US dollars in Italy

It's never a bad idea to have some backup cash that you could exchange somewhere in an emergency (you won't be able to use it directly). If possible, you should carry ATM cards from two separate accounts, so that if one fails for some reason, you would still have access to money until the first one is sorted. Just keep your US dollars in "deep storage" in your money belt.

I always carry about $200USD in case of an emergency, stored in a money belt.
The emergency could be anything from your ATM card being lost/stolen/blocked, to a topical storm flooding-out the computer center of your credit union. The last example actually happened to a popular credit union in my area during Irene a couple of months ago. Customers, locally or abroad, who didn't have some sort of cash were screwed for a few days.

Carrying $200 US cash is always a great idea. As noted above, ATMs do have their problems and a bit of emergency cash can always help. There are money exchanges almost everywhere. If you don't spend it - you bring it home. You'll have to see if those who travel light feel that you can afford to carry the extra weight!

Why not just carry extra €'s,£'s or what ever currency of the country your travelling in? I don't see how US $'s would be better, you'll still have to convert it. Think how hard it'd be trying to exchange €'s at Bob's Bank and Trust in Dog Patch, USA.

"Think how hard it'd be trying to exchange €'s at Bob's Bank and Trust in Dog Patch, USA." Exactly! That's why you should carry it as your home currency - otherwise you are exchanging it not once, but twice. It's only an emergency stash and with any luck you will just take it back home unconverted. Why go to the trouble and expense to exchange it if you don't intend to have to use it?

As Nancy says it's emergency cash, so the odds are you won't need it; so best not to convert it unless one is in a bind....and even if you need it, you may not need all of it. For example, I once needed to raid my stash when I arrived at Dublin Airport on a Monday morning and all the ATMs were out of cash from the weekend. I only needed about 10 Euros for the bus to get me to the city center where there are more machines. So I just took out a twenty dollar bill and changed it at a currency desk.

Well I disagree,, emergency cash is to be used for an emergency, a car breakdown, or ATM loss or malfunction,, and emergencies do not always happen when one is near a bank, or during banking hours .So, how does having 200 US dollars help? I can't imagine a europeon tourist to the States or Canada being able to use their euros in an emergency,, they would need dollars .
Carry 100-200 EUROS as an emergency stash.. and near end of trip you can either use it up,, and whatever is left over TAKE HOME , since next time you get to Europe you will have taxi fare ready when you arrive, instead of trying to find an ATM at an airport. I always arrive with 100 euros in my moneybelt for first days cash,, just in case.. money I can really use right away . How do you think American dollars are going to help in an emergency,, really,, find a bank,,hey you are out of gas, or have no money for train tickets that were just lost,, etc,, you need euros .

We always come into the country with a 100E or so saved from a prior trip or exchanged at our home airport prior to departure. We also have $200 in $20 as back up. (Haven't touched it in 20 years) The 20s are brand new because we have heard/read the old worn money is not welcomed and $50s are the most commonly counterfeited bill and Europeans are suspicious of $50. No experience with that so it could be an urban myth but we do it anyway.

I don't know if the strength of the dollar really matters, but it may be a holdover from the days when there were many European currencies and a lot more exchange bureaus. That said, there are still many, many places in Europe where US dollars are easily convertible. If I were travelling from the States and wanted a "reserve" I would probably take dollars. It's less to think about, and you don't end up with a lot of extra foreign currency that you have to convert back or keep around for ten years until your next trip to Europe (possibly the case for me!)

Will are there really there are lots of places to change dollars,, where are they,, I sure don't see them.. There are exchange bureaus where the rate you will get will make you wish you had converted them at home,, or banks,, banks they may or may NOT(especially in small towns) take your dollars at all,, IF as stated you need them converted when they are even open.
Everyone should and will do as they wish, but as an experienced traveller I would never count on foreign currency in an emergency,, and I travel solo sometimes so don't always have a back up partner..

If you are able to speak a little german, I suggest to open a tax free banking account at www.weltkonto.com. Here you will have a free kreditcard. And you can use this at every ATM on the world.
I use it where ever I am. And it costs nothing. Its a german Bank. So you are sure it is serious.

When I am in Europe I carry emergency cash both in Euro and $. Two hundred Euro and $120 in cash are always on my person; it's better to have both as liquid reserve. Sometimes another $100 in travelers' checks as emergency back-up, since in Germany and Austria they can be easily cashed, if needed.

Where are you cashing travelers checks in Germany? Banks won't take them and businesses won't take them either. Unless you are at a money exchange at the airport or a big train station like Frankfurt, you can forget it.

Carole, I agree with those who suggest taking €200 as "backup cash". Having U.S. dollars is not really a good idea, as in an "emergency" it will likely be converted to Euros at an exchange bureau or local merchant at exorbitant rates. I normally travel with at least €100-200 at the beginning of trips, part of which is left over from previous holidays and if necessary I "top up" at the local four currency ATM. One method I often use is to make a couple of large ATM withdrawals as soon as I arrive in Europe, and then store about €200 of that in my Money Belt. I don't see any benefit to having US$ for "emergencies" in Europe, and it's not a method I'd ever use. Cheers!

I wonder if this is an idea that is a throw back to the days when the american dollar was alot stronger ,, hate to point out, those days are gone, no one wants them now.

Yeah, pat, I was just speaking from my perspective and preferences. For Canadians, it does make little sense these days to take US dollars rather than loading up on Euros when you get there. The way I see it too, an ATM card and a credit card are a pretty darn good "reserve" anyway.

As Will said: an ATM and Credit Card are excellent "reserves"
In going to Europe every summer for the last 10 years, I wait until I land in whatever country I am going to get Euros or the local currency from an ATM machine (or at a bank years ago) now using a Debit card tied to a Checking Account at a Credit Union that only marks up foreign transactions 1%. I have found no use for US currency in Europe.

Charlie, suppose you were in transit from the USA to Europe, and during your transatlantic flight an undersea earthquake occurred in the middle of the Atlantic severing an undersea fiber-optic communications cable, disrupting communications from ATMs in Europe to your financial institution in the states. How would you get be able to cash or charge things once arrive across the pond, only possessing an ATM card and a credit card, and no cash (be it USD, Euros, or Pounds)? This actually happened under the Indian Ocean a couple of years ago. Europeans in parts of Asia, and Asians in Europe had lots of problems using plastic for several days until data traffic was rerouted, and even then there were sporadic problems for several weeks until a special ship could be dispatched to locate and fix the break in the cable. Having USD on my person during my travels around the world has helped me out a few jams through the years, and when someone asks about carrying cash I will always encourage other travelers to do the same. Some of you can snicker and belittle me all you want (I'm not referring to you Charlie), but I will to continue to carry $200USD in my money belt.

Michael,, I am not snickering at you, but say the very freakish case you cited actually happened again,, can you explain to me why it would not be easier to have a bit of the currency of the country that you in would not make alot more sense? How could having 100 euros in your moneybelt not be easier to use then 100 dolllars?
I still think it seems Americans feel their currency is welcome everywhere,, which at one time is was,, but frankly its worth so much less then many other Western countries that the only place I know that accepts it easily is Canada,, and we don't even give you the value anymore when you use it retail( hey many at a cruise port pier shop,, but not in most places),, we take it at par, which is a bit of a rip off for you, but the difference now just doesn't make it worth it to many merchants to deal with giving you a few cents more.

My travels are very city-centric, and playing the odds most others are traveling that way as well. In any large city anywhere in the world it's never a problem to change USD (or Canadian Dollars) in a pinch: airports, banks, change bureaus, full service hotels. In places like London and Amsterdam I've spotted exchange offices in the city center open until midnight seven days a week. The stash is only used in emergencies so it's not cost effective for me to change it to the local currency if the likelihood is that it won't be touched. I really don't care what the actual currency is (and I've never said otherwise)....just bring some sort of cash.

Well we agree it good to never be completely cash poor.

Semi-on topic...I (and others here) were amazed at the proliforation of money exchange booths all over Europe this fall - train stations, airports, etc. And not the Thomas Cook/Travelex places, either. It reminded me of our first European trip... How about this - always keep a €200 or so reserve (depending on # of travelers!), then as your trip draws to a close start spending that € and rely on your $200 reserve? Problem solved ;-)

I always carry some US currency for an emergency. In my many trips to Europe, I have never needed such. Also, I maintain two ATM accounts with different banks. If I do not have the local currency from a prior trip, I just use an ATM machine at the arrival airport. Never a problem. But, if all ATMs at the airport are disabled or empty, I can exchange a limited amount of US currency at an exchange bureau to get by until I find a working ATM machine. Thereafter, I just plan withdrawals using ATMs. So, my opinion is there no need to exchange US currency in advance of an emergency.

Sorry - I have to disagree with Jo and agree with Fred. It is possible to cash travellers cheques in Germany. My mother refuses to get an ATM card and still purchases travellers cheques for all her trips to Europe.
On our last trip, she cashed travellers cheques in Regensburg, I believe it was at Reisebank (sic?) but am not positive of the bank's name. It was the first bank we came to. This was in December of 2010. She also cashed them in Vienna at some bank in the 5th district near our flat. It is not impossible to cash Travellers checks. It's not my preferred method of getting cash abroad, but it's not correct to lead people to believe it is absolutely impossible to cash travellers cheques in Europe.

Uhhh...kooky question, but...Did someone resurrect this post from 8 months ago (last post at 4:50AM on 7/11/12), then delete their post? The last post now shows 6:58PM on 11/1/11. OH NO!!! GHOST ZOMBIES ARE RESURRECTING ZOMBIE THREADS!!! RUN AWAY......!!! EDIT: Mystery solved; not very exciting, either :-( Apparently a marketer bump...Ghost Zombies are MUCH better.