Comments on: Financial lessons learned from a business trip abroad

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:01:47 +0000

I got a capital one credit card specifically for my trips to Europe.. no fees for foreign usage! As for the coins, I always use those to feed myself pre-flight! :=)

By: Follow Me on Twitter and the QuickHits | Prime Time Money

Follow Me on Twitter and the QuickHits | Prime Time Money — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:19:52 +0000

[...] can totally relate to these truths about international business travel: Financial Lessons Learned From a Business Trip Abroad at Sense to [...]

By: Revanche

Revanche — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:59:22 +0000

“What? Coins are money! So for now, we’re stuck with it. Does anyone know if some places will exchange coins?”

I don’t think anyone does, and so I too have a little stack of Euro coins. If we pool all the Euro coins that come back to the States together, I bet we’d have the cost of a nice little meal! :)

By: Heather

Heather — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:16:08 +0000

Regarding bank fees: I have done this with 2 different banks now. Before I left, I went in and talked to them and told them I was going to be out of the country for _____ amount of time. The first time I was just telling them so that they wouldn’t suspect theft or freeze my account, and they told me to come back in when I got home and they would refund the ATM fees that I was charged. Of course, this only worked on the fees that my own bank charged me. When I was overseas I realized there was one brand of ATMs that wouldn’t charge me to withdraw money.

When we signed up with our current bank, we found out that since they are a small hometown bank, they refund ATM fees whenever we are out of state, not just out of the country. It’s pretty nice!

By: Candice

Candice — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:22:13 +0000

If I recall correctly, years ago the Minneapolis/St. Paul int’l airport would exchange coins. I don’t know if airports still do, but it’d be worth a call to find out. I haven’t gotten the chance to travel outside the country since the late ’90s, so I just don’t know for sure. :)

By: lgbixby

lgbixby — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:54:20 +0000

Your husband may be able to submit your cell phone bill for reimbursement on his expense report. He should check with HR-these were expenses incurred because he was traveling for the company.

By: Dani

Dani — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:10:04 +0000

Those hidden fees will get you every time. I, too, never would have thought that receiving an international call would end up in my being charged international rates. Good to know for the future!

By: Shevy

Shevy — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:08:56 +0000

Wow, I’ll pay $200 for a trip to Amsterdam!

As for taking more cash to avoid small service charges, I would prefer to think of it as theft insurance. A tourist walking around with a big wad of cash (particularly in a foreign currency when you’re not totally comfortable with the exchange) is just a crime waiting to happen.

Even though my limited experience with Skype (one of our top brass calls us using it) leads me to think of 2 kids on a tin can phone I would still look into using it on a subsequent trip if I were you. And, if I were going overseas, I’d look into how much it would cost me to use my BlackBerry (either as is or in some upgraded form).

By: MrsMoney

MrsMoney — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:37:29 +0000

Wow, I can't believe how expensive it is to RECEIVE the call! That is nuts. MrsMoney's last blog post..My Financial Plan for the next Nine Months

By: Clare @Top Christmas Toys

Clare @Top Christmas Toys — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:03:40 +0000

You make some very sensible points here. Travelling abroad can prove very costly if you’re not careful. I found out myself when I sent a few photos using my iphone and ended up with a £50 bill!

Always check with your bank to see what conversion rate they will charge on your credit or debit card purchases – and if possible try not to withdraw cash as that can be costly. Here in the UK we have a great site called moneysavingexpert.com that tells you the best ways to spend abroad.

Exchanging coins is difficult – if you think about it your bank doesn’t have much call for customers asking for foreign coins so it doesn’t like to take them off you. If you are not likely to travel to that country again then try and spend the coins where you can – otherwise give them to charity at the airport or pass them along to friends or colleagues who are off to the same destination.

Clare @Top Christmas Toys’s last blog post..Get festive this Christmas with a play, performance or concert