Lifecruiser » Travel Accessories

How To Choose a Credit Card for International Travel

Lifecruiser — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:40:37 +0000

International travel is amazing, rewarding, intellectual, and ahem expensive. Don’t add to what you’re already spending by traveling with the wrong credit cards. As it turns out, you need to have the right plastic for foreign travel. Even though the credit cards you own will be accepted in foreign lands, they’re likely going to cost you more than you want to spend.

Foreign Transaction Fees

The small print is where they get you. You’re likely already familiar with the Interbank Exchange Rate. If not, allow me to break it down for you. The Interbank Exchange Rate is the exact reason you want to use a credit card while traveling internationally. It garners you a better rate for things like hotels and dining. It’s a much better exchange rate than if you were exchanging cash.

So, what’s the problem? Well, this is where the small print comes in. The card may be garnering you a better exchange rate, but it may also be charging a foreign transaction fee – something many people don’t realize they’re being charged. According to financial expert, David Seaman, this fee is typically 3% – 4% of what you’ve spent. This may not seem like a lot, but according to Seaman, “if you spend $200 or $300 in a weekend, that added fee begins to pile up rapidly.”

The Right Card Makes All the Difference

So, how can international travelers protect themselves? It’s essential to have peace of mind while traveling abroad, but if you’re constantly worried about hidden fees, it’s nearly impossible. The secret is traveling with the right credit card, one that’s designed for international travel and one that doesn’t have any hidden fees.

So, how can one locate the perfect card for the trip? Theta Tau, a co-ed engineering fraternity and a philanthropic sponsor of NerdWallet, offers a solution to this problem. Users can visit the site and use the comprehensive tool to search a database of quality credit cards.

Nerdwallet’s tool will only populate the cards you want: cards based on rewards, with cash back options, best interest rates, and so much more. That way, you only get credit cards that are relevant to your situation. You can read through a card’s information, deciding if it’s the right card for foreign travel or not. Look for cards that are specifically designed for travel and it’s likely you’ll be treated to the best rates.

Travel Perks

So, you’ve found some cards that don’t feature those annoying foreign transaction fees. Now, it’s time to narrow down your selection to the absolute right card. This all depends on your preferences. For instance, if you love to dine out on vacation, you’ll want a card that rewards you for eating out. If you prefer cash back bonuses, go with the card with the highest cash back percentage.

Other options include:

• Bonus airline miles
• Sign-up bonuses
• Low APR or no annual fees
• Affinity programs (typically used for business travel)
• Store-specific cash back cards

Preparing Your Card for Travel

When you’ve finally narrowed down your selection, applied, and been approved for a credit card, you’ll want to contact your credit card company and prepare the card for travel. Let your credit card company know where you’ll be traveling and using the card. This will ensure they don’t freeze the card due to fraud suspicion.

If you’re planning on backpacking your way through a few countries, let your credit card company know which countries the card will be used in. This is going to ensure your vacation is all fun and no fuss over fees.

Extra caution: If you are traveling solo, make sure you have an extra backup card in case of a damaged card or if it does not work for any other reason. We have experienced it several times, certain card not working in certain places while working excellent in others.

Lifecruiser Love Trip Preparations

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Exploration Adventures on a Motorcycle

Lifecruiser — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:14:54 +0000

Taking your motorcycle out for a drive through some of the beautiful landscapes across the country is an experience not easily forgotten or ignored, but before you head out, you should make sure that you’re prepared.

When you’re headed for a scenic drive, it’s important to have adventure motorcycle accessories with you to really make your experience worthwhile. Having these with you will definitely improve the time you’re having and make everything much easier and safer.

If you’re the exploring type, be sure to invest in a good GPS navigation system for your bike. There are quite a good number on the market now that they’ve peaked from luxury device to mobile necessity but make sure you’ve got one that is specifically made for motorcycles. These types of GPS devices will be able to better stand the elements and they have certain features that normal automobile GPS’s don’t have, such as more intricate points of interest.

Unless you’ve got a bike where the GPS has already been installed for you, you’re going to need some kind of mounting fixture in order to keep it on the front. Mounts are available for pretty much every device you could think of from radar detectors to cell phones and they’re easy to install and are quite affordable.

Some people seem to think you can’t take a ride on your bike if the weather isn’t exactly perfect but that doesn’t have to be the case if you accessorize properly. Not only can you purchase heated vests and gloves to wear during your trip, but you also have the option of getting warm seats and handgrips. With the heating elements protecting you from the cold, you’ll be able to travel more and for longer periods of time, giving you extra time to explore before you’re forced to turn back.

A windshield is still considered an accessory although it’s probably one of the most significant pieces of equipment you can install on your bike. Windshields go without saying as they’re going to do a lot of good when it comes to keeping the wind and rain out of your face as you zip down the highway.

Likewise, make sure that you’ve got a helmet with a visor attached. While they might not be necessary in the nicer months of the year, it’s still important to have one available in case you end up in a patch of rain or snow. It will help keep the elements from burning or chapping your skin and it will keep things out of your eyes.

If you plan on traveling with someone else, you might benefit from some type of Bluetooth system on your bike or inside your helmet. These help you communicate with one another more effectively and it will be a literal life saver if you find yourself in need of emergency assistance. A lot of them are voice activated so you needn’t even take your hands off the handles in order to speak to the person on the other end of the line.

Nothing beats the feel of being on a motorcycle and the smell of fresh air as you drive on the open road, but if you really want to make it more enjoyable, make sure you’re outfitted with the best accessories you can buy. They’ll keep you safe and they’ll let you have more fun.

Lifecruiser Love Roadtrips

Perfect Wallpaper For Travelers

Lifecruiser — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 16:53:59 +0000

The last year I seem to stumble upon so many travel related home interior details or products, so now I’ve really begun to look for them. Here you can see what might be the perfect wallpaper for travelers, or what do you say?

At least it’s quite colorful and might give you lots of travel ideas and temptations since it’s quite full of travel related details….

I guess it will be a little too much if you decide to put it up on a larger wall, but as a back wall or maybe just one wallpaper gore it would be rather cool!

©Lifecruiser Love Travel Wallpapers

Travel Accessories: Red Vintage Suitcase

Lifecruiser — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:26:43 +0000

Some times when out shopping, you may stumble upon something that is hard to resist to buy: this time it was a very retro cool vintage travel suitcase in a second hand shop in Stockholm City. Oh, it was so tough to resist! Only 275 SEK…

Though I was convinced by hubby that we have very new suitcases, plus our old ones, so we really don’t need another one. Besides that we were in a hurry so not much time to think about it. We bought no suitcase. Afterward I almost did regret it… *sigh*

I know, it’s not beautiful and perhaps not even so very practical, but I really love the idea of travelling around with such an old suitcase, probably from the sixties or seventies.

I doubt that anyone would want to steal it either – or take the wrong suitcase at the airport, so that would be a huge plus, don’t you think…?

©Lifecruiser Love Vintage Suitcases

Other suitcase related posts by Lifecruiser:

Photo: Vintage Leather Suitcase
Swedish American Line Marked Vintage Suitcase
The Perfect birthday gift: a new suitcase for a trip

Europe Trip Preparations: Video Camera GoPro Hero 2

Lifecruiser — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:01:17 +0000

Our trip preparations before our long Europe road trip of approximately 750 km this summer continues. Now we got a new video camera, an action video camera actually: a GoPro Hero 2 Outdoor Edition. Small, effective, practical and very outdoorsy.

Photo taken with my iPhone, not very good but you get the picture – how small it is (2.4 x 1.6 x 1.2 inches ), when you look at that suction cap in the front which is HUGE comparing to the mini video camera! The size is why we were interested in the first place.

As they say themselves at their website:

Wearable and gear mountable, waterproof to 197? (60m), capable of capturing professional full 170º wide angle 1080p video and 11 megapixel photos at a rate of 10 photos per second, the HD HERO2 is the world’s most versatile camera.

It can even handle under water filming though there seem to be a loss of sharpness with underwater images according what I’ve read on the internet about it. There is also another con: it’s difficult to aim without a LCD…

We’re not exactly sports-persons in the true meaning of that word, but we will nevertheless try on the Head Strap in some situations.

©Lifecruiser Love Europe Trip Preparations

Earlier post about Lifecruiser Europe Trip 2012:

Europe Trip Preparations: Double Trip Packing
Europe Trip Preparations: Camera Gears
Europe Trip Preparations: New Notebook PC
Another meetup for the Europe road trip
Europe Trip Preparations: Champagne Coolbox Snacks
New car for the Europe trip
Europe Trip 2012 Summery
Europe Trip Accommodations
Mapped Europe Roadtrip Route 2012 by Lifecruiser
Routes and stays booked for our Europe trip 2012
Planning our Europe trip 2012

Europe Trip Preparations: Double Trip Packing

Lifecruiser — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 21:09:27 +0000

Now we have come to the most boring part of preparations before going on a trip: to pack all your stuff for a long trip! When being away for so long as a month with various weather conditions as well as activities, one need to pack wise. This time we had two different trips to pack for at the same time!

Soon we’re going on a month long stay at our summer paradise island Fårö, Gotland (Sweden) and then we’re only at home one day before leaving for another one month long road trip (at least 7500 km) in Europe with our own car.

Since our summer island is more casual than our Europe road trip will be, we needed to pack our stuff for the Europe trip BEFORE we decided what to bring to our summer island.

Luckily we now have extra suitcases we bought recently, so we did pack them with our clothes and stuff we need for Europe and the clothes left over was packed in the old suitcases.

Then we will let the new suitcases stand here in our apartment already packed while we’re away, so we will be ready to almost turn in the door for the next trip…

©Lifecruiser Love Europe Trip Preparations

Earlier post about Lifecruiser Europe Trip 2012:

Europe Trip Preparations: Camera Gears
Europe Trip Preparations: New Notebook PC
Another meetup for the Europe road trip
Europe Trip Preparations: Champagne Coolbox Snacks
New car for the Europe trip
Europe Trip 2012 Summery
Europe Trip Accommodations
Mapped Europe Roadtrip Route 2012 by Lifecruiser
Routes and stays booked for our Europe trip 2012
Planning our Europe trip 2012

Europe Trip Preparations: Camera Gears

Lifecruiser — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:22:03 +0000

Yet another Europe trip preparation: getting my camera up and ready to shoot breathtaking (hopefully!) travel photos from different countries and places during our long Europe trip. At least the scenery will be breathtaking, my photos might not be as good as the live version…

Photo of my camera above taken with my iPhone, it is a Canon DSLR. A Canon EOS 600D with a Sigma AF 70-300/4-5.6 DG OS lens, a new UV-filter (to protect), new lens cap with a holder (I lost the original almost at once *sigh*) plus a new extra battery too.

I almost always end up buying my camera gears at cyberphoto.se. No, I’m not paid to say that, it’s just how it is. They always have everything I’m searching for plus that I love their honest test reviews and ratings.

My camera equipment fits in a smaller Golla Generation Mobile camera bag. As little as possible to carry is my photo philosophy, because I get severe neck pain otherwise.

No extra memory card? No, because we will have our Canon Powershot S5 IS plus Canon Ixus 80 IS with several memory cards with us too – and we also have our mobile cameras, an iPhone 4S (which camera I’m very pleased with!) and a HTC Incredible S.

On top of that we plan to backup our photos to both Flickr and Lifecruiser’s new Travel Notebook PC.

If we lose any photos anyway: then we have to do this trip all over again, won’t we? Ha ha…

Earlier post about Lifecruiser Europe Trip 2012:

Europe Trip Preparations: New Notebook PC
Another meetup for the Europe road trip
Europe Trip Preparations: Champagne Coolbox Snacks
New car for the Europe trip
Europe Trip 2012 Summery
Europe Trip Accommodations
Mapped Europe Roadtrip Route 2012 by Lifecruiser
Routes and stays booked for our Europe trip 2012
Planning our Europe trip 2012

Europe Trip Preparations: New Notebook PC

Lifecruiser — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 18:25:03 +0000

There has been a lot of preparations of all sorts for our long Europe roadtrip we’re going to do this summer. The latest one was to get a small Notebook (Ultrabook) PC to travel with, as slim as possible but yet with a great harddrive space to store our travel photos.

We went with a Samsung NP305U1A-A02 at the reasonable cost of 3990 SEK (approx $570 or €444), mainly because it’s slim (1" thick), light-weighted (1.21 kg) and still has 500 GB harddrive to store all our travel photos along the way. I’m planning to both save the photos on the hard drive and upload them to Flickr as a backup along the way too.

The graphic is not for a serious game player, but we won’t be playing, we will be out sightseeing…

Not the fastest processor; AMD Dual Core E-450 1.65GHz, but fast enough for checking email, blogging, editing a few photos. 4 GB Memory, with the possibility to exchange it for an 8 MB instead. LCD – 11.6″ HD LED Display (1366 x 768), which we find fully satisfying for our use of it.

High speed Bluetooth, Wireless LAN – 802.11bg/n, Wired Ethernet LAN – 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN, 3 USB-ports, 1.3 megapixel HD Webcam to use together with Skype to keep in contact with family and friends.

We also got a slim case for it and an extern small mouse (see the photo). Yes, we like to have a mouse and not use the touchpad. We both get tensions in our shoulders and neck if not using a mouse. Old fashioned perhaps, but that’s the truth.

Earlier post about Lifecruiser Europe Trip 2012:

Another meetup for the Europe road trip
Europe Trip Preparations: Champagne Coolbox Snacks
New car for the Europe trip
Europe Trip 2012 Summery
Europe Trip Accommodations
Mapped Europe Roadtrip Route 2012 by Lifecruiser
Routes and stays booked for our Europe trip 2012
Planning our Europe trip 2012

Cruise Bag plus Camera

Lifecruiser — Sun, 13 May 2012 19:35:21 +0000

We have been very busy lately with different kind of trip preparations. Not only for our Europe trip this summer, but also this weekend with some preparations before our cruise this week from Stockholm, Sweden to St. Petersburg, Russia. This is my packed bag plus camera bag.

We also have our most festive clothes in a small kind of wardrobe trunk for protection against wrinkles. Yes, we’re going to dress up and have at least one very festive dinner aboard the cruise ship. (Hint: hubbys birthday is the 17th May!)

We leave home Monday afternoon, the ship departures at 07.00pm. I’ll set Lifecruiser Travel blog with scheduled auto-posts.

Europe Trip Preparations: Champagne Coolbox Snacks

Lifecruiser — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:06:22 +0000

The preparations for our 7500 km long Europe roadtrip this summer is continuing. We needed a convenient way to keep our Champagne bottles and yummy snacks cool during the hot climate in the countries we’re visiting. We found the perfect one for our Skoda Yeti, surprisingly not: at Skoda Stockholm.

Yes, of course we had to test it at once, putting some yummy snacks to go with the two Champagne bottles. We noticed that the cooler worked very well already at the short time we did have it on. Perfect!

We will hardtest this cooler during our month-long roadtrip, from Stockholm, Sweden through many countries in the hot summer month of August. Our goal is Provence, France and we know by experience that it’s hot there at that time of the year.

.. and we had to have some fun too – look at this other photo below and you’ll understand….

This was another cheap Ferrari though….lol… Our Skoda Yeti is almost Ferrari red funny enough. And our favorite Skoda service adviser is Alexander…

I hope he likes this celebrate of his name!

Earlier post about Lifecruiser Europe Trip 2012:

New car for the Europe trip
Europe Trip 2012 Summery
Europe Trip Accommodations
Mapped Europe Roadtrip Route 2012 by Lifecruiser
Routes and stays booked for our Europe trip 2012
Planning our Europe trip 2012