sending euros (cash) to France

A lot of Banks issue travelers checks in Euro. You might find out if she would accept the deposit that way.

Actually, sending that little in cash might not be too big a risk. Surely a bank near you will sell Euro.

Consider opening a free account with XEtrade in Canada. www.xetrade.com. It's the cheapest way to buy Euros and have them sent to Europe. Their exchange rates are only about 3 percent over the interbank rate -- cheaper than you can buy Euros at any bank.

With XEtrade, you can send Euros to a bank account in Europe, or they can give you a bank draft in Euros that the person can cash.

If this is just a "one shot" deal, this might not be worth it to you, as opening an account with them requires some effort. But, if in the future it's likely you will be going to Europe again, an XEtrade account could be useful.

Don't overlook Western Union as an option. Money can often be picked up at a European post office. Fees using their website are quite high, but fees at store locations (e.g. a pharmacy chain) can be as low as $15. Store fees vary quite a bit, so shop around.

Like Tyler, I have an account with XE Trade (www.xe.com/fx). I use it to pay cash deposits and to send gift money to relatives in Europe.

I'll add a bit to what Tyler wrote. Money is taken from my checking account by electronic transfer and a bank draft in the currency of my choice is mailed to the recipient of my choice. I have sent drafts directly to the B&B and left it to the owner to take it to his/her bank and deposit it. Tyler told you what the exchange rate is. There are no fees.

For security reasons it takes a little time and effort to set up an account, but everything goes swiftly and smoothly after that.

XE Trade also does wire transfers, but there is a fee for those.

I would add one thing regarding XEtrade. They now offer free electronic transfers to bank accounts in the Euro Zone. In Europe, these are called SEPA payments. (SEPA stands for Single European Payment Area.) A SEPA payment is similar to a wire transfer, which isn't free. A wire transfer is fast, but it can cost as much as $50, depending on the bank, while a SEPA payment will take about three to five days after you place your order with XEtrade.

The advantage with a SEPA payment is that the cash is sent directly to the person's bank account. A B&B might prefer this, rather than a Euro check (bank draft) that has to be deposited -- especially if you take the check with you and present it when you check in to the B&B, because in that case the B&B will not have time to deposit the check and verify that it is good. Also, some European banks charge their depositors a fee to cash checks, believe it or not. Checks are just not used in Europe as much as they are in the USA.

For that amount or money I would use Western Union. You will have to pay a little , but you can do it in many places. I sent some money to a gite in France from my Kroger grocery. I thought for sure it would not work, but it was fine.You will have to get some into from the gite owner and they will have to pick it up at a postoffice . You will also have to email them a number to use to get the money. All in all it went pretty easily.