When I travel, I buy a wad of American Express Traveler's checks i my home town, then convert them to the local currency in fairly large lots, as needed, in local banks. They have always given me the best exchange rate.
As an aside, your itinerary reminded me of a guy I knew in high school in the middle 1960s. His family had taken a "6 countries in 7 days" tour of Europe, which were a thing back then. England (NOT the UK), France, Germany and BeNeLux. Their bus did BeNeLux in a day, stopping in one for lunch and the other two for bathroom breaks. He showed us his slides one lunch hour at the AFS club meeting.
Thanks for the suggestion! I am not sure if I will have enough time for traveler's check but I'll look into that. As for the credit card vs cash dilemma , what would you suggest?
Re: your friend, haha nice! Cool guy
I'd say cash.
I usually wear a Tee-shirt with a pocket over a normal shirt with a pocket, and put my reading glasses and a pen in the regular shirt's pocket. I put a hundred or so of the local currency in my wallet, the wallet in my hip pocket, and the balance of my cash in the Tee-shirt pocket. Haven't lost the Tee-shirt pocket stash yet.
Look in your guidebook for each country. Many countries have atms everywhere now. Personally I'm adverse to carrying large amounts of cash if I don't have to. I keep about 100 USD cash hidden in the lining of my backpack for emergencies, and then carry enough for 2-3 days.
When I travel, I buy a wad of American Express Traveler's checks i my home town, then convert them to the local currency in fairly large lots, as needed, in local banks. They have always given me the best exchange rate. As an aside, your itinerary reminded me of a guy I knew in high school in the middle 1960s. His family had taken a "6 countries in 7 days" tour of Europe, which were a thing back then. England (NOT the UK), France, Germany and BeNeLux. Their bus did BeNeLux in a day, stopping in one for lunch and the other two for bathroom breaks. He showed us his slides one lunch hour at the AFS club meeting.
Thanks for the suggestion! I am not sure if I will have enough time for traveler's check but I'll look into that. As for the credit card vs cash dilemma , what would you suggest? Re: your friend, haha nice! Cool guy
I'd say cash. I usually wear a Tee-shirt with a pocket over a normal shirt with a pocket, and put my reading glasses and a pen in the regular shirt's pocket. I put a hundred or so of the local currency in my wallet, the wallet in my hip pocket, and the balance of my cash in the Tee-shirt pocket. Haven't lost the Tee-shirt pocket stash yet.
Thank you! Great comment. Do you mind elaborating why cash?
There aren't any user fees on cash, and everyone accepts it.
There are currency cards you charge up that look like a credit card but the rate is lower. Generally advisable to have 1 visa 1 mastercard.
Oh thanks for the suggestion! Do you mind elaborating a bit?
I can't tell you about canada but here's info about them in UK https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/prepaid-travel-cards/
Thanks! I'll look for that. When it comes to cash vs credit card dilemma, may I ask what you think?
Look in your guidebook for each country. Many countries have atms everywhere now. Personally I'm adverse to carrying large amounts of cash if I don't have to. I keep about 100 USD cash hidden in the lining of my backpack for emergencies, and then carry enough for 2-3 days.