How to Keep Your Credit Cards Safe While Traveling

Traveling internationally is not the time to run into problems with your credit card. Yes, you already called your bank to add a travel note so your account isn't shut down, but what if you encounter any travel delays on the way home?

On a recent trip to Europe, my bank suggested that I tack on an extra day in case a canceled flight left me stranded overseas. Brilliant tip.

Read more smart ways to keep your credit cards safe in this piece by Dana Dratch, featuring advice from Peter Greenberg and yours truly.

Last-Minute Travel: How to Get to London for the Olympics

It's not too late to visit London for the Olympics — if you're willing to pay gold-medal prices. These travel experts reveal how you can still save a little money if you're London-bound.

Read the story on CNN.com. (UPDATE: After CNN and Money mag parted ways in 2014, the online story is now lost in cyberspace... You can see a version of the story here).

Thanks to these experts for their money-saving tips:

George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com
Ruthanne Terrero, editorial director of Travel Agent magazine
Kimberly Wilson Wetty, co-president of Valerie Wilson Travel in New York City
Adam Dailey of Ludus Sports
VisitLondon.com
Kayak.com

Photo by Amy Chen

How to Find Spring Travel Deals

For Money magazine's April issue, I chatted with a few travel experts about their secrets and strategies for nabbing spring savings. Here's the online version on CNN.com.

3 Ways to Plan a Spring Getaway for Less

1. Don't wait to visit Europe. Expedia's Jeremy Boore found that visiting the French Riviera in mid-May would cost 35% less than traveling in June or July. The analysts at Hotwire.com also pulled some numbers and came back with a solid 20% savings if you traveled to Dublin in May versus June.

2. Pick a package. The team at Travelzoo is always a good source for package deals that bundle airfare with hotels. But be aware that sometimes the included hotels aren't in the best locations; you may have to pay to upgrade to a nicer hotel in a better location.

3. Head to the Caribbean before hurricane season starts in June. Lastly, the folks at CheapCaribbean.com can get you to the Caribbean for less. Yes, prices will go even lower once hurricane season starts in June, but no one really wants to risk having their vacations get rained out. Traveling in May, on the other hand, was cheaper than in April: Prices in May dropped off by 24% when compared to an April departure -- all the more money to spend on those tropical drinks with paper umbrellas.

How to Plan a Romantic Getaway for Less

I was flattered to be included in Dana Dratch's piece on Bankrate.com: "Spend less on romantic weekend getaways".

In addition to reading great tips from Peter Greenberg and Travel + Leisure's Rich Beattie, you'll find some of my affordable ways to plan a romantic getaway:

-- Savored.com: Skip the Groupon or LivingSocial coupons to avoid the cheapskate label. Honesty may be the best policy in a relationship, but do you really need to let your partner know that you're saving 30% on the bill at Le Cirque? (And yes, Le Cirque is a participating restaurant.) Frugality isn't so romantic.

-- SelectRegistry.com: You could spend hours sifting through B&B listings on TripAdvisor, or you could look at this association's website of well-maintained B&Bs and inns. Don't expect to find lace doilies and outdated decor here. Instead, many of these B&Bs are done up with crisp duvets and modern furnishings -- think boutique, not tacky. And the breakfasts! We're talking omelettes, French toast, homemade pastries, and more as part of the included room rate.

-- Always compare packages to a DIY price before booking. I write about travel deals a lot and unfortunately, I reject more than I'm able to cover. To me, a package is a great deal only if you're saving money -- and it's more convenient than booking everything a la carte. Some packages have inflated prices and all too often, these packages include things that you won't end up using. Be honest with yourself. Will you redeem that restaurant credit or those museum passes? Or could you book just the hotel room at a lower price without the package? (If all you're looking for is convenience, then you're probably not traveling on a budget anyway.)

Photo Caption: On a beach in Santa Barbara over Valentine's Day. Photo by Amy Chen

Affordable Lodging: Rent a Time-Share

Sharing a hotel room with kids isn't much of a vacation for parents. But rather than booking two hotel rooms, you can rent a time-share unit, get more space, and save 20%-60%. Professionally-managed time-share units offer all the perks of a vacation rental -- kitchen, washer/dryer, living room -- minus the uncertainty of renting directly from owners. Too good to be true?

I talked to some industry experts for their tips on how to rent one-bedroom time-share units by the night or week. Read these expert money-saving tips in the December issue of Money magazine or here on CNNMoney.com.

While reporting this piece, I was surprised to learn that time-share resorts have shifted their marketing tactics. Instead of relying on pushy telemarketers promoting vacation deals that are linked to dreaded time-share presentations, more resorts are releasing their unused time-share units as nightly rentals. "Rentals introduce guests to time-shares in a softer way than giving a mini vacation that's tied to a tour," says Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). "You may receive an incentive to tour, such as $75 off at the spa, but it's voluntary now." In 2010, 10% of all occupied time-share units were renters, compared to the 3% who were marketing guests, according to a study commissioned by the ARDA Foundation. Average rental price? $156 per night.

After speaking to several industry experts, I came away with these three tips:

Know what to look for. Time-share properties affiliated with hotel chains are easy to overlook since they're often advertised as "vacation clubs," not time-shares. Complicating matters, major hotel chains often have a time-share property that's overshadowed by a more well-known sister brand. For example, Scottsdale's Westin Kierland Villas is less than a mile from the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. Reputable chains with timeshare rentals include Disney, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood, and Wyndham. For luxury brands like Four Seasons, or St. Regis, nightly rentals of villas or condos will be listed as "Residence Club" instead -- these higher-end properties are technically classified as fractional-ownership units, but the regular traveler won't know the difference.

Time-shares are more prevalent than you might think, so don't assume that time-share units won't be available. It may help to know that beach destinations account for 30% of all time-share resort types, golf destinations make up 11%, and ski destinations make up 10%, ARDA reports. Florida leads the way with the most time-share resorts, followed by the mountain region (including Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona). While Orlando and Las Vegas are among the most well-known time-share destinations, Hilton Head Island, S.C., is often overlooked, says Mark Eble, regional vice president of PKF Consulting. In California, consider Carlsbad (just north of San Diego) and Orange County's San Clemente; on the East Coast, check out Myrtle Beach, says Tom LaTour, chairman and CEO of LaTour Hotels and Resorts management company. Minimum-stay requirements of two or three nights may apply during a property's high season.

Search websites that list time-share rentals across multiple brands. Compare prices on Endless Vacation Rentals (www.evrentals.com), which includes weekly rentals from Disney Vacation Club, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and more time-share brands. For nightly timeshare rentals, try ResorTime.com (www.resortime.com). "These are online agencies that work with the properties, so they have a bigger allotment of inventory than sites that deal with one-to-one rentals," says Peter Gust, vice president of resort operations for Tapestry Resorts timeshare management company.

And as someone who can spend hours online searching for vacation rentals, there is something to be said about knowing that more than one unit will (likely) be available. I've been so disappointed after I found the perfect vacation rental -- and then realized that it was booked solid. At least with professionally-managed time-share units, you know there will be more than one condo or villa that offers what you're looking for.