Comments on: Currencies – the hardest part of travelling

By: A.T.

A.T. — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:10:43 +0000

not that I’m trying to debunk cards, but… I have quite awesome friends among Russians who privileged enough to travel abroad enough – yet, they care about spending and when conversation came to exchange courses here and there, they noted that at least around of Europe (after EUR removed need for exchange) Visa and Mastercard _both_ went bullies and have rather close to worst rates, compared to exchange kiosks. They also noted that it does not automatically mean kiosks are better – it is your analysis before you go to country what is best driver. This is Russian POV anyway…

By: Jean Mercedes

Jean Mercedes — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:13:37 +0000

Thanks for your comments! Those are two very good points. You will be charged an exchange fee for using your credit card abroad. But even with the fee, it is the best way to “exchange” money, because it gives you the best rates.

Foreign coins are the trickiest to get used to. Bills are usually easier, because the numbers are bigger than on the coins. The next time you are struggling with foreign coins, take a look at your US coins – there are no numerals on them at all! They say “one cent” or “one dime”. Who, besides an American, knows what a dime is?

By: Miranda

Miranda — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:07:13 +0000

Great tips! I especially like to point out the credit card tip when I travel. Even though you still get charged for an exchange fee, it’s often not THAT much, and it’s easier than carrying around a wad of cash.

I would also add that it can be a good idea to familiarize yourself with how the currency works before going. My parents found this out the hard way when they went to Britain!

By: Thursday

Thursday — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:49:07 +0000

I spent 4 months in Dublin last year, and I don’t think I ever entirely got used to the Euro. But I used my debit card — it really did simplify things.

Also, since I was there for a longer term, I made sure to check the exchange rate about once a week or once every two weeks. It helped keep me on the right mind set.