Travelling and Money



After you have budgeted for your holiday, organising your money will obviously depend on a variety of different circumstances. As easy as it sounds to change your funds into the currency of the country you are visiting, it is never a good idea to carry all your money in cash.

If you know where and how to use your travel money, you can save a considerable amount in fees with good exchange rates. No matter where you are travelling to, the best exchange rates can usually be found in your home country, but you may have to shop around for the best deal. It will also be much safer to do this at home, instead of trying to find the best rate in a location you are unfamiliar with.

You should only change the money you will need as cash for your trip, as it will be better to pay for large expenses, such as accommodation, on a credit card or with traveller’s cheques. In major cities, hotels, hostels and guesthouse will take credit-card transactions, but a safer way to pay for accommodation is with traveller’s cheques, and if you do happen to lose them they can be cancelled straight away. Many countries have lower credit-card security in comparison to the UK, and it could be very easy for someone to use your credit card before you realise it is missing.

Of course, nowadays both credit and debit cards can be used in ATMs worldwide, and are a handy way of getting quick access to cash. However, each time you take out money, you will usually incur a one-off fee as well as foreign exchange fee based on the percentage of the transaction.

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