Taking Money Along

This is a situation that changes with each destination. In some countries, such as Thailand , the preferred method is to use ATM machines for cash withdrawal, and ATM’s there also offer the best exchange rate. Some other countries prefer you to use traveler’s checks. In Vietnam they will love you and give you the best rates if you spend US dollars as currency. Many countries are very nervous about trusting debit cards, and personal checks are laughable. For each destination, in each country, we will let you know well before departure what is the preferred method of securing funds while there so that you will be prepared. If you’re traveling on your own, do some research on how best to take your money to the destination and prepare accordingly.

Before leaving on international (or domestic) trips make sure that you call the customer service number before departure of each credit card that you will be taking with you to let them know where you are going and what your travel dates are. Same thing applies for your ATM card, although some companies could care less about ATM security. These days, when charges start suddenly appearing on your account from strange places halfway around the world (or halfway across the country) your well-meaning card provider can possibly assume it has been stolen or the number has been compromised. They could cancel the card, preventing you from using it again without enduring a major hassle. Spare the drama and give them a call before you leave home. You should empty all extraneous credit cards and debris from your wallet prior to departure. If things go south, you don’t want to have to report every card you have.

Some airlines are now demanding that you produce the credit card that you charged your tickets with, in order to confirm that the card is legitimate. It is therefore a good idea to travel with that card, or at the least to take a photocopy of the front and back of that card with you. Not having the card probably wouldn’t keep you off of your flight, but it could turn into a needless annoyance.  

Regardless of the method of getting it (traveler’s checks, ATM, etc), it’s a good rule to not have huge amounts of cash on your person at any time, so smaller denominations of traveler’s checks are better than large when you are purchasing them at your bank (even though it might cost you a bit extra), and withdrawals from ATM machines should be just big enough for that day’s expenditures.

Your day-to-day activities will be covered by your Atlas fee, with the exception of personal shopping and miscellaneous purchases (see earlier list for specifics). So unless you’re a major shopaholic, or have really expensive tastes or a heavy drinking habit, you shouldn’t need large amounts of ready cash at any given moment. Also remember to let your destination’s currency run low just before you depart, keeping just enough to pay for the taxi ride to the airport (if you’re traveling on your own), the departure tax at the airport, and perhaps some snacks or reading material in the terminal, so that you don’t have to exchange a lot of currency before take off, or once you get back home.

This is a minor point, but when eating out in foreign restaurants (or in your own home town for that matter) always check to see if the service charge (tip) has already been added to the tab. Adding the tip into the bill is common procedure in many foreign destinations, and something you might not normally notice. It’s usually a good idea to check the arithmetic on the tab as well…tourists can occasionally be perceived as suckers by the unscrupulous.

Shopping

At every foreign destination and country to which Atlas leads tours most market vendors will expect you to bargain for many of your purchases. The degree and range of movement in price will change with the destination, but you should expect to develop some serious bargaining skills by the end of the trip. Hopefully your skills will develop rapidly, rather than slowly, because there is an incredible range of products and objects that you will be exposed to at all of the markets we will attend.

The universal method of bargaining, even if you don’t have the least inkling of how to speak the language, is to punch in a price on a small handheld calculator and show it to the vendor. Nine times out of ten the vendor will have one also, and you can both merrily punch in converging numbers until an agreement is reached. Always be aware of the current exchange rate before you start shopping and bargaining. It’s considered uncouth and rude to bargain when you actually have no intention of ever making a purchase, so no matter how much fun you have with the process, bargain only when you mean it. Always bargain with a smile on your face.

Depending on the size of the market, you might make a quick first pass to judge the range of products, maybe occasionally getting prices on products, and then tackle a section at a time. Never get so attached to any one object that you can’t effortlessly walk away from it, otherwise the vendor will read you like the book that you are, and you will pay sucker prices. Put on your smiley poker face when you shop, and look the vendor in the eye. Always ask if you might be able to get a discount, even in modern stores and malls where there are price tags on all of the goods…you will occasionally be surprised, and all they can do is say “no”.  Some markets are so big, Chatutak Weekend Market (“JJ” Market) in Bangkok for example, that if you see something you like, it’s best to get it right then, because you’ll rarely find that vendor again once you leave it.

Before you make a purchase you should confirm that it will be allowed back into the States, particularly with culinary or agricultural products: you don’t want to see that big leg of jamón Iberico, those special Thai vegetable seeds, or that wheel of raw milk cheese get confiscated by Customs on your return. For more information on restrictions and practices contact the Customs & Border Control web site: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/

At most foreign destinations you will be exposed to countless examples of pirated goods: CD’s, DVD ’s, software, logo clothing, designer watches, etc. Regardless of how you feel about the ethics of purchasing these products, they will be on sale at ridiculously cheap prices. Normally with CD’s/ DVD ’s/software you make up a list of what you want to buy from a loose-leaf catalog. You present the list, and a runner takes off to get the goods from a central (usually concealed) distribution point. Should you decide to purchase any of them it would be prudent to verify the quality of the CD, DVD , or software by asking the clerk to demonstrate it….the very one you wish to buy, not the demo that might be sitting there.  They will usually have a means to do so. If they refuse, walk away. You might also verify whether or not there are concerns bringing the goods back through Customs (either the US Customs or those of the country where they were purchased).

Most hotels, and many of the shops, can provide a shipping service to get large or bulky purchases back to your hometown. Generally the cost of shipping something like a box of goods back on the airlines is cost prohibitive. If you think you might be doing some serious shopping at your destination you might consider bringing an empty, hard-sided suitcase and filling it with rolls of fresh bubble or foam wrap and duct tape, so that you can securely wrap any purchases, and bring them back as checked luggage. In some destinations you can buy a knock-off suitcase at ridiculously cheap prices, and not even bring the empty bag with you. Bottom line, Atlas Culinary Adventures will allow a reasonable amount of time for the shopping arts at our destinations, but shopping for the sake of shopping is not the primary reason for our trip.

Clothing, Tailored and Not

At some of our international locations, SE Asia or Latin America for example, first-class custom-tailored clothing, often made with exotic fabrics, can be had for amazingly low prices, and to go all that way and not get a tailored suit or some shirts would be criminal. If you are particular about styling, it’s a good idea to take along pictures cut out from fashion magazines or catalogs of exactly what you’re after. Even better is to take a garment with you to be copied. Skilled craftsmen can duplicate most any fashion look from just a picture, and you might be able to get that designer appeal in some nice tailored duds for a song.

Be aware that in areas like SE Asia or Latin America it can be difficult to locate items in larger sizes. XXL tee shirts are not the easiest things to locate in Thailand for example, and I was once dragged around for days by a female companion while she was trying to locate women’s dress shoes in a size that was “normal” in the States, but considered gargantuan in Bangkok .