Travel Mistakes You Might Be Making Without Even Realizing It

9. Not Informing Your Bank of Travel Plans

One of the worst feelings when traveling is having your credit or debit card declined at a crucial moment—when checking into a hotel, paying for dinner, or withdrawing cash at an ATM. Many banks automatically flag foreign transactions as suspicious to prevent fraud, which can lead to your account being temporarily frozen. If you haven’t set up travel notifications in advance, you may be stuck without access to your funds until you can contact your bank (which isn’t always easy in a different time zone). Fix it: Before your trip, log into your online banking account or call your bank to notify them of your travel plans. Provide details about which countries you’ll be visiting and your travel dates so they don’t flag legitimate transactions as fraud. Some banks have travel-friendly features that allow you to authorize transactions through mobile apps in real-time. Additionally, always carry multiple forms of payment (cash, debit, and credit cards) in case one method fails.