Tips On Summer Travelling With Healthy Economy
By Molly Daly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With the U.S. dollar nearly equal in value to the euro, AAA Mid-Atlantic's Jana Tidwell says it's a great time to visit Europe.
The AAA representative believes the first thing you should do is make sure your passport is valid, because getting or renewing one can take months.
"This is now definitely a good time to consider Europe as a summer travel destination," says Tidwell. "There are plenty of resources, AAA being one of them, to help facilitate that process, but there's definitely some planning involved."
Tidwell says you should also let your credit card company know you're going away, since lots of transactions in unfamiliar places can look like fraud.
"Let them know exactly where you're taking it, so when they see those charges come up, they know you are the person making those charges."
In case your cards do get lifted, Tidwell suggests you photo copy the front and back of them before you leave, and make sure to have the 800 numbers handy. And, if you can't bear to be parted from your cellphone, says Tidwell, "understanding your cell phone carriers international travel plan is also important."
