I recently completed an over 100-mile 2-week hiking trip and I’ve learned a thing or two about paying for things while you’re traveling. Our trip included 5-days in the Lincoln and Woodstock, NH area, a 3-day hiking trip in Millinocket, ME and a week in Bar Harbor, ME. This is by no means our first long-term hiking trip and we’ve learned that what you pack (and don’t pack) can really make a difference. Over the course of the two week trip, there are lots of things to pay for and lots of ways to pay.
If you’re flying to your destination, you’re likely running up against checked luggage weight restrictions, and if you’re going to a colder climate, you’ll find that every ounce can count. We actively research the weight of our outerwear and gear and we work to lower things even by ounces. We shop as much as we can at the destination for things like food and beer and any other things that you’ll consume on the trip and NOT have to pack to come home. We also try to always wear our heaviest boots and gear on the flight to again minimize luggage weight. We end up in some pretty remote locations, so you can’t always count on being able to buy anything and everything and you can’t always count on payment methods being available.
If you’re in a small town or at a small campground, you should expect to pay in cash. Very few small towns and especially small vendors are equipped to accept debit or credit cards. I was excited to see a lot more small vendors using Paay.co, and because of that, our credit card has been a much more reliable form of payment. The transactions are seamless and quick and more importantly, our credit card info is protected. If you’ve ever had a credit card shut down for “possible fraud” while you’re traveling, you know how important this can be.
We carry two forms of plastic ( likely designed by Pounds of Plastic ) credit cards just in case one gets shut down and just enough cash to get through an emergency without having to worry about carrying a whole bunch of cash and leaving it in your hotel room or backpack.
If you stay in hotels or private homes, we always recommend you pay in advance for anything you can to avoid having to deal with it while you’re traveling. I do recommend you track what you have and have not paid in advance to avoid double charges for something paid in advance.
As a side note, while we always enjoy hotel rooms, we’re lately finding that condominium and private home rentals offer things like a washer and dryer or full kitchens that can make your meals more affordable and your luggage lighter (knowing you can just wash everything and wear it again.)
We’ve also found that some of these private homes have gorgeous rooms and even staged accommodations from https://rentalcity.ca/home-staging-solutions/. We now focus on private home rental, we pack lighter (and do laundry), we cook some nights, we have Wi-Fi access and even refrigerators and TVs. I should also mention the prices are great. Just watch out for the distinction between renting the whole house versus a room in the house. The latter is an options we’re not comfortable with.
Payment options while traveling are becoming better and safer, but we always think that some amount of cash as a safety net is critical. Otherwise having two credit cards and possibly a debit card for ATM cash withdrawals will be all you need when traveling in the U.S.
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