"Smart travelers use travelers' checks" -- R.S.

FastEddie,
It’s fun to pull an old book off the shelf (or watch an old video) and make comparisons to now. Things have indeed changed. Pre- 9/11 travel was more “relaxed” with fewer security checks. Now, we are in an era of pandemic travel and ever changing electronics and more people. Makes the 1990’s look “quaint.”

But hey, the colosseum and other landmarks have not moved. Just our perceptions of them have changed.

I hope the pandemic speeds the transition to electronic payments in Europe (like in Sweden) - no more bills, no more coins, no more ATM fees - for all except very minor purchases (which I'll probably just avoid if they require cash payment). I haven't used cash in over 1 year, or gone to the ATM to withdraw cash. Soon I'll forget my ATM PIN. By the way, I'm not saying that cash should disappear altogether; it should always be an option for older generations or those uncomfortable with other types of payment, but the share of such transactions should go dramatically down. There are coin shortages all over the place now.

Travelers checks were before my time, I've never used one of those.

Rick’s shows used to close with a shot of him in a red telephone booth in London. I wonder whether he’s got a red case on his mobile phone now?

I remember travelers checks (and the "Dont leave home without them" commericials) quite well. You had to know the locations (on a paper map) of American Express offices in each city to which you traveled. As far as cash, I heard on the radio the other day that 18% of US citizens are "unbanked", so cards aren't an option for many.

Agnes,
Cash is also good for people who wish to go to “sketchy “ places and don’t want to leave any evidence. This is especially true for those who wish to be elected to public office.

The original “traveler’s checks” were invented in the Middle Ages by the knights Templar.

Don’t forget to buy your prepaid international phone card and stamps to mail those postcards!

Cash is best for businesses who underreport (or don't report) income, leading to tax evasion. There's high roller tax evasion (tax havens in well-known countries, like Switzerland and Cyprus, where the wealthy hide their income) and low level tax evasion where not wealthy people with a distrust of their country's government try to keep as much money as possible from taxation. Greece is a great example of this.

I realize that credit card fees to merchants are a form of usury, but I still try not minimize participation in (mostly or all) cash economies if I can help it.

I remember traveler’s cheques! Brings back lots of memories... one in particular, hurrying to get to the airport in 1989 and having to stop at BofA to get $10K worth (cost of our whole 6 wk trip in Europe minus airfare) and having to sign each one in front of the teller, we were behind schedule and racing to sign them.

You could use them all over at hotels, restaurants, shops, etc. Only had to go to an American Express office if you needed cash - I remember the one in Paris very well, behind the Opera House (and where they filmed a scene in the Carey Grant/Audrey Hepburn movie “Charade”).

Agnes,
There are many USA businesses that keep cash off the books as well. There are many places where “cash is king.”

18% of US citizens are "unbanked"

Somehow, I doubt that many of these citizens are the traveling type.

Agnes,

don't confuse the German aversion to debt, and therefore to credit card which encourage debt, for an attempt to avoid taxes. I really have trouble imagining Frau Hoffmann maintaining a credit card station for the people who sometimes rent her one 40€ night FeWo. For small establishments and private room renters, avoiding interchange fees is probably reason enough to eschew cards. BTW, I've analyzed accommodations in many small towns in Germany, and I've found you can really save money by patronizing those places that don't take cards.

I don't miss those days of standing in 3 lines at an Italian bank to cash a traveler's check. I eventually switched to buying checks denominated in the currency of the country to which I was traveling when that was practical (which it was in the UK and Switzerland but not in Italy). It must have cost me more (exchange fees in the US being what they were), but I could then use those checks to pay for anything at a hotel, restaurant or shop without further cost or significant delay.

There are many USA businesses that keep cash off the books as well.

Of course. Tips (restaurants, hair stylists, etc) and many small ethnic (and non ethnic) stores and all sorts of moms and pops are all-cash and likely off the books.

It seems like unbanked people don't travel, but that's not true either. Plenty of poor/er people travel and rely on cash. They just can't buy a plane ticket in cash anymore. People of all incomes from all over the world travel (if you're ever at JFK or major international airport, you'll realize this). Travel isn't all "luxury" travel or travel to Europe to go skiing, sometimes it's just seeing family in another country (like from Mexico to US, as an example). European travel skews toward people who don't rely need to rely solely on cash.

I used to be a "smart traveler" who used traveler's checks. I appreciated getting several thousand dollars' worth replaced after a car break-in years ago in Chicago. (But would I have left that much cash in the glove box? Probably not.) Then money started coming out of walls and I got one of those newfangled ATM cards, never looked back.

About ten years ago I still had a few hundred dollars in traveler's checks from long ago. I took them on a cruise and cashed them on the ship, seemingly one of the easiest ways to get rid of them.

I got a giggle here. I noticed FastEddie wrote “tactical improvements.” I think auto spell correction changed his word from practical. I hate autocorrect. Makes this question a bit more interesting though.

I wonder how many Americans pay off their credit card bills for European travel as soon as they return from their trips. (CreditDonkey says that would be less than half of the credit card users). It seems like one of the biggest reasons people use credit cards to pay for travel is that they can't really afford it and have to go into debt (I didn't say everyone, but more than half).

Lee,

18% of US citizens are "unbanked"
Somehow, I doubt that many of these citizens are the traveling type.

Of course. I was commenting indirectly on the implied potential for the US to join the cashless countries.

I'd be interested in knowing what the impact of being cashless has been on the panhandling industry. I'm picturing the Centurions at the Coliseum holding out card readers.

It seems like one of the biggest reasons people use credit cards to pay for travel is that they can't really afford it and have to go into debt (I didn't say everyone, but more than half).

Lee - We charge everything we can to our credit card (which is paid off monthly) for the miles to cover our flights to Europe. I look forward to the credit card bill after a trip - good memories and a healthy boost toward our next trip.

Agnes, I'm with you!

I hope the pandemic speeds the transition to electronic payments in Europe (like in Sweden) -

I love the convenience of tapping credit cards, paying utilities with credit cards, etc. As someone above said, charging everything builds points or rewards, etc. However, if one has a tendency to not pay off the bill at the end of the month, the cards should be frozen in the freezer to use only in an absolute emergency.

I doubt my ATM card will even work after C-19...which might be a problem. We haven't had any cash in our wallets for over one year. We love it. Especially with Apps like Venmo for expense sharing... I even paid my snow shoveler with Venmo. He did look at me in shock when I asked if I could Venmo him as he thinks we are old...and old people don't know anything. (Edit: Actually I think it was much earlier than that, as we were planning ATM stops to gather cash for our hotels...so so long ago I can't remember.)

The last time a family member used traveler checks was 2008 when my daughter needed a large sum to secure an apartment for the year. It worked but the bank was apparently not happy. We had stopped using them about 2000 for basic travel.

I was a “smart traveler” back in 1975 when I traveled to Europe and Russia with traveler’s checks, exchanging them in each country for country-specific bills & coins. The 4-H Ambassador Program group had other differences than how I travel now - no phone calls were allowed back to the US during the 40-day trip as that would be seen as extravagant & wasteful by our European hosts.

What’s stayed the same from that trip to how I travel now: we could only have one carry-on suitcase. We had to wear nice-looking clothes. We had to wash our clothes in the sinks. I appreciate being able to travel & learn daily.

The last time I used travelers' checks was France in 1996. I was out of cash with only 2 or 3 days left in the trip and annoyed I had to stand in a long bank line to get only a modest amount of cash. Then I noticed an ATM which had the same network logo as the one I used back home (Cirrus, I think). On a lark I tried the ATM and it worked! From that moment onward I associated travelers' checks with cuneiform writing.

Last time I used a travelers check was Carlsbad California. I tried to cash a Citibank travelers check at a Citibank bank. The teller very apologetically said “ma’am I’m sorry we don’t accept those.” Turns out there were only a couple of Citibank banks in the area that accepted their own Citibank travelers checks.

Oh my word, I too recall using Traveler's checks way back when. I also remember Ricks shows and his talks at the Travel Center. I agree, his advice still holds true for me- pack light, open-jaws, connect with locals... His advice and those who work for him have made me a "smart traveler." Grateful. Like others I have not used an ATM since Sept. 2019 when we were traveling in Central Europe and Amsterdam. When I open my wallet now I still have a $20 bill since before the Pandemic. A reminder that "change is constant." I love it!

Ah, this thread brings back memories, thank you FastEddie. Even in the early 90’s, it felt so “old world” to stop in an American Express office. The Paris office (11 rue Scribe), the Rome office near the Spanish Steps, the Aix en Provence outpost on the Cours Mirabeau, the London office across from Harrods. And then, when they let you cash your personal US bank checks to get local currency (no extra charge) with your Amex card as guarantee...sooo modern!!

Back in 1992 I had a (rare) business trip to Copenhagen and had an opportunity to drop down to my father's home village near Oldenburg. I got some Citibank travellers checks denominated in Deutsche Marks for the German portion of the trip (the part on my own dime). In Oldenburg I walked into the local Citibank branch and they would not accept the checks! I walked across the street to Deutsche Bank, where they were accepted gladly. Go figure.

Back in my traveler's check days I had several experiences with banks that wouldn't cash them even though they sold them. These were places I walked into where I had no account or local address, but they sold the checks and I thought they ought to cash mine. After all, the point is that the signatures match, right? And I had photo ID to verify my name and likeness. No dice.

So the new watchword is "Don't leave home with it."

• Karl Malden was a boss!

Traveller's Cheques..... wow, that brings back some memories! I think the last time I used those was about 1992. I doubt that it's even possible to buy those anymore (and why would anyone want to?), and even more difficult to cash them.

Like acraven I would get TC in the country currency - DM, French Franc, British pound. In 1984 I had trouble using one at the Eiffel Tower and at a restaurant in the Loire. In 1999 I had trouble in London - the bank charged 10 pounds to cash a 50 pound note.

It seems like one of the biggest reasons people use credit cards to pay for travel is that they can't really afford it and have to go into debt

I don't think that's the case at all. I do think that's the case for many people for tangible items of significant cost, but not for travel. Then again, I've never not paid off a credit card bill w/in the allotted time frame, so maybe I'm an outlier. I just use it for convenience.

Used to carry $500 in travelers checks. (cashed at my bank a few years ago) and $500in crisp US $100 bills. Still carry the bills. My daughter will charge 35 cents on her card, that will never be me.

I remember when travelers’ checks were a must-have!

I actually had them save my hide once. I was 16, spending a few days in Amsterdam by myself (an extended layover, essentially, on my way from home in Egypt to summer vacation in the US). I’d spent the few days making my way all over the city, doing lots of shopping, exploring, and adventuring. On my last full day in Amsterdam before flying out, I couldn’t find about $200 in travelers checks my parents had given me. These were travelers checks I wasn’t supposed to spend before getting to the US (since I was going to spend a couple weeks in Florida staying with a friend and his family). I had to make my way to a Thomas Cook office near Centraal station to get them replaced. So they did work as intended, and thank goodness I had them instead of cash!

My brother went to Europe before we did and he advised us not to make his mistake....don’t cash large travelers checks only to be stuck exchanging currency at a losing rate when crossing borders during nearly 3 months of travel across Europe. It was 1972 and I sat in the bank forever, judging from the exasperated face of the teller who was required to watch, as I signed over $2000 in $10 checks. The best memory was the gas station attendant in northern Florida who refused our American Express Travelers Cheques because it was foreign money. He pointed to the CHEQUES. I pointed to AMERICAN, US and $. I lost.

Re: credit cards - I always pay them off, but I use them for ease and security. If my card is stolen or lost, I'm out a card and it's a minor hassle to get it replaced. If cash is stolen or lost, I'm out that money with no recourse. When it's $20 for minor daily purchases, that's one thing, but if it's $500 for 5 nights hotel stay, that's a problem. This type of security is why travelers checks used to be popular, I believe (never used them myself, have vague memories of my parents cashing them in the 90s?). So I prefer paying by card for everything, but of course this varies by location, some countries operate more on cash, so I use cash there. However, I'd choose a slightly more expensive hotel that accepted cards over a cash-only one, especially for a longer stay, just because I don't want to have to carry much cash on me. I don't use cash in the US, I've had the same "emergency" $20 in my wallet for something like 2 years.

With COVID I've seen more places go cash free, or at least strongly encourage card or touchless payments due to distancing. Much easier to stay 6 feet from cashiers when you don't need to physically get and receive cash from them!

I'd choose a slightly more expensive hotel that accepted cards over a
cash-only one

Slightly more? I've spent a lot of time analyzing the costs of overnight accommodations in the small towns I've stayed in in Germany over the last 20 years, and I'd say you'll spend more like twice as much to use your card. Staying at places that take credit cards is kind of like losing your wallet every trip. I've found that small, family run establishment give a far richer experience and don't usually take cards.

On my last trip, I didn't expect the 80 yo grandmother who rented one apartment in her home (9 nights) to take a credit card, and two hotels, one (2 nights) on the Rhein and one (3 nights) near Füssen, told me in advance that they only accepted cash. I paid an average of 47€, double occupancy for those 14 nights.

Because I'm willing to pay cash, taking a credit card is not one of the criteria that I use in choosing a hotel. That allows me to be much freer in where I stay. I don't make not taking cards a requirement for staying there, but it seems like most of the places I find attractive don't take them.

@Lee, I agree that credit card use may have pushed prices up over the last 20 years -- but 2020-21 has been a different time and many places in the U.S. that did not take cards, or only took cards for a stated minimum amount, have changed their policies. Maybe the same in other countries?

Can't say I miss standing in line to cash travelers checks, though ...

Like Lee ( maybe it‘s a Colorado trait 😂😂 ), I prefer to stay in small places, none of which take credit cards. In Italy I stayed in 4 Monastery/convents which the listings said did not take credit cards. But it turned out that they all did.

There has been quite a shift in the use particularly of contactless payment methods in the last year in Germany. Big retailers deployed large advertising campaigns to encourage Germans to change their behaviour and many smaller retailers have taken them on for the first time, to the extent that a few have taken the step to card only. Whether this will be the case going forward remains to be seen but it is unlikely to go all the way back after this shove especially since there were already signs of a shift in attitudes back in 2017 from various surveys particularly in the younger generations.

On a 2004 trip to Ireland my roommate had travel ers checks..... and had a hard time finding places that would deal with them.

"Smart travelers use travelers' checks" -- R.S.
In 1991, the smartest travelers were actually using Visa/MC to get cash. But the AmEx propaganda was very effective. It's my understanding that as of Jan 1, 2021, AmEx has stopped printing new TCs. If you're still holding on to old ones, you can redeem them on the AmEx website.

I usually am an early adopter of technology, but I still don't like to have anything financial on my smart phone. I don't use a banking ap and don't use google pay or others. I use a major credit card for most purchases, but for anything less than $25 or so I use cash. I just find it easier to budget and it cuts down on too many stops at coffee shops and other $$$ wasters. Maybe this is because I am old enough to remember traveler's checks-especially the last time I tried to use one and couldn't get anyone to take it. I had just one left over from a previous trip where the apt owner wanted to be paid in travelers checks. I was in Italy in 2008 and I finally found a pottery store who wanted my large purchase and would take the 50 euro traveler's check as partial payment.

I hate cash, I only have to use it to tip my hair stylist, I assume it’s all done off the books. Before Covid, I’d use it at street festivals, those square payment devices run on mobile phone technology which can get slow if there’s lots of people around.

It used to be fun to use the different currencies in Europe, but that novelty has worn off.

I actually do have an old travelers cheque that my dad signed but never redeemed.

I do remember before Covid we’d often get one or two posts every year on these forums asking about Travelers Cheques. I assume they were usually from brand new travelers getting bad advice from their relative who backpacked around Europe in 1990.

Another bad piece of advice from Rick:

I carry $100–200 as a backup. While you won't use it for day-to-day purchases, American cash in your money belt comes in
handy for emergencies ... hard cash is hard cash. People always know roughly what a dollar is worth.

That's post WWII thinking. With the advent of the euro, Western Europeans no longer covet the US dollar as "hard cash". On our last trip to Germany/Austria/Switzerland, my significant other forgot that she had changed her debit card PIN and forgot the new PIN (or at least that's what she claimed), so we had no way to get cash from her account. No problem, we just used my debit card. However, she did have $100 US with her, and she spent the entire three weeks unsuccessfully trying to spend it at stores, or exchange it at banks. No one wanted US cash.

So, as a backup, when you make your first ATM withdrawal, put away 100-200 euro as your emergency money. Then, at the end of your trip, if you think you will be going back to the euro-zone soon, keep the emergency stash of euro so you will have it for your return (and forget about bringing US dollars), or don't spend it until you are sure you won't be needing more before the end of the trip.

I do hope Rick has taken the advice about carrying US dollars as an emergency backup out of his books .

Pre 9/11 I always packed a Swiss Army Knife in my carry-on - that would be a bad thing now.

Interestingly I was in Germany on 9/11 (with the German Luftwaffe on NATO orders). I had packed a Swiss Army Knife for the trip. When I got home, I realized I had carried it home in my carry-on. No one said anything to me about it - even though my bag was screened and there was a much higher level of scrutiny. Maybe they figured a knife in the hands of a military officer wouldn't be such a bad idea? More likely they just missed it, no security is perfect.