Taking Along and Protecting Your Money and Valuables

Many travel information sites claim that you should take with you a mixture of credit cards, traveler's checks, and cash when you travel. Use your credit cards to pay for the hotel, restaurants, car rental, and so on. But have enough foreign money with you to pay for your first day's expenses. Don't change your currencies or travelers' checks to local currency at airports, especially, and preferably not at hotels or private booths. Ideally, banks give you the best exchange rates.

Cash

You will need to pay for your transfer to the hotel in cash, unless it's already covered. Don't use a fanny pack, especially outside of your shirt. That advertises that you are a tourist, and where your money is! Although, thieves would grab that off you, you could always outsmart them by putting only tissues, maps, pencils, and other such things there instead.

Traveler's Checks

American Express is the most common supplier of traveler's checks, but other companies such as Thomas Cook, First National City Bank, and other such companies also provide them. Write down the numbers on the back of the checks, and give one copy to the person watching your home (your emergency contact), and keep the other with you, separate from the checks. Again, cash them in a bank, or the local branch of the check service office. In fact, you can even save yourself some time and expense by purchasing some checks in local currencies.

ATM Cards

Most international machines do not take PINs longer than 4 digits and their keypads do not include letters (check your telephone for help converting letters to numbers). Not all of them are open 24 hours, either! The way the machines work internationally is quite advantageous to Americans, in fact. If you are getting, say, $250 of foreign money, you will get $12.50 or so more if you use the ATM machine outside the foreign bank or American Express office than you would by cashing traveler's checks inside!

Credit Cards

Since credit card charges are not processed immediately at the time of purchase, but rather at the time of processing, the exchange rate you pay may be higher or lower than at the time of purchase.When making a large purchase, always use a credit card with buyer protection. When you check into hotels, you probably would need to show them your credit card anyways. However, and note this closely, Some hotels block (limit) upwards of $2,000 on your credit card to make sure they get paid! You can always ask that they not block it, or not block as much.

Protecting Your Money

Don't carry all of your cash, credit cards, checks, keys, license in the same place.

Carry just one or two checks at a time.

Keep separately from your cards, lists of your credit card numbers and the company phone numbers. Call them immediately the moment you discover them missing.

Report and theft to the police and keep a copy of the report.

If your ATM card is lost or stolen, however, ask the issuing bank directly to issue you a new one.

Chances are, you will never really need to do much other than keep your valuables with you, but before anything, you need to book your vacation! Do it at www.kingarthur.myttn.com today!