Once again I am getting ready to head out on a trip. This one takes me from the Balkans through Turkey, The United Arab Emirates to the Philippines. It’s a fairly short trip but one I am looking forward to. Whenever I travel I have to dig around and see what cash is on hand. I hate arriving at a destination and having to look for an ATM so I usually keep a small amount of money available for taxis, buses or whatever. I don’t carry a lot, just enough to tide me over for a day or so.
There is nothing worse than arriving after a long flight, standing in line for your bags and waiting to get your passport stamped by Customs only to have to find an ATM so you can draw some money to get you to your lodging.
I know some of you do the same thing. I currently have a stash of Euros, Macedonian Dinar, Philippine Pesos, Singapore Dollars, Emirates Dirhams, British Pound Sterling and a few others.
If I get stuck at an airport on a long layover I don’t need to draw out a large sum of money just to have a beer while I wait. While everyone is standing in line to exchange money at the airport or waiting in line at the ATM I am headed out the door.
Next time you depart a country, keep a little of the money with you. If you’re headed from The United States to Thailand then contact your bank a week or two beforehand and get some Thai Baht for when you arrive. If you know you’re going to have a long layover in some country then make sure you have a little of the local currency on hand so you can relax and have a meal or pick up something at one of the shops without breaking out a credit card or using an ATM and paying foreign transaction fees.
It will make your arrival after a long flight just a little smoother.
Sky|Boundfortwo.com says
Thanks for sharing this, Never thought of this, it’s good idea of having multiple currency in the pocket rather bringing all the USD’s.
thetravellingfool says
Thanks for stopping by. It’s always helpful to have a little local currency when arriving at your destination.
Julia says
Agreed! Sound advice – a bit annoying, though, when it’s a currency your home airport doesn’t exchange, but when possible, I absolutely agree. My mom and aunt take this to the extreme – they’ve stopped buying gifts for each other’s children (we’re in the US, they in the UK) because the exchange rate got too expensive over the years – so they just buy extra things in each other’s names, and always hand me local currency when I am headed to one or the other country!
thetravellingfool says
Hey that’s an idea, a little spending money for a bon voyage gift.
Nomadic Samuel says
Having some local currency on hand is always a good idea. I’ve been to countries, such as Bangladesh, where I’ve faced issues because of not having it on me.
thetravellingfool says
Now that’s one currency I do not have on hand.
Jade - OurOyster.com says
I nomally just take out money once I arrive cause I get a better exchange rate on my credit card that way – but there have been times I got stuck when the only atm was broken!
thetravellingfool says
I usually have a little on me then I get the rest at the ATM.
Paul Phillips says
Yes I totally agree, we travel a fair bit in South East Asia and keep a few wads of notes from each country we visit, as there’s always the possibility we will return at some time. I really dislike using atms in Asia it can be so risky, I normally plump for exchanging in banks or similar.
thetravellingfool says
I Have never had a problem using ATM’s as long as I stick to the well known banks