Travel Tip #2: Cash or credit card?

Happy Tuesday all!  For today's Tuesday tip, is it smarter to take cash or a credit card with on your vacation?

There are pros and cons to taking either of these on a vacation, which can be handled by using common sense.  Cash is great, it gives you a spending limit, but it can easily be stolen if not properly hidden or kept safe in a wallet.  Credit cards are small and easy to carry around, but if that is stolen, unlimited charges can be made by anyone.  The best answer?  Take both!

You don't want to go overboard on vacation with charging things on that little rectangle piece of plastic, and as stated previously cash gives you a nice set spending limit.  The most important reason: banks could shut down your credit card while on vacation thinking it's actually fraud or identity theft.  If that was your only form of payment, you would be screwed (for lack of a better term).  So take both cash and credit card, that way you can charge some items, but you also have cash as a back up and to help you keep in mind a spending limit.

To prevent your card from getting a freeze on it, contact your bank or credit card company about two weeks prior to leaving for a vacation to let them know you will be out of town.  It may seem silly if you're not going too far, but it is better to be safe than sorry.  For those of you doing international travel, this is a highly important step you MUST take.  Seeing that you would be more than a couple time zones away, your bank could easily mistake this a identity theft.  Keep this tip in mind for your next vacation--it will save you from stress and save you some money.