When it comes to spending money on vacation you have three main choices. And these would be: Credit cards, cash or paying with traveler's checks.
When paying for your holiday, credit cards are generally the best way to pay. It is very easy to request for a new card (given the reason is valid), and with limited liability you are usually safe from paying part of, or all of a disputed charge. Talking about disputing charges, the fact you can dispute them with the credit card provider also affords you protection against inferior-quality products or services.
A credit card would normally be the required form of payment when reserving a hotel or renting an automobile. You will need to be wary, though, even if it is true that for overseas travelers, getting a great exchange rate is possible. There are usually hidden fees that credit card providers neglect to inform their customers (usually on purpose) and they can be quite usurious.
Unfortunately for credit card owners, they can tend to be erratic when used overseas. Nobody wants their credit card to get refused, but it does happen, and abroad, it could happen if the merchant declines the transaction for whatever reason. Especially when traveling to second and third world countries, what already is a good chance of this occurrence becomes even "better", even if there's nothing good about such an ordeal.
Make sure your credit card is right at your reach when using it - it doesn't matter if you have to tail your waiter all the way to the register on the other side of the restaurant. Before you put the card back in your wallet make sure that it belongs to you.
Cash is considered very reliable, a classic form of payment, but it is certainly dangerous to carry around. American cash is accepted everywhere and you can often haggle for better prices with cash.
But there are many dangers when carrying cash. Quite obviously, it puts you in full view of potential street thieves. Don't flaunt your cash.
Hide your cash on your person but not in a waist money belt. Find or make a pocket on the inside of your clothing where it is difficult to get at. And since you will need cash for everyday expenses, keep a small amount inside a second wallet. One neat trick you can employ is to make such a wallet look like it's "the bee's knees" for would-be thieves by loading it up with attractive, yet useless potpourri, like an expired or canceled credit card you forgot to cut up all those years ago. If the bad guys ask for it, give it without hesitation.
Just like in poker where you "gotta know when to hold 'em", the same applies when it comes to cash - keep some of it on you. But know when to fold 'em - meaning, hide some of it in other places. Be inventive about finding good hiding places. The hotel safe is a good place to stash a portion. If you spread it around then you won't be cleaned out in one shot.
By now you have probably assumed that traveler's checks are the best form of currency for your trip. You can use them almost as readily as cash and they can be easily replaced.
In conclusion, it would be best to fuse all three methods together to properly handle your vacation money.
When paying for your holiday, credit cards are generally the best way to pay. It is very easy to request for a new card (given the reason is valid), and with limited liability you are usually safe from paying part of, or all of a disputed charge. Talking about disputing charges, the fact you can dispute them with the credit card provider also affords you protection against inferior-quality products or services.
A credit card would normally be the required form of payment when reserving a hotel or renting an automobile. You will need to be wary, though, even if it is true that for overseas travelers, getting a great exchange rate is possible. There are usually hidden fees that credit card providers neglect to inform their customers (usually on purpose) and they can be quite usurious.
Unfortunately for credit card owners, they can tend to be erratic when used overseas. Nobody wants their credit card to get refused, but it does happen, and abroad, it could happen if the merchant declines the transaction for whatever reason. Especially when traveling to second and third world countries, what already is a good chance of this occurrence becomes even "better", even if there's nothing good about such an ordeal.
Make sure your credit card is right at your reach when using it - it doesn't matter if you have to tail your waiter all the way to the register on the other side of the restaurant. Before you put the card back in your wallet make sure that it belongs to you.
Cash is considered very reliable, a classic form of payment, but it is certainly dangerous to carry around. American cash is accepted everywhere and you can often haggle for better prices with cash.
But there are many dangers when carrying cash. Quite obviously, it puts you in full view of potential street thieves. Don't flaunt your cash.
Hide your cash on your person but not in a waist money belt. Find or make a pocket on the inside of your clothing where it is difficult to get at. And since you will need cash for everyday expenses, keep a small amount inside a second wallet. One neat trick you can employ is to make such a wallet look like it's "the bee's knees" for would-be thieves by loading it up with attractive, yet useless potpourri, like an expired or canceled credit card you forgot to cut up all those years ago. If the bad guys ask for it, give it without hesitation.
Just like in poker where you "gotta know when to hold 'em", the same applies when it comes to cash - keep some of it on you. But know when to fold 'em - meaning, hide some of it in other places. Be inventive about finding good hiding places. The hotel safe is a good place to stash a portion. If you spread it around then you won't be cleaned out in one shot.
By now you have probably assumed that traveler's checks are the best form of currency for your trip. You can use them almost as readily as cash and they can be easily replaced.
In conclusion, it would be best to fuse all three methods together to properly handle your vacation money.
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