Money may not be the center of the world and it may not make anyone’s life spin around them. But it is an important part of survival in this day and age – and without it, you are stuck. Especially when traveling to a foreign country, dealing with money can cause a lot of stress and headache and it can be one of the main concerns for most of the tourists out there.
How to deal with money overseas and how to make sure everything is safe, that you have enough money for the entire trip and that you save as much as possible? Read here and find out more.
Never too much cash
Having too much cash with you makes you a complete target for scammers and pickpockets – and honestly, that can happen just about anywhere in the world, regardless of whether you are traveling in Asia, Africa, Europe or the Americas. Make sure you never carry too much cash with you – your credit card is most likely safer, as the thieves will need a pin code to be able to use it and you can declare it stolen the minute you realize you don’t have the card with you. If you’re in search of finding a good card, check out this post on the Best Debit Cards for International Travel. Spending money overseas is a good way to minimise the risks of carrying too much cash as well. Sending money overseas is a good way to minimise the risks of carrying too much cash.
Don’t be flashy
Try not to look like a tourist. Yes, that is an odd piece of advice, but most locals can spot a tourist from a mile – and those who are ill-meaning will know that you are vulnerable in a place you don’t know as well as they don’t. Try not to wear anything too tourist-y (such as “I Love NY” T-shirts, for example), try to mingle with the locals and try to not show off anything that’s too expensive (such as a watch, a very expensive phone or a very high-end camera).
Save, save, save
Being very generous with your spending will eventually lead to being left without money at all. If you want to be absolutely certain you stay away as much as possible and if you want to be sure you have enough money to come back home, save as much as you can. Sure, you don’t have to miss out on all the fun things traveling comes with (such as the delicious local cuisine, for example). But ultimately, you should be very well balanced when it comes to this and you should try to not spend your money on things you don’t need (or at least that you don’t need on a recurrent basis).
Pay attention to currency exchanges
Never exchange money in the touristic areas – you will most likely get the worst rates possible. Also, try to change your money in the local currency before you even leave home. This way, you will avoid any kind of costly confusion.
Last, but not least, remember that withdrawing money from the ATM can turn out to be really expensive on the long term. So you may want to send money abroad and receive them in cash, rather than actually withdrawing them from your credit card.
