money issues

Travelers check, IF they are even accepted, and cash are the most expensive way to obtain local currency. Debit card at an ATM is the cheapest.

Stacey, I always take a few hundred Euro with me, to last me for the first few days. Get it either from your bank or at the airport. They won't have coins of course, but a mix of 50, 20 and 10's should do it. I use a credit card where possible and the local ATM's. I leave a signed cheque at home for another family member to pay the credit card bill, or do it via electronic banking. Finding an exchange place for travellers cheques can be annoying and I have found in Britain and Italy, the banks can take three days and a packed lunch to make the transaction. lol 20 minutes anyway.

AAA recently started offering a travel pack with a variety of bills. I don't know how it works, or what kind of exchange you'll get, but you might check if you have a AAA membership and want a little to get started - that's what it's desinged for. Otherwise, use ATMs, NOT traveler's checks or the Visa travel card, which sounds good but has huge fees (per other posters here).

The AAA system is 100$ worth - (actually its 93$ worth because of the 7$ fee). You get an envelope full of smaller Euro bills. Last I used it was when it was much closer to the Dollar - but basically you pay whether the rate was when THEY made they envelope (a few days or the same day - at least thats what they told me). Its not really meant for the larger exchanges - since they may not have more than a few 100$s worth - but its nice to grab if youre in a rush and need a few bucks. Just use ATMs as other said and as rick explained in Kents Link...

Hi Stacey,

I spent 2-1/2 months in Europe last summer. Personally, I brought $500 in travelers checks with me just in case my debit card was eaten and I needed money while I waited for a replacement to arrive. I never ended up needing them and re-deposited them back into my bank account once I got home.

Your best bet, for actual money, is to use your debit card at an ATM in Europe for money. Check with your bank to see what the fees are. I bank at a credit union that charged me nothing as a transaction fee, and charged 1% for a conversion fee. That is a great rate.

Finally, a lot of people will say you don't need to bring any Euros with you. You need to do what you feel comfortable with. Personally, I got 100 Euros before I left in case I had a problem getting cash when I arrived.

I'm a contingency-girl. :)

Count yourself lucky that the Canadian dollar is stronger than the US dollar. :) Enjoy your trip.

Roxanne

Hi Stacey,
I always always bring at least 100 euros with me, just in case ATM isn't working, or I am so tired I just want to go straight to hotel and not bother with airport atm, or atm could be down.
I live in Victoria and find euros easy to obtain, try the Royal or TD bank.I find the main branches usaully have some on hand, but my local branches also do sometimes.Since Victoria is a tourist town maybe we are just lucky and some just came in and sold their euros that day, but i've never had a problem.

I use an ATM while in Europe, I haven't used TC in many years,I think its been at least 15 yrs.
Take an ATM car and a CC(for emergencies and to pay big bills like train tickets and hotels).

MAKE SURE you let your banks know you will be out of the country or they may free your accounts to foreign withdrawals.Same with your credit cards. Don't forget this important step.Also,foreign atms withdraw only from cheqeing, not savings like ours do, make sure money is in chequeings.

Unless you already have euros on hand or obtained them from a friend at a fair exchange, getting them from a US bank or especially any on-line currency services will be a bad deal for you. Personally, I use airport ATMs upon arrival, OR simply pay for transportation to the hotel with plastic and use an ATM close to the hotel later. Most of the major European airport shuttle trains accept credit cards, as well as many (but not all) taxis.