Recent airline failures such as Eos and MaxJet serve to remind us that cyclical industries such as airlines are subject to huge pressures when a slowdown in the economy occurs. Make sure you protect yourself from being caught short by paying by credit (not debit) card. Airline failures should be covered under section 75 of the 1974 consumer credit act and thus a refund can be obtained for services not received.

Check with your credit card provider for details.

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The hasslers at the airport don't look at the notes you give them (to get rid of them). In Egypt you can get notes that are as little as 5p in the UK (though hard to find). Particularly satisfying to give to the real bothersome hasslers.

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Do not bring old, dirty US bills. They won't accept a bill prior to 1990 or one that's dirty, torn, or grungy. Go get some fresh, crisp bills from the bank - $50 in ones, then fives, tens and twenties.

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Outside of Nairobi it is almost impossible to use either a Maestro, Mastercard or travellers' cheques if you are not in a four or five-star lodge.

You really need US dollars in high ($50 or $100) new (post-2003) bills or a visa debit or credit card to use the ATMs. Even Barclays bank outside of Nairobi won't accept Mastercard.

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Remembering enough foreign currency to get in to the country is important.

Arriving at Mombasa after an 11-hour flight and then realising you've neglected to bring enough cash (70USD, or about £40) to get past immigration can be a slightly fraught beginning to a holiday, particularly on a Sunday, and when the cash machines in the airport are broken.

Trust me, make sure you know what the tourist immigration fee will be and that you have enough spare cash on you for this.

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We found it tricky to exchange money whilst we were in Laos (combination of national holidays, weekends and initially staying out of town). So we ended up having no cash. Stupidly we didn't take a lot of dollars with us.

Wish we had: everywhere takes them and it saves queuing in hot banks.

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You have to tip frequently in Delhi but only small amounts like 20 or 10 rupees. But these bills seem to be hard to find, so whenever you get a chance, get hold of these bills because you will need them.

There's an excellent video which talks about a few other travel tips in Delhi: www.geobeats.com/videoclips/india/new-delhi/traveling-tips

When visiting a city like Delhi, I found travel preparation even more important than usual.

All around Delhi

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Don’t rely just on travellers checks in any currency - they are too much hassle. I have witnessed a friend being refused. Bring ATM and/or credit cards. - check fees and tell your bank your are going abroad. Bring very little cash – you tend to get a better rate of exchange here than any home country. Just enough to get you out of the airport to somewhere nice for the first night - avoid carrying large amounts of cash...you’ll lose it when drunk or get it nicked.

Beware! - The 1000 baht note looks very similar to a 20baht note. You might give an overlarge tip!

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They are honest, fast and give a good rate. Forget the banks who limit the amount, may charge commission, and take ages. These guys are straight, fast and, I guess, regulated.

The money changers in Kowloon and other areas are not, in my experience, as good.

It'a small street between two main roads near the Macau Ferry Terminal, the tram runs down it in one direction.

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You are likely to be aproached within the main shopping area by groups of men offering very competitive rates of exchange. It's a pretty simple trick; they'll grab your money and run off with it.

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If you want an easy way to get Latvian Lats and don't want to be bothered with airport exchange bureau or cash machines abroad, then pop into your local Post Office and purchase them there, they will also buy back any unused Lats on your return.

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When you come to Prague bring Bank of England notes, because the exchange rate for Scottish notes is 25% less than for the English equivalent.

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Money saving tip: To avoid rip-off taxis when you arrive at the airport, hop up to Departures and get a meter taxi from there. Should cost around 200 baht to get into central Bangkok.

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The currency in Latvia is the Lat. You can't buy Lats from your local and so, beacuse of this, they will tell you that the preferred currency is dollars - but don't listen to them. Try to get some Lats in the departure lounge but even if you don't it's not a major disaster because the airport has cash machines which aren't a rip off. Having said that, once you're in Riga itself, I recommend using Hansa Bank ATMs ...

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