twenty dollar bills advice

It was`probably Peter Oborne rather than Osborne. I don't know that he is particularly anti-Europe, but the Daily Telegraph is owned by the reclusive Barclay brothers who are very anti-Europe. The Barclays live on a small island in the Englaish Channel, so that they are not subject to UK tax. As entrepreneurs, they are naturally opposed to any threat to their own personal wealth from what they consider bureaucratic organisations such as the E.U. The Daily Telegraph has a daily article forecasting the imminent demise of the E.U. and the euro. It hasn't happened yet. However, I always take a quantity of UK pounds with me when I travel because they might be useful on the journey or as an emergency source of funds at an exchange bureau. For an American, $200 might be a useful amount to take. You can always spend them when you are back home.

You will be fine, don't worry about this.

I'd guess that the RS advice is that if you are taking some back up dollars, take 20's rather than 100's or 50's because they'll be easier to exchange. The warning emails sounds like silliness. Similar to warnings to look under your car at a mall so no one slashes your ankles.

I've never taken extra US currency with me on a personal trip to Europe except for my tip and favorite restaurant meal on my way home from my US airport. Ignore the alarmists. You'll have your regular bank ATM card with you won't you? This summer I also made sure that I could withdraw money with one of my credit cards that has VERY low fees, a credit card obtained from my credit union.

The Euro's demise is urban legend. But just as a practical matter you should carry about $200USD in case of an emergency, stored in your money belt. The emergency could be anything from you ATM card getting lost/stolen or blocked, an undersea earthquake severing communication lines between Europe and North America, or your banks computer center being put out of action by a hurricane. Having USD saved me from big headache in Beijing a few years ago.

Thanks to each of you - knew RS must have had some good reason for sacrificing good space. Now if I can just avoid Italian ankle-slashers - Arrivederci -

Did you buy Euros, Pounds, or Chinese Yuan when there was uncertainty recently about the US debt ceiling and the chance up to the last few hours that the US would default? Didn't you worry that the Dollar would lose all its value? Guess what? The Pound and Euro won't either.

Aha - so, Nigel, since you are from the UK - the article referenced appeared in the Daily Telegraph on August 6th. Who is Peter Osborne anyway? Is he generally an alarmist? Or a well-known doomsday writer?

I don't read the broadsheets - the free Metro is as far as I go in the papers, free as I get on the train. I've never heard of the guy. I watch TV (BBC) and listen to the radio (BBC) for news, the rest of the stuff is opinion. Oh, and Wait Wait for US news. Many times much opinion is guess or wishful thinking and countered by many others with contrary or different opinion. Its like watching Fox and taking that as fact. So I ignore the lot. As long as my stocks and shares are going up and the price of my house is going up (they both are, at the moment) I'm a happy bunny. Currencies go up and down versus each other. If I, or you, or anybody else, could reliably predict these we wouldn't be here, we'd be in the Med on our private yacht. So, I don't worry about that either. Sorry to be such a wet blanket.

Bob, thanks, you're right - the writer is Peter Oborne, as you say, and this is interesting information indeed.

You two different issues. The advice to carry $20 bills is because the $50 is the most frequently counterfeited bill. Many place in Europe and even some places in the US will not accept a 50. That is the reasons for Steves recommendation. Has nothing to do with the pending or non-pending failure of the Euro.

I was curious about this guy, so I Googled his name. Wow - Ol' Peter isn't a fan of the Euro, and hasn't been for years. I'm sure he occasionally takes his prewritten Euro obit out of his desk drawer and freshens it up ;-) Don't forget to bring some $20s...you'll probably need some milk and some fast-food on the way home from the airport, not to mention the airport coffee and danish before departing the USA!

Wow,, all these years I have been risking life and limb by not carrying America money,, frankly I find it laughable especially now.. how do the Australians and Canadians,, not too mention the UKers manage,,
I carry an ATM card, a credit card,, and I arrive with about 100 euros in my pocket,, and somehow manage just fine.. What would having 200 dollars Canadian do? Seems like terrible advice to me. By the way,, even if Euro fails,, why would you not carry GBPs in England for emergency,, I must be missing something here.

I always carry 5 $20 bills in my money belt for emergencies, not for any worry about the euro. I did have to use some once because of my poor planning while in a small town with no ATMs. I exchanged them, at a terrible rate, but at least I had needed cash. Also handy if I need extra money on my trip home from the USA airport.

I think we should all just start carrying gold ingots with us. :-)

Liz, I'm in Europe right now, and there's been NO indication that the Euro is facing it's "demise" anytime soon. Frankly, the idea sounds a bit ridiculous, and perhaps a rumor perpetuated by "Chicken Little" types or those who might benefit from the fall of the Euro. Bringing a "stack of US twenty dollar bills" is NOT a good idea (IMHO) as you'll probably not get the most favourable exchange rate. You'll have to deal either with one of the expensive currency exchange businesses (perhaps at the airport) or a Bank. ATM cards provide the Interbank rate, which is the most favourable. Regarding ATM cards, note that your travel funds must usually be in a chequing account with a four number PIN. I would highly recommend taking a "backup" ATM card, in case of any problems with your primary card. I normally start trips with €100 or so, just for expenses until I get settled in my first location and have time to get to an ATM. BTW, which countries will you be travelling in (aside from Italy)? Happy travels!