04/30/09: Freaked out and Stressed in Europe! Dear Russ I recently travelled to Europe with my family and even though we had a wonderful time together, we also felt very stressed throughout the trip because we were constantly dealing with when to cash our travelers checks. It became a daily task to find places that gave good exchange rates on our money. We also stressed about whether we should leave our passports in our hotel room or bring them with us while we were out on day tours. Our fear was that if we leave the passports in the hotel room safe, that when we checked out of the hotel we would forget them, alternatively if we brought them on our day tours and they got lost or stolen then we would be in a pickle. Do you have any advice as to how we can travel abroad and take some of this daily stress out of our vacation? Signed Daddy wants a stress free vacation Dear Daddy, You’ve got a few questions here and I will do my best to give you some direction. First is the issue about exchange rates and spending a part of your vacation day searching for good rates of exchange. My personal experience has been to use a bank or Cambio to get the lowest rate. I would not recommend exchanging money at a hotel unless it is just a small amount for taxi fares or tipping. Hotels tend to not have a good exchange rate as they are typically just providing a convenient service for hotel guest, so in turn you pay for that service. I personally do not bring travelers checks when traveling to Europe, and in fact most countries that have modern cities, instead I tend to use my bank automated teller card. At most banks around the world you can use your teller card and withdraw money in the local currency, yes there will be a small transaction fee, but the good news is that you’re getting the current daily exchange rate within the banking industry and no other fees are tacked on. In addition you can easily keep track of your money transactions because they will appear on your monthly banking statement. The best part is that you can find a bank close by your hotel and take out what you need when you need it and not walk around in fear that you are carrying around all your vacation money. If you want to keep a few hundred dollars in traveler checks tucked away for an emergency or if your teller card got damaged, then that is always a safe practice. Now with regards to your passport question you may want to consider the following… Always make two photo copies of your passport, give one to a family member or friend to hold while you are out of town, and take the other one with you and put it in a safe place in your carry on luggage. The reason for this is that if for any reason during your trip you loose your passport you will have a back up copy to use when trying to get your passport replaced from a local U.S. embassy or consulate office, and if for some reason you can not find your copy, you can always call your family member or friend and have them fax it to your hotel or government office. I personally put my passport in the hotel safe when I’m out on day tours that will not require me to have my passport. I then have a big note that says “REMEMBER ITEMS IN THE SAFE” and I leave this note on top of all my items in my suitcase, so that when I return back to my hotel room to shower or get ready to pack to check out, it’s the first thing I see to remind me to take everything I have out of the safe. If I’m on a day tour where I must carry my passport, I ALWAYS carry it in my FRONT pocket of jeans for the following reason… first- I wear jeans when touring because they fit snug and I put my wallet and passport in my front pockets, so I’m always aware they are there, I NEVER put them in my back pockets as it’s very easy for a pick-pocket to bump up behind you and grab your wallet and run! Second- if I’m wearing baggy or loose fitting shorts, I then put my items in a small carry bag that has a strong and secure strap and I hang my bag diagonally in a military position across my body with the bag handing in front of me, so again I’m aware of it at all times. All of this being said, at the end of the day you just have to constantly be aware of your surroundings and use your common sense, for example don’t ever set your carry bag down and walk or turn away from it, do not wear large flashy pieces of jewelry to attract the attention of a thief and do not walk unescorted in areas where you are alone on a street or alley way, ALWAYS use the buddy system and get good directions. Ok, so now I’ve freaked you out and you don’t want to travel abroad! It’s really not that bad, it’s really all common sense information and with a little preplanning before you pack and leave on your vacation you will be able to explore and enjoy without having to worry. Travel Well Russ   rss | atom | powered by nucleus cms