Smart chip credit cards are becoming more important to carry on your trip abroad, as more merchants overseas discontinue their support for the magnetic strip credit cards predominately available in the U.S.

We have researched the list of smart chip credit cards you can apply for in the U.S. previously.  Today, we would like to provide a quick comparison of chip and signature smart cards available in the country.  Tomorrow I’ll compare the available chip and pin cards.

Key Considerations in Deciding the Right Card for You

The table below shows all the chip and signature cards available in the U.S. today.

None of the cards carry any foreign exchange fees (which is great news!) and all cards offer a rewards program.  All cards, with the exception of the J.P. Morgan Select Visa Signature Card, give you a sign-on bonus as well.

If you just want to get a smart chip credit card for travel (or bragging right for being ahead of the curve), get a card with no annual fee.  At this time, only the FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa and J.P. Morgan Select Visa Signature offer no fee for the first year.  All cards have an annual fee after the first year.

However, after the first year, you can always cancel the card (just make sure you use up any rewards points in your account before you cancel), or call the bank and see if it will extend the no-fee promotion for you for another year (many banks will do that especially if you have been a good customer to them).

Which Chip and Signature Card We Would Pick and Why

Looking at the some of the benefits and features of each card, it appears that US Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa may be a decent card.  It has the lowest annual fee of all the cards, and no fee for the 1st year. That’s something to keep in mind especially if you plan to keep the card longer than a year.  As far as rewards are concerned, this card is currently offering bonus points.  The points will get you $50 for every 5,000 points which is equal to 1% cash back.  it also has a sign up promotion.

If it were up to us, our first choice would be the  US Bank FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa by US Bank and our second choice would be the JP Morgan Select Visa Signature.  Both have no fees for the first year.  But by all means, take a look at the table below and pick the one that fits your spending style the most!

Chip-and-signature smart cards

Below are all the chip-and-signature cards compared side by side.

Which smart chip credit card did you apply for?  Any questions, drop us a comment below!

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Our Kenya travel advice today is based on a recent US government warning of an imminent terror attack in Kenya.

While our safari trip started in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, we want to highlight that US has issued a warning about an imminent terror attack in Kenya.  All US government personnel are required to leave Mombasa (~ 6 hrs drive away from Nairobi).  If you are planning a trip to Kenya, please take this warning into consideration in your planning.  Mombasa has beautiful beaches, but there have been reports of kidnappings of foreigners in the area by militants from neighboring Somalia.

Please stay safe!

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People have been asking us what they should pack for their Morocco Sahara desert tour.

If you’re planning a trip out to the desert, you need to insure you pack as light as possible.  However since you’ll be miles away from civilization you need to make sure you’re prepared for any situation you may encounter.

So, to help you prepare for your trip, here’s our list plus some tips about the items you should take.  We had a great time seeing the sand dunes in the Sahara Desert, and with preparation, you can as well.

As a side note, we bought many of our items from REI (www.rei.com), mostly because if you are not satisfied with a product for any reason you can return it. (I returned a set of earmuffs that kept falling off my ears after three months and I got my refund for it.)   You may want to check them out as well.

Packing List – Morocco Sahara Desert Tour

Clothing

• Windbreaker or light jacket
  • TIP: The sun can be unbearable during the day but at night it can get a bit chilly.  Take a windbreaker or light jacket just in case.
• Comfortable jeans
  • TIP: Riding a camel will not be very enjoyable if you wear shorts!  The camel fur is rough and jeans will protect your legs.
• Sneakers or hiking boots or sport sandals
  • TIP: Don’t take a new pair of shoes, you’ll get sand all on them and inside of them.
• A hat, visor, or headscarf
  • TIP: A desert headscarf works wonders to block the sun and the dust.
• Sunglasses
  • TIP: Don’t sit on them.

Electronics

• Digital Camera
  • TIP: A strap will help make sure you don’t lose it while trying to take picture as you’re bouncing around on a camel.
• Extra batteries
  • TIP: Fully charge all your batteries at your hotel before you embark.  There are no facilities to charge your batteries in the desert!
• Lens and camera brush
  • TIP: Get one such as the Nikon 7072 Lens Pen Cleaning System for dusting off all the dust that will get on your camera.  Your camera will love you.  It worked wonders on ours!
• Tripod
• Alarm clock
  • TIP: You can use your phone, but take a little alarm clock just in case your phone runs out of battery!

Supplies

• Swiss army knife
• Hand Sanitizer
  • TIP:  It’s true.  There is no running water inside the desert.
• Face wipes
• Napkins or tissue
• Roll of toilet paper
• Water bottle
  • TIP:  To save space in your luggage get a collapsible water bottle. We bought a Platypus SoftBottles with Push-Pull Cap, Blue Stripes, 1 L and loved how we could collapse it in our luggage when not needed.   In fact if you travel anywhere you need this bottle.
• Flashlights
  • TIP: You’ll have candles but just try walking out with one in the middle of the night when you need to go.   A flashlight will at least stay on.
• Non-salty snacks
  • TIP: Overly salty snacks will make you thirsty, stay away from those.

Medicines and Lotions

• Pain medicine
  • TIP: Just remember, any medical facility is miles of camel rides away.  It will take a while to get there.
  • TIP:  For headaches use Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
  • TIP:  For bites, scratches, anything that’s swollen, use Ibuprofen (Advil)
• Band-aids
  • TIP: No need for a big box, just a few strips is good.
• Antibiotic cream
• Anti-Diarrhea medicine
• Antacids
• Antibiotics
• Allergy medicine

Another article you may be interested in is our interview with a local guiding company on planning a Morocco Sahara desert tour.  Hope you enjoy it.

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In our first “Travel the World, Just Dont’ Get Scammed” series, we feature our first guest, Ele Pranaityte.   This is her little misfortune in London.   Read on…

When I volunteered a post for a feature about scams I had this one particular scam in mind. The interesting thing is that now, when some time has passed, I am not so sure it was a scam proper. Yes, you might ask, how can a scam be…not scam?

I went to London in 2008. It was my first time there and I planned my routine very carefully and I was sure to include all the major tourist sites. And so, here I was, walking towards the Houses of Parliament, aiming to take a good photo of Big Ben on a clear August day. There I was approached by a woman. She complimented me on my headwear (I was wearing a crocheted cap that keeps my hair safe from wind and is also pretty, obviously) and aksed me where I was from, etc. Then she said she wants to give me something as a sign of welcome, and she stuck a flower pin to my top. I reckon it must have been a daffodil or something. I was like eeee….ooohhhh…..ooookkkkkeyyy…. And then she said she was raising money for charity and it would be nice of me to donate some money for the cause. Translation: I had to pay for the flower that was supposed to be a gift from what I understood.

I have just browsed Wikitravel.org and in the section for common scams it was written: “Another similar scam involves overly pushy people who pose as collecting money for charity. This is particularly common in developed countries. Usually an old woman will approach you, tie a small flower to your shirt and expect you to “donate” money. They never say the specific charity, they often say “for the children.” Inquiring about the specifics of their “charity” may help scare them off. Typically, if they have no name badges or even a charity name, it’s probably not a real charity.“ This was exactly my case but I think she was wearing a sort a banner rather than a badge. Now, coming back to my initial doubt, what if there is a slight chance this was really, really, really for charity? I turned out to be a stingy sponge of a tourist, didn‘t I?

Another story is in my home country but launched on a larger scale, so I take my chance to warn you now. Women of Roma origin with bunches of roses stand on the middle of pavement and hand out flowers to pedestrians. They like to aim at young couples and single women. When you accept the gifted flower, they ask for a few coins. The reason is again for charity. I have seen people hand back their flowers and walk away. Even the police advises to stay away from such flower sellers, so doubts of real charity in this case are waived.

About  Ele Pranaityte: I am a traveller, teacher, and tourist guide. I have discovered blogging only about a year ago and I am still on a steep learning curve. I especially want to promote tavelling in one’s own country and set myself a goal to see my country a lot.  My travel blog is at http://www.kootvela.blogspot.com

Thank you Ele for sharing!   We encountered that as well on our travels.  Best advice?  Never accept “candy” from strangers, even when they say it’s free.

Like this story?  Check out our other story in the “Travel the world, just don’t get scammed” series.

• Travel the world, just don’t get scammed in Havana (1 of 2)!
• Travel the world, just don’t get scammed in Havana (2 of 2)!

If you want to share your short story about a time you have been scammed, leave us a comment below.  We’d love to hear from you!

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