We are in Paris this week, leaving on Monday early afternoon. Iva heard CDG is not the best place to change any euros we have back into USD. Where is the best place to do this? In Paris or wait until we get home? I will try to spent it here but just in case...
Merci bien!
Diana, spend what you can in Paris but then I suggest just keeping 100-200 euros for your next trip. Because if you have the travel bug you WILL be going back!
Unless you got them out of an ATM, you paid a premium, exchanging back, another premium. How much are you talking? If you only have hundred or so, buy yourself something nice and save the rest. If you are talking hundreds, then expect to lose about 10% of the value. Towards the end of a trip, I try to wind down the cash, usually only have less than 50 coming home. Some will just take euros or pounds home and peddle them to friends that may be travelling.
You're on the right track with the advice above.
You can sell the extra euros back on Ebay. They run about 1.35 to 1.45 from what I have seen.
I guess it depends on how many euro you have left since you have 2 more days to spend some of it down eating and sightseeing.. However it has been suggested before on this helpline to pay as much of your hotel bill as you can in cash when you check out. Then pay the balance with your credit card (or whatever other method you choose).
Just save enough to pay for getting to the airport, snacks for the plane trip, some European chocolate to give as gifts and to have some starter Euro for your next trip.
Unless you're sure you'll never be returning to Europe (and remember that the euro works in many countries), hang onto whatever's left after your trip. I have about 100 euros from last fall that cost me roughly $1.25 and are now worth about $1.38. So I feel like the next George Soros! : ) Of course it could go the other way too. But you'll take a bath if you change them at a bank or an airport exchange place, either at that end or this one. Better to save them. You can always sell them to a Europe-bound friend at the then-current rate in the future.
I second the suggestion to pay part of your hotel bill with your surplus euros. We always do that on trips keeping only enough euros to get us home and a few to get us started when we go again. We've never had a hotel that wasn't willing to split the bill between euros and credit card if we didn't have enough euros to cover the whole thing.
I always try to hold onto several 1-2 Euro coins for our next trip, so we can purchase metro/transportation tickets quickly at the airport kiosks without pulling out credit cards or Euro bills in an area that may be more vulnerable to pick pockets. Then we stop at a neighborhood ATM once we've checked into our hotel.
Well I ended up with just a 5 euro bill and a baggie of coins! Thanks for the suggestions though. I thought we might have more but ended up with a little shopping spree in Montmartre. Fun fun fun!
I prebuy about $100 of local currency before I leave on a trip. When I returned I went back to sell some back to them, and they would only take the paper currency! Even though originally they gave me a mix of paper and coins. Strange logic.
Also be careful that you don't get rid of your local currency too soon. Suppose you've spent all your euros, settled into your plane seat and then they announce that the plane is broken and you have to go back into the terminal to wait for another one! Now there's no way to buy just a bottle of water, or a candy bar, or an apple. Back in the day the flight crew used to walk around with a bag once they were airborne soliciting coins and spare change for UNICEF. There were also deposit stations inside the terminals. A great idea.
Keep a handful for yourself so you have some when you go next time.
I am almost always able to sell my extra Euros, pounds, or whatever currency I have, to friends who are traveling. I give them a good rate, get rid of my currency without paying a fee, and everyone's happy!
