cash/money from the start of the trip to Europe

This comes up time and again here and the result always seems to be that it's a matter of personal taste. Personally for ME, I also would never land with ZERO money. I got 50 euros from my bank and will ATM it the rest of the way. I think you really just have to go with what makes you comfortable. For me it was worth the extra $10 or so that I lost in bad exchange rates and fees to be able to have that little bit of cash in hand upon arrival. Some people aren't bothered so they just land and find the airport ATM. but if it makes you nervous, as you say, I would just get a little bit from the bank - enough to get you to wherever you could find another ATM or whatever. Have fun! :)

you should bring some dollars with you as an emergency stash, carried safely in you moneybelt. In case of a big problem (say all your cards got demagnetized) you don't want to be in Europe (or travelling anywhere, for that matter) without some cash. Cash can be turned into Euro's or whatever currency you need; maybe not at a great rate, there may be a bit of a hassle, but to me its better than standing in Europe with zero cash and no way to get any soon.

That said, as a new traveler you might as well bite the bullet as another poster said and get 50E from a bank. Now you can arrive with a bit of money, which takes off the urgency of trying to get money right away. Get small bills, BTW; no store is going to be happy if you try to pay for a 2E purchase with your shiny 50E bill.

And when you return bring some Euro's back; I bring back around 40E or so to tide me over when I go to Europe again.

I usually change some money at the airport or get some of the local currency before I go from my bank. I liked to be prepared and am a bit like you don't like to arrive without any local currency. OK you may not get the best exchange rate but you will have some money when you land.

If you arrive at a major airport, it will be difficult to avoid the ATMs. I've flown into Heathrow several times with zero cash with no problems. Of course, there is a tiny risk that something will go wrong, so having access to alternate funds in some fashion can't hurt. That might be Euros in your wallet, a credit card, etc.

Check with your bank to be sure you know how they handle international ATM use.

I'm leaving for my 3rd European trip on Sunday, and as I did during my previous jaunts, I'm bringing a couple of hundred US$ worth of Euros tucked away in my money belt (well, last time it was Kroner).

As others have said, it's nice to have some of the local currency on hand, cuz you may need it if, say, the express train from the airport into town is leaving ten minutes after your plane lands, or you need a cab pronto, or just want to buy bottled water in order to rehydrate. Plus, you can put off finding an ATM until you get your tired/jet-lagged bones situated in your hostel/hotel.

Bottom line, it's a personal choice. But as the old saying goes, "a Euro in hand is worth 2 in the ATM" -especially if it's busted or in an inconvenient/shady location... :-)

I once took $200 in traverlers cheques in case of emergency. I still have that $200 and its tucked away in my sock drawer.

Instead I put 2, $100 bills in my wallet, 1 debit card, 1 credit card, and 50 Euros.

If you have zero Euros (or pound or whatever) in your wallet, then trade some at the airport or at the local US bank, AMEX, or exchange store. Its good insurance to have.

Once you land in the European airport, you will see a ton of ATM's (or Bankomat). Pick the one posting the bank name (not the standalone one which has no name) and withdraw some more.

Have fun

The Brussels airport has plenty of ATM machines. Last time I flew into Brussels I had no euro with me and had no problems getting them at the ATM.

Different story in Italy....upon arrival my ATM cards would not work ANYWHERE despite the fact that I had alerted the bank to my travels. Fortunately I had brought euros from home and those lasted me until I got the bank stuff straightened out. I still had only sporadic success using Italian ATMs (never had a problem in France or Belgium.)

Many Auto Club offices carry "tip paks" which are packets with $100 worth of pounds or euros. I have purcheased those before and they do coming in handy.

I have never carried travelers checks but I know people who do.

Thanks to all of you who have taken time to respond. This source is SO cool...to have access to experienced travelers.

I have read all responses and feel much more relaxed in coming up with a plan.

Again, thanks. I will have more questions in the future. Dehryl

Dehryl, since you need to catch a train "immediately", consider changing enough dollars to Euros before you leave just in case your flight is late and you don't have time to stop at an ATM.

I know there's a lot of focus on finding the cheapest way to exchange money, but, as I see it, we're talking about a few percentage points of difference. I'm all for saving money, but travel in Europe is not cheap. Why sacrifice convenience and security for a few dollars? Worry and second-guessing are the last things we need when we're traveling.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't your ATM card get charged service fees EACH TIME YOU USE IT? Before I read Rick's travel guide book, I got $2000 worth of traveler's checks from my bank and $1000 hard cash and have been traveling with all of that from the states to France & Germany for the last 3 weeks. I was in a itsy bitsy town in southern France and was advised to change my checks into euros at a post office instead of a bank to avoid expensive service fees. I had no problem! Money exchange places in airports charge more service fees. I am in Köln now! Visit the cathedral-it's very cool.

Yes Kim, depending on the issuing bank (some have no fees), but the thing is, the rate you get is so far superior to converting either cash or traveler's checks that it doesn't matter. I'd gladly pay $5 per transaction but get the interbank rate + 1% than pay the markup you get when you convert USD Cash to other currency or through travelers checks which have the bad rates built in (plus, from my experience in London, it costs to cash travelers checks PER CHECK too!). I did a little math a few months ago when deciding what to do and figured I'd save well over $100 on my trip this summer just by using an ATM and a CapitalOne credit card instead of converting USD cash or travelers checks... better in my pocket than someone else's - or I can use it to buy a very nice souvenir and extra gelato! but at the end of the day we all have to do what's comfortable for us - if someone needs to have cash and/or travelers checks to feel secure, that's what he/she should do.

Every aspect of this question (how to spend money in Europe) has been discussed and answered at this website before, but for the benefit of persons who did not read that : I recommend carrying a mimimum of $ 500. (U.S.) cash, or a total of that amount in U.S. cash and Euros, when you leave home. One person on the internet says she carries $ 2000. cash in Europe. I think that is not folish if she intends to spend most of it during her first 24 hours in Europe. To be prepared for unexpected expenses, a person could carry $ 300. (U.S.) in cash, and $ 500. (U.S.) in American Express Travelers Cheques. When I travel in Europe, I always want to have a large amount of Euros (or whatever the local money is) on me, because ATM machines in Europe are not reliable.
I recommend carry money in more than one secret place. Look at the travel accessories, for carrying money secretly, for sale in catalogs of Sierra Trading Post, and National Geographic's catalog. And carry two Credit cards, minimum.

Forget travellers' cheques; few stores accept them, and cashing them at a bank or post office will see you hit with high fees and/or a poor exchange rate. ATM's work well all over Europe, as long as you have a debit card with either the Plus or Cirrus network logo on it; those are the two big worldwide systems, belonging to Visa and Mastercard respectively. Make sure your PIN number is four digits long (no letters) and doesn't begin with a zero and you won't have any problems. Take a couple of hundred Euro with you; Bank of America offers the service. Tell your bank you're heading overseas. U-S dollars will receive a poor exchange rate at overseas money exchanges.You'll find ATMs in Brussels airport. I usually take two debit cards on different accounts, kept very separate from each other, then leave a couple of blank checks with a trusted person. If one card gets lost, a quick phone call and a cheque is used to transfer money from one account to the other. A charge card is your backup.

I wouldn't worry in the least about bringing euro cash with me. Upon landing in Brussels, I would pay for the train ticket to Koln with a credit card.

But either way,the ATMs in Europe are every bit as reliable as the ones in the states. And you'll be seeing one ATM after another in the airports, train stations, city centers, etc. This is such a non-issue to me. Bringing thousands in traveler's checks might have been good advice 20 or 30 years ago, but they became obsolete sometime during the 1990's.

Thanks even more for these more recent replies to my question. I keep getting good advice. Thanks, Dehryl

I know that here in Canada, some banks offer special accounts which grant account holders a special rate for exchanging currency. This works well if you travel frequently. I'm not suggesting anyone changes a large amount and carry it with them. But it is a service to consider if you change money often.

IME, changing money at Airports can often involve a higher rate or a service charge. IME, it's best to leave with some operating cash and get some more changed at a local bank upon arrival. And don't forget a few small notes for gratuities. Be prepared for that tipping opportunity.

Consider taking an emergency USD $20 just incase you are stuck. This has bailed me out more than once.

Never travel with zero dollars. Credit Cards are the way to go but don't assume that they are the only way to go. Cash is still required in some cases.

I agree with taking Euros over with you. ATMs though, are REALLY REALLY plentiful. Believe me, even in the small towns you can find them easily.