B&B's want payment in cash - that's a lot of money to carry around!

Hi,

We take out enough to cover the B&B stay plus expenses. Generally, we'll carry about 300 Euro on any given day on us. In Austria and Germany, all our experiences have been that the room is paid for on your morning of departure, so we plan accordingly. We make sure we have enough to cover it the night before leaving. We will usually take out the maximum amount allowed (about 500 U.S.) at the ATM. Cuts down on the number of visits to the ATM and the fee's for each transaction. After 9 trips to Europe, I've never felt uneasy about carrying that amount of Euro's. Maybe it's just me, but the places we've visited, I've felt pretty safe.

Paul

Hi,
I know that most people do not travel with travellers checks but on a trip to Austria and Germany two years ago there were several hotels that would take travellers checks so i brought enough of them to cover those hotels. On our last trip to Italy I did not bring travellers checks but relied on the ATM and that worked fine too. If you are wearing a money belt which is a MUST for traveling abroad then having lots of cash in it is not a problem.

ATM's are everywhere so it is not a problem. However you may be limited on amount you can withdraw daily. best take 2 debit/atm cards espec if you are staying a pricey B&B's. Actually 2 cards is wise anyway in case atm eats one of your cards,

I put the trip money in my checking account and then take a VISA card to get cash advances with when I needed it. Transfer the money from checking to cover the cash advance when it posts a few dyas later. Did this last year for 27 day trip to Geece and Italy and never used an ATM. Use a money belt and enjoy your travels.

Forgot to add that you need to let your VISA company know before you leave about the planned overseas transactions. Get the advances at local banks.

Cash advances usually incur extra fees (like currency conversion fees) and they always start accruing interest right away (no grace period like with a purchase). Why take the extra step of transfering money from checking to a credit card account when all you have to do is make a withdrawal from the same checking account with a debit card? I would NEVER take a cash advance from a credit card unless it was an absolute emergency. You might have a local credit union like mine, where they charge no conversion fees at all - shop around for a good deal on an ATM card.

Capital One told me they have no fees for ATM withdrawals, so I plan on using a debit card at the ATMs.

Thanks for the $500 per day withdrawal advice. I think I will contact the bank to verify what their limit is.

Is a money belt on my neck ok? That is what I used last time inside and under my shirt.

The money belt around your neck will be fine for carrying your extra cash. I use a money belt for the bulk of my cash, and keep my "walking around" money in a little purse I use for traveling. I'll budget out what I need for sightseeing for the day, add a bit to that, and that's what I put in my purse.

If you don't want to get large sums of money and make multiple withdrawals from ATMs, ask your B&B owners if they will accept bank drafts in euro. If they will, then open an account with XE Trade. Money will be taken from your checking account by electronic transfer and a bank draft in the currency of your choice will be made payable to the recipient of your choice.

If you don't want the owners to have the money until after you arrive, then have the drafts sent to you by regular mail. Take them with you and hand them over in person at each B&B. Or have them deposited directly into the owners' bank accounts. Or have them sent to the owners by regular mail.

The exchange rate is only slightly above the international rate on the day your transactions are initiated. There are no fees.

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