MM Tips for Traveling Internationally to Different Countries

strickland8052 · November 2014

H and I are planning a belated honeymoon for next October. I want to go to Iceland and he wants to go to Istanbul, so we are thinking we may try to swing both in the same trip. Anyone have any tips for saving money on international trips? When is the best time to book plane tickets? Do you think going to both on same trip will save money, or would it be more practical to do two separate trips? Anybody been to either of these places?

One great thing is that H's mother is a retired flight attendant for Delta, so we get really cheap tickets through Delta. Unfortunately, Delta doesn't fly to Iceland, but they do fly to Istanbul.

CuriousKiddosMama · November 2014

I don't know that it would really save you any money to do both together since they are hours away from each other.
One tip, make sure you know the exchange rate. And if you plan on using a cc what they charge for fees. I had a friend mix up the exchange rate, she thought 1 USD was 2 whatever so she thought she got a great deal on a pair of boots. Got home and realized they were probably the most expensive clothing item she had ever bought.

hoffse · November 2014

Well the flights are the most expensive thing! So if you can get a discount on that, that will save you a bundle. H and I usually have to travel during high season (because it's low season at our jobs), so usually between 1/3-1/2 of our total trip cost are flights. I do track prices for a few months before buying, but it's just not possible for us to pay rock bottom prices for the time of year we go.

I typically book plane tickets 6 months in advance and track prices for at least 3 months prior. The 6 month mark tends to be the lowest price.

Generally high season in Europe is end of May until the end of August.

The roundtrip flight to and from the US is usually the really expensive part, so I would do both locations in the same trip if you can fit it in time-wise. For this trip, I would fly open jaw - maybe into Iceland and out of Turkey (or vice versa, depending on flight schedules). Typically, open jaw flights are close to the same price as flights that are round trip from the same airport, and that saves you from backtracking. In this case, it also saves you from buying two international, RT flights from the US.

I just did a quick search on kayak, and you can fly from Reykjavik to Istanbul for about $235 each (gotta love European low-cost airlines!). If you take a low-cost airline for that leg, do make sure you don't overdo it with baggage. Most airlines over there that have super cheap tickets nickel and dime you for baggage. Many of them will also weigh your carry-on. Read the restrictions of your airline closely and Do NOT exceed their limits because your cheap flight will no longer be cheap.

Some other tips: most European ATMs don't charge a fee, but your local bank might. Make sure to call your bank and find out. Traveling overseas is pretty much the only time we use the debit card attached to our fidelity account because Fidelity does not charge a fee to use foreign ATMs, nor do they charge a currency conversion fee. If you have a bank that is similar, then usually the cheapest way to get currency is to withdraw it at the airport when you land. That said, I usually do bring ~$100USD worth of whatever currency I will need, just as a back-up (you never know).

Europeans also use chip & PIN credit cards. Check tripadvisor forums to see if this is true for Turkey and Iceland, and but I would bet that it is. The US is (finally) rolling out chip cards in 2015, but call your banks and card companies to see if you can get one early. Our chip card is through Pentagon Federal Credit Union. We used it for the first time in London, and had no issues anywhere except for the automatic pay machines at the train stations (for some reason). That card also does not charge a foreign transaction fee.

A few other things I've picked up along the way:

1) Embrace the layover if you can't fly direct. An 8-10 hour layover is better than a 4 hour layover because you might have time to leave the airport and get a "free" stop in some country you've never visited before. That said, ALWAY ask the destination experts on TripAdvisor if you have time to leave the airport before you do it. They will know. Delta has lots of layover in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, and London. Go for Amsterdam if you can because that airport is 15 min from the city center. Whatever you do, do not choose a flight that has a layover that's less than 2 hours. Your luggage probably won't make it and you might not either if the immigration lines are long.

2) European hotels are tiny. It's ok. You probably aren't going to spend a ton of time in the hotel. I pay for small hotel rooms that are in excellent locations. The location of the hotel matters a lot more than the size of the room.

3) Embrace public transportation. It's cheap, reliable, and usually very easy to figure out. If you are intimidated about using public transportation due to language issues, watch some youtube videos before you go showing you what to do (yes, really)

4) Pack light. In fact, choose a hotel that has laundry facilities if you can and budget to do laundry once or twice. Try not to pack more than you can hold in a carry-on. That way you can check empty suitcases and bring stuff back if you intend to shop. Doing laundry is cheaper than paying for international shipping and/or overage fees for baggage on airlines

5) I would invest in a good travel bag for each of you. H and I each have a Pacsafe bag, which has anti-theft stuff built in (slash resistant, pick-pocket resistant, etc). They are pricey but worth the investment. You are more likely to get murdered in the US than in Europe, but your more likely to get pick-pocketed in Europe than in the US. Always wear the bag cross-body and keep your hand over it if you are in a crowd or riding public transportation. H wears a "hidden pocket" between his pants and underthings that holds our passports and back-up credit cards.

Pacsafe bags:

http://www.amazon.com/Pacsafe-Luggage-Citysafe-Handbag-Black/dp/B006QN2VKW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415912410&sr=8-2&keywords=pacsafe

Hidden pocket:

http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Travel-Undercover-Hidden/dp/B0054IH9UC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415912474&sr=8-2&keywords=hidden+pocket

6) Finally, buy trip insurance. It will cover you in case of an emergency or in the event something awful happens while you are over there.

strickland8052 · November 2014

Thanks so much for the great advice! Hoffse, what dates/info did you enter to get the $235 price? I keep getting $500 for Reykjavik to Istanbul.

Am I doing something wrong?

Xstatic3333 · November 2014

1.) AWESOME!!!

2.) I tend to agree with @hoffse that combining the trips probably will save money. I'd just make sure you can get 1.5-2 weeks for the trip so you don't feel rushed.

3.) I'm not sure where you're located, but I know there are great fares to both of these locations from Boston right now. Whenever I dream-search airfare to Europe, usually my cheapest way to get there is through either Reykjavik or Istanbul. If you're in, say, NY, it might be worth checking out the Boston rates.

4.) Because of said cheap rates, a lot of my friends have been to Iceland lately and report that food is super-expensive. I'd budget a lot of spending money.

5.) Not much else to add except that the Capital One Venture cards have no foreign transaction fees. I'm not sure if they offer a chip yet.

Happy planning!

hoffse · November 2014

strickland8052 said:

Thanks so much for the great advice! Hoffse, what dates/info did you enter to get the $235 price? I keep getting $500 for Reykjavik to Istanbul. Am I doing something wrong?

I just randomly chose May 15. It's about 6 months from now. The later you get into the summer the pricier they will probably be, but the price might also start to drop at the 6 months mark. Spot check prices 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months from now and see. Sometimes the low-cost airlines don't publish prices as early as the major airlines do.

If you can fly RT from the US twice at a super low cost because of your mom, then it might be worth splitting this up into two different trips. I would price it out both ways and see.

By the way, when you go to Istanbul, also check out Capadoccia. Google pics of it - it looks amazing. The airport for the Capadoccia region is Kayseri or Nevsir and you can fly there from Istanbul for less than $100/person pretty much year-round. I would also check out Ephesus (airport is Izmir) - the ruins there are some of the best in the world. Unless you have a couple weeks to roadtrip through Turkey, you will probably need to fly between locations. It's a big country.

PS: can you tell I share your husband's fascination with Istanbul? We haven't been yet, but it's on our short list.

hoffse · November 2014

You know, as I think about it more... it would be worth $500-$1000 to me to separate these out into two separate trips. If nothing else, they are probably each at their best at different times of the year. Iceland is probably at its best in the winter when you can really see the northern lights or in late summer when it's not frigid. Istanbul will be at its best in the spring. Most people don't know this, but tulips come from Turkey, and they bloom all over the place that time of year. It's also not boiling hot like it would be later on in the summer.

als1982 · November 2014

Actually, I looked and Delta starts service from NYC to Reykjavik in May 2015. With this in mind, I would absolutely separate the trips out into two distinct vacations if you can.

The PPs have given lots of good advice. The only other comments I would add is to over-budget on everything, from food to hotels and even excursions. We budget to for those items (plus transportation), but also give ourselves an extra $100 per day per person for what we call 'carpe diem.' And pre-pay everything you can advance.

Unrelated to savings, I would also suggest if you can to get home a day or two before you go back to work. It's always nice to have that time to get over any jet lag, do laundry, and decompress after what will likely be a long day of travel.

For us, international trips are the one budget item where we don't like to be MM. (I had to laugh at the winter/holiday decor post, because all we own is one garage sale wreath and my grandparents Christmas tree circa 1950, but we wouldn't hesitate to drop $10K on a trip abroad.)

Kahlyla · November 2014

One thing to note is that hostels (and campsites) in European countries tend to be very good value for the money. I've yet to see one that is "sketchy" or nasty like they're often portrayed in North America, and of course, the price can't be beat.

We hiked and backpacked through Scotland and we stayed all over the place - some hotels, some hostels, some campgrounds, some B&Bs, some farmers' fields. Heck, one of the campgrounds had a huge rec centre with a pool and spa. Of course you won't really save money bringing a tent just to use once or twice if you weren't planning on it anyway, but I do recommend looking at hostels. Some of them are in amazing locations.

Also try to maximize your cash withdrawals. I've been hit with startling bank fees for taking out cash in other countries. If you can take out larger amounts on fewer occasions you'll save a bit.

Not sure about Iceland and Turkey in particular, but the tipping culture might be different than in North America. It may not be expected at all, or a token amount for good service might be acceptable (do confirm this first, lol!).

hoffse · November 2014

@als1982 definitely has a point about over-budgeting. If this isn't all-inclusive, you need to give yourselves plenty of buffer so that you aren't worrying about how much you are spending once you are there.

I usually make a spreadsheet with costs for everything I can think of - all the way down to taxi fares (you can find estimates on tripadvisor forums) and admission fees to various attractions we want to visit. Generating an itinerary is super helpful in doing this.

For food I usually budget $100-$125 worth of whatever currency we are using for both of us per day. That's usually more than we need, but it allows us to splurge on a nice dinner or a bottle of wine or something one night. Plus, a lot of European restaurants charge for water and refills.

Finally, I give each of us some spending money with the understanding that anything we don't spend on food/attractions/transportation while we are over there can also be spent on shopping/gifts.

Also be sure to look for city passes. They are a great value in some cities (ie: Paris museum pass) and not so good in other cities (ie: London pass). Istanbul has one that might be of interest:

http://www.muze.gov.tr/museum_pass

Definitely do the math to see if it's a good value for you based on things you want to visit.

Finally, Google has a great currency conversion tool if you just google "dollar to TL" or "dollar to Euro" or whatever. Definitely leave a little room for currency to fluctuate. The dollar has been getting stronger against many foreign currencies in recent months, but that could change. I usually assume it will get weaker before my trip.

Kahlyla · November 2014

^ Oh yes, good point about charging for water, tea and coffee refills, etc.! In general we found very little was free - except for some things you wouldn't expect, like a new friend giving us a free after-hours tour of a historic site, and lots of rides - there were pay toilets here and there (10p or something), pay hot water in some showers, pay for tap water in restaurants, etc.

I did find there was a lot of decent, inexpensive wine to be found, so we would purchase a bottle here and there and share it in our hotel room or tent (wine in a tent is an awesome treat!).

hoffse · November 2014

Kahlyla said:

^ Oh yes, good point about charging for water, tea and coffee refills, etc.! In general we found very little was free - except for some things you wouldn't expect, like a new friend giving us a free after-hours tour of a historic site, and lots of rides - there were pay toilets here and there (10p or something), pay hot water in some showers, pay for tap water in restaurants, etc.

I did find there was a lot of decent, inexpensive wine to be found, so we would purchase a bottle here and there and share it in our hotel room or tent (wine in a tent is an awesome treat!).

Oh yeah finding the free bathroom is the name of the game in Europe. Most places expect you to pay for the bathroom or buy something (coffee shops, etc.) if you use their facilities. I know where every single McDonald's in Rome is located because that was one of the few places that did not charge or require me to buy something. Obviously if you are visiting a museum or eating at a restaurant you can use facilities there, but when wandering around it can become a challenge.

I also have found that facilities aren't quite as luxurious as we might find in the US. They're sort of similar to rest stop or high-end gas station (is that a thing?) bathrooms. Not that anything is unsanitary, but these bathrooms are usually retrofitted into buildings that are hundreds of years old. They tend to be tiny and not quite plentiful enough for the number of people who use them. I always carry a thing of hand sanitizer with me when traveling.

strickland8052 · November 2014

You ladies rock! This is all great advice.

So excited that we might be able to use Delta for Reykjavik after all!

Erikan73 · November 2014

I know from traveling through Germany & Austria, don't look for Chain Hotels, those are generally the most expensive places to stay. We found little bed & breakfasts in people's private homes, nothing fancy but nice and found lots of affordable housing. If you are planning to stay in one area check out sites like Airbnb or vrbo and consider renting an apartment or a home for the week, you can save yourself then money by making breakfast at where you are staying and have some snacks on hand. Another trick I learned while traveling, for lunch, or a small meal, skip the resturants, stop at the local bakery & get a roll & then stop at the butcher shop to get some cold cuts, just a few slices & make sandwiches. Some butcher shops would even sell sandwiches to your custom order, get a drink & you're set. Also check into books from Rick Steves. He has several really great travel books & they focus on traveling affordably. He provides links to places to stay & recommendation for places to eat and good ways to get around towns.

formerlyGDaisy09 · November 2014

Kahlyla said:

One thing to note is that hostels (and campsites) in European countries tend to be very good value for the money. I've yet to see one that is "sketchy" or nasty like they're often portrayed in North America, and of course, the price can't be beat.

We hiked and backpacked through Scotland and we stayed all over the place - some hotels, some hostels, some campgrounds, some B&Bs, some farmers' fields. Heck, one of the campgrounds had a huge rec centre with a pool and spa. Of course you won't really save money bringing a tent just to use once or twice if you weren't planning on it anyway, but I do recommend looking at hostels. Some of them are in amazing locations.

Also try to maximize your cash withdrawals. I've been hit with startling bank fees for taking out cash in other countries. If you can take out larger amounts on fewer occasions you'll save a bit.

Not sure about Iceland and Turkey in particular, but the tipping culture might be different than in North America. It may not be expected at all, or a token amount for good service might be acceptable (do confirm this first, lol!).

The only bad hotel I've stayed in in Europe was a big hotel in Piccadilly circus in London. the rooms were gross (clearly had not been vacuumed recently), I slept on top of the bed, even that was questionable. and there were communal bathrooms...there was a sink in our room. This was probably more sketchy because I was 16 and on a school trip...but it was still not worth it to be right in the center of town. I did learn that as a rule in larger hotels the rooms get worse the higher up you go, so requesting a room on the 1st-3rd floor is a good idea.

maple2 · November 2014

We were in Turkey over the summer. We saved a lot of money by piggy backing on a trip DH had to take there for work, but that's probably not an option for you.

While in country the things we did to save money were:

1. Walk or take public transit as much as possible (especially in Istanbul). In addition to being cheaper, it is a great way to get to see more of the real life of the city.

2. If your hotel doesn't provide breakfast, stock up at a grocery store or market with options for breakfast and lunch. We also enjoyed getting lunch from street vendors (simit is delicious) or small cafes.

3. Buy water in bulk then put it in smaller containers to bring with you during the day. Or bring a water purifier and use tap water.

4. Buy the museum pass if you have the time and inclination to see all the sights that are included (http://www.muze.gov.tr/museum_pass). We didn't have time to see them all, but it still saved us money. Plus, it speeds up your entrance to the sights.

5. Stay in moderately priced hotels. We used travel guides to help identify places to stay and always chose options that were towards the lower end of the price spectrum. We were very happy with the accommodations everywhere.

6. If you go to Cappadocia, spend at least a day hiking to see the sites. It's free and absolutely amazing.

7. In general, we found presents to be cheaper in and around Istiklal St. than Old Town.

The things we splurged on were a cooking class in Istanbul, airfare to Cappadocia instead of an overnight train ride, hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, and a tour of underground cities and historic sites around Cappadocia.

MM Tips for Traveling Internationally to Different Countries

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