More people are anxiously planning their holidays as the summer season approaches. According to a representative of the moneychanger xchangeofamerica.com, there are plenty of ways to attain great value out of any vacation, of which the first one is to leverage the currency exchange rate.

Those who regularly exchange money for other currencies will notice how much they can gain in return. The U.S. dollar fairs even better against the currencies of many popular tourist destinations outside the Euro Zone. Northern Cyprus – which uses the Turkish lira – has steadily risen in popularity amongst seasoned American tourists thanks to its extreme affordability.

Second tip is to avoid planning breaks during school holidays, as the flood of students looking to enjoy trips to wherever they can go has the tendency to increase prices for flights, accommodations, restaurants, clubs and other commercial plus entertainment establishments located locally and abroad.

Third tip is to avoid booking at the last minute – although doing so would often mean being charged less in the past, today’s tourism industry has evolved to incorporate finely-tuned discount rates throughout the year.

Fourth tip on the list applies to those heading to European countries – although vacationists might not be able to take advantage of getting a highly favorable spending power considering how well Europe’s currency exchange rate stacks against most currencies across the globe, enjoying a comparatively cheaper holiday near the mountains is still possible.

Chalets and ski resorts – such as The Burgenland in Austria and Grindlewald in Switzerland — drop their accommodation rates as the summer sets in and business starts moving slowly. Moreover, guests staying at the mountains don’t have to worry about uncomfortably hot weather, as the extra altitude keeps the visitors cool throughout the entire day.

Fifth and last tip is to be wary of pricing gimmicks – while travel agencies may put headlines such as “kids ride free!” on their signboards, parents might be surprised that these establishments make up for their loss by jacking up prices for adult tickets.

Amongst all the tips listed here, a vacationist would benefit the most by prioritizing the first, as he or she could drastically increase his or her spending power by leveraging his local currency through the currency exchange rate of other countries.

Before making the move to exchange money at changers, it’s important to ensure that the establishment is legit, and offers fair rates for all customers.

Upon arriving at a new country, many travelers opt to exchange money at the airport’s designated currency changer outlet, and then head off to wherever it is they’re going. While it’s no secret that businesses at airports typically make minor adjustments to the currency exchange rate they display on televisions throughout the establishments, a new tourism group feels that Global Exchange at Juan Santamaría Airport has driven the prices up too high.

This new Costa Rica-based organization known as Asociation para las Protección del Turismo posted a receipt on their Facebook page just to show how much the money changer was really taking from tourists. The receipt, which belongs to Joe Allan Stokes, states that the unsuspecting tourist received 444 colons per every US dollar he changed, while the actual exchange rate on the exact same day should have been 492.5 colons per buck.

Stokes had over $600 exchanged at the airport, and received 266,402 colons in return. But if the correct figures were used during the computation process, this holidaymaker should have gotten 295,500 colons for his six-hundred dollars, which basically amounts to 29,098 colons — or $56 — shaved off during the conversion process.

The new group which pointed out this currency exchange rate pitfall uses it as a perfect example of why vacationists should be wary when opting to exchange money at just any dealer. Moreover, the business’s unfair quotations are what prompted the organization to label the money changer as a “government-sponsored robbery targeting tourists.”

Ironically, Global Exchange’s online welcome page states the following in its lower left corner: “leading company in Foreign Exchange Services at main International Airports of Latin America and the Caribbean, and we are growing exponentially in Europe, North of Africa and the Middle East.”

With all that said, it’s important for anyone traveling outside the country to take all necessary steps to ensure they get the most out of every buck they change. There are many ways for folks to do this, such as getting their cash converted into the destination country’s local notes before they actually take off. While the currency exchange rate will differ from changer to changer, it’ll most likely be a whole lot better than that which was offered to Stokes at the Juan Santamaría Airport.

Reputable online currency changers are becoming a preferred option to exchange money amongst frequent flyers, as they offer substantially more competitive rates than traditional brick-and-mortar businesses do.