...it can add to the discovery part of your trip~

Shoes. Buy comfortable shoes and break them in for at least a couple of months. I got a huge blister on my foot the first day of my trip to Mexico a couple of years ago, which ended up getting infected.

C, I like the Streetwise maps too, especially the fact that they're laminated. The maps I was thinking about earlier were the regional Michelin maps that drivers need when touring the countryside.<BR><BR>Jody, good point about the theatre. After travelling six time zones, one might as well see the show one wants!<BR><BR>Has anyone really saved a significant amount of money with ATM fees, now that just about everything gets charged to credit cards, and almost no cash is used? Or has this not been the experience of others?

Great Thread! I find "washing clothes and hanging them in the hotel room" a waste of time. Drop them off at a laundry, pay the few extra &pound;'s, and pick them up later in the day dry and folded! Clean clothes isn't a luxury.<BR>

I no longer waste my time on flight connections just to save money. I pay more, fly direct & save time instead of money. When I pay extra $$ for direct flight, more times than not the seat can be upgraded with miles. If I am sitting in 1st class I can sort of justify paying more for the seat too.<BR><BR>And, I used to buy full size toiletries to transfer into travel containers. Cheaper than the travel size prepared products. Enough. Spending the extra 10 bucks & buying disposable little samples. Not saving money, but I have room for souveniers in the end. None of those travel sizes ever make it home.

When I travelled to Spain 3 years ago with my family and some friends, me and my friends travelled by plane (Iberia) to Madrid, Sevilla, Granada and Barcelona. We visited Segovia and Toledo by train. My aunt did the same trip with me, but she drove. She wasted more money on gas than we did with our quick cab rides to the airport. (We also utilized the service of friends in Spain who picked us up and dropped us back to the airport whenever possible). I was also able to have a GREAT time and not worry about leaving a club at 5 in the morning tipsy, jetting to my hotel for my bag, to be at the airport by 7 & still have a nice buzz. My aunt couldn't drink and drive and also had to be bothered with finding a parking space all the time. So, whenever possible, if your airline offers passes for 3 or 4 cities in a country you are visiting, go for it. The passes are worth the charge.<BR>Also,in Paris, we didn't have a car. We saved alot by just using the Metro.

Sue, I think I save a decent amount by using the ATM. My credit union doesnt have a service charge if you use the ATM up to 4 times per month. I take out the max when I get to my destination. I tend to deal in cash a lot more than credit, as my credit card, Visa, tacks on a 1% surcharge to purchases.

Sue,<BR>Also compare prices when changing American dollars to Euro's. I have found Amrican Express to always give an honest rate. Example: Milan - $1.00 will get you .82 to .92 euros at most change places as of last week, but American Express will give you 1.12 euros. Much better.

Another reason to use an ATM instead of CC: some smaller hotels and B&Bs offer a discount with cash.

I broke myself of this habit when I realized I was driving an extra dozen miles to save three cents per gallon -- or 60 cents per tank!!! - on gas. Pick your battles . . .

Since many credit cards have started adding an extra 2% to foreign charges (in addition to the Visa/Mastercard 1%), I have stopped using my Citibank card and use MBNA or my ATM. You never see those charges (I'm not even sure they are listed on their small-print thingy). For me, it is not trying to save the money, but just the principal of the thing!<BR><BR>I agree about the extra cents per gallon, though. I remember the early days of self-service when my dad would self-serve to save a quarter and then tip the attendent a quarter for washing his window!

Hi Sue, it's Sue. : - )<BR><BR>I sure agree with you about the principle thing, but once I'm on vacation, I have to suspend my battle with the banks over fees. They have my money, and I need it. : - ) The frustrating thing is that banks keep changing their embezzlement - excuse me, that should read policies. <BR><BR>Some banks hit the ATM card with surrogate charges similar to those on CC. And that's in addition to the fee charged for using an ATM on a bank other than one's own (almost inevitable when travelling.)<BR><BR>Assuming the worst case scenario on expenses of $4000.00. If I get this wrong, someone please correct me. Note that sometimes the easiest way to find out what your bank will charge is to look up the current federal reserve rate, and then compare it with the foreign exchange rate charged by your bank as a so-called 'cheque rate.' (Cash will of course be at an even less favourable rate.<BR><BR>CC clearinghouse fee (standard imposed by VC/MC on the banks) = 1.0 %<BR>Gouge added by the bank - average 1.5%(some banks are still charging 0%)<BR>Possible cost of conversion over and above the federal reserve rate: 2.5%.<BR>On $4000, assuming everything paid on CC<BR>4000 * 2.5% is $100.<BR><BR>Now, assuming one is lucky enough to have an ATM card where the bank doesn't gouge one with fees similar to the CC, and further assume one pays that $4000 in cash. This is where it gets tricky, since different people have different comfort levels over how much money they want to have on their person at a time. Let's assume $400 as a typical withdrawal to make the math easy. On $4000, that's ten withdrawals. The average ATM fee (what I was originally talking about, the one imposed to withdraw cash from a bank other than one's own) is $1.75, so ten withdrawals would cost $175. <BR><BR>The difference is $75, in favour of CC. But since most people use a combination of CC and cash, this dwindles to about $30. Point is, you can drive yourself crazy with this kind of math.<BR>

I'm with jpm on the laundry thing. Man, what a nuisance. And I agree with taxis instead of public or "shuttle" services. Also, we're moving toward a more 19th Century approach, I suppose... bags and transfers (airport to hotel, hotel to station, etc.) are increasingly things to be left to others, and the tips are absolutely worth it. <BR><BR>On the time-sucking "bargain" hunting front, I don't know how many times we've been in a strange city and have schlepped along "restaurant row" looking at all the menus posted out front, trying to peek at what the outdoor (or in-the-window) diners are eating, deciding if it's cute or cheap or good enough... and an hour later we're still hungry and now footsore, and we end up plopping at Brand X because we're frustrated and tired of the forced march. If we'd picked the first place it probably wouldn't have been any worse and we'd be on the second bottle of wine by now.<BR>

Obviously I flunked second grade arithmetic. Ten * 1.75 is $17.50. If you think my math is poor at home, you should just see me when I'm jet lagged. : - ) <BR><BR>So let's make it $63.50 in favour of ATMS. But since most use a combination of CC and ATM, the difference will go down to half that, on average.