Travel Tips

Enhance Your Travel Experience Abroad

As you embark on your travel adventures, Monito is here to give you a wide range of high-quality resources that will save you time, money, and stress during your travels this year. Whether you're seeking the best currency exchange options or reliable travel insurance, we've got you covered.

In this guide, we'll explore the best services available to make your trip comfortable and headache-free, including cheap mobile top-ups, instant virtual travel cards, expedited visa issuance services, language learning apps, and comprehensive ways to get cheap airplane tickets. Let's dive in and make your travel dreams a reality!

Dreaming of Your Trip

Once you have a destination in mind, it'll be good to start planning activities available during the spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons that also align with your interests. Whether its adventure sports, culinary experiences, or guided tours, don't forget to make necessary arrangements such as booking accommodations and transportation options to ensure a smooth and enjoyable trip.

Find Cheap Flights on Skyscanner

When it comes to finding the best deals for airfare, hotels, and car rentals, Skyscanner is your ultimate companion. Skyscanner allows you to compare prices from multiple sources, helping you secure the most competitive rates for your travel arrangements.

By using Skyscanner, you can save both time and money, making your dream vacation more affordable than ever before. Try running a search below to find the best deals on airfare in real time:

Learn the Local Language Fast

Additionally, to fully immerse yourself in the local culture and enhance your travel experience, consider practicing the local language whether it be Spanish, Japanese, or more!

• Babbel: One of the best conversation apps available is Babbel. Used by millions of learners, it provides interactive lessons to get you speaking the language immediately.
• Italki: If you prefer connecting with real conversation partners, italki offers a vast network of language tutors and speakers who can help you practice and improve your language skills.

Preparing for Your Trip

One important aspect of preparing for your international travel adventures is financial planning. To facilitate secure and convenient transactions abroad, we highly recommend exploring international money transfer (IMT) services and neobanks. These options not only offer more competitive exchange rates than banks but also provide a seamless digital banking experience tailored to travelers on the go.

Issue Your Holiday or Short-Stay Visa In a Foreign Country

When planning your travel abroad, save valuable time and hassle by considering iVisa for checking your destination country's visa requirements based on your nationality.

Simply fill out an online application, and iVisa will handle the rest. You'll receive the visa document via email, eliminating the need to deal with the embassy directly. Upon arrival at your destination, present your passport and the provided document to the immigration authorities. iVisa offers speed, simplicity, quick issuance, top-notch security, and 24/7 support.

Read our guides on travel immigration and iVisa to make sure you have a convenient visa processing experience, allowing you to focus on enjoying your trip this year.

Buy Foreign Currency With a Multi-Currency Account

Many travelers like the security of getting physical banknotes of the local currency before their flight. However, we recommend against doing so at banks or airport bureaux de change because they tend to charge outrageous foreign exchange markups. One alternative to get physical cash by pick up or home delivery before your flight is ChangeGroup (available in the UK and Finland).

At Monito, we highly recommend you consider opening an account with the best multi-currency accounts instead. We have written extensive reviews on providers like Wise, Revolut, and CurrencyFair, which let you buy and hold dozens of foreign currencies digitally and convert them at or near the mid-market exchange rate. Their low fees are why we consider them the best way to buy foreign currencies, especially if you want to spend like a local while on your international travels.

Learn more in our guides on the best currency to take to your destination.

Choose the Best Travel Debit Card

Neobanks and other digital finance apps offer the advantage of instant virtual debit cards that you can obtain even at the last minute before your flight. Perhaps most relevant for travel, many of these cards also have no foreign transaction fees.

At Monito, we've researched everything you need to know about fintech platforms and travel money, including the best cards in the UK, US, and Australia.

Stay Secure With Comprehensive Travel Insurance

While we hope for the best, it's important to be prepared for emergencies. Travel insurance provides financial protection and peace of mind in case of unexpected events such as trip cancellations, medical emergencies, or lost luggage. We've reviewed dozens of travel insurance companies to provide you with trusted providers that offer comprehensive and affordable coverage.

In our insurance guides, we discuss topics around types of travel insurance, how travel insurance works, why it's worth purchasing, and how to even book travel insurance late.

On Your Trip

To make the most of your experience, we've curated a selection of resources and tools to assist you along the way. We detail how you can stay safe on the internet while abroad, how you can avoid pesky ATM fees, and add mobile data to your phone. Your travel journey awaits!

Encrypt Your Internet Connection With a VPN

While you're out exploring new destinations, use VPN services to connect to the internet securely. By encrypting your internet connection, VPNs not only protect your online privacy but also allow you to access websites and services that may be restricted in certain locations.

Avoid ATM Withdrawal Fees While Abroad

If you own a multi-currency debit card, then ATMs will use the real mid-market exchange rate and will charge you no hidden fees. If you withdraw with a foreign debit card, then ATMs will give you the option to exchange at the real mid-market rate or at a weaker rate. This weaker rate is called a dynamic currency conversion (DDC) and you should always reject it when spending abroad. In other words, if prompted, agree to pay in the local currency (EUR in the EU, USD in the United States, JPY in Japan, etc).

To avoid ATM fees as much as possible, consider these steps:

1. Withdraw cash from a Global ATM Alliance ATM;
2. Opt out of the DDC request (or use a multi-currency card);
3. Stay within your bank's free ATM withdrawal limit.

Also read our guides on if you can use US dollars abroad, how to exchange money before travel, the best banks for currency exchange.

Mobile Top-Up On Your Trip

Additionally, mobile top-up services can be incredibly useful if you find yourself in need of extra minutes or data during your trip. These services allow you to conveniently recharge your mobile device and stay connected without any hassle or interruptions.

Here's how you can add minutes to your phone number:

1. Go to Monito's Airtime page;
2. Find your country;
3. Enter the beneficiary's phone number
4. Select the operator we work with in your country;
5. Finalize payment to recharge.