Fodor's "1,001 Smart Travel Tips" is full of useful advice aimed at making travel easier, like what's the best credit card to use abroad?
The answer: Capital One. Unlike most other forms of plastic that have tacked on fees and percentages that boost your bill, Capital One cards have zero conversion fees (the fees used to switch foreign currency into U.S. dollars) and they've absorbed the 1 percent fee Visa and MasterCard charge to process purchases. American Express charges a flat 2 percent fee and doesn't allow merchants to tack on extra fees at the point of sale, according to the book.
It's also a good idea to let your credit card company know before you go overseas, since they may put a hold on purchases that look suspicious, like a gold necklace you picked up in Dubai.
So what's your best travel tip? Post it here. By this time next week, I'll pick a winner. The best of the bunch gets a free copy of Fodor's "1,001 Smart Travel Tips."
Lori Rackl writes a weekly Travel section that runs Wednesdays in the 
The top travel tip I always share with friends and family is to travel as light as you possibly can. If at all possible only travel with carry-on luggage. Here are just some of the good reasons why you should pack light:
- less weight to carry around and less clutter to deal with on your trip
- you don't have to worry about having anything stolen from your luggage if you carry it all with you
- if your flight gets canceled, it's makes it easier for you to flight standby if you have all your luggage with you.
- you'll save time by not having to wait in baggage claim for your luggage
Good advice, Sheila. I try to follow it whenever possible. Carrying on luggage makes especially smart sense these days, when more airlines are tacking on additional fees related to weight restrictions on checked luggage. And with so many jam packed flights and cancellations, it's good to be as mobile and flexible as possible by not having checked bags. I know that's saved me from being stranded for hours in the airport.
Thanks for sharing your tip!
Lori