Next time you’re planning a vacation, a travel credit card could defray some or all of the costs if it packs the right incentives. Typically, cards with higher annual fees provide the most value with perks like ongoing rewards, free checked bags, airport lounge access or other benefits. But even cards with low or no annual fees make it possible to earn some value toward travel, if you can qualify.
These cards generally require good credit (scores of 690 or higher), and even if you’re eligible, it’s not worth pursuing one if you can’t pay off the credit card bill in full every month to avoid steep interest charges. And if you’re working toward paying down existing debt, it might not be worth chasing points and miles until you’ve made progress on that front.
But as long as travel credit cards align with your financial goals, their potential savings merit consideration — even if you travel just once or twice per year. Explore the flexibility of a general-purpose travel credit card to book travel anywhere, or a branded credit card to book travel with a favorite hotel or airline. Either option may offer money-saving benefits toward your next trip.
Valuable features can lower costs
Offers will vary among general-purpose travel credit cards and airline- or hotel-branded credit cards, but some savings opportunities may include:
Perks
If a credit card offers a lengthy list of perks, the value can quickly add up. Here are some features to look out for:
A sign-up offer: Travel credit cards generally come with lucrative sign-up offers that let new cardholders earn a pile of points or miles by meeting a minimum spending requirement. It’s easier to snag if you can strategically time a credit card application around planned purchases during a heavy-spend month or season.
Free checked bags: Some airline credit cards offer free checked bags, which can add up to real savings when applied per person on a round trip. This is one way that Doug Figueroa, a content creator at the YouTube channel Zorito y Doug, makes up the cost of the $150 annual fee on an airline credit card. “The savings are $70 round trip per passenger listed in the same reservation,” he says.
TSA or Global Entry credit: Some travel cards issue a credit (up to $100) when you use them to pay for a TSA or Global Entry application fee. These expedited airport security screening programs can save time while traveling.
Travel credits: Depending on the card’s terms, travel credits may be used to save money on a variety of travel expenses like rideshare services, airfare or accommodations.
Airport lounge access: You can skip the pricey airport food with some travel credit cards that offer complimentary airport lounge access. Austin Maxwell, a South Carolina-based content creator at the blog The Maxwells Travel, uses a travel credit card to avoid those costs. “I’m saving $20 to $30 every time I go to the airport because I don’t have to buy food or drinks during a layover or preflight,” he says.
A companion ticket: Some airline credit cards cover the cost of a ticket for a friend or family member. Depending on the card’s terms, you may have to pay taxes and fees on the fare, the companion ticket may have an expiration date and/or a spending requirement may apply.
Automatic elite status: You may earn elite status without much effort on some hotel-branded credit cards. Elite status can add up to valuable savings if the program offers free food, bonus points or suite upgrades.
Free nights: If your favorite hotel has a branded credit card that offers annual free night awards, it can stretch your vacation budget.
Protections and other benefits
A travel credit card that offers trip delay or cancellation insurance, lost baggage insurance, rental car coverage or other protections may also be of value to you. To qualify for these benefits you typically need to pay for the trip or covered purchase with the eligible credit card. Read the terms carefully to understand the extent of your coverage.
Figueroa says he saved $90 over three days with his card’s primary rental car coverage on a trip to Miami.
“Once you make the online reservation, you must decline all insurance offered by the rental company and pay for everything with your [card],” he says.
High-value reward redemptions
Points or miles on some travel credit cards might lose value if they are used for non-travel redemptions like cash back, gift cards or other options. Travel redemptions typically offer the best value, and you might squeeze out even more value with a general-purpose travel card that allows points to transfer to airline or hotel partners. It’s a strategy that Maxwell uses often to his advantage.
“It’s even better if there’s a transfer bonus associated with that,” he says. “Credit card companies offer transfer bonuses — 15%, 20%, 30% bonus — if you are to transfer points to a specific airline.”
He says he has also transferred points to hotel partners to book hotel rooms with them. “It would be the equivalent of getting a hotel room at $120 that’s actually valued at $500,” he adds.
To determine whether to redeem rewards for travel or transfer them to a partner, compare costs by checking the credit card’s booking platform and the partner’s website. Also factor in whether rewards transfer on at least a 1:1 ratio, meaning that you’ll get the equivalent value in points or miles transferred.
Whether you’re dreaming of beaches in the Caribbean or roaming the streets of Paris, one thing’s for sure: Traveling is expensive. Factor in the cost of flights, food, and lodging, and it’s no wonder some people feel like traveling is reserved only for the rich and famous.
The good news? Traveling doesn’t have to break the bank. Saving enough money for your next holiday is totally doable, and it all starts with proper budgeting for travel. With a defined vacation budget and some planning, you could request time off for travel sooner than you think. Here’s how to do it.
How to build a travel fund
Before you start booking plane tickets and buying museum tickets, you’ll need to determine what’s realistic for your current financial state, according to Athena Valentine Lent, author and founder of Money Smart Latina. If this is your first time budgeting for travel, Lent says these three steps can help you get started:
1. Set a savings goal for your trip
Budgeting for travelstarts with identifying where you want to go and calculating the total amount of money you’ll need to cover that trip.
“Decide where you’d like to go, and start from there,” Lent says. “Research the best times to visit your travel destinations, so you can take advantage of any off-peak seasons. If you’re unable to visit during that time, consider another place.”
In addition to researching prices of big-ticket items like airplane tickets, Lent recommends researching all potential expenses to paint an accurate picture of your total cost. “Look into how much you’ll pay for lodging, food, transportation to get there—plus transportation while there—and any other exhibits or bucket items you want to check off while you’re there,” she says.
Vacations can and should include plenty of spontaneity, so Lent recommends giving yourself some extra wiggle room in your travel fund to cover other possible expenses (think: last-minute excursions and souvenirs). As you continue to plan, creating a financial vision board can help you visualize your dream vacation and keep you motivated during your savings journey.
2. Turn one big goal into multiple smaller goals
Once you’ve established how much your trip will cost, determine the amount you need to save on a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly cadence until you can fully fund your goal, Lent says. For example, if you’ve figured out that you need $1,000 for a trip coming up in five months, you’d want to save $200 a month. Or if you wanted to break it up into even smaller chunks, you could have a savings goal of $50 a week.
Breaking your goal into smaller steps makes it appear more manageable, Lent says. Saving $200 a month feels much more attainable than trying to put away $1,000 all at once. Psychologically, splitting up a large goal into multiple smaller ones gives you a sense of accomplishment every time you cross one of your funding milestones.
3. Keep your travel fund in a separate savings account
There are ways to make your money work harder for you. With a high-yield savings account, you’ll earn a specific percentage of interest on your money, known as an annual percentage yield (APY). That interest is compounded, too, so you’ll grow your savings even faster.
Keeping your travel fund in a separate savings account is another helpful strategy. It can streamline your efforts, making it easier to track progress and know exactly when you’ve reached your goal.
“I love me a high-yield savings account,” Lent says. “The ability to put cash aside into a different account labeled with a goal motivates me to call it ‘my precious’ and protect it. I’m also a firm believer in making your money work for you.”
Tips for keeping your travel fund on track
Making a plan and budgeting for travel is a critical first step, but if you want to make your dream vacation a reality, you’ll need to stay on track. To keep your momentum going, consider these four tips for how to save money for travel:
1. Curb your spending habits
Looking for some low-hanging fruit? Lent says to try reducing nonessential spending first. While that might mean spending less money on things like dining out or new clothes, it doesn’t mean you need to live like a hermit to achieve your financial goal.
“Cutting back on your discretionary spending can seem brutal when all you want to do is live your current lifestyle,” says Lent. “My advice is to cut spending in small amounts at first and then look for cheaper ways to do the things you want to do. As you begin to cut back while still doing the things you love, you won’t be depriving yourself, which makes it easier to stick to your budget.”
2. Take advantage of freebies and discounts
Just because you’re budgeting for travel doesn’t mean you have to give up on fun entirely. These days you can find coupons or discount codes for almost any activity, from festivals and sporting events to restaurants and bars. “For example, if you want to go to a concert, look for it on a group coupon site,” says Lent. “Plan on drinking with friends? Ask your friends to check out a happy hour with you.”
There are also plenty of ways to have fun without spending money. Look no further than your local community for meetup groups, free museum or zoo days, or music nights hosted by your city or town. Depending on where you live, getting out into nature is often free, and many national parks even offer free entry on certain days. Entertaining yourself doesn’t have to be expensive – finding no-cost alternatives will enable you to put even more money away in your travel fund.
3. Hack your way to savings with a cashback credit or debit card
Another way to make your travel dreams come true is to use credit card rewards in a process known as “travel hacking,” Lent says. Some credit card providers will give you points or cash back on a percentage of the money you spend overall or in certain categories like food, travel, or gas. If you want to use these credit card rewards for travel, however, Lent recommends paying off your credit card debt each billing cycle.
Some banks also offer cash back when you spend with your debit card. For example, with Discover® Cashback Debit, you can earn 1% cash back on your debit card purchases1 and put that extra cash toward building up your travel fund.
Earn cash back with your debit card
Discover Bank, Member FDIC
4. Consider a side hustle
If you feel like you’re not making as much headway as you’d like on your travel fund, you might want to explore some side hustle ideas to earn extra income. Side hustles can range from freelance projects on the weekend to driving for a ride-sharing company.
Pursuing a side hustle isn’t for everyone, but if you have the time and ability to take on additional work, Lent says, you can use the extra cash to fund your travels without dipping too much into your primary source of income.
Your next vacation is one travel fund away
Planning a vacation can be intimidating, especially once you start calculating how much everything will cost. But just like any financial goal, saving money for travel is doable if you have a clearly defined budget and stick to your plan.
Take Lent’s advice: If you want to know how to save money for traveling, determine where you want to go, research how much it’ll cost, and break your savings goal into manageable chunks. You’ll be jet-setting off to your next adventure in no time.
If you’re ready to build your travel fund and make your vacation dreams a reality, check out the features of a Discover Online Savings Account to see how it can keep your travel savings safe and growing over time.
Articles may contain information from third parties. The inclusion of such information does not imply an affiliation with the bank or bank sponsorship, endorsement, or verification regarding the third party or information.
1 ATM transactions, the purchase of money orders or other cash equivalents, cash over portions of point-of-sale transactions, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payments (such as Apple Pay Cash), online sports betting and internet gambling transactions, and loan payments or account funding made with your debit card are not eligible for cash back rewards. In addition, purchases made using third-party payment accounts (services such as Venmo® and PayPal®, who also provide P2P payments) may not be eligible for cash back rewards. Apple Pay® is a trademark of Apple Inc. Venmo and PayPal are registered trademarks of PayPal, Inc. Samsung Pay is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Google, Google Pay, and Android are trademarks of Google LLC.
Most families need to stick to a budget when they travel. But tracking daily expenses, especially in a foreign currency, can be tricky. Here are some easy tips to make it easy to keep track of how much you’re spending.
Before you leave:
Create an email folder for your trip. Each time you make a booking, place the itinerary confirmation and receipt into the folder. You can use the folder to help you build your final itinerary before you leave, too.
Set a daily budget that includes lodging, food, transportation, and entertainment. During the trip you can track your spending against this goal.
Find out how much it costs to get money, and know which source is the cheapest. For example, what fees does your bank charge for using an international ATM and withdrawing foreign currency? What about your credit card? What is the exchange rate? If you expect to travel a lot, you might consider opening a Capitol One credit card with no international transaction fees.
On your trip:
Develop a rule-of-thumb for converting between currencies. You’ll do a better job of reining in your purchases if you know how much you are spending. Your rule-of-thumb doesn’t need to be exact. For example, at today’s rate of 1.57 US Dollars to the Euro, I would multiply any price I saw by two and then subtract 20%. (Meaning a 30 euro item is approximately $60-$12=$48.) This accounts for any transaction fees, and slightly overestimates the cost of each item so that there aren’t any nasty surprises when I return home.
As you get receipts, write on each what it was for.
Bring an envelope for receipts. If some expenses are deductible, reimbursable or shared, bring separate envelopes for each type of expense. At the end of each day, empty your receipts from your wallet into your envelope.
Keep the cash for the day separate from the rest of your cash. For example, you get $300 out of the ATM and you want that to last you 4 days, so that’s $75/day. Put $75 in an easy to access part of your wallet and you put the rest in a harder to reach spot. If you see yourself going into the hard-to-reach spot, you know you’re going over budget.
If you need a more detailed accounting that includes smaller cash transactions, or want more accountability, carry a small notebook. Record each transaction in the notebook (including snacks, bus rides, etc). Each evening, total your expenses and note where you wasted money and can do better the next day. This tip helped us cut our budget significantly by doing things like buying bottled water and snacks at local grocery stores to carry with us when we travel.
Not only will having a detailed accounting of how much you spent on your trip help you keep expenses down, it will help you do a better job of estimating expenses for your next trip before you leave home.
J.D.’s note: On our trip to Europe last summer, I did all of these things based on reader advice. They worked like a charm. I was able to adhere closely to my intended budget. This may sound like too much work, but it really alleviates a lot of hassle, making travel easy and care-free. Photo credit: Refracted Moments.
For many, summer vacations mean road trips. And renting an RV for that road trip is becoming increasingly popular. It’s a fun way to pile in the whole crew, spend more time outdoors, and not have to worry about booking hotel rooms along your route.
But if you’re planning your vacation budget, it’s important to know that when it comes to cost, how much to rent an RV for a week varies. We’ll break down what an RV weekly rental cost is and what factors affect it.
Where to rent an RV
If you’re ready to rent, there are plenty of platforms to choose from. Companies like Cruise America maintain their own branded fleet of RVs and travel trailers, as does Escape Campervans (which offers vans only).
Other sites like Outdoorsy and RVshare facilitate peer-to-peer rentals so you can rent someone’s personal RV or trailer.
Shop around before you book, especially if you’re looking for the best rate as prices and availability can vary wildly from company to company and city to city.
Depending on the season and the type of RV, you could expect to pay anywhere between $70 per night for a travel trailer to $170 a night for a class B motorhome or $250 or more for a luxurious class A. Here’s a breakdown of some averages for a weeklong RV rental with little to no extras included:
Towable trailer: $400-$800.
Class C motorhome: $1,100-$1,650.
Class B motorhome or van: $1,300-$1,800.
Class A motorhome: $1,500-$3,450
Since the price is based on the number of nights you reserve, the longer you rent, the more the total price will increase, meaning the cost of renting an RV for two weeks will be roughly double the cost of a one-week rental — before any taxes, fees, add-ons or upgrades.
Additional costs
Gas
The cost of an RV rental isn’t all you need to budget for, though. Keep in mind, especially if you’ll be driving long distances, that the cost of gas could add up quickly whether you’re driving a motorhome or towing a trailer. RVs are notorious for getting subpar gas mileage.
Other rentals may offer RV delivery options if you don’t want to pick it up yourself, but delivery costs extra, too. Some rentals even charge per mile after you drive a maximum distance, so make sure to pay attention to listing details before you book.
Insurance
You may also be required or invited to purchase additional insurance. Some rentals may come with basic protection, but make sure you read the fine print so you know what it includes. Some travel credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cover car rentals, but not all coverage includes recreational vehicles, so do some research before you count on it.
Bedding and kitchenware
Other rentals may charge extra for things like linens, towels and dishes if you don’t want to bring your own. Cruise America, for example, charged $75 extra per person for pillows and sheets and $125 for essentials like cups, knives and cutting boards for one rental we researched, and one RVshare rental charged extra for bedding, essentials and optional upgrades like an outdoor table and chairs.
Campground
Then, if you’re not dispersed camping on free Bureau of Land Management land, you’ll also need to factor in the cost of a campground for the night, ideally one with electric and water hookups, which could be up to $100 per night for upscale campgrounds or as little as $20 at others.
What affects the cost to rent an RV for a week
There are plenty of factors that affect how much an RV rental will be, including RV size. For example, how much to rent a small RV for a week will be different from how much to rent a camper for a week (also known as a travel trailer), which will be different from how much to rent a large RV for a week. Here’s what else can affect the price of a rental:
Season: Some seasons, like summer, may be more expensive than others when demand is higher.
Location: Prices may vary from city to city and state to state.
Availability: How many rentals are available at any given time can affect the price of an RV rental.
Newness of the RV: Newer vehicles, especially more luxurious vehicles, can carry a higher cost.
Size or class: The larger the RV or the higher the class, and the more people it sleeps, the more it’s likely to cost.
Type: Travel trailers or towable campers tend to be less than drivable RVs.
Rental platform: Depending on whether you rent from a company with their own fleet or a website that acts as a broker for individuals renting out their personal vehicles, prices can be very different and include different things.
How much to rent an RV for one week
A towable trailer may cost as little as $400 for one week, but Class A motorhomes can cost several thousand dollars.
When budgeting for an RV rental, it’s important to shop around, search on different websites, consider the cost of camping and know what extras you’ll have to pay for to have the best experience.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for:
Last weekend, long-time GRS reader Vintek came to Portland. Kris and I joined him and his wife for a Saturday morning culinary tour. On our four-hour trek, we visited a bakery, a cooking store, and a brewery (where I drank beer for the first time — seriously). Along the way, I saw places and learned things about the city that were new to me. Afterward I realized how fun it would be to actually spend a weekend touring Portland as if I didn’t know anything about it, as if I were visiting it for the first time.
With record gas prices and soaring airfares, a hometown vacation is a great option for frugal folks. Last fall, Mrs. Micah noted that hometown tourism can save money and sanity because:
You can save big on hotel rooms by not having any.
You can pack meals from home.
You save gas and other travel expenses.
You stay in your comfort zone.
You can use your knowledge of the area to pick cheap attractions.
But you don’t have to pinch pennies if you don’t want to. You’ll still save money even if you stay in a nice hotel, dine in fancy restaurants, see a show, and take a couple of tours. Because you have no travel costs, and because you’re familiar with the area, your vacation dollars go further in your own city.
Of course there are many options between frugality and luxury. Regardless how much you to choose to spend, here are some tips for enjoying a vacation close to home:
Set a budget. Just as you’d use a normal vacation budget, set one for your stay-at-home getaway. Whether you opt to take the frugal approach or allow yourself to splurge as if you were traveling out of town, create a spending plan and stick to it.
Grab a guidebook. Tourist guides contain great info about cheap eats, cool spots, and local history. You’ll find guidebooks at local book stores. Or if you’re a member of AAA, pick one up at the local office. (Better yet, borrow one from the public library!)
Book a tour. I used to dismiss guided tours as worthless, but now I think they’re kind of fun. They can be a great way to get to know a city. Book a walking tour or bicycle tour of your town, and get ready to learn local history and trivia.
Be adventurous. Try things you wouldn’t normally do. When Kris and I went to Alaska a few years ago, we took a kayak trip. We never do stuff like that. If we were to vacation in Portland, maybe we could go white-water rafting. Make your hometown more exciting by trying new things.
Chat it up. Talk with the actual tourists. Ask them what they like about the city. Get recommendations for cheap or fun spots to visit. Answer their questions. Talking with tourists is a great way to see your surroundings with new eyes.
Be unreachable. Pretend you’re vacationing out of town, even if you’re still in your own home. Ignore the phone. Don’t check e-mail. Forget the kids’ soccer games. A vacation is a time to relax, to forget the cares of the workaday world. This is true whether you’re on a Caribbean cruise or simply walking down Main Street.
Swap houses. Have some like-minded friends? Swap houses for a week (or a weekend). This cheap change of scenery can make you feel like you’re in a completely different city. It may also give you insight into new neighborhoods you haven’t explored.
Think outside the box. After living in the Portland area for forty years, I tend to have favorite routes, places, and things to do — this sort of vacation is an opportunity to explore! Ask your friends where they take out-of-town visitors. Use the events guide in your local paper to research activities. Keep a list of things you’d like to see and do.
Though this idea is novel to me, surely many people have taken hometown vacations in the past. I’d love to hear your impressions. Does it really save money? Was it a good way to learn about your city? What did you do to make the experience even more fun?
Most people agree that a vacation is supposed to be relaxing, but planning for one can be just the opposite. Still, poor planning can cost money and time, causing headaches and frustration when you’re supposed to be getting away from it all.
Some people like to book a ticket and see where life takes them. Others prefer cruises or tours where the planning is taken care of for them. I prefer to plan my trips, researching and budgeting as much as I can while I’m at home to make the vacation as smooth as possible. If that sounds like the route for you, today I’m going to share my method, step-by-step, for budgeting and planning a vacation, including spreadsheets you download and customize.
This method is effective in planning trip logistics and budgets, laying out how to do the following:
Estimate how much the trip will cost, allowing you to save sufficiently and not come back to a credit card debt slap in the face
Efficiently plan your time, maximizing time spent doing fun stuff and minimizing time lost due to scheduling conflicts
Easily keep important information at your fingertips to save money and time
This method saved me at least $375 on my last trip after a cabana in Mexico lost my reservation. Because I used this step-by-step system, I had documentation of my reservation and deposit, and the owner agreed to “make their friends leave” and accommodate me. (Things work a bit differently at Mexican beach cabanas.)
Stuff like that isn’t fun when you’re on vacation, so let’s avoid those hassles. Pick a destination, and start planning.
Choose a travel guidebook — or three Most travelers find that there isn’t just one guide that covers all of their needs. Some books cover the logistics — where to stay and how to get around the city. Others might focus on history, culture, and the arts. Then there are some that are even more specific, like biking through the Netherlands or kayaking in New Zealand. Get one book that adequately covers the basics and at least one that covers your personal interests.
Planning tip: Check out several guide books out from your local library to get a feel for the writing style. If you like one, then purchase the latest edition. This also saves money if your trip is more than a year away. Travel guidebooks quickly become outdated, so it’s very important to purchase the latest edition to take on your trip.
How to know if it’s guidebook love Here’s what to consider when deciding which guidebooks to buy:
Do the accommodations and restaurants fit your budget?
Do you like the layout? Is it easy to find information?
Does it have detailed maps?
Does it cover your primary travel interests, such as history, culture, food, markets, safaris, ecotourism, farm stays, hiking, etc.?
Does it make you feel even more excited about your trip?
If you plan to visit only one specific region or city, or if you just plan to spend the bulk of your time in one, consider a regional or city guide with more specialized information.
Guidebooks worth a look If you aren’t sure where to start, here are a few guidebook series worth checking out:
Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door. Steves believes in making travelers “temporary Europeans.” From his book: “The more money you spend, the bigger the wall you build between yourself and the culture you traveled so far to visit. Stay in the small inns, eat in family-style restaurants, visit out-of-the-way places, rub elbows with the locals. You’ll spend less money and have a great time in the process.” The guidebooks include tons of practical information about where to sleep, eat, how to use public transit, budgeting, historical sites, maps, and more. Steves’ book got me from Rome to Pompeii, and I saved $50 over the route that others in our travel group used.
Lonely Planet. Perfect for logistics, but you’ll need to supplement with another book for history and in-depth cultural information. This series is especially good for long-term travel, as is gives extensive information about where to stay, how to get around, etc.
Frommer’s. Another series that advocates living like a local, but is very extensive in the destinations it covers. A book from this series helped me to rent a car and successfully drive around the Yucatan peninsula, use toll roads, and not get lost once.
Fodor’s Guides. There are several series of Fodor’s travel books, each written for a different type of traveler. Fodor’s uses local writers to give readers the most accurate information and inside knowledge.
Let’s Go. If you’re a student, or just on a student’s budget, this guidebook series is one to consider. Written by students, there’s information on all things cool and free.
Also check out Budget Travel for articles on your destination(s). I’ve found some great hotels written up in Budget Travel that were out-of-the-way and not as popular as some of the ones listed in the big guidebooks tend to become.
Basic planning Once you have your travel resources, you’re ready to start planning and budgeting. Download and open my Vacation Budget and Itinerary Planner (1.2mb XLSX) and click on the Basic Plan tab. (If you have an older version of Excel, here’s a 1.0mb XLS file.)
How many days do you have for this trip? Enter that number into the yellow box.
Where do you want to go? List each city in the column to the left.
How many days do you want to spend in each location? Enter those numbers into right column.
If the difference is negative, you need to earn some more vacation days or make some cuts to your itinerary. Don’t try to pack in too much. If you spend all of your time jetting from point A to point B, you won’t see as much. What is most important? Be sure to check your guide books to see how much time is recommended for each place.
Fill in the details Now that you have a basic outline, use the Expense & Itinerary Planner page to plan your itinerary. First, fill in the dates. Next, list the following, step by step, in the Activity column:
Transportation between points
Accommodations
Attractions
Use the guidebooks to estimate expenses for each item in the Activity section, and enter those into the Expense column. If I’m staying at one hotel for three nights, I typically list the expense just once on the first day I’m staying there, but you can list it on each day if you like.
You’ll need to search online for airfare and train estimates. For airfare, check out the big sites, like Kayak, but don’t forget to look at budget carriers, too. Fellow GRS staff writer Adam Baker wrote a great guide, 5 Little-Known Websites That Will Save You Time and Money When Booking Airfare Online. Adam writes, “In most cases, the cheapest fare will be found using a combination of sites depending on your specific travel plans.” Try lesser-known websites when searching for the lowest airfare.
For rail travel in Europe, Rick Steves provides a comprehensive guide to Eurail passes, including how they work, how to plan your trip, and cost comparisons. Include any mode of transportation you’ll use, whether it’s rental cars, buses, taxis, ferries, or elephants.
In the Notes column, include important details, such as hotels that only accept cash upon arrival, offer continental breakfast, or other important details.
Now use your books to estimate meal expenses (plus tips) under the Food section. I like to find budget hotels with complimentary breakfasts, which can reduce expenses a bit if the hotel comes at a good price. If the primary reason you’re going to Italy is to dine like royalty, however, by all means, add that in there. You can toast to me with your glass of Brunello.
If you like souvenirs, add a budget for that expense. Personally, my favorite souvenirs are photographs, which weigh no more than my digital camera and cost nothing. Add any other expenses in this section. For example, if you are renting a car, add in an estimate for gas.
State of the budget You should have an estimated grand total for your trip. Is it in your budget? If you haven’t started saving for the trip, how many months until departure? Divide your trip cost by the number of months until you leave to find out how much you’ll need to save each month. If you can’t save that amount, reassess your trip plan or the departure date.
No reservations: Start booking your trip You have a budget and an itinerary, and you’re ready to start making reservations. As you make reservations, enter whatever you’re paying now in the Pre-paid column, and the amount due on arrival (DOA) in the DOA column.
Fill in times associated with each activity where appropriate, especially for departures and appointments. You don’t need to schedule every minute of every day, only the activities with a time frame associated with them. For example, if a museum you want to visit closes at 1 p.m., that’s something to write on the itinerary. If you want to see a show that starts at 7 p.m., that’s another important detail to note.
Planning tip: As you make reservations, save receipts, confirmations, and e-mails for air, hotels, and anything else that required a deposit. Just stick them in a folder until you’ve finished booking your trip.
Create your personalized travel guide Gather the following items, in this order:
Budget and Itinerary Planner sheet
Torn-out, relevant pages from guide books (Tear up a book?! Yes. They are quickly outdated anyway, remember?)
A page with addresses, telephone numbers, and websites to each hotel, attraction, or transportation source, where applicable
Reservation receipts, confirmations, and e-mails
Photocopy of the passports of each person going on the trip
The 800 numbers for each credit card that will be used on the trip, in case you need to report one lost or stolen (Also, call your credit card companies to let them know when and where you are going, or your card might get frozen for unusual charges.)
One page with emergency numbers, such as the nearest U.S. consular office. U.S. embassies or consulates can provide assistance if you need it. Go to the U.S. Department of State to get contact information for the area(s) in which you will be traveling.
Take this stack of papers to a print shop and make a spiral-bound copy for each person traveling with you plus an extra copy to leave with a friend or family member.
It’s a bit of work upfront, but it saves you a lot of hassle on your vacation if you have an itinerary and important information at hand, and you won’t be shocked by a massive credit card bill when you come home. Plus, if you give a copy of your personalized travel guide to your mom, she might not nag you quite as much for going white-water rafting in Nepal.
J.D.’s note: Kris and I have recently become avid watchers of The Amazing Race. Between watching that show and reading April’s article, I’m dying to get out and see the world. To celebrate the completion of my book, we’ll soon be taking a trip to Belize, but I want to do even more!
Editor’s note: TPG’s Erica Silverstein accepted a free trip from Oceania Cruises to attend the unveiling of Vista. The opinions expressed below are entirely hers and weren’t subject to review by the line.
“Is this a luxury cruise ship?” That was the question on everyone’s lips during the maiden sailing of Oceania Cruises’ Vista, the first new Allura-class vessel to debut for the upscale cruise brand.
We gawked at the beautifully designed public spaces, with their detail-oriented accents, eye-catching light fixtures and highly textured materials. (Yes, I petted the walls of the elevators and stroked every chair.) We luxuriated in enormous standard cabin bathrooms and sumptuous Tranquility Beds. We dined on exquisite freshly made pasta, perfectly cooked fish and decadent desserts. We ordered smoked, bubbled, herbed and ice-balled cocktails at the ship’s craft cocktail bar and took photos of each creative concoction.
Vista is clearly a ship for travelers who love to explore new destinations, prioritize fine dining and premium beverages and immerse themselves in chic surroundings. However, in the cruise space, this ship is clearly in the upscale category and not true luxury.
Then again, when you’re curled up on a circular day bed, drink in hand, on a resort-style pool deck in the Mediterranean, Vista might just provide all the luxury you need.
Overview of Vista
Vista debuted in May 2023, the first new ship for Oceania Cruises in a decade and the flagship of the line’s new Allura class. It carries 1,200 passengers in cabins and suites that all have either a true balcony or a French veranda (meaning you can open doors to the fresh air but can’t step outside).
The ship’s target demographic is well-off, mature couples who are looking for destination-focused itineraries on a ship with elevated dining. For a small, 67,000-ton ship, Vista wows with eight restaurants, plus a bakery and private dining rooms for wine-paired meals. It also stands out for its expanded Culinary Center, for cooking classes and demos, and Artist Loft, where passengers can get crafty under the tutelage of resident artists.
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Fans of the line will appreciate that Vista is modeled from sister ships Marina and Riviera, and the layout is strikingly similar.
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Vista is not an all-inclusive ship, but it’s more inclusive than lines such as Celebrity Cruises or Holland America. Its fares cover all dining (except for private, wine-paired dinners), fitness classes, nonalcoholic beverages and in-port shuttles. Its booking promotions may offer additional inclusions, like free Wi-Fi, airfare, excursions, beverage package or shipboard credit.
What I loved about Vista
Dining choice
Some people love to return again and again to their favorite restaurants; others prefer to try a new venue every time. I fall into the latter category, so I loved that I could eat at a different restaurant each night of my cruise on Vista.
I could get dolled up and go to a steakhouse or Italian restaurant, or I could play it casual and eat on the buffet’s outdoor terrace or at the pizzeria. I could enjoy a multi-course sit-down lunch or take my pick of eight burgers at the grill. Vista also had plenty of options for between-meal grazing – a quiche from the Bakery, a scone at Horizons’ afternoon tea, or a cookie from the Concierge Lounge.
Not only did Vista’s large selection of eateries keep my meals interesting, but there wasn’t a bad option in the bunch. Sure, sometimes I didn’t order the right dish, but I enjoyed every meal I ate on board.
Design
Vista will wow you with its gorgeous looks from the moment you step on board. The atrium gives a knockout first impression with its stunning floor-to-ceiling sculpture with a changing light display.
The bold center archway of the Grand Dining Room will immediately catch your eye, as will the ceiling design of the intimate Privee dining room. Each specialty restaurant has been designed with care, from the brick oven-inspired ceilings of Ember to the pagoda-style floor lamps in Red Ginger.
The noteworthy Grand Lounge sports geometric chandeliers and glass shelves of vases and glass sculptures, while the faux wood paneling on the pool deck sets it apart from any cruise ship Lido you’ve ever seen. The glam settings make you feel like you’re a movie star and add to the decadent feeling of being on vacation.
Cocktails and mixology program
The new mixology program on Vista is one of its standout features. I happily ordered cocktail after craft cocktail at the Founders Bar in the name of research, trying drinks with smoke bubbles on top, frozen fruit balls in their center and unique ingredients (like tea) in their centers. The concept turns your standard pre-dinner drink into a playful and exciting event. It also makes a ship carrying mainly retirees feel hip and trendy.
Vista also carries a line of nonalcoholic “liquors” to make zero-proof cocktails that taste like the real deal, as well as nonalcoholic beer. It’s a fabulous option for sober cruisers or travelers who need to rest their livers after a lively evening. Unfortunately, not all bars carry nonalcoholic cocktails. On my cruise, I found them on the menu at the new Aquamar restaurant and Horizons observation lounge.
What I didn’t love about Vista
Nightlife
I failed to find anything serious to critique about Vista, so what I didn’t love about the ship is more about my personality than any real failing of the cruise line.
Evenings on Vista do not offer a variety of pursuits. You can go to a bar, with or without music. You can try your luck at the casino. You can attend the one show each evening, but only if your dinner time allows for it. That’s pretty much it.
My cruise did not offer karaoke night, evening trivia and games, or a pool deck party. I missed the two special-guest acts, a pianist and a guitarist, and the song-and-dance performances by the onboard cast failed to impress. The ship didn’t offer any secondary shows at night — no comedians or musical acts you came to listen to and not talk over.
To be fair, small-ship upscale cruising isn’t about nightlife, and most travelers on Oceania are perfectly content with a long dinner, an evening dancing or drinking in Horizons and an early bedtime. The library does have some board games you can borrow, so consider that as an alternative activity.
Service
One should never judge a ship’s service based on its first sailings when the crew is still getting used to each other and the layout and procedures of a new ship. I mention service solely to answer the question of why Vista isn’t considered a luxury ship.
In terms of hardware, Vista is one fine ship, which rivals the vessels belonging to luxury lines like Silversea Cruises and Seabourn, even nipping at the heels of over-the-top sister line Regent Seven Seas Cruises. It’s in the “software,” so to speak, where the line relegates itself to the upscale sector. And that’s fine.
In addition to not offering truly all-inclusive fares, Vista doesn’t offer the personal, often fawning service you find on true luxury lines. I barely met my room steward. No one offered to carry my plate at the buffet. The chefs weren’t offering to make me dishes off-menu, and on occasion, I had to work to flag down a waiter to bring me a drink. Personally, I’m fine with this level of service, but it does not put Vista in competition with ultra-luxury ships.
The few service issues will improve over time. But Vista, by nature, will never offer the crew-to-guest ratio or over-the-top service levels you’d expect to find on a more expensive cruise line.
Vista cabins and suites
Vista has only eight major cabin and suite types, making cabin selection a relatively straightforward process. Its three main non-suite cabin types – French Veranda, Veranda and Concierge Level staterooms – have identical interior layouts, so you’re really only choosing between perks and exterior space.
New and noteworthy on Vista are Oceania’s first dedicated solo cabins, 270-square-foot balcony cabins with a twin bed, smaller bathroom and slightly narrower design than a regular veranda room. They’re Concierge Level rooms, so solo travelers get extra benefits, such as access to the Concierge Lounge and Aquamar Spa Terrace.
My cabin was a regular Concierge Level room with a private veranda. At 291 square feet, it was the same size as a Veranda room, but with a slightly nicer interior design. (French Veranda rooms are identical to Veranda rooms in design, but where the Veranda cabins have a private balcony, French Veranda rooms have floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open to a railing; you can get fresh air but you can’t step out.)
I was very happy in my Concierge Level room on Vista. Oceania’s Tranquility Beds are some of the best in the business, and I loved falling asleep between a snuggly duvet and 1,000-thread-count sheets. Even better, the bed is flanked by three-drawer nightstands, 100V plugs and USB ports and reading lights.
Storage is decent with a two-door closet, two deep drawers in the desk, two coat hooks on the wall and a few additional shelves. It was the perfect amount of space for me, but I could see how a couple might fight over the drawer space.
The room had a mostly forgettable love seat, other than it looked nice and pulled out into an extra bed. The oval marble table was a perfect size for room service breakfast.
The highlight of the room, in my opinion, was the spacious, marble-tiled bathroom. Here, there was storage in spades: two glass shelves in the large shower, one large drawer and shelf space in the vanity and a corner unit with four deep drawers and three shelves in a mirrored cabinet. The shower had a rain head and a wand on an adjustable mount. The large no-fog mirror lit up at the touch of a button, perfect for putting on makeup.
I also appreciated the comfortable, padded balcony furniture. Standard balconies on Vista come with two upright chairs and a round drinks table, but the cushions made the seating comfier than the mesh-and-metal versions you find on many big-ship cruise lines.
Other thoughtful touches in the room include an electronic thermometer and do not disturb sign touchpad, quiet-close drawers, wooden hangers and carafes of Vero water, plus reusable water bottles to take on tour (to reduce single-use plastic water bottles). The mini fridge was stocked with soft drinks, though my cabin attendant didn’t seem to notice that I was drinking exclusively club soda. You’ll also find the requisite safe and hair dryer (neither of which I used), an umbrella and a shoehorn.
Concierge Level rooms come with extra perks, most of which are useful but not necessary. You get access to the lovely Aquamar Spa Terrace, with its hot tubs, day beds and thalassotherapy pool. You also get access to the Concierge Lounge on Deck 9; I don’t know why you’d want to watch TV in this windowless lounge, but I appreciated the 24/7 drinks and snacks and access to a concierge.
Other amenities include a welcome bottle of Champagne, pashmina-style cashmere lap blankets for use in your cabin and a tote bag. Perks include priority embarkation, lunch and dinner room service from the Grand Dining Room menu (I totally missed this one), priority specialty restaurant reservations, and complimentary laundry (up to three bags), pressing (on embarkation day) and shoeshine service.
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Penthouse Suite on Vista. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY
For those with an urge to splurge, Oceania has four additional suite categories, each with butler service and access to an Executive Lounge. The Penthouse Suites are simply an expanded version of the balcony rooms, with additional closet and seating areas. The Oceania Suites have a full living and dining room, a separate guest or TV room, large balcony, guest bathroom and marble-clad master bath and dressing area. They are mostly found on Deck 12, but two on Deck 11 aft have wraparound corner balconies.
The eight Vista Suites, which I didn’t see, are even bigger than the Oceania Suites and located at the front of the ship, so they have extra-long wraparound balconies. The three Owner’s Suites span the entire aft width of the ship, with two balconies, and are designed by Ralph Lauren Home. A light-filled grand foyer opens onto the living, dining and bar area on one side and the enormous master bedroom with king-sized bed, walk-in closet and generous bathroom with soaking tub and ocean-view shower.
Vista restaurants and bars
Oceania prides itself on being a foodie cruise line, and Vista carries on the line’s tradition with six major dining venues included in the cruise fare, over-the-top extra-fee wine-paired private dinners and a new mixology program that goes above and beyond what its competitors are offering.
It’s hard not to nitpick a line that brags it has “the finest cuisine at sea” (and has even trademarked that tagline). Each meal may not be the best you’ve ever had on a cruise ship, but each meal you have will be solid, with plenty of choice of both where to dine and what to select from the menu. Vista is certainly a ship foodies will appreciate.
Restaurants
I made a point to try every restaurant on board during my weeklong cruise, and it actually took some scheduling to make it happen. It’s a good thing most of Vista’s sailings are 10 days or longer, so you have ample time to sample all the dining venues and even make repeat visits to your favorites.
You are allowed to make at least one advance reservation for each of Vista’s four specialty restaurants — possibly more depending on the length of the cruise and the type of cabin or suite you book. Once on board, you can ask if there’s walk-in availability for additional meals.
The Grand Dining Room is perhaps the most gorgeous main restaurant I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship. The design, with white archways in the center of the room, is also functional; it separates the giant venue into nooks, so it doesn’t have that hotel ballroom feel.
At breakfast, you can order everything from grilled lamb chops and broiled kippers to omelets, pancakes and lighter fare, such as yogurt parfaits. The highlight of the lunch menu is the “Taste of the World” sampler platter themed around a different country each day.
The dinner menu makes three suggestions for themed meals: selections from Jacques Pepin’s namesake French restaurant on Vista’s sister ships, global cuisine and Aquamar Vitality cuisine (ie lighter dishes). Don’t miss the creative Humphry Slocombe ice cream for dessert, with flavors like Elvis the Fat Years and Harvey Milk & Honey Graham.
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Terrace Cafe on Oceania’s Vista. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY
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The Terrace Café is Vista’s buffet venue with indoor and outdoor seating. The stunning wall mosaics set the tone for the sophisticated spread you can sample here. Think daily sushi, an array of fine cheeses, made-to-order omelets, pasta and steaks and premium ice cream (including one Humphry Slocombe flavor at lunch and dinner). The vegetarian options weren’t always the best at the Terrace Café, though it often had gluten-free pasta.
On either side of the Terrace Café are several new and returning casual dining venues that should not be overlooked.
Waves Grill has always been one of my favorite grill venues at sea. Midday, it serves sandwiches, hot dogs, grilled entrees (mahi mahi, cajun chicken) and a huge selection of burgers, including Wagyu, veggie and salmon, in addition to the classic cheeseburger.
In the morning, it offers a downsized breakfast buffet with made-to-order omelets. At night, it transforms into a pizzeria with Italian-style pizza, a burrata menu (do not miss the burrata and tartufo dish) and a sinful Nutella pizza dessert. Pro tip: You can place an order at Waves and ask for your dish to be delivered to your table at the Terrace Café, so you don’t have to choose between the options.
Past Oceania cruisers might wonder where Waves’ famous smoothies and power bowls got to. The answer is Vista’s new “healthy” dining venue, Aquamar, set up on the opposite side of the Terrace Café from the Waves Grill.
In the morning, don’t miss Aquamar’s selection of avocado toast or its freshly made juices, unusual lattes and smoothies. (You haven’t lived until you’ve spiked your morning OJ with turmeric and cayenne pepper.) Energy bowls, banana pancakes and omelets round out the breakfast menu.
The lunch menu at Aquamar is vast. You can order poke-style bowls or compose your own, do a breakfast repeat with omelets and avocado toast, or order sandwiches from around the world, including tuna tacos, falafel pita, a Mexican chicken wrap or an Impossible burger. Wash it all down with a nonalcoholic cocktail that will have you convinced you’re drinking the real thing.
All the previously mentioned restaurants allow you to dine at will, but Vista has four reservations-required dinner spots that are the stars of the show. Three return from sister ships Marina and Riviera, while one is new, replacing French restaurant Jacques.
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Ember restaurant on Oceania’s Vista. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY
The new entrant to Oceania’s food scene is Ember, serving inventive American fare. Though the venue is one of Vista’s signature restaurants, it has a more casual vibe than the others, and meals here don’t take quite as long. Consensus on my sailing is the standout dishes are the spinach and artichoke dip, lobster mac and cheese (with an actual hunk of lobster-in-the-shell on top) and the triple chocolate brownie sundae.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Polo Grill, Vista’s fanciest restaurant, where dinners can take hours. It’s a classic steakhouse in a dimly lit setting with an enormous menu where protein is the star.
While it was perhaps not my favorite dining venue on board, the salmon I ordered was cooked perfectly, so moist and tender that I raved about it for the rest of the cruise. Folks at my table ordered everything from filet mignon to a whole Maine lobster, and everyone was satisfied with their choices.
Also, you may be understandably tempted to order the Polo Quartet of four desserts to finish your meal. I will save you the trouble by telling you the key lime pie is hands down the best of the bunch, and you should order the full-size version and skip the tasting plate.
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Polo Grill on Oceania’s Vista. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY
Toscana is Oceania’s long-standing Italian restaurant, but on Vista, it’s newly enhanced with dishes created by the ship’s godmother, Italian food star Giada De Laurentiis. If you enjoy veal, this is your spot; nearly half of the secondi menu consists of veal dishes (you can also order lamb and roast suckling pig here). I tried Giada’s branzino and wasn’t wowed.
Whatever you order, make sure to order at least one pasta dish with Toscana’s incredible ship-made pasta. You can’t go wrong with Giada’s lemon spaghetti or the pesto gnocchi. If you need to skip dessert at one specialty restaurant, this is where I’d pass … unless you are a die-hard tiramisu fan.
The final specialty restaurant is Red Ginger, a pan-Asian dining experience. Perhaps it’s because I love Asian food, but I have a hard time choosing what to eat at Red Ginger because everything looks so good. You could make a meal on appetizers alone.
To start, try the sushi, duck and watermelon salad or summer rolls. For your main, consider the miso-glazed sea bass, lobster pad thai, bulgogi ribeye steak or red curry chicken. You might think dessert is a non-starter, but the caramel tapioca was tasty, and the soft ice cream with Japanese togarashi is a fun mix of sweet and spicy.
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Red Ginger on Oceania’s Vista. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY
Vista also offers multiple options for intimate or private wine-pairing lunches and dinners on board. They include a wine-pairing lunch at Ember and wine-themed dinners in private dining rooms attached to Toscana and Polo Grill. Hidden between those two restaurants is Privee, another intimate dining room where two special dinners are held: Odyssey (described as a “gustatory journey for the senses”) and the Dom Perignon Experience that pairs special Champagnes with equally special dishes.
But the food options don’t end with the restaurants. The Bakery by Baristas was a popular spot for daily beignets, quiches and pastries. Afternoon tea in Horizons is an Oceania specialty, with your choice of Twinings tea, scones with jam and clotted cream, tea sandwiches and cakes and petits fours all wheeled around in glass carts by formally dressed waiters.
Bars
Vista’s bars are hopping before and after dinner because there’s not much else to do on board at night.
The Martini Bar is the most happening lounge, located near the Grand Dining Room, several specialty restaurants and the casino. A pianist performs here on and off throughout the evening. You can find all your standard mixed drinks here, as well as a special martini menu. At peak times, you might not be able to find a seat.
On the other side of the casino is the Founders Bar, a new concept for Oceania, dedicated to creative craft cocktails. If you like your drinks topped with smoke bubbles, frozen balls of fruit or sprigs of herb or dried fruit slices, this is your spot. Seating is limited, but you can request your drink be delivered around the corner to the Grand Lounge, a stunning scenery area where a classical string quartet plays in the evening.
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Founder Bars on Oceania’s Vista. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY
Be careful — it’s so fun trying out all the crazy concoctions that you might bust your drink budget if you haven’t upgraded to the premium beverage package.
Horizons is the observation lounge at the top of the ship, looking forward. We heard rave reviews of the live band here and some choice words about the resident DJ, but if you want to watch the sunset or get your groove on after deck, Horizons is the bar for you.
Baristas is the coffee bar by day and aperitif bar by night. Get your daytime caffeine fix with Illy espresso, macchiatos, cremas and more, including coffees spiked with booze. After 6 p.m., you’ll find an Italian-influenced list of aperitifs and digestifs (amaretto, Campari, limoncello), as well as wines and cocktails (such as an Aperol spritz or negroni).
The pool bar serves all the daiquiris and coladas you can drink while lounging on Vista’s gorgeous, resort-style pool deck. You can also order drinks at any of the restaurants. Aquamar has a lovely menu of nonalcoholic cocktails, fresh juices, lattes and smoothies.
Vista is also introducing new immersive cocktail experiences for the cruise line, which unfortunately had not yet debuted on my sailing. These will include a customizable Bubbly Bar in Baristas, a Bloody Mary Bar at lunch in the Terrace Café, a Macallan whisky and chocolate pairing, and cocktail-making seminars pairing Brugal 1888 rum with ice cream or tea.
Vista activities and shows
An Oceania cruise is a destination-focused trip, so onboard activities are kept to a minimum. You’ll find trivia contests, spa seminars, casino tournaments and technology classes at the LYNC Digital Center, such as travel photography and photo editing for social media.
Where Oceania excels in onboard activities are with cooking classes and demos in the Culinary Center and art classes at the Artist Loft. Oceania brings on real chefs and working artists to lead the workshops. Sign up as soon as you get on board because these popular classes fill up quickly.
I tried a “drip technique” painting class where we decorated glass plates, and it was a far cry from the watercolor or needlepoint classes you might find on other ships. The two-part class explored a unique technique, and even though I’m not experienced in crafting and my plate looked pretty bad after the first class, the artist knew what he was doing, and my final product was surprisingly good. It’s also a fun way to socialize with other passengers and the artists in residence.
Vista’s culinary center is three times larger than the versions found on sister ships Marina and Riviera. In addition to the test kitchen with 24 individual cooking stations, a second room can be arranged for lectures or even dinners. Classes are themed, often related to the ship’s destination, and yes, you can eat what you cook. They do cost extra; fees start at $79.
On a warm, sunny day, Oceania’s gorgeous resort-style pool deck is the place to be with padded loungers and day beds, a main pool with a wading area around it and a couple of hot tubs. Sporty types should head to the ship’s topmost half decks for an outdoor running track, shuffleboard, croquet/bocce, pickleball, mini-golf and a golf-driving cage.
The Aquamar Spa on Deck 15 offers a barber shop, salon, fitness center with aerobics studio and sauna and steam rooms in the men’s and women’s locker rooms. Concierge Level and suite guests receive complimentary access to the Aquamar Spa Terrace at the front of the ship, with two hot tubs and a thalassotherapy pool.
If it’s cool and rainy, consider decamping to the nook- and book-filled library, where you can borrow games, settle in with your laptop or peruse guidebooks. Baristas is right around the corner. The ship also has the requisite shops selling fine jewelry and logo items.
In the evenings, you can find a singer-pianist in Martinis, a string quartet in the Grand Lounge and a band followed by a DJ in Horizons. I heard great things about Vista’s Music Station Band, but somehow I was always eating dinner when they were performing.
Each night, there’s a show in the Vista Lounge, either a guest performer or a typical cruise ship song and dance show by the onboard performers. One of the new shows on Vista was choreographed by Britt Stewart, a professional dancer who’s worked with “Dancing with the Stars.”
Vista itineraries and pricing
Vista will spend its summers in the Mediterranean and winters in the Caribbean. In fall 2023, the ship will also visit Canada and New England and transit the Panama Canal twice. Cruises range in length from seven to 90 days, but most are one to three weeks in length.
Cruise-only prices start from $1,799 for a French Veranda cabin or $2,049 for the lowest-category balcony room on a seven-night Caribbean cruise. Alternatively, you can choose Oceania’s more inclusive and expensive OLife fares; these start from $2,599 for the French Veranda cabin or $2,849 for a regular balcony room.
The current OLife promotion runs through June 30 and includes round-trip airfare and transfers, plus your choice of four shore excursions, a beverage package or $400 onboard credit per cabin. Starting in July, the line will offer a set of included perks, without the need to choose, but the actual inclusions may change during promotional periods.
What to know before you go
Required documents
The travel documents you need for your Vista cruise are determined by your itinerary and homeports. For most cruises, you will need a passport that is valid for six months after your trip ends. For round-trip sailings out of U.S. homeports, a birth certificate and government photo ID will suffice. It’s up to each passenger to determine if any of the ports of call require additional visas.
When you finish checking in online for your cruise, Oceania will email you a boarding pass that you should print out and bring with you to the terminal.
Gratuities
Crew gratuities are added to your onboard bill and amount to $18 per person, per day, in Concierge-class rooms and below, or $23 per person, per day, in upper-level suites. Gratuities can be prepaid. You are always welcome to tip above the auto-gratuity for exceptional service. All tour guides should be tipped in cash at the end of a tour.
A 20% gratuity is added to onboard bar and spa bills.
Wi-Fi
Vista is one of the first Oceania cruise ships to use Starlink high-speed internet. I can attest to the speed of Oceania’s premium plan after attending a 90-minute Zoom meeting with only the slightest of lag.
Every cabin comes with one free Wi-Fi login (for one device at a time), or you can pay to add additional devices or for the premium plan that accommodates music and video streaming.
Carry-on drinks policy
Passengers can bring up to six bottles of wine per cabin for consumption in their room. If you wish to drink your own wine in a restaurant or public area of the ship, you will need to pay a $25 per bottle corkage fee.
Smoking policy
Vista offers designated areas on the Deck 12 pool deck (forward, starboard corner) and in the smoking lounge on Deck 14 forward, outside Horizons. The latter is a gorgeous space with forest-green walls, but it is entirely indoors. This policy applies to e-cigarettes, pipes and cigars, in addition to regular cigarettes.
Smoking is forbidden everywhere else on board, including in cabins and on private balconies. Passengers who are caught in violation of the smoking policy will be disembarked at the next port of call and may also be required to pay additional fees to cover costs for cleaning or replacing damaged furniture or decking.
Laundry
Vista has complimentary self-service launderettes on decks 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Each is outfitted with a detergent dispenser, washers and dryers, an ironing board and a seating area with a TV if you choose to wait for your load to finish. You can walk away while your load runs, but set a timer because folks will remove your clothes if you don’t pick them up in a timely fashion.
Alternatively, you can pay to send out your clothes to have them washed and/or pressed.
Electrical outlets
Vista’s cabins and suites offer electrical outlets and USB ports on both sides of the bed and by the desk. You’ll find both U.S. 110V and European 220V outlets. Americans may want to bring an adapter for charging devices in public rooms where the outlets are all European-style.
Currency
The onboard currency is the U.S. dollar. The reception desk can change dollars for the local currency.
Drinking age
You must be 21+ to drink alcohol onboard all Oceania cruises. When the ship is in international waters, young adults ages 18 to 20 may purchase and drink beer or wine (as well as the House Select beverage package).
Dress code
Oceania does not have a complicated dress code with specific attire required on certain evenings. Instead, the line suggests “elegant casual resort wear” for evenings and requests that guests do not wear casual jeans, shorts, T-shirts, baseball caps, casual sandals or sneakers in the restaurants after 6 p.m.
For casual dining, choose the Pizzeria or Terrace Café for your evening meal. Shorts and baseball caps are allowed; athletic wear is not.
Elegant casual resort wear translates into date-night dresses (but not full-on cocktail attire), skirts and blouses or dressy pants and tops for women, and collared shirts and slacks for men. Jackets and ties are not required.
During the day, casual attire is fine, but please don’t wear swimwear, bathrobes or pajamas in public areas. You’ll need footwear if you leave the pool deck.
Bottom line
Vista is an elegant mid-size cruise ship that’s the perfect home base for travelers who appreciate dining variety, enjoy interesting cocktails and fine wines and wish to explore the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
Cabins and suites are thoughtfully designed, though, for longer voyages, you might need to take advantage of onboard launderettes as cabin storage might be tight.
Vista offers a high-end experience on a beautifully designed ship, but you’ll have a choice in how you spend your vacation budget rather than paying upfront for all-inclusive fares.
This is the first of a planned series in which I interview friends and family about their attitudes toward money. Most of these will be anonymized (and much shorter). Some will not. This first interview is with Scott Durbin, a member of Imagination Movers, a rock band for kids. This band is an entrepreneurial venture that required a huge leap of faith.
Scott, what made you and the other Movers decide to form a band? And why a band for kids?
Once you get into your 30s, you begin to feel opportunities to be creative evaporating. This time in our lives is often devoted to starting families, working for the company, paying bills to stay above the proverbial water, or working on our various relationships (wife-husband, boyfriend-girlfriend, other). I could get philosophical about the conflict and guilt of doing something seemingly self-indulgent versus being a good father/husband/worker, but let’s save that for another day. Luckily I have an amazing wife!
Several forces led to the founding of the Imagination Movers.
1. First, the guys in the group are very creative fellows. Creativity bubbles to the top given an opportunity.
2. Strangely enough, having families created an environment that allowed us to pool our creativity. That and proximity. When the Movers started, we lived within walking distance from one another. We all started having kids at the same time (minus Smitty who is the Mover without children). Kids have birthday parties. Parents gather. A ritual is established, and instead of going to bars or wherever to hang out with your mates, you’re left with your two-year-old’s birthday party as a means of convening. But it’s all good. These gatherings became the second peice of the puzzle.
3. When you have kids, you are immediately introduced into a foreign culture. You acclimate yourself as best you can, discovering the latest coolest educational toys, kids’ music, enrichment opportunities, places to play or visit, restaurants where kids eat free, any video/audio that might make your kids smarter — the whole kit-n-kaboodle. You discover your children want to listen to something over and over and over and over and over again, so as a survival parent, you want to make sure you can tolerate whatever that music is. This was the third key to development of the Imagination Movers.
4. Meanwhile, my wife has a friend who works at the local PBS affiliate. My wife’s friend often asks me to participate in commercials or promos they do. So there I am dancing for a commercial advertising the station’s fundraiser, a Beer Tasting Fest. The commercial is a hit, so I am receiving a lot of local affiliate PBS love which I put on the shelf for later use. This is a fourth thread. (All these threads will come together, so stay with me.)
5. Finally, I am a huge fan of Mister Rogers and Captain Kangaroo — people who possess a sincere desire to better the lives of their audiences and an almost palpable integrity that assures you they are not full of crap. And on top of that, they are REAL and not cartoons. I love cartoons just as much as the next guy, but heck, you know live action children’s entertainment is needed. A cartoon can only model so far or translate so much. It’s two-dimensional. So when Fred Rogers passed away, I felt called to take his place. Sounds crazy, but that become this nagging gut thing for me. I wanted to create a local kids’ show that treated kids like people and not consumers. This was the last factor in the band’s creation.
So here’s where the threads start coming together:
I mention that I want to start a local kid’s show to my wife’s friend at the local PBS affiliate.
I talk about the idea with my friends (and future Movers) at parties or the local grocery (the neighborhood essentially).
As I begin waxing, I arrive at a name for the show — “Imagination Movers” — and a broad concept that Movers work in the other-worldy land of imagination, and it’s the job of a Mover to bring people good ideas when they have idea emergencies.
I pitch the initial notion to the guys at a party. They’re in. We start writing a treatment/script in the attic of Dave’s house that we plan to pitch to the local PBS station. As we work on the show, music becomes a cornerstone. Rich and Smitty whip out the guitars and jam. Since the first script is about ‘healthy snacks’, most of the songs are in that vein. Well, we start writing songs and sometimes play them at get-togethers. People love the songs. Really love the songs.
We pitch the show to the local PBS affiliate and they love it, but with PBS-type entities, they have NO money. We are disappointed, but everyone loves the songs. So Rich decides to invest in a home studio and we begin recording the music we wrote for the show.
The rest is Mover history.
So why did we become a kids’ band? For the most part, our children/families were where we were, and what we were about, so our songs became part observations of our lives, part honoring our wee ones (and hopefully creating something meaningful for other wee ones), and a sincere desire to be the new Mr. Rogers. But in our case, Mr. Rogers has been divided into four parts, and instead of wearing a cardigan … wears blue coveralls.
What was your family’s financial situation at the time you started the Imagination Movers?
At the time the Movers started, I was entering my sixth year of teaching. Picture if you will, being the ‘bread winner’ on a teacher’s salary. Ahhh, the luxury of it all. My better half worked full time-ish as an office manager for a web firm and was earning a little less than me. Our income, however, was supplemented by a rental property. Even so, we rented to friends and consequently asked for $150 month lower than market value for the area.
Having two wee ones, we were quite honestly living paycheck to paycheck. We had some credit card debt but nothing crazy.
Our biggest financial problem — and this sounds strange — was vacations. Here’s the recurring scenario: we would finally get ourselves into some kind of financial stability and then boom, we would go on a family vacation and put ourselves right back into a mini-hole. Not trying to shift blame from self, but ‘we’ were not as frugal when it came to vacations as we should have been. My wife having been raised in a close knit family that always took summer vacations, was pretty adamant that we take similar family vacations. The problem with vacations is that you’re more apt to splurge thus obliterating your vacation budget. It’s the mentality of saying to yourself, “Hey, we’re on vacation! We won’t be able to do this for awhile or eat this good or whatever.” And soon enough, your food budget no longer exists and you’re stuffing your face with $20 crab cakes. Viva la vacation!
How did starting the Imagination Movers affect your personal finances?
For a while, everything we did was out of personal pocket. As the organic nature of our project began to take root and blossom, it was clear that some kind of real investment needed to be made so our Big Ideas could be realized. That investment was a gut check: it meant we needed to use more of our own money. So began the Movers. Honestly, everything we did — from purchasing blue suits to buying equipment (such as a PA and wireless mics) to investing in a home studio — came from the pockets and sacrifices of Rich, Scott, Dave and Smitty. The great part is that we so believed in what we were doing that money, time and energy aligned themselves and we went into overdrive.
Rich and I were the initial big investors. Dave and Smitty pitched in when possible. Rich took the burden of financing a home studio, which led to the biggest collective cost we faced early on: the creation of our first audio release, Good Ideas. Taking into account the manufacturing of the CDs, paying someone to master them, and PR, we were looking at a few thousand dollars head-on. We didn’t have much disposable income, but we found the money. (I think Smitty sold plasma. I sold balloon animals. Dave panhandeled and Rich washed cars.)
All in all, to get the Movers started, we had to get out the shovel and dig into savings so the machine could begin to turn. Our first big hope was that sales from the CD and early shows would allow us to reap what we sowed. Either we’d get back what we paid into the project, or allow the money we made to lead us to other opportunities. The latter became the yellow brick road.
So to answer your question: my personal savings was hit, parts of my home were converted (putting up shelves for inventory, setting up a network system, getting filing cabinets), and little costs (mailers, paper, postage) sometimes cut to the bone. Instead of buying a six pack or going to a movie, my disposable income went to buying CDs and labels to burn early demo copies for people.
How did you and the other guys feel about this? It sounds to me exactly as if you’ve been starting a business. Do you feel this way too?
We had big ambitions from the start. Although it seemed like a great side project, we secretly treated it as an opportunity to become self-employed and as such worked it like it was a small business. I took on the role as visionary, aspiring to some very lofty goals.
When our demos turned into real products, the fire was lit and we added more goals: creating a coloring book based on one of the songs, printing t-shirts, looking to establish distribution for our burgeoning product line. You name it, and we were plotting it. We even financed a trip to Toy Fair in New York in an attempt to introduce the world to the Movers.
I will say we were smart about resisting investment from outside of the group. Some financial advice we received led us to just say no to third party investors. I remember something about us selling securities in the group if we did so; in other words, we’d be opening ourselves up to a very complicated financial and legal world.
We also had some great friends who encouraged us to form a business plan. Sounds incredible impetuous, but we formed an LLC, met with local business leaders (Idea Village, a business incubator in New Orleans), and started working on goals.
Naturally, guys in the group participated in the project as best they could. Some did much more than others, but we were aware of the sweat equity certain people were giving early on. Rich and I were in working situations that allowed us to devote more time to the project than Dave and Smitty. Dave was working hard as an architect and Smitty as a fireman. We were — and still are — doing something that we loved, so turning it into a business simply allowed us to keep everything on the up and up, as well as kept us organized.
Scott, how did Hurricane Katrina affect the Imagination Movers? How did it affect your personal financial situation?
Katrina, without question, was a reminder of just of fragile we are; how life can turn on a dime with very little warning. Its effects were truly devastating, but with destruction there comes new life and so it was with my family personally and the Movers professionally. First off, Katrina destroyed three Mover homes and most (if not all) possessions. Here is a picture taken near our home a few days after the levees broke.
Keep in mind, most of this water stayed around for days. Sadly enough, photographs, videos of a child’s birth — you name it — met a watery and moldy grave. Actually, it went further than that — it destroyed the neighborhood. The places you went to have coffee, ‘make’ groceries, the church you attended or the school you dropped your kids off were gone. In the blink of a wink, everything you saw for miles became ghost-like. Even today — more than a year plus after — empty houses, lonely streets, lost neighborhoods now whisper for anyone, anything to bring them back to their former selves.
The Mover office was also trashed. Countless CDs, coloring books, musical instruments were ruined. And guess what? The Movers didn’t have insurance. We had liability insurance, but we were so small and Mom-and-Pop-ish that we hadn’t needed more insurance — or so we thought.
Luckily Smitty lived on the West Bank, so although his home experienced minor wind damage, it escaped the destruction. The material things naturally hold memories, but not life and our thoughts focused on the well being of him and others like him soon after Kat hit.
Right after the disaster, everyone was reeling from the new reality we were forced into and for all intent and purpose had not processed the extent to which our lives would change, but we knew at the very least we did have the Movers. In particular, the Movers had two shows booked in Texas, one in Dallas on the Labor Day weekend and another in Plano. With the exception of Smitty (who was knee deep in search and rescue), we all rallied and went to Texas to fulfill our obligation. Quite honestly, no one knew about their jobs or future income or anything. All we could see in front of us was a small payday and so we went with quite honestly the clothes on our back. We had no instruments, no Mover suits — nothing, but we went. And we played. Here is a picture of the Mover suits we used in place of our trademark royal blue ones. Note: Kyle is our ancillary Mover and plays drums for live shows with us.
Life afterwards was surreal. We no longer had a place to live. My family lived with my parents and my brother and his girlfriend in a tiny house with one bathroom in Lafayette, Louisiana (about two hours west of New Orleans). My job as a teacher was in limbo. I spent time in line for food stamps and wondered what queer curiosity tomorrow would bring. All the while I was still a dad and husband and the well-being of my family was paramount to everything I did. I’m sure the rest of the Movers felt the same way.
Personally speaking, my family received help from people we knew and didn’t know. Friends sent us giftcards for bookstores so we could buy the kids books as our wee ones love to read. Other friends and people we didn’t even know sent assistance of clothing and toys and hope. Churches helped. Companies helped. People helped us restore the basics. The Movers too received emails of support and even a guitar was sent. The emails, for the Movers sake, really kept the project going. The simple act of someone somewhere taking the time to share with us how important what we did — musically speaking — meant in the lives of their children (many whom were going through the same situation as us) humbled us. Buckled our knees. We knew. We knew we had to continue despite the overwhelming sense of powerlessness we all felt.
All in all, looking back, I am a better person. Though I wouldn’t wish the ordeal on anyone — the goodwill (and Godwill) of so many showed taught me about selflessness and how truly to give of the heart. As for my personal financial situation, well I was unceremoniously dumped from my position as a teacher in an independent school in New Orleans. I hold no grudges but wished they would have done it with a little more humanity and compassion. It was a phone call and a FedEx package. Either way, no job meant no income and no health insurance. My wife had to go to work full time so we could have health insurance. Our situation was so transformed that we were unaware of what might happen next (food stamps, unemployment, ect). Lots of ‘what ifs’ came along. Lots of ‘how did we get here.’
On the good side, the reality of our immediate financial situation was: we forced ourselves to save, to tore up those proverbial nuts for winter. Some pluses included no longer having to pay some of our bills: electric, cable, water, etc. We did receive some emergency funds from Red Cross, FEMA and some monies from of our insurance companies. All in all, our financial situation was made very clear to us: the ins and outs of our money was front-and-center and we were forced to deal with our financial situation head on. Credit card debt — what to do about mortgage payments on a home we no longer lived in — paying rent, too — you name it. We dealt with how we were going to handle it, especially having lost my salary.
Since I had no job, the Movers became a full time gig. As it did with Rich and then later with Dave. Any reason we had not to jump headfirst into this venture disappeared and so we signed with Disney. What a crazy juxtaposition that is — you sign a deal with Disney and you still are having difficulty making ends meet. Most people believed we were rich once the Disney deal came — biggest misnomer you could ever imagine. Hopefully our financial situation will improve, but the fact is: reality and perception are clearly two different things. Our main source of income is not Disney. Instead it was and is playing live. It’s our favorite thing to do and so we do it — right now to survive financially and emotionally. As a sidebar: Major props to Music Rising as it was a Godsend. Without it, the Movers would be instrument-less.
It’s now been a year since Katrina. How are things now with the band? With your financial situation?
A year plus removed from Katrina, it seems everyone yearns for routine and normality. My life now is spent in a city two hours west of New Orleans. I am the only Mover who has not returned to NOLA. My family sold our house after having sat on it, hoping the city and state would give us reason to reinvest and rebuild. Translation: a plan of some kind or another. Unfortunately, they have failed miserably in my humble opinion. The local leadership has become invisible and crime has riddled a city in desperate need of hope.
The world wonders why the Saints meant so much to the city of New Orleans. The inside scoop: a simple football team allowed the city to be one, regardless of color or creed or financial state. It allowed all people to smile and be hopeful because the city itself didn’t offer those commodities.
Back to the Movers — We’ve been fortunate to have videos rolling on Playhouse Disney so it does raise our profile. We’ve been working our tales off to make half of what we were making as professionals: architect, journalist and teacher — so we could make this dream come true. Sidebar: Smitty still works as a fireman in New Orleans. Shows you our true reality. Even with that said, we have opportunity and that is all we can ask for. We finished a pilot presentation (we felt was incredible) and five new videos which will hopefully air soon. All of the filming was shot in LaPlace (which can be considered Greater New Orleans to some). We felt humbled to know that an idea we created was now employing 75-ish people, most of whom were from the local area. Good story. Gives you lumps in your throat.
As I type this, I really have no idea what the future holds — financial or otherwise. I just hope I can make my next payment! Money is, after all, like all the things lost in Katrina: it comes and goes. A person defined by money gets short-changed by life. Family and friends are what make life special.
Thanks to Scott for sharing his story. Look for more money interviews with other real people in the coming months.
To date, the Imagination Movers have released the following:
Compact Discs Good Ideas (2003), Calling All Movers (2004), Eight Feet (2005) DVDs Stir it Up (2005)
Want to hear what the Movers sound like? Here’s a song called “My Favorite Snack”. This song is popular among both the kids and parents we hang out with. You can find more mp3s for download at the Imagination Movers site.
Scott reports that the group has a brand new CD coming out on a major label in March. Want to hear what the Movers sound like? Here’s a song called “Clean My Room” that — among other things — reminds me of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion”. You can find more mp3s for download at the Imagination Movers site.
Thanks to Scott for sharing his story. It’s a great example of the need for emergency funds and the realities of entrepreneurship (and making money from hobbies). I hope to do more money interviews in the future. I’m exploring the idea of making these podcast-based. If you have any thoughts on this, drop me a line.
You’ve probably had to exchange foreign currency when traveling to another country, whether you were on a vacation or a business trip. And you likely realized it can be expensive.
Though you typically have to pay fees to access foreign currency, it’s worthwhile to learn how to do so for as little money as possible. Just knowing the ropes can help you shave down the moolah you pay to get a supply of euros, yen, or pesos.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
• Where can you convert currency?
• How can you get a good rate of exchange on converting currency?
• What are the best and worst places to convert currency?
The Benefits of Exchanging Foreign Currency
Though many places will accept credit cards overseas, it can still be useful to convert your dollars to foreign currency. Here’s why:
• There may be places that only accept cash, such as when you buy food at markets, haggle for souvenirs, or shop at stores that don’t accept any other form of payment.
• Having some cash is a great backup form of payment in case you run across issues with your credit card.
• Cash can be a helpful way to create a budget while traveling. Say, if you give yourself $30 a day for food, having that cash in your pocket can help you avoid going overboard vs. swiping too much with a credit card. That can keep your budget in balance.
• Exchanging foreign currency also gives you the potential advantage of avoiding currency conversion fees and staying within your vacation budget. For instance, some international retailers give you the opportunity to pay in local or your own country’s currency. If you choose the latter, you may get a poor exchange rate.
By exchanging foreign currency ahead of time, you may be able to avoid paying more than necessary and better take advantage of more favorable exchange rates.
Finding Places to Exchange Currency
Now, for the question of where to exchange currency: In general, the best places to exchange foreign currency are locations you can visit before you head to the airport.
Banks and Credit Unions
Most major commercial banks will have foreign currency available for you to exchange. Your bank may only charge you the exchange rate and no additional fees depending on the currency you want to exchange. In this case, you may nab the most cost-effective method to exchange currency.
Your financial institution may offer several ways to request foreign currency — online, over the phone, or at your local branch.
Not all banks keep every possible currency on hand (and the same holds true for credit unions), so you may need to do some advance planning. It could take several business days to exchange currency.
Recommended: What Is a Foreign Currency Bank Account?
Withdrawing Cash Before You Leave On a Trip
It may be a good idea to have some cash on hand to exchange as you need it while traveling, especially if you’re unsure of how much you need. Keep in mind that you may have fewer options for saving on fees.
However, if you convert cash as you need it, you won’t be stuck wondering what to do with leftover foreign currency after you return home.
Another option is to withdraw cash in local currency at ATMs overseas. Ask your bank if it has any fee-free ATMS in international locations. If not, double-check to see if there are any fees, and what foreign exchange rate you may be subject to. Depending on what you learn, it could be a smart move and be a good solution to where to convert currency.
Online Currency Conversion
The last answer to “Where can I exchange currency” is with online currency conversion companies. Many offer competitive fees and exchange rates. Some may only charge you the mid-market rate — known as the “true” exchange rate or what banks charge each other. Conversion fees may be a flat rate or a percentage of the amount you exchange.
These services, like Travelex, may make cash available at their bricks-and-mortar locations or get funds to you at home.
Another advantage of online currency conversion companies is the convenience. In many cases, you may be able to initiate a currency conversion 24/7. You may also be able to receive the foreign currency as soon as within a few minutes.
If you choose to go this route, compare fees and exchange rates to see what the best fit is for your situation.
Recommended: How to Deposit Foreign Currency in Your Bank Account
Worst Ways to Exchange Foreign Currency
Now that you know where to exchange currency, take a closer look at some places to avoid, where converting currencies can wind up being more expensive than necessary.
Airport Kiosks
Exchanging your cash at kiosks at the airport usually results in some of the highest fees and less favorable exchange rates out of all the options mentioned above. However, they can be a convenient option, especially if you weren’t to exchange any currency ahead of time.
Prepaid Debit Cards
Though it depends on the prepaid debit card you choose, you may be able to use this kind of plastic outside the U.S. at international ATMs. If you do, however, you may be subject to fees such as third-party ATM fees and foreign transaction fees. Plus, the foreign currency exchange rate may not be great.
Some foreign currency conversion services may offer these cards; again, check fees and rates to see if this is a good deal.
Local Currency Conversion Kiosks
You may find currency exchange kiosks at highly-trafficked tourist attractions or even your hotel. Like airport kiosks, they’re a convenient place to exchange currency, but you could be paying high fees and facing lower than average exchange rates.
Alternatives to Exchanging Foreign Currency
Instead of exchanging cash and using it while traveling, you might use your credit or debit card if you’re traveling to another country.
Using Your Credit Card On Trips
When using your credit card overseas, try to choose one that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. That way, you’re not paying more fees than necessary. As mentioned above, choose to pay with your credit card in local currency to avoid paying more fees. (There is also the option of international credit cards you might explore.)
You’ll probably also want to avoid using your credit card for a cash advance during your trip. In most cases, you’ll end up paying a cash advance fee and interest starts to accrue immediately.
Before going on your trip, make sure to notify your credit card issuer or bank of your plans. That way, they don’t accidentally deny your transaction believing it’s fraudulent. Fortunately, though, credit card protection likely covers you if you are scammed while traveling.
Using Your Debit Card in a Foreign Country
Debit cards are typically backed by Mastercard or Visa, brands which are known around the world. You may find that you are able to use your debit card for transactions when traveling, especially where those brands are welcomed. Your debit card may also help you withdraw cash from an ATM internationally.
The Takeaway
Exchanging foreign currency before you go on your trip is most likely your best option as it tends to offer the best fees and exchange rates. Using your credit card is also great, either as a backup, or if you want fraud protection. Whichever option you choose, shop around to ensure you’re getting the best fees and rates.
Working with your bank is the best way to ensure you’re financially sound when you go on your trip. And having the right banking partner will also keep you in good shape every day when you’re home. A SoFi Checking and Savings account — though it doesn’t currently offer foreign currency exchange — has plenty of features designed to help you maximize your hard earned dollars. This includes no account fees, automatic saving features, and a competitive annual percentage yield (APY). Plus, you’ll spend and save in one place, which can simplify your money management.
Better banking is here with up to 4.20% APY on SoFi Checking and Savings.
FAQ
Do banks exchange foreign currency?
Yes, most banks will exchange foreign currency. However, the types of foreign currency available will differ from one bank to another. Your financial institution may need a few days to get the currency you need.
Is it better to go to a bank or currency exchange?
In general, it’s usually better to go to a bank because you may not have to pay conversion fees depending on the currency. However, currency exchanges may also offer competitive currency exchange rates.
Where can I change currency for free?
When wondering “Where can I exchange currency?” one place where you may be able to do so for free is at your bank. This, however, will depend on the currency and your bank’s policy.
The SoFi Bank Debit Mastercard® is issued by SoFi Bank, N.A., pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated and can be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Mastercard is a registered trademark, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.
Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances. SoFi members with direct deposit can earn up to 4.20% annual percentage yield (APY) interest on Savings account balances (including Vaults) and up to 1.20% APY on Checking account balances. There is no minimum direct deposit amount required to qualify for these rates. Members without direct deposit will earn 1.20% APY on all account balances in Checking and Savings (including Vaults). Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 4/25/2023. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners. SOBK0223015
Who needs a vacation? You do! The average American has almost 10 unused vacation days sitting around, according to a recent Qualtrics survey. Why donât we take those days off that we earned? There are a variety of reasons, such as work deadlines, childcare issues, and, of course, moneyâ¦or lack thereof. Travel can get expensive, […]
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