How much foreign currency to buy before trip

I bring more then you have to,, just in case,, just in case what I don't know.. LOL . I bring about 200 euros,, but have brought more when I knew I had some cash things to pay up front( a hotel in Rome wanted cash ahead, and car service in Paris , for example)

The only time it's necessary to have cash before you hit the ground is if you know you will have to spend more than the daily limit from an ATM on arrival.

Some people have reserved apartments that expect them to pay up front in cash on arrival. Since you can only get, on average, 350 Euros each trip to the cash machine and only use the ATM once per 24 hour period - you may be stuck having to buy currency before you arrive.

If that isn't your case, don't bring any currency. You can use an ATM at the airport in Europe. They're everywhere. You will save money on transaction fees and won't have to worry about keeping track of two currencies while you are traveling. Your travel agent will not sell you Euros as cheaply as a commercial bank. A commercial bank, in turn, will charge more than simply getting cash at an ATM in Europe.

My wife and I bring two ATM cards from two different accounts at the same bank (we are both signers on both accounts). That gives us a backup. If one of the cards is lost or stolen, we can transfer the cash to the other account and use the other ATM card.

I agree with Brad that it's easiest to just find an airport ATM and withdraw money. I also used two debit cards to get around my bank's daily limit and pay for several nights' lodging all at once. I usually carry about $150 US cash just in case.

Zero.

I just use an ATM at the airport when we arrive.

I generally try to have about a 100 E -- enough to cover a meal and transportation to the hotel. By that time I will have seen an ATMs. My general practice is not to use stand along ATMs. Only use ATMs attached to banks during open hours.

I bring enough for the first day or so. Generally about $150 Euros. That way I don't have to try to find an ATM but can go straight to my hotel and don't have to worry about getting money for at least two days.

It is just one less thing that I have to remember to do when I get there.

I have about 40 Euros in a baggie in my office. That's what was left from the last trip.

I would not purchase any in advance, my expereince is that it's just too costly. If I felt REALLY desperate I might change $100 at the airport before I fly to Europe, but from my TA? That's profitable for them I bet.

Many people like to have some euros on hand when they land, myself included, but if I didn't have some I wouldn't bother to buy any before leaving. Just use the ATM at the airport. I usually bring some home with me for the next trip.

I personally would never feel comfortable flying overseas with no currency in hand. Too many things can go wrong - flight being delayed and ATM being empty on arrival, credit card being denied for whatever reason, etc. I would never even leave my apartment with just a credit card, I ALWAYS have at least $50 on me just in case. At least I know I can get home no matter what happens. I would always bring at least 50 euros with me, regardless of the surcharges of buying it here first. Yes it's expensive, but the point for me is to be prepared. It's more like insurance than simple currency. Last time I purchased 100 euros and 50 pounds, and that worked out perfectly. This time I'm only going to Italy and I plan to buy 100 euros and at the end of my trip, I'll be more careful about saving some and bringing it home with me so I don't have to do it again.

My policy is to have about $100 worth of local money in my possession when I arrive -- just in case there is some problem getting any at the airport. You never know what could go wrong, and these days, people seem more reluctant than previously to accept any Dollars in Europe. I guess we can't really blame them -- would we take Euros here? No, we wouldn't.

Well, since a year or two all the major shops in New York accept Euros.

I will be taking 15.40 euros on my trip to Europe. This is what's left over from my last trip (I usually have a 20, but I was hungry and got a coffee and snack in the airport before I left).

However, we're flying into the Frankfurt airport with Eurail passes in hand, so we can just hop on the train directly from there. We'll have to get some cash since the hostel we're staying at is cash-only, but an ATM will hook us up with no trouble. If we were planning on taking a cab from the airport, I'd probably bring about 100 euros, then get the rest from an ATM, so if there were some issue with finding an ATM at the airport we could still get out of there.

Also, when I was in England I never even saw a euro. You probably don't need to get both for Ireland, just whichever one you're going to need first.

We like to have about $100 worth of local currency in our pockets when we land. Yes, it costs a few bucks and no, it probably isn't necessary, but yes I can be neurotic, and no, I don't have to worry about "Nation wide Power Outage Shuts down all ATMs" the moment I arrive.

I usually have $200 worth of local currency. I know that there are ATMs, but I've run into situations where they are down. When I was 19 I arrived in Athens with nothing but deutchmarks to find out that it was a holiday and I had no access to get drachmas. I survived, but it was a lesson learned. Be a Boy Scout and be prepared. You should always have some local money just in case.

Pam

None. I do carry US money - just about $100 US dollars in case of an emergency but I just use the ATM when I land at the airport

Julie,

I prefer to have some local currency with me when I land, as I'm usually tired and a bit stressed after the flight and want to get to the Hotel ASAP! Having to stop at an ATM would be an annoyance.

I usually have funds left over from previous trips, so I make sure to have 50 - 100 (Euros or whatever currency is applicable) when I arrive.

If I do need to top-up my travel funds, my local Credit Union or Bank can supply these at favourable exchange rates. They usually have US dollars on hand, but often have to order the European currencies, so it takes a few days.

Have a great time in Ireland (I sure did)!

Like most people posted: Zero.
I'll be heading to Ireland as well, and will withdraw money from the ATM.

There's been only 1 city where I couldn't find an ATM, and that was Toronto. The only reason I couldn't find it was I was with a group, and they all wanted to leave the airport ASAP. Otherwise, I am sure I could have found an ATM.

If you don't feel comfortable about no currency, then withdraw enough to get to the hotel, and to get a bite to eat.

I have the same approach as Carol. I take whatever I have left over from my last trip... which has usually averaged around 10-20 Euro.

To answer your question, I would never buy any. If I had/have none, no big deal. That's what ATM's are for. ;)

I always get some from my bank before I leave. It might cost more, but I feel it is worth it for my piece of mind. I usually order about $200 in the local currency.