Planning on a trip abroad? Perhaps your summer holiday? Take note of Olivia Sterns’ Top 5 Travel Myths. Here they are in bold, and my comments to each.

Myth No. 1: Change Money At Home

Olivia says that carrying a large amount of cash makes you vulnerable to pickpockets. Agree. She says it’s better to rely on your ATM and credit cards. Er, I would say it depends. In a lot of places in Asia, ATM machines are hard to come by and may not accept all ATM cards. In some resorts and hotels in Asia, credit cards are also not accepted. The exchange rate may also be far worse, depending on the location. Unless you’re staying in a posh destination, never assume that e-transactions will work. Do your research before departure and prepare accordingly.

Myth No. 2: Deals on Last-Minute Booking

Last minutes deals are indeed becoming more and more rare. Better to watch out for sales and promotions (which regularly comes up anyway) to save on airfares and hotel bookings.

Myth No. 3: Locals Are Experts

Absolutely not. In fact, in a lot of cases, locals are foreigners to their own territory. In fact, if you’re heading off the beaten track, locals can’t even understand why, out of all the possible places in the world, you would be interested in their locality.

Myth No. 4: You Get What You Pay For

No, particularly in Asia, there are really good deals to be had, some worth far more than you have paid. And vice versa: some expensive digs aren’t just worth the top dollar they ask for. Do your research, and look for online reviews.

Myth No. 5: Buy Extras Ahead

When buying packages, you will always be lured into getting a “package”, agents telling you it will come out cheaper that way. But, sometimes it pays to be prudent and cross the bridge when you get there.



正在计划你的出国之旅吗？也许正在筹划你的暑假？那就来关注一下Olivia Stern的《旅行五大不得不说的事》吧。看见下面的粗体字了吗?，同时我的评论也一并附上。

不得不说之一：在家换好钱

Olivia说身携巨款的你很难让你不吸引到小偷的注意。个人完全赞同。她说比起现金来，你的自动取款机和信用卡更值得信任。嗯，个人认为这应因地而异。在亚洲的很多地方，自动取款机并不是总能与你擦肩而过，而且也并非你所有的卡都可以在这些自动取款机上使用。在亚洲的一些旅游胜地和饭店，信用卡是不可用的。而由于地区的不同， 利率的兑换问题更是令人头痛。除非你的目的地很现代，很繁华，否则永远不要假想那里的网上交易平台运转良好。在出发之前一定要做足相应的准备。

不得不说之二：坚持到最后一秒再预定

最后一秒预定这个方法现在已经开始显得越来越重要。为了节省机票和住宿费，最好时刻注意哪些打折或是让利的信息（基本上，不论如何，他们总是很有规则地出现）

不得不说之三：当地人才是真正的专家。

这是完全错误的。事实上，在很多的情况下，对于自己的土地而言，本地人才是真正的外国人。当你被一件对于当地人来说极其常规的事阻扰时，当地人甚至不会明白这个世界上有这么多的你可以去的地方，为什么你会对他们的地方产生兴趣。

不得不说之四：付了钱，你就是老大。

这是错误的想法。特别是在亚洲，有许多的很好的交易。有些的确是物超所值，但反之也亦然。有些贵的离谱的东西并不一定值那个价。先研究一下，并且上网做好准备工作。

不得不说之五：事先用完你的额度。

当你买着大包小包时，你很有可能会被引诱着买更多的东西。经销商们会告诉你如果你怎么怎么买就可以获得更多的实惠。但，当你买东西的时候最好谨慎些，最好能够逃出他们的魔爪。

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