When I traveled to Spain in 2005 on an Escorted Tour with Trafalgar, I did my currency exchange at the airport upon arrival in Madrid. Little did I know that when they gave me the funds in Euros, that I would have problems while traveling. When we were mid-tour, I had used all of our Euros except for a 500 Euro bill. We tried to use it at stores, restaurants or even a hotel, and no one was able to make change. The only place we could have make change was at a bank, and the hours never seem to match up with our tour schedule. We were blessed that people we had met on the tour were kind enough to loan us some Euros until we were able to get the bill changed.
Needless to say that it was a major inconvenience for me and my family. Now when I change currency, I will only ask for small bills and suggest it to family, friends or anyone traveling abroad.
Other currency exchange tips: If you don’t want to carry a lot of cash round, use your credit card to make exchanges at ATM machines in the country you are visiting. Make sure you have your pin code with you before leaving the U.S. Also, inform the credit card company you will be traveling aboard so they don’t free your account for suspicious activity, and ask for a toll-free number that works outside of the U.S. just in case you need to contact them.
Another alternative to cash is to bring travelers checks with you. Travelers checks can be replaced if they are lost or stolen, and can be used at exchanges to get the currency of the country you are in.
Written by: Brenda Brage brenda@atlastravelweb.com
