 1 Tips about traveling by air, with an emphasis on saving money
 2 Exchanging Currency
 3 Credit Card Voucher Offers

Standard Trickes: Advance Booking Discounts Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel. (Meals and beverages also have to be loaded.) Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on business, and therefore the business is paying for it. People flying for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can't afford the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline's advantage to set rates according to the major differences between business and leisure travelers: o Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure travelers can fly offpeak hours. o Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas leisure travelers plan trips well in advance. o Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday night), whereas leisure travelers do. So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days, 21 days or 30 days in advance. Such fares are known as excursion, discount, or supersaver fares. For example, US domestic excursion fares require that you buy your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that you stay over a weekend (usually Saturday night, though sometimes Sunday night as well). Some may also restrict the travel to a 30-day maximum stay. Stopovers aren't allowed, except for the purpose of connection (if you want a stopover, you'll have to pay extra). Some fares may be limited to a particular routing (e.g., routes with connections cost less than nonstop flights). You may also be limited to flying during offpeak hours, with flights during the busiest times of the day costing more. Tickets are usually non-refundable and non-transferable, and may either be non-changeable or have a $35 change fee. The price is usually the average of the two one-way tickets. (E.g., a 2-week advance PGH/BOS advance ticket is around $200 this way.) Tickets must be purchased within 24 hours of the reservation. For international excursion fares, also known as apex fares, you must book at least 21 days in advance of the flight, and you may have to purchase the tickets at the time of the reservation. Minimum stay is usually 7-10 days, and maximum stay can range from 3 months to a year. Midweek travel (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) is usually cheaper. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Fares often depend on the seasons. Since a regular 1-way ticket is so much worse than a round-trip excursion fare, it sometimes pays to buy a round-trip ticket and throw away the other half (if you're only going one way). If you buy a round trip ticket and throw away the other half, make the first leg of the trip the destination, since some airlines will cancel the return trip if you don't show up for the first leg. If you intend to skip ONE leg of a multi-leg flight, tell this to your reservation agent in advance, so that they can annotated your PNR to prevent subsequent legs from being cancelled. (Note: You can't use this technique to exploit a "hidden city" fare. You'll have to have a very good reason for skipping a leg for the travel agent to allow it, and you may have to pay a different fare to do so.) For example, a round-trip to San Francisco from Pittsburgh with a one-night stayover is $1,333. However, the cost of a Saturday night stayover is only $479 if you order the ticket a week or two in advance. Purchasing two round trip tickets, one originating from Pgh and one from SF, and then using one half of each round trip ticket saves you $375. Note that for many airlines the discount fares depend solely on the date of the first leg of the trip. The price does not vary no matter when the return flight is (so long as you stay over a Saturday night). You could buy a flight with one leg in March and the return in November, and it would cost the same as if the return was in March. For some of the lowest fares, however, there is now a 30-day maximum stay. Staying more than 30 days often increases the fare by about 25%. If you travel on offpeak hours and low volume days, the rates are cheaper. Thus to guarrantee a low cost flight, you have to be very flexible about where you are going, what time and day you are leaving, and how long you want to stay. Offpeak hours typically include before 7am, between 10am and 2pm, and after 7pm, depending on the day of the week. Also important is when you make the reservation. If you make the reservation for an offpeak flight during the peak season (say, make a reservation for February just before Thanksgiving), you may be charged the peak rates. After the holidays some airlines lower their discount fares to attract customers. So you may be able to get a better fare by making your reservation right after the holidays. If you notice that the fare for your flight has been lowered after you bought the ticket, try calling the airline. Sometimes they will refund the difference between the price you paid and the lower fare. (You may have to go to the airport to get the ticket rewritten at the lower fare.) You may have to pay a $35 to $50 reticketing fee to get the refund, but some airlines have been known to waive the fee if you get the money back in the form of a voucher (to be applied to future travel) instead of cash. For example, USAir will refund the difference less a service charge, or give a travel voucher (credit) for the difference with no service charge. According to a Wall Street Journal article by James S. Hirsch, (July 30, 1993) many airlines now test fare increases by raising prices on the weekend (Friday night through Sunday night). If other airlines don't match the increases, the fares return to normal on Monday. So you should be careful when purchasing tickets on the weekend. (This works around the Justice Department consent decree that prevents airlines from signalling proposed fare increases in the computer reservation systems. When the competitors didn't match the increase, the airlines would cancel the increase before it took effect. With the new method, since it affects current prices, it technically isn't price-fixing.) Hirsch also reported that many airlines have increased the $25 charge for changing advanced purchase tickets to $30 or $35. Note that this is often a minimum fee -- you'll probably have to pay the full difference in price if the new ticket price is much higher. Airlines are using these measures to discourage passengers from buying tickets during a fare war and later changing the time of flight or destination. If you go to one of the airline's ticket agents (not a travel agent), some airlines will reissue a ticket at the lower fare without fee if the difference is refunded in the form of a voucher for future travel. In addition to the Saturday night stay requirement, many airlines now give additional discounts for travel midweek (usually Tuesday and Wednesday, sometimes Thursday) when a Saturday night stay is involved. Some also provide discounts for travel on Saturdays. Flights usually aren't fully booked on these days. For example, Northwest discount coupons recently had this restriction. Most leisure travelers like to travel Sunday-Sunday, or at least not miss a large part of the week. Business travelers, of course, don't like to stay over the weekend. When making your reservation through an airline ticket agent or through a travel agent, always ask for the lowest possible fare. Don't just give them specific dates/times and ask them for a low fare -- tell them that your plans are flexible, and you'd like to know what the low fare is. If you're too specific on the flight details, and don't say that you're looking for the cheapest possible fare, you might not get the best price. Sometimes by departing on a different day, you can get a much cheaper fare

[2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier If you live in a hub city, where the airport is monopolized by a single carrier, you can usually get nonstop service to most destinations. Unfortunately, you'll probably also be paying exorbitant prices for that service. Airlines only provide good prices for competitive markets -- those serviced by multiple carriers. If they are the main carrier in a given market, they keep the prices high, and will even (arrogantly) refuse to match prices with other carriers. The other national carriers might have one or two gates at this airport. If so, you may find them offering cheaper fares than the monopoly carrier. There is, however, one drawback to this. Since your airport isn't one of their hubs, the flights they offer will almost always involve first flying you to their closest hub, and getting a connection there -- even if their hub is in the opposite direction from your destination. On the other hand, if their hub is your ultimate destination, then you're in luck. There is another workaround to dealing with a hub carrier. If there's another major airport within an hour or two drive from your home, you could fly out from there. (The same thing is true of using frequent flyer certificates for free travel. If there's no seats available on the days you're interested in from your local airport, try another airport nearby. Also, sometimes regular air fares may be cheaper out of an airport in a different city. If driving 100 miles saves you $300, isn't it worth the bother?)
[2-13] Hub Cities Try to avoid hub cities. For example, since USAir's hub is Pittsburgh, they have a virtual monopoly on flights to PGH, so if you're so unlucky as to be flying to Pittsburgh, the rates are not cheap. Occasionally you may be able to take a flight which makes a stop or connection at Pittsburgh, and walk off the plane in Pittsburgh (i.e., a ticket from Boston to Cleveland on a plane which makes a stop in Pittsburgh might be cheaper than a ticket from Boston to Pittsburgh on the same plane). This only works when you can carry on all of your baggage. Or if your connecting flight is more than two hours after your flight arrives or on a different plane, you can usually arrange to claim your baggage at the hub and recheck it yourself. (See also [1-20] Hidden City Fares.) Several airlines are currently being investigated by the Justice Department for anti-trust violations based on their dominating the airports at their hubs. Here's a list of airline hub cities. I've asterisked those that I'm sure are monopolized by that airline.

# indicates the main hub of the airline. Alaska Airlines (AS): Anchorage (ANC)#, SEA America West (HP): Phoenix (PHX)#, Las Vega$ (LAS), Columbus OH (CMH) American Airlines (AA): Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW)#, Raleigh/Durham (RDU)*, SJC*, SJU, ORD, BNA, Continental Airlines (CO): Newark (EWR)#, Cleveland (CLE)*, IAH, DEN, MSY Delta Airlines (DL): Atlanta (ATL)*#, Salt Lake City (SLC)*, DFW, CVG, LAX, JFK and FRA (Frankfurt, FRG), Orlando FL (MCO). Midwest Express (YX): MKE Northwest Airlines (NW): Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)#, DTW*, Memphis (MEM)*, Milwaukee (MKE)*, BOS, NRT (Tokyo Narita). Southwest Airlines (WN): Chicago (MDW), St. Louis (STL), Dallas Love (DAL), Houston Hobby (HOU), PHX, ABQ TWA (TW): St. Louis (STL)*#, New York (JFK), Paris (ORY or CDG) USAir (US): Pittsburgh (PIT)*#, Philadelphia (PHL), Charlotte (CLT)*, Baltimore (BWI)*, LAX, SFO, SYR, IND United Airlines (UA): Chicago#, DEN, Washington Dulles (IAD), SEA, SFO, Raleigh, Tokyo, LHR (London Heathrow) Airport Abbreviations and Hubs: ABQ Albuquerque, NM WN ANC Anchorage, AK AS ATL Atlanta, GA DL BNA Nashville, TN AA BOS Boston, MA NW BWI Baltimore, MD US CLE Cleveland, OH CO CLT Charlotte, NC US CMH Columbus, OH HP CVG Cincinatti, OH DL DAL Dallas (Love Field), TX WN DEN Denver, CO UA DFW Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX AA DL DTW Detroit, MI NW EWR Newark, NJ CO HOU Houston (Hobby), TX WN IAD Washington (Dulles), DC UA IAH Houston (Intercontinental), TX CO IND Indianapolis, IN US JFK New York (Kennedy), NY TW DL LAS Las Vega$ HP LAX Los Angeles DL US MEM Memphis, TN NW MKE Milwaukee, WI NW YX MSP Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN NW MSY New Orleans, LA CO ORD Chicago, IL AA UA MCO Orlando, FL DL PHL Philadelphia, PA US PHX Phoenix, AZ HP WN PIT Pittsburgh, PA US RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC AA SEA Seattle, WA AS UA SFO San Francisco, CA UA US SJC San Jose, CA AA SJU San Juan, PR AA SLC Salt Lake City, UT DL STL St. Louis, MO TW SYR Syracuse, NY US AA American Airlines AS Alaska Airlines CO Continental Airlines DL Delta Airlines HP America West Airlines TW Trans World Airlines UA United Airlines US U S Air WN Southwest Airlines YX Midwest Express 

[2-14] Lost Baggage The US domestic baggage liability limit is a maximum of $1,250.00 per passenger. (The DOT is proposing to raise this limit to $1,850, possibly $2,000, and maybe indexing it to the inflation rate.) Some airlines may provide greater limits for checked/unchecked baggage. For international flights, the baggage liability limit is approximately $9.07 per pound ($20 per kilogram) for checked baggage and $400 per passenger for unchecked baggage. A minimum waiting period of one week is required before baggage can be declared lost. About 98% of bags reported missing are returned to the owners. When a bag is declared loss, you will have to submit paperwork to the airline documenting the value of the bags and their contents. You may not necessarily get full value for all the lost items. Reimbursement will come 2-6 weeks later. Airlines will not reimburse for currency, photographic or electronic equipment (e.g., cameras, stereos, VCRs, camcorders, CD players, telephones, etc.), rare and expensive jewelry or artistic works, or medication, unless prior arrangements were made (e.g., excess valuation insurance was purchased). Some credit cards will cover these items if the tickets were purchased with the card. Most lost baggage doesn't disappear to the same black hole that eats socks from your laundry, but eventually makes its way to regional warehouses owned by the airlines. If the airline can't identify the owner, they sell it at auction, just like the post office's lost letter department does. Airlines keep all unclaimed baggage for three months before selling it at auction. There are even stores that specialize in buying the lost baggage, sorting the contents, and selling the merchandise and clothing that's in good condition. The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, is one such store, and a fun place to visit. If your bags are damaged, the airline will either fix them, reimburse you for the cost of repairs, give you new bags, or pay for the cost of replacing them, depending on the amount of damage. You must report any damage within 7 days. If your bags are damaged before you check them, the airlines will ask you to sign a damage waiver at check in, which states the nature of the damage and exempts the airline for that damage. Otherwise, if the bags arrive damaged and the airline didn't have you sign a waiver, the airline is fully liable for the condition of the bags. Normal wear and tear, of course, is not subject to a damage claim. Carry-on bags are not subject to damage claims, except in clear cases of airline negligence (e.g., flight attendant moves your bags, damaging them)

[2-18] Restrictions on Electronics The navigation equipment on most airplanes is unshielded, and hence subject to interference from electronic devices such as radios or personal computers. The latest FAA advisory leaves it up to the airlines to set their own rules, but prohibits the use of cellular phones during taxi before takeoff and during takeoff itself. Many prohibit the use of certain types of equipment below 10,000 feet. The FAA is considering setting a standard, with 3 classes of equipment: 1. No restriction. This will include hearing aids, digital watches, and implanted devices, such as pacemakers. 2. Prohibited during takeoff and landing. This will include electronic games, audio/video recorders, and calculators/computers (the kind without printers and disk drives). 3. Prohibited at all times. This will include cellular phones, remote-control devices, FM radio receivers, electric shavers, TV receivers, and radio transmitters. The FAA is still conducting studies, and will need to classify other equipment, such as CD players. The standard will also allow airlines to choose to add additional restrictions on the use of electronic equipment. Right now, each airline sets its own rules, and the pilots may further restrict the rules. Here are some sample rules: USAIR: - Prohibited at all times: portable radios, televisions, telephones, and CD players. - Prohibited during takeoff/landing: tape recorders, electric shavers, tape players (headsets must be removed during takeoff/landing), hand electronic games, hand calculators, and portable computers. - Everything else: Ask a flight attendant. United: - Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): All electronic devices. American: - Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): All electronic devices, especially laptops and CD players. Northwest: - Prohibited at all times: radio receivers and transmitters, cellular phones. - Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): All electronic devices. - Permitted during flight: computers, electronic games, CD players, tape players. Delta: - Prohibited at all times: cellular phones - Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): CD players, portable computers, radios Canadian Airlines: - Prohibited during takeoff/landing (10,000 feet): CD players, and laptops. Devices like TVs, Radios, CD Players, and Laptops, among others, have oscillators inside them that can send out RF energy. Shielding requirements for consumer use are not necessarily stringent enough for use on an airplane. Airplanes have numerous communication and navigation radios in the cockpit. For example, many of the instruments in the cockpit compute the position and direction of traval of the airplane by triangulating ground and sattelite-based radio signals. If the RF emissions from your radio happen to have RF energy on the frequency, it can interfere with the operation of the instruments in cockpit. Since the autopilot is slaved to these signals, spurious RF emissions can cause incorrect course changes. This is especially critical during takeoff and landing, because the room for error is reduced (and errors can have more serious consequences). In addition, RF energy is suspected of interfering with data feeds between parts of the aircraft's flight control system. In modern fly-by-wire aircraft, this can cause unwanted control movements. RF energy also has the potential of interfering with weather radar, airborne direction finder equipment, terminal collision-avoidance systems, and microwave landing systems. Pilots have reported numerous cases of inexplicable problems with navigational equipment that ended when passengers shut off their portable computers and other electronic toys. None of this has been verified by testing, but many airlines rightfully take a better safe than sorry attitude. Below 10,000 feet is known as the "sterile cockpit" portion of the flight. This means that the cabin crew may not disturb the cockpit crew except in an emergency. Hazardous materials, such as paints, explosives, lighter fluid, and fireworks, are not permitted aboard aircraft. You may not check these in your baggage nor may you include them in a carry-on. You may also not include anything pressurized (e.g., spray cans, oxygen bottles, etc.) in your luggage, as the baggage area experiences pressure changes during the flight. Note that even empty fuel containers are dangerous, because the residual gasoline vapors in the container can actually be more dangerous than the fuel itself. This is especially true because of the pressure changes that occur in the cabin and cargo areas. Do not transport flammable or corrosive substances or pressurized containers on commercial aircraft. The use of cellular phones is forbidden on all flights at all times by the FCC (not by the FAA; FAA only prohibits their use during takeoff and landing). The high altitude of the plane extends the effective range of the phone, interfering with cellular communications on the ground within a 100 mile radius of the plane. The charge for headphones to listen to the movie on long flights isn't for headphone rental per se, but royalties to the movie company. (Movie royalty contracts often charge both a fixed fee and a percentage based on the number of viewers.) Knives and sharp implements that have a blade longer than three inches will usually not be allowed through airport security and must be checked through as baggage. Pocket knives (e.g., Swiss Army knives) are usually acceptable. 

Some airline fare constuction rules Is this fare the FINAL price? No. There are two additional charges that may be added to the fare, depending on the itinerary you choose. These are Passenger Facility Charges (depending on your departure, connection, and arrival airports), and federal excise taxes (may be applied to U.S./Canada segments in your itinerary.) The exact amount of the Passenger Facility Charges and federal excise taxes is dependent upon the itinerary you select, and will be included in your total fare before you are asked to purchase a ticket. This is also explained at the bottom of the "Select an Airline" page. Am I guaranteed that this fare is available? No, you are not guaranteed that a fare is available. There is always a chance that by the time you access AOL Travel to check the fare, the inventory allotted by the airline offering the fare is sold out. Although the airline may still have seats available on the aircraft, the seats they had set aside for their lowest fares may no longer be available. After you select a fare and airline, we will show you when the fare is offered, via an interactive calendar. You will then tell us which date(s)you would like to travel. At that point we will search to see if there are seat(s) available on your date(s). If we are unable to locate an available seat(s) on your date(s), we will search dates around your desired date to see when that fare is available. What do Advance Purchase, Earliest Travel, Latest Travel, Earliest Return and Latest Return mean? Advance Purchase - Indicates the minimum number of days prior to travel that you must book and ticket your reservation for this fare. Note that fares are subject to availability, therefore it is best to ticket your reservation as early as possible. Also be aware that fares often require ticketing within 24 hours of holding a reservation, even though you have booked well in advance of the minimum advance purchase. Earliest Travel - Indicates the first date on which travel at this fare is valid. Note that the Advance Purchase requirement supercedes this date. In other words, if the Earliest Travel date is shown as "19Jan00" and has an Advance Purchase of "14 days" but you are booking on January 10, the earliest you would be able to travel at the fare is January 24. Latest Travel - Indicates the last date on which travel at this fare is valid. Earliest Return - Indicates the minimum amount of time you must stay, counted from your departure date. If, for example, "Sunday" (or another day of the week) is indicated here, this means that the earliest you can return is the first Sunday following your departure. Latest Return - Indicates the maximum amount of time you can stay, counted from your departure date. As always, the complete rules of the fare can be accessed by clicking the "Rules" link. Why are there other low fares shown? There are other low fares shown because we want you to have a choice. Many times, only one airline will offer the very lowest fare for your itinerary. You may be willing to spend a little more to travel on your preferred airline. The goal of this fare search option is to provide you with the lowest fares, not all of the fares. If you would like to see a comprehensive list of fares for your itinerary and your preferred airline, you may do so by selecting the "Check Fares" option on the "More Travel Tools" menu. To get there, click on "More Travel Tools" from AOL Travel. "Fare Listing" is also available from the Travel Menu. What determines the ordering for the airlines listed on this page? The ordering for the airlines listed on this page is based on the number and type of flights an airline offers for a given itinerary. The airline that offers the most non-stop flights is listed first, and the rest of the airlines are listed in order of the frequency of service they offer for that itinerary. Why do I see an airline choice listed more than once under a particular fare? You may have seen this statement on the previous page: "This airline offers different travel rules for this fare." Many times airlines offer different fare types - even for the same fare. In most cases, the rules, or the restrictions and the dates on which that fare is offered, will vary for each fare type. What is the difference between non-stop, direct, and connecting service? Non-stop service means that there is only one departure and arrival during the flight. A direct flight may stop at an intermediate airport, but there is no change in flight number. A connection requires that you change planes at some point during your trip. Are more fares available? If you would like to see additional fare levels, choose the "view more fares" button at the bottom of the page. If you would like to see a comprehensive list of fares for your itinerary and your preferred airline, you may do so by selecting the Fare Listing option on the Travel Menu. To get there, select Travel Menu from the Travel Tools drop-box on the Travelocity home page. 

Despite better technology, it still can be cumbersome to shop online for the best flight at the best price.

The other day I was planning a round trip between Philadelphia and  Orlando, leaving Sept. 20 and returning the 24th. My first stop on  the Internet was Expedia (www.expedia.com), the mammoth online  travel agency that was created by Microsoft. An "express search"  there produced what Expedia called its "best flights": three round  trips on Midway Airlines at $158.99 each and three on Delta at $170.  All had connections en route, a detail I preferred to avoid. So I turned next to Expedia's Flight Wizard, with which you "build  your own trip" with more choices. That produced seven round  trips--all non-stops--on US Airways and two on Air Tran at $159  each, or only one penny more than the one-stop Midways and $11 less  than the one-stop Deltas. Still curious, I asked Expedia for an "advanced search." This  permitted me to tell the computer that I am a "senior," at least 62  years old. That reduced the minimum US Airways fare to $144.19 but  kept Air Tran at $159. At $144.19 I was offered a range of US  Airways flights southbound but only one northbound, leaving Orlando  at 6:30 a.m. To return on a later US Airways flight raised the ante  to $193.70. By then I was getting a little confused. So I switched to Expedia's  principal rival, Travelocity (www.travelocity.com). Its Fast Fare  Finder produced nine options for my travel dates, the cheapest being  two on US Airways and one on Air Tran--all non-stop--at $159, the  same minimum as Expedia's Flight Wizard. However, Travelocity's Best Fare Finder--different from its Fast  Fare Finder--produced 10 options that were sometimes available on  eight airlines at $148, eight of them non-stop. To find out which  ones were valid on my dates, I had to click on each option  separately. Later, after I had selected specific flights, I was  quoted a fare of $137.67 plus $21.33 in surcharges and taxes, for a  total of $159, the same as Fast Fare Finder and Expedia's Flight  Wizard without the senior discount, which Travelocity doesn't give. Travelocity also said that I could save $50 by flying from and to  Kennedy or La Guardia Airport in New York, each about 110 miles from  Philadelphia. But what happened to Travelocity's $148? Yes, my confusion had increased. Finally I returned to Expedia to  book US Airways at $144.19. Surprise! That wasn't the fare any more! In the 20 minutes that I  had been clicking away at Travelocity, Expedia's minimum fare had  risen to $225. I had been warned that with today's computer  technology, airlines can change fares at any time. Straining to be  patient, I waited 15 minutes more, and the price dropped to $153.  Then it went up to $180. At that point I put a hold on the  reservation, with no need to confirm until midnight the following  day, at whatever the fare would be then.

A gamble? Yes, but I was lucky. When I finally confirmed the  purchase, the fare had dropped to $153.20. In late June, I used Expedia to book a round trip between  Philadelphia and Atlanta on US Airways at $147.80. No problem until  July 14, when I received an e-mail from Expedia that "we have  received notice from US Airways that your itinerary has changed  significantly." As requested, I phoned Expedia promptly. I spent four minutes on hold before agent "Kevin" responded. He read  me the revised schedule. The outbound change seemed fine, but the  new return flight was too early. I asked if there was anything later. A few hours later, I received an e-mail that the requested changes  had been made. At about the same time, my wife and I were arranging a cruise for  next February from Buenos Aires north to Manaus, Brazil, with a  night in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. Our travel counselor, from Rosenbluth Vacations, quoted us $6,459  per person, including air travel. We said OK. Then a friend  suggested that we look at a cruise discount site on the Internet at  www.cruise411.com. Since we couldn't find our particular cruise  there, I phoned the listed 800 number, and got the same cabin  category on the same cruise as Rosenbluth for $6,110. Cruise411.com is a subsidiary of Rosenbluth Vacations, so I asked my  Vacations counselor to speak with the Cruise411 agent. She did, and  returned to match the lower fare. In general, I have faith in Expedia, Travelocity, Rosenbluth and  other travel services, online and off. Whichever you prefer, it's  important to learn by experience how to use it best and to compile a  list of the direct phone lines and e-mail addresses of officials who  can help you. Here are a few of the more impressive new sites: Europebyair.com www.europebyair.com From an American base in Phoenix, Arizona, it offers discount travel  to and within Europe, focusing principally on air fares and a  130-destination FlightPass. Cross-Cultural Solutions www.crossculturalsolutions.org This is non-profit organization that sends volunteers to help in its  humanitarian assistance programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Inntopia www.inntopia.com Based in Stowe, Vt., Inntopia provides information about and takes  bookings for bed-and-breakfasts, inns and small hotels worldwide. VirtualTourist.com www.virtualtourist.com This splendid site helps you meet others with similar travel  interests as you plan a trip abroad. You can get all kinds of  opinions, advice, observations and reactions. Not everything is  accurate, but there's an honesty and openness about it all that's  unusual these days
 Paul Grimes paulmark@aol.com.

\2 Exchanging Currency

There are two factors involved in exchanging currency abroad, the exchange rate and the commission fee. Don't rely solely on the exchange rate, but factor in the commision as well. Commission fees can vary significantly. So look for the best combination of exchange rate and fee.

Since changing exchange rates can affect the value of your money, you'll want to be cautious about the currency you carry. When the dollar is strong, you'll want to carry dollars; when the dollar is weak, you'll want to carry either the currency of the country you are visiting, or a strong currency, such as Swiss francs. When the dollar is in flux, you'll want to carry both, and spend dollars when the dollar is rising and foreign currency when the dollar is dropping. When the dollar is dropping, try to pay for as many expenses as possible in advance.

When the dollar is dropping, be careful with using credit cards. If there is a delay in posting the transaction to your account, you'll get a less favorable exchange rate. On the other hand, the exchange rate used by the credit card companies is often better than that for cash or traveler's checks. If you need extra cash, the exchange rate used by ATMs is the preferential commercial/wholesale rate. [Although true in most countries, it is not necessarily the case in Japan, where the government sets the exchange rate.] Even with the interest charges and/or transaction fee, getting a cash advance on your credit card or bank card can sometimes be the cheapest (and most convenient) option, because you don't pay a commission. If your credit card is actually a debit card (such as a Mastercard or Visa secured with a bank account or a brokerage account, or an ATM card from your bank) you won't pay any interest on cash advances, since the cash is withdrawn directly from your account. Thus using an ATM to get cash in the foreign currency is probably one of the best and least expensive methods. On the other hand, when the dollar is rising, you'll want to pay by credit card when possible.

ATMs, banks, and traveler's check offices have the best rates. Avoid exchanging money at airports, train stations, hotels, and money changers if at all possible.

To avoid the interest charges for cash advances on SOME credit cards, try overpaying your credit card bill before departing. You'll have to read the fine print, however, to determine whether this works. Some banks charge interest on cash advances, whether or not the credit balance covers the charge. Others will charge you a cash advance fee that is equivalent to a high finance charge. If you're lucky, your card will treat a cash advance like a purchase that starts acruing interest immediately. If so, maintaining a credit balance will eliminate the finance charges.

There are, however, some caveats about using an ATM. Not all ATMs overseas can be used 24 hours a day; some are restricted to regular banking hours only. As usual, there are daily withdrawal limits. Your bank card or credit card must be on the Plus or Cirrus network for you to be able to use it abroad. Both systems have more than 100,000 ATMs in 40-50 foreign countries. American Express Express Cash is also quite common. There are many other smaller banking networks, which may or may not have machines conveniently accessible at your destination. There are some countries, however, which don't yet have any ATMs, or at least not very many, on the Cirrus or Plus networks. For example, the Netherlands doesn't have any Plus machines, but does have several machines on the American Express Express Cash network. Likewise, there are also countries that don't have any American Express Express Cash machines. Check for availability of machines on your network before you leave on your trip. Before you leave, call your bank to make sure your PIN (personal identification number) will work in ATM machines in the foreign country.

In the US and Canada, call 1-800-4CIRRUS to get the address of the nearest ATM on the Cirrus network. In the US, use 1-800-THE-PLUS for locating PLUS ATM machines.

With respect to credit cards, bring a Mastercard, a Visa, and an American Express card. Bring at least two cards, since replacing a lost or stolen credit card overseas can be difficult. Don't keep all the cards in the same location, so that you won't lose all of them at the same time. Don't bring your Discover Card -- few establishments outside the US and Canada recognize it. Mastercard is generally usable anywhere you see a Eurocard sign; Eurocard is the European equivalent of Mastercard.

Before you leave, take at least $50 worth of foreign currency in small denominations with you, to pay for incidental expenses at the start of your trip (e.g., transportation from the airport to your hotel; taxicabs don't accept credit cards overseas). Airport currency exchange offices have long lines, and often charge a higher exchange rate than banks. Later on you can get foreign currency for restraurants and other establishments that don't accept credit cards. But don't take too much cash with you, because flashing a big wad of bills is the quickest way to lose it.

If you buy traveler's checks, be careful when exchanging them for foreign currency. Exchange rates and processing fees can vary considerably, depending on which bank, exchange office, or hotel you use. There is no fee for exchanging American Express traveler's checks at American Express offices. You can also get them at AAA for no fee if you are an AAA member. Traveler's checks are safer than cash, but you'll still want to be careful. Although they can be replaced if lost or stolen, replacing them can take some time. The other drawback to traveler's checks is, of course, the 1-2% commission you pay when you buy them. Only in the US are traveler's checks considered the equivalent of cash; in Europe, you'll probably have to exchange them at a bank, since many establishments won't accept them in payment. Only get traveler's checks if you're concerned about safety, or don't have a credit card, or are traveling to a destination that doesn't have any ATMs.

Traveler's checks are also available in foreign currency, including British pounds, Canadian dollars, Dutch guilders, French francs, German marks, Hong Kong dollars, Japanese yen, Spanish pesetas, and Swiss francs. If the dollar is in flux or dropping, you'll want to buy some traveler's checks in the foreign currency or in a strong currency, such as Swiss francs. Many shops and restaurants will accept traveler's checks that are denominated in the native currency, saving you the bother of exchanging them.

Bring some dollars with you for the trip home (e.g., drinks and movies on the plane, and cab fare home). If the dollar is very strong, you may be able to get more for your money in open markets as dollars than if you had exchanged them for the local currency. 

In general, don't make yourself dependent on only one form of money. Bring some cash in both currencies with you, but also bring credit cards, and maybe even some traveler's checks.

When returning to your home country, try to avoid bringing coins back with you. Many banks will exchange bills in foreign currency but not coins. Either spend the coins before you leave, or throw them away. Note that in some countries (e.g., Japan) you will have to pay the departure tax before boarding your return flight. So make sure you keep enough local currency to cover the tax.

Because you may have trouble doing exchange calculations in your head, precompute the value of several common items in the foreign currency. (Don't use items whose value in the foreign currency doesn't correspond with their value in dollars.) Then use these items as standards when shopping in the market. Chocolate bars and the cost of lunch are good yardsticks. It won't be exact, but it'll give you a quick and instinctive test for whether you're getting ripped off or not. Better yet, bring a calculator with you.

Of course, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the foreign currency, so that you don't have to rely on the vendor to count your change. 

If the government required you to declare how much money you brought into the country, keep receipts for all money exchanges and purchase. You may be required to prove that you exchanged your money legally.

If you're inexperienced, don't dabble in black market currency exchanges. The black market is usually illegal, so you can get into a lot of trouble. The person you exchange with could be an undercover policeman, or could turn you in. Or they could be setting you up to be mugged afterwards (checking out how much money you have).
 If you don't know the going rate, you'll probably wind up being cheated. Never exchange money with a person you meet on the street. The black market will only exist in countries where hard currency (e.g., US dollars and strong currencies) are more desirable than the local currency. For example, countries with exchange controls, artificial exchange rates, or high inflation rates, and developing countries are likely candidates. Clean, crisp, high denomination bills are generally preferred. The safest way to take advantage of the black market is to use your currency to buy stuff at the peasant market (aka bazaar, shuk, etc.). After bargaining in the usual fashion using local currency, pull out an amount of your currency of lower total value. High class establishments will generally not engage in the black market. As a general rule, the benefits of black market exchanges don't outweigh the risks if you're just traveling on vacation.

\3 Credit Card Voucher Offers

Several credit card companies offer vouchers for cheap airline travel as an incentive to enroll students.

1. American Express.

Students who apply for the standard green card ($55/year) or gold card ($75/year) will receive five "Travel Savings Certificates" if approved (within 2-3 weeks of receiving the card). Putting the vouchers to good use can easily result in your saving more than the cost of the card. Income and employment requirements for the gold card are waived for graduate students. 

Three of the vouchers are good for travel anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States on Continental Airlines or Continental Express. Each certificate is good for two roundtrip coach class tickets (same itinerary). If you cross the Mississippi the cost is $239/ticket; otherwise just $159/ticket. These vouchers are not good for travel to Florida between 2/12 and 4/30 and between 6/15 and 8/25; during those periods, you must use the special "Florida Certificate". The cost for tickets with this certificate is $239 for travel between Florida and destinations east of the Mississippi; $299 for destinations west of the Mississippi. The last voucher gets you $50 off an international roundtrip coach class fare of $400 or more, or $75 off an international roundtrip coach class fare of $600 or more.

Restrictions: Reservations for US domestic travel must be made and tickets purchased WITHIN 21 days of travel. The maximum stay is 14 days and must include a Saturday night. Reservations for international travel must be made and tickets purchased at least 7 days before departure (or earlier, if required by the fare). The minimum stay is 8 days and must include a Saturday night. All the certificates allow you to take along a student companion at the same price. The vouchers expire 1 year after issue.

Although seating is limited, students report that they've had little trouble getting a last-minute reservation with the vouchers. They may have had to be flexible with their departure and return times and dates, but they've hardly ever had a problem getting to their destination. Traveling during off-peak times will increase your chances of getting a seat. Don't expect to be able to get a seat around Christmas and Thanksgiving. Tickets must be purchased using the American Express card. (Some students report success in using the vouchers with other credit cards.)

The vouchers are not transferable, and the tickets are neither transferable nor refundable (and the airlines do check your student id both at the ticket counter and at the gate). To work around the non-transferrable restriction, use your first initial instead of your first name, and (if female) ask to have your maiden (alternately, married) name on the ticket (which allows you to substitute an arbitrary last name, if you're not bothered by the sleaziness).

[Note: When travelling on Continental, beware of connections in their hub in Newark NJ.] 

If you are a student, have an AmEx card and haven't received the vouchers, call the 800 number (1-800-582-5823 or 1-800-528-4800) and they'll send them out to your billing address. 

[As of 9/1/93, USAir is no longer honoring the AmEx travel
 vouchers. As of 12/1/94, they seem to be honoring them again.]  Although the current AmEx tickets are for travel on Continental Airlines, USAir will honor them for travel on USAir (non-summer coupons only; you may use the non-summer coupons during the summer, however). Give the following promotion code to the travel agent  when using the AmEx/Continental vouchers for travel on USAir:  H/CO AMEX STUDENT  USAir seems less likely than Continental to check for student id. In general, USAir seems to accept coupons from almost any other airline.

2. Chase Manhattan VISA [ THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. ] Same cost structure as the AmEx/Continental vouchers ($129 if you don't cross the Mississippi River, $189 if you do), but for travel on USAir. Maximum stay of 60 days (Saturday stay not required). Tickets must be purchased within 48 hours of reservation. Valid student id must be presented at time of ticketing. Blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some destination-specific days.

3. Citibank VISA The Citibank AAdvantage VISA/MC charges a $50 annual fee (not a great deal, when no-fee VISA/MC cards abound). Earns 1 mile for every dollar spent. (You'd need to spend $25,000 to get a free PlanAAhead ticket.) Given the annual fee, not that good a deal. If you decide to get it, wait until American runs their next sign up bonus (typically either a free round-trip companion ticket or 5,000 free miles). Note that it takes 4-6 weeks to get the companion ticket.

4. Bank One TravelPlus Visa Card With the TravelPlus Card, you accumulate one point for each dollar spent. These points may then be redeemed for tickets on any airline, with no blackout dates (14-day advance notice and Saturday night stay required). 12,000 points gets you a free round-trip ticket within a zone in the US (each zone about 1/3 of the US) and 20,000 points gets you a free round-trip ticket anywhere in the continental US. 30,000 points to the Carribean/Mexico; 35,000 to Alaska/Hawaii; 50,000 to Europe; 75,000 to Asia; and 85,000 to Australia. The card costs $25/year for classic ($55/year for gold). You get 1,000 bonus points upon approval. Call 1-800-694-9596 for more information about the Bank One Travel Plus program (1-800-945-2023 is Bank One's customer service number). 

The June 1994 issue of Smart Money contains a review of frequent flyer programs (page 120), including a summary of credit card mileage tie-ins. The best way to find out about airline affinity cards is to call the airline in question and ask.

