Cash is king when you’re travelling
Never carry too much money, but sometimes you can’t get by in the world without banknotes and coins.
How NSA has your back
The first time I travelled to Europe, nearly 40 years ago, I spent a lot of time at bureaux de change cashing in one currency for another and losing a little money with each transaction.
It became a game of guessing exactly how many francs or marks I’d need to minimise my losses or the number of useless, but heavy, coins I’d have in the bottom of my backpack.
It could have been worse. Friends who’d been to Poland, then still behind the Iron Curtain, told stories of being required to convert a set amount of Western money into zloty for each day they intended to stay. The money could not be re-converted, so it had to be spent in the country.
These budget travellers found they were hard-pressed to spend the requisite amount and ended up buying bottles of vodka and crystal glassware to take home to family and friends.
I also carried a stack of traveller’s cheques, but even then – in 1987 – they were going out of fashion and were only good for annoying the staff at stores where I attempted to use them.
By then, I was carrying a credit card – actually, it was an American Express charge card – but it wasn’t widely accepted. On one of the few occasions I used the card, my mother back home got quite a shock when she received the statement and mistook an amount of 30,000 Italian lira for Australian dollars.
Travellers are no longer required to queue at every border crossing in Europe to get some local currency (or, for that matter, another stamp on their passport), but cash remains an important part of the tourist or business traveller’s financial arsenal in many places around the world.
I visited the Philippines recently, and I needed cash from the get-go, for a taxi from the airport to my hotel (and I got ripped off, being asked to pay way over the odds, but that’s another story).
If you have a yen to go to Japan, make sure you have some yen in your pocket, because in many places, despite the country’s penchant for all things digital and modern, cash remains the only option.
A friend who has been travelling through Africa recently posted a picture of a huge stack of banknotes that he needed to purchase a visa to enter Guinea.
In America, it’s wise to have a fistful of dollars in small denominations for tips, which are inescapable.
Cash exchange company Travelex also names Indonesia, South Africa, Vietnam, and Cambodia as places where you’ll need to carry local currency.
Wherever you are, be careful using cash.
Try not to carry more money than you’ll need
Keep it secure but accessible in crossbody bags with antitheft devices or in a jacket with hidden or zipped pockets
Don’t flash it about
Be extra cautious when handling cash or using an ATM
Separate your cash (and cards), so you have a backup if you are robbed, lose money, or overspend.
Pickpockets operate in many tourist areas, so it’s best to avoid crowds and avoid suspicious-looking people.
Thieves can operate in pairs, using a method where one distracts you – by performing a magic trick or showing you stuff they have for sale – while the other robs you.
You may also inadvertently distract yourself by listening to headphones or having your head buried in your mobile phone. Stay alert to your surroundings, especially when they are unfamiliar.
Wherever you travel, you’ll find most people are honest and friendly enough. But it only takes one bad encounter to ruin a holiday.
