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Hi All,
How are you all? Do some preliminary shopping research before you leave home. Make a list of items you most want to buy, especially those that are area specialties. Make a gift list. Identify whom you need gifts for and how much you want to spend, then pick up the items along the way.
Tuck plastic or string bags into your carryall or purse when you go shopping. In many places customers are expected to provide their own bags. Pack an extra flat fabric bag in the bottom of your suitcase. On your homebound trip, put all of your purchases in it. It will ease your way through customs.
Keep a log of all your purchases and include what you paid in foreign currency and the equivalent in U.S dollars. This will make it easier to fill out your customs forms. Take along a pocket calculator for shopping and calculating exchange rates. If you pay by credit card, you're taking a gamble. You will be billed at the exchange rate on the day the charge clears in the U.S., not the rate at the time of purchase.
The $400 per person duty-free allowance only applies to items you carry home with you. All items mailed home are subject to duty, unless the package is marked "unsolicited gift" and is less than $50 in value. Any small items purchased abroad should be mailed personally to your home address or carried in your luggage. This will limit the number of misaddressed packages, nonreceipt of merchandise, or receipt of wrong merchandise. If you do mail a purchase, be sure to ask about insurance. Mailing forms are available at foreign post offices.
TRAVELER'S ADVISORY
Never stand when you can sit!
Never sit when you can lie down!
Never pass up a chance to use a bathroom!
SIGHT-SEEING
Planning reduces your chances of becoming the victim of a crime. Select tour guides carefully. Make up lists beforehand of things you'd like to see. Check museum and shopping hours. Ask for directions at the hotel/motel to those attractions you want to visit. Allow time for exploring and adventure. Don't feel you have to see everything to get your money's worth.
Ask if any areas in town should be avoided. Stick to well-lighted main streets and public areas. Avoid dangerous areas. Don't use short cuts or narrow alleys. Try not to travel alone at night. Let someone know when you expect to return, especially if out late at night.
Keep a low profile. Dress and behave conservatively, avoiding flashy dress, jewelry, luggage, rental cars, or conspicuous behavior that would draw attention to you as a tourist or a foreigner. Be polite and low-key. Avoid loud conversations and arguments. Looking lost may make you look like an easy target for crime. If you do get lost, find an open business and ask for directions.
Don't give your room number to persons you don't know well. Meet visitors in the lobby. Only carry with you the cash you will need, and carry only small denominations.
Accept the customs of the country. In some countries everything stops in the middle of the day for siesta, and dinner is very late. Don't skip meals. Sight-seeing takes energy! You can still economize by buying, say, bread, cheese, and fruit and enjoying a picnic in a park instead of going to a restaurant.
TIPPING
Don't worry about whom to tip. If someone performs a service you really appreciate, go ahead and tip. If someone is not deserving of a thank you, don't tip. Always ask if service has been included in the bill. If it has been included leave only about 3% extra at a hotel or restaurant and by no means leave a regular tip. The rule of thumb is the same all over--tip 15% to 20% if not included.
Tipping for luggage handling, for local guides and bus drivers, etc., is covered on some tours, but not on others. Check your tour brochure for included features. It is customary to tip the tour director at the end of your tour. Depending on the person's performance, $3.50 per day is sufficient.
Get plenty of small bills and change for tipping purposes as soon as you enter the country. Take 25 to 30 one-dollar bills in U.S. currency for emergency use. Bellmen and chambermaids in hotels that have a foreign exchange will accept American bills (but not coins) as tips.
PRECAUTIONS
Coat pockets, handbags, and hip pockets are particularly susceptible to theft. Carry your belongings in a secure manner. Women should carry shoulder bags tucked under the arm and held securely by the strap. Men should put their wallets in their front trouser pockets or use money belts or money socks instead of hip pockets. A wallet wrapped in rubber bands is more difficult to remove undetected. Be especially cautious in a large crowd--in the subway, marketplace, at a festival, or if surrounded by groups of children. Do not make it easy for thieves to pick your pocket!
Best Regards.....
How are you all? Do some preliminary shopping research before you leave home. Make a list of items you most want to buy, especially those that are area specialties. Make a gift list. Identify whom you need gifts for and how much you want to spend, then pick up the items along the way.
Tuck plastic or string bags into your carryall or purse when you go shopping. In many places customers are expected to provide their own bags. Pack an extra flat fabric bag in the bottom of your suitcase. On your homebound trip, put all of your purchases in it. It will ease your way through customs.
Keep a log of all your purchases and include what you paid in foreign currency and the equivalent in U.S dollars. This will make it easier to fill out your customs forms. Take along a pocket calculator for shopping and calculating exchange rates. If you pay by credit card, you're taking a gamble. You will be billed at the exchange rate on the day the charge clears in the U.S., not the rate at the time of purchase.
The $400 per person duty-free allowance only applies to items you carry home with you. All items mailed home are subject to duty, unless the package is marked "unsolicited gift" and is less than $50 in value. Any small items purchased abroad should be mailed personally to your home address or carried in your luggage. This will limit the number of misaddressed packages, nonreceipt of merchandise, or receipt of wrong merchandise. If you do mail a purchase, be sure to ask about insurance. Mailing forms are available at foreign post offices.
TRAVELER'S ADVISORY
Never stand when you can sit!
Never sit when you can lie down!
Never pass up a chance to use a bathroom!
SIGHT-SEEING
Planning reduces your chances of becoming the victim of a crime. Select tour guides carefully. Make up lists beforehand of things you'd like to see. Check museum and shopping hours. Ask for directions at the hotel/motel to those attractions you want to visit. Allow time for exploring and adventure. Don't feel you have to see everything to get your money's worth.
Ask if any areas in town should be avoided. Stick to well-lighted main streets and public areas. Avoid dangerous areas. Don't use short cuts or narrow alleys. Try not to travel alone at night. Let someone know when you expect to return, especially if out late at night.
Keep a low profile. Dress and behave conservatively, avoiding flashy dress, jewelry, luggage, rental cars, or conspicuous behavior that would draw attention to you as a tourist or a foreigner. Be polite and low-key. Avoid loud conversations and arguments. Looking lost may make you look like an easy target for crime. If you do get lost, find an open business and ask for directions.
Don't give your room number to persons you don't know well. Meet visitors in the lobby. Only carry with you the cash you will need, and carry only small denominations.
Accept the customs of the country. In some countries everything stops in the middle of the day for siesta, and dinner is very late. Don't skip meals. Sight-seeing takes energy! You can still economize by buying, say, bread, cheese, and fruit and enjoying a picnic in a park instead of going to a restaurant.
TIPPING
Don't worry about whom to tip. If someone performs a service you really appreciate, go ahead and tip. If someone is not deserving of a thank you, don't tip. Always ask if service has been included in the bill. If it has been included leave only about 3% extra at a hotel or restaurant and by no means leave a regular tip. The rule of thumb is the same all over--tip 15% to 20% if not included.
Tipping for luggage handling, for local guides and bus drivers, etc., is covered on some tours, but not on others. Check your tour brochure for included features. It is customary to tip the tour director at the end of your tour. Depending on the person's performance, $3.50 per day is sufficient.
Get plenty of small bills and change for tipping purposes as soon as you enter the country. Take 25 to 30 one-dollar bills in U.S. currency for emergency use. Bellmen and chambermaids in hotels that have a foreign exchange will accept American bills (but not coins) as tips.
PRECAUTIONS
Coat pockets, handbags, and hip pockets are particularly susceptible to theft. Carry your belongings in a secure manner. Women should carry shoulder bags tucked under the arm and held securely by the strap. Men should put their wallets in their front trouser pockets or use money belts or money socks instead of hip pockets. A wallet wrapped in rubber bands is more difficult to remove undetected. Be especially cautious in a large crowd--in the subway, marketplace, at a festival, or if surrounded by groups of children. Do not make it easy for thieves to pick your pocket!
Best Regards.....