Travel Tip 1: Exchanging Money At The Airport

When flying into a foreign country one of the first things travelers do upon landing at the airport is to head straight for the money exchange booth inside the airport. Exchanging money at the airport is just asking for a poor exchange rate, so this should be avoided if at all possible.

It will be worth your while financially to educate yourself on the current money exchange rates for the Philippines, we have provide a link at the Philippines Currency Calculator.

Remember before leaving for a trip to the Philippines, ask your local bank if they can exchange a small amount of currency for you, this way once you land at the airport you will not have to exchange any currency at the airport, it might just save you some cash.

Travel Tip 2: Buying Travel Insurance From A Travel Agent or Airline

Often times I hear about travelers buying travel insurance from their local travel agency. Although this may seem to be convenient and a good idea at the time, most times it is not. I am not saying the to buy travel insurance is bad, I am just saying that by doing some online research you can likely get a better deal from another source. Buying travel insurance from a travel agent or agency is like buying mortgage insurance from your mortgage provider, the level of coverage for what you pay is relatively poor.

It is always good to check with your home owners insurance policy, to see what you are covered for. You can also call local insurance companies to find out their cost, or check online, it is best to not purchase at the first place you come to. W have provided a link to an online travel insurance company, we are not in any way affiliated with, Insure My Trip.

Travel Tip 3: Using Your Credit Card Abroad - The Conversion Scam

When using your credit card abroad please be very careful, one trick is to ask if you will be paying for your purchase in the countries local currency or your currency, ALWAYS choose to pay in local currency; if you choose to pay in your credit cards currency (dollars), the credit card charge is converted from local to (dollars) and back again. This is known as "Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)" be aware that the exchange rates will be very poor, and it is important to remember, it is the credit card holders right to choose which currency they want to pay in. If the vendor tries to force you to pay differently, you are well within your rights to refuse.

Travel Tip 4: Mobile Phone Charges - (The Roaming Rip-Off)

To use your mobile abroad you will have to pay to make calls as well as RECEIVE calls. These "roaming charges" apply because your home network has to pay a foreign mobile network to send calls to your phone, this can be down right expensive.

One thing I suggest, is while here in the Philippines traveling around, invest in a cheap cellular phone for about $20 to $30 dollars, purchase a SIM card with a local telephone number for about $1.00 dollar and then load your phone with prepaid credits, this will save you a fortune in local and long distance calling.

Travel Tip 5: Hotel & Resort Phone Charges - (The SUR CHARGE Rip-Off)

This happen to me when I first arrived here in the Philippines, this was my very first overseas trip and so I was not very aware of the many traveler pitfalls. I was staying at the Marriott Hotel, I decided to call my office back in the United States, so using my room phone I placed the call using "International Direct Dial" (IDD). After being on the phone for 1 hour, the concierge came to my room to inform me that I would need to place another credit card charge in the amount of $500.00. YIKES! As I looked over the bill, all I could see were "Sur Charges" and "Service Fees".

Travel Tip 6: Airport Taxi Charges - (Sir The Meter Is Broken Rip-Off Trick)

When traveling from abroad to Manila Philippines and arriving at that the NAIA International Airport you will undoubtedly need a taxi to get you to your hotel or where ever you are staying. Once you enter the taxi the driver will ask you, "Sir where are you going?" And once you tell him your destination, you may very well here this, "Sir XYZ peso, its ok for you?". This is where you will need to stand your ground, tell the taxi driver, 'please use the meter' if he refuses on the third try, it will be best to exit the taxi, because you are being setup to be ripped-off.

The law here in the Philippines is very clear, all taxi drivers must use the meter when transporting a passenger. You will hear many excuses, "its very traffic", "it's very far" "that is not my normal area". Whatever the excuse, tell them nicely, and politely, "Please use the meter. You can report them, but that is generally more hassle than it's worth, it is best to just get out and flag down another taxi.