From the email inbox: “Hey Travel Prof, we’re thinking about traveling abroad. How can someone make their dollar go farther especially where the euro and pound are used?

What if someone doesn’t want to be on a strict schedule or tour a city they have no interest in? Is gas expensive overseas?”

Pay for as much as you possibly can in advance with U.S. dollars. On escorted tours most itinerary components are included. That’s your lodging, meals, admissions and so forth. Carefully compare the tour inclusions before making a buying decision.

That trip that costs a little more but includes many more features may be less expensive in the long run. Dropping 40 euros (53.00 USD) a night for a bottle of wine at dinner quickly adds to the bottom line. While that quaint suburban hotel may seem nice, the expensive taxi rides into the city add up.

Today’s escorted tour operators offer variety. You can pick a tour that fits your preferences. Yes. But with an escorted tour, gas is included in the price and the cost of transportation is divided by the number of passengers.

Additionally, due to their volume buying power, they can obtain great rate savings and pass these along to their customers.

Another way is to select a tour operator who guarantees the exchange rate when you reserve the tour.

This is a hedge against any foreign currency increases while occasionally if there’s a huge drop in the exchange rate the tour operators will reduce their price.

Cruises either the big box ships or the small intimate river vessels are still one more fairly inclusive option that will help maximize your savings and stretch your dollars!

The ship becomes your floating hotel and transports you to many intriguing destinations at a leisurely pace.

Depending on the cruise line items like shore excursion, on board history and cultural lectures, wine with dinner even bicycles in your ports of call are included in the cruise fare.

Foreign travel can be complex so hopefully I’ve answered your questions.

If not contact me at thetravelprofessor@gmail.com. If you still have questions or concerns we can meet or talk on the phone to discuss these.

I’m changing course and want to share some new air travel requirements that have recently been implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA.gov). You are now required to provide your name as it is listed on an official government issued photo identification card, gender and date of birth. Failure to provide this information may prevent the airlines to board you.

The good news is that most airline computer reservation systems now ask for this information as part of the booking process.

New security measures are now in place so you may encounter a full body scan and/or a “pat down” search of your body. The procedures do vary from airport to airport and I expect that they will only evolve as time passes.

One of the best ways to prepare for air travel is to know before you go. “What to know before you go” is a very helpful and informative section of the TSA.gov website.

I also suggest that you check out the requirements of each particular airline in your itinerary as the different carriers may have different policies and procedures.
Also keep in mind that once you depart the U.S.A. the security rules and regulations of the country you are visiting apply. A little advance research may make for smoother skies when entering secure areas.
Save the date of Feb. 27 2011, as the Reds and the Indians open the 2011 Cactus League Spring Training baseball schedule in Goodyear Ariz.
That’s less than three months away! Opening day is just around the corner!