Re; Spain

Your question about converting dollars to euros here or there has been discussed here 1,798 times and there are about 897 different answers/opinions about that very thing. Personally, I go to Europe every summer and would never convert dollars to euros here after comparing the exchange rates both here and at an ATM in the country to which I am traveling. I use a credit union DEBIT card for the ATMs and the credit union does not mark up any exchange fees that the ATM themselves may charge. Lots of folks would not leave home without some euros in their pocket. Different strokes for different folks.

As far as Morroco goes, it's a nice place but only if you have enough time. How long will you be in Spain and what is your itinerary?

I can purchase foreign currency at my home bank with no service charges and exchange rate is decent enough for me not to worry about it. Lots of folks like to exchange "in country" or use ATMs but I prefer to have cash in my pocket when I arrive. I am by nature a cash-kind of guy and avoid credit cards and ATMs as much as possible, even here at home. Morocco is a nice country but how much time do you have to spend? If all you feel like doing is going across from Spain Tangier then I will tell you up front that you probably won't be impressed. Unless your travel plans take you to the south of Spain, Tangier is a long haul from Madrid or Barcelona and in my opinion not worth the time and trouble. If you are in the south of Spain anyway then by all means take the ferry across to Tangier, spend the day and then head back in the evening to your hotel in Spain. There is no reason at all to stay overnight in Tangier.

Thank You for all of your input! All of us have different ideas on how we want to do our money. I personally prefer cash. But the others like ATM or both. We will be in Spain (Barcelona) for 7days.

From my experience the easiest, least expensive, risk free, and most convenient way to obtain local currency is via a no-fee debit card at the ATM. Any other method will be more expensive, and potentially less convenient and could carry more risk.

Re: ATM -- I also use the ATM machines...but some may limit the daily draw so to speak. I get some each day and that works for me..and use the card for major purchases, hotels, etc., which can be made in addition to the daily draw. Be sure to notify your stateside bank that you will be making purchases in Spain so that you do not run into difficulty.

I would skip Tangier if that is the only place in Morocco you have time for. If you do want to go, use Rick's recommended tour guide. The guides used by FRS are awful (which we had to use if Rick's guy was not available). If I had to do it again, I would have skipped the one-day Tangier tour as you must spend two nights in Tarifa. I would have used the extra two nights in Porto, Portugal.

We were in BCN last year and ATMs are everywhere. I just make sure I use one in front of a bank and do it during working hours, just in case (has not happened to me yet in my travels to Europe) there is something wrong you can always go inside the bank and fix your problem on the machine. I think you may know already, make sure you notify your bank of your travel and be aware of any fees so you can decide how many times you should make withdrawals. Loved BCN so I hope you will too!

Thank you everyone for your replies and information. I went to Barcelona Sept 11-18! We had a wonderful time! It is a great place to visit!

I like to have local currency when I arrive in a country so I buy 100 euros in the U.S. before I leave, and then use my ATM card in Europe to get cash. To echo Mark, I am a cash-almost-always person too (I don't even use my ATM card in the States) and only use my credit card abroad if the cost is more than 20 euros (train tickets, books, etc.).