Martin Lewis' Five Essential Items for Your Holiday Wallet
Financial guru Martin Lewis has issued crucial advice for Brits planning trips abroad, recommending they keep up to five essential items in a dedicated 'holiday wallet'. According to the Money Saving Expert founder, these items can make travelling significantly smoother and often cheaper through simple money-saving techniques.
The Overseas Wallet Concept
Martin Lewis has championed the idea of a separate wallet or purse exclusively for overseas use for decades. In a 2013 blog post, the ITV regular explained: "I genuinely have a second wallet I pick up when I go abroad. Not to better match my overseas shoes, but as a MoneySaving arsenal to ensure that when I am away, I get more bang for my buck."
He suggests maintaining this wallet with five specific items at all times, even after returning to the UK, to streamline future holiday preparations.
The Five Essential Items
- Specialist Overseas Credit Card
Lewis strongly recommends that frequent travellers obtain a specialist overseas credit card. "This isn't about borrowing," he clarifies, "it's simply an easy vehicle to get the best exchange rates in every country." He warns against using most regular plastic abroad due to banks typically adding a 3% loading fee to Visa/Mastercard wholesale rates.
For those unable or unwilling to get a credit card, prepaid cards serve as effective electronic traveller's cheques. "Load it up with cash in advance and use it while away," Lewis advises. "If you lose it, no problem, pay a replacement fee and the cash is re-credited."
- Leftover Foreign Currency
Keeping leftover cash from previous trips can provide a pleasant surprise for future holidays. While it might be tempting to immediately convert foreign currency back to pounds, retaining small amounts for destinations you visit regularly can save time and potentially money on exchange fees.
- UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)
For European travel to countries like Spain, France, Italy, and Greece, Lewis recommends keeping a valid UK Global Health Insurance Card in your travel wallet. This free card, available through the official NHS website, allows UK travellers to access state-run healthcare in EU countries and Switzerland at local rates for certain medical costs.
Important note: The GHIC doesn't replace comprehensive travel insurance, which remains essential for cancellations, private hospital treatment, or repatriation. Travellers should regularly check their card's expiry date, as many may be carrying expired documents.
- Original Driving Licence
For those planning to drive abroad, keeping your original driving licence in your travel wallet is essential. "As well as the obvious car hire advantages," Lewis notes, "it's also useful as ID, which is often demanded when paying by card." Remember to remove it from your travel wallet before packing it away after your trip.
- International Travel Documents
For travel beyond Europe, additional documents become necessary. An International Driving Permit is recommended or compulsory in approximately 140 countries alongside your UK licence. The AA provides comprehensive country-by-country guidance on requirements.
For United States travel, keeping a copy of your ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) number is advisable. Although not required at US Border Protection upon arrival, airlines may request it during check-in. ESTAs remain valid for two years or until passport expiry, whichever comes first.
Practical Implementation
Martin Lewis emphasizes that maintaining this dedicated wallet system requires minimal effort but delivers substantial benefits. By keeping these five items permanently in your overseas wallet, you eliminate last-minute scrambling for essential documents and financial tools.
The system particularly benefits frequent travellers who visit similar destinations regularly, though even occasional holidaymakers can appreciate the organizational advantages and potential cost savings.
Lewis concludes that this approach represents one of the simplest yet most effective money-saving travel techniques available to British holidaymakers, combining financial savvy with practical convenience for smoother international journeys.
