Give tourist traps the axe (did that rhyme?)

Tourist traps are basically the travel equivalent of going out for an expensive English Breakfast and being served canned Baked Beans.

We’re obviously not fans of unfair costs here at Wise, and like to call out any sneaky fees that other payment providers hide behind the scenes, to make sure you know where every penny, cent, dime of your money is going. We’re even working at making payments borderless and eventually free, and you can track our progress on that here.

In a further bid to save you money while keeping it global (we love a bit of global), I’d like to point you in the direction of some tourist traps you can avoid in top travel destinations.

Tourist traps are basically where you’re charged way more for something because you aren’t a local...

😱😱😱 < < Our Wise card shuddering in horror in the background

So after consulting the sometimes wonderful, sometimes scary world of social media, the people have delivered. Here are some of the tourist traps they say to look out for from their countries, travels and everything in between.

P.S Please take this article with a pinch of salt. It’s all love and lols, and other people’s opinions so don’t blame me..hehe.

Set your money freeee ☀️🕊️

Taxis literally so many taxis

Ask your friends who’ve been there, consult the internet, do whatever you have to do before you travel but you know what you won’t be doing? You won’t be getting ripped off, that’s what. Check if the taxi you’re booking is unregistered, because 1) that’s pretty dangerous and 2) you will be overcharged. It’s always worth doing some digging beforehand and even routing around for taxi apps you may not use back home. Last time I was in Berlin I noticed that I was charged way more by Uber than a friend of mine who was local to the city.

Trapping yourself in a queue that lasts forever

Since COVID, a lot of attractions require you to book in advance anyway. So unless you want to feel like a child turning up to a birthday bash without an invitation, you’re going to want to look at the booking system regardless. You can save time and money when living out your Dora the Explorer fantasy. Some attractions have time slots, deals, fluctuating prices depending on the season or time of day. We’re living in the future, people.

Oh and bonus nugget: heaps of airports now offer security fast track so you can book in a time, pay a tiny fee and walk past the long queue all smug and smiley.

“Famous” cafes and restaurants

We got some fabulous feedback from locals on this one, but I’m not a food critic, and I don’t want to be held responsible for shutting a business down - lol at me thinking my article actually gets read by more than five people.

Anyway, we’ve all seen enough food/ travel shows on Netflix by now to know that hidden gems and local eateries are where it’s at. From Chef’s Table fine dining to food truck tuck ins, there are always options, from the fancy to the wallet-friendly. Look at local food blogs, reach out to your friends again, your enemies, your ex’s, your ex’s auntie, your ex’s auntie’s auntie, etc.

Food is EVERYTHING, and the last thing we want is you ending up eating at an icky restaurant next to an attraction, waiting in line for hours, or opting for somewhere that’s overpriced when you could've gone to a local spot with better food.

To ATM, or not to ATM? Let me answer your question

It may look friendly, you’ve seen them before. Outside your local supermarket back home. What could possibly go wrong? Ummm everything.

If you’re travelling abroad there are a few ATM fees you’ll want to look out for. An international or transaction ATM fee, a conversion charge, a surcharge and poor ATM exchange rates. Do your research, see who your bank is partnered with so you know where to take cash out without being charged or…oh…I don’t know…

Just get a Wise multi-currency card so you can spend like a local and withdraw money like you own the place. You can withdraw up to £200 for free monthly, and can read up on that here. But don’t forget, even with a Wise card some naughty ATM’s may still charge a fee, so keep an eye out for that.

Just a little bit of weird Weird costs

You expect to pay for a meal, a tour, an insanely pricey packet of biscuits from Fortnum and Mason. But there are some things you won’t be expecting to pull your card out or count your pennies for.

Exhibit A: Restaurants in Venice may charge you for that lovely music you’re listening to while you eat, perhaps a cheeky fee will be thrown in there for the awning you're under too.
Exhibit B: Crossing the road on a red man in Germany? Oh nein nein, you will pay a fine.
Exhibit C: Taking a lovely pebble home from the beach as a memento? Illegal.

Eww data roaming

For some reason, unknown to both me and my friends who mock me, I still have the same phone number and pay-as-you-go set up that I got when I was 13. So to my dismay, when I landed on a foreign runway and couldn’t use my phone until paying an arm, a leg, and a head for a data roaming and minutes package.

You don’t have to be me. You can download apps like Airalo, where you can save up to x10 on mobile roaming charges around the world with eSIM.

Scram scams

And finally, beware of scams. But not your average scams. There are all sorts out there. From someone asking you to hold their baby while somebody else picks your pockets to the classic “putting a piece of paper over you phone then nabbing it” trick. Basically, trust nothing, and nobody….except us.

You’ve made it this far, give Wise a go