You arrive at an airport in a international metropolis. It’s been an extended day: touring to the airport, ready in lines to verify in and go through safety, waiting on the gate to your flight, the hours of the flight itself, after which ready in additional strains on arrival to undergo the formalities and pick up your luggage. You’re exhausted. You take some cash out of an ATM within the airport, then seize a taxi exterior to take you to your resort. While you arrive, you shuffle by means of the pile of bills from the ATM and attempt to see how a lot each bill is - it’s dark out by now.You make a futile try at figuring out the equal in your house foreign money. You can’t focus, so you take a quick guess and thrust some bills within the taxi driver’s hand. He fingers you back some coins. Once you arrive in your resort room, you collapse into bed and sleep. In the morning, now that you’ve rested, you come to the awful realization that you paid far too much for that taxi experience. You gave the driver a lot greater than necessary, and, realizing that you just had been a very tired, newly-arrived tourist, he’d short-changed you - by loads. Has this ever happened to you? I’m embarrassed to admit that it’s occurred to me a minimum of twice.As a part of the DIY Trip Summit - a virtual journey convention - in early 2026, I led a session known as “How to handle cash abroad with out complications.” The conference was focused on unbiased journey inside Europe, so I restricted my remarks to Europe. This text is similar information, divided into three important matters: money, cards, and additional options. While I’m taking a look at Europe here, much of this recommendation also applies in different nations world wide, however there are exceptions, so always examine first! And it contains some advice about the right way to keep away from that individual state of affairs with the taxi.Do you even want money? What in regards to the Eurozone? Don't carry so much of cash. Which should you're taking? Disclosure: This text incorporates affiliate hyperlinks. Making a purchase via an affiliate hyperlink will imply a small commission for this website. This will not have an effect on your worth. A word: I’m utilizing the phrase “dollars” here for ease’s sake, based on the truth that the vast majority of my readers are in the US. If you’re from someplace else, simply substitute the title of your private home forex wherever you read “dollars.” And when I’m speaking about forex in Europe, I exploit the word “euros,” however it may be, for instance, British pounds or Norwegian kroners.Do you even need cash? The reply to this query is dependent upon where you are. I dwell within the Netherlands, and that i don’t carry cash with me anymore in any respect. As an alternative, I use my debit card for every part. Even in the market buying vegetables, I use a debit card. Nonetheless, I can do this because cash is used much less within the Netherlands than anywhere else within the EU, followed by Finland and Luxembourg. I managed not to make use of money in Switzerland in any respect when i last visited. Nevertheless, in many other European international locations, together with our neighbors in Germany, money is definitely necessary, so chances are that you’ll want some cash whenever you journey in Europe.If your trip in Europe is an all-inclusive tour or a cruise where you’ve prepaid everything, you probably don’t want cash either. What concerning the Eurozone? The map under reveals the Eurozone international locations in blue, which all use the identical forex: euros, whose symbol is €. A euro is made up of one hundred eurocents. The coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50-cent pieces, in addition to coins for €1 and €2. They’re all the same on one facet, irrespective of which nation they’re from, and they've nation-specific pictures on the other side, however they’re all usable in all of those countries.Nonetheless, the international locations in purple on the map below - all Eurozone international locations - spherical off their cash transactions. Companies in those nations generally won’t accept 1-euro or 2-euro coins. So €1.48 and €1.49 get rounded as much as €1.50, whereas €1.Forty seven and €1.46 get rounded down €1.45. You’re not being ripped off if that occurs; it’s completely authorized. With card payments, they don’t round off. In any case, it’s helpful to know what the 1 and 2-cent coins appear to be, since they’re straightforward to confuse. Generally, if they’ve accepted any by mistake, merchants may attempt to move them on to visiting tourists, so it’s helpful to be aware of what they seem like, especially if you’re in a rustic where you won’t be capable to spend them.Within the photograph above, you will get a sense of their comparative dimension. The 5-eurocent coin in the middle prime is barely larger than the US and Canadian pennies. The 2-eurocent measurement is about the same because the US penny, and the 1-eurocent is barely smaller. Where do you have to get your money in Europe? Usually I get money on arrival in the airport or train station, and after that I only take cash from bank ATMs. Some folks order their international currency from their financial institution at dwelling before they travel. This isn't price-efficient.The banks cost a payment for this service, and doubtless give a poor alternate rate while they’re at it. And it means you carry heaps of money around with you, which isn’t significantly protected. As an alternative, wait till you arrive. Go to an ATM in the airport or prepare station once you arrive and take 100 or 2 hundred dollars’ price of money out. The ATMs in airports typically aren’t great: they cost excessive charges or don’t give a terrific trade fee, however it’s certainly the best option to go once you first arrive.Then, in the primary few days of your trip, see how fast that money goes. Can you employ cards quite a bit or does the money go shortly? When you may have a handle on how much money you’ll need, take out extra from a bank ATM. Usually, bank ATMs won’t charge as much as free-standing ones in stores or on road corners. Search for an actual financial institution. Exchange bureaus may say that they charge no exchange charge, however they do: it’s baked into the poor trade fee you’re getting, so don’t change foreign money there.It’s dangerous to hold too many dollars round anyway. The same goes for trade counters in resorts. They generally give poor trade charges. Word: If you’re planning to journey outdoors of Europe, do a little analysis to search out out what the situation is the place you’re going. In some nations, you shouldn’t use an ATM because the federal government has set a hard and fast trade rate and inflation has moved far beyond that fastened charge. I think that’s true for both Lebanon and Argentina, but it surely could be true in different places as nicely. In those countries, you’re actually better off at an alternate bureau than an ATM.When you employ an ATM, keep safety in thoughts just as you'll at residence. Be aware of your surroundings, have your luggage and handbag between you and the ATM relatively than behind you, and don’t let anyone see your pin number while you kind it in. Before you set your card within the card slot, verify the slot by grabbing hold of it and trying to offer it a shake.It should stay in place. If it wiggles, it could also be a fake slot, inserted into the true slot by thieves for the sole purpose of studying card numbers and pin numbers. Find a distinct ATM and, if doable, report the pretend slot. The ATM ought to ask you if you want the trade to be carried out for you, so the cash gets withdrawn from your account in dollars. Don’t do it! You’ll get charged extra for the foreign money trade than in case you go away it in euros and your financial institution at dwelling does the change. And if your property financial institution overcharges you on the change, you’re more doubtless to be able to get the error rectified.So how do you retain track in a currency you’re not used to? 1. Work out a straightforward conversion in your head. 1.25. That’s simple to determine: every time you see a value in euros, add one other quarter of that amount in your head. 2. Find out the conversion equation ahead of time and use your calculator in your telephone. 3. For the much less mathematically-minded, download a foreign money conversion app to your phone.I use Xe, but there are others. I haven’t checked, but if you use a smartwatch it might have an app to do that. That way, you wouldn’t even want to pull out your telephone. You’ll need web, although, so be sure that’s set up ahead of time too. Talking of internet, be certain that to examine what kinds of charges you can anticipate if you utilize your knowledge overseas. It’s seemingly quite costly, so suppose about loading an e-sim onto your phone.I like to recommend Gigsky as a result of it’s the one I used to be able to make use of most easily after first installing it. You buy the number of gigabytes you think you’ll use for the particular nation or group of international locations the place you’ll be. If you find yourself needing extra, you can all the time add extra. On arrival in the country, activate the e-sim, make sure that to turn off your property sim, and set the e-sim as your most well-liked sim.Otherwise, your home sim will cost you for roaming. Tell your family and pals to achieve you by way of WhatsApp, Signal or related whereas you’re on the road, rather than by telephone name. How can I keep my money safe? The final downside with money is that it’s a temptation for thieves and pickpockets, so here are some tips. In contrast to me in that taxi, each time you pay something with cash, take the time to be sure you’re handing over the right amount and to depend any change you get again. Don’t really feel pressured to maneuver away from the cashier or get out of the taxi till you’ve counted it.Keep your cash in a safe place, or preferably divided over a number of secure locations. I usually carry my on a regular basis handbag, however at all times carry it cross-physique. That method it’s harder for passing motorcyclists to snatch it. Some cross-body bags are specifically designed for travel, and are flat sufficient to be worn below your jacket. No matter type of cross-physique bag you carry, be certain that to carry it in front whenever you’re around folks. In a crowd, keep a hand on it too.There are many configurations of this kind of bag; check out a group of anti-theft sling luggage here. Many travelers wear a passport pouch around their neck. It hangs in entrance, and in the event you tuck it in your waistband, it stays put and isn’t seen. These pouches are small: they hold a passport, some money, a few cards, and that’s about it. Here’s one from Eagle Creek.For those who typically like to put on a belt, you might get a money belt like this Eagle Creek one. These can hold quite a lot of money, however their drawback is that you draw attention to it if you want to drag money out. If you are utilizing one, I’d recommend taking your day’s supply of money out of it before you go away your hotel room each morning. Put it in your pocket and avoid opening the money belt for the rest of the day. If you retain cash in a wallet, that’s fine, however keep your wallet in your front pocket. That makes it a bit tougher to pickpocket.For a little additional safety, my husband and that i carry “tracker cards” by Ekster - we every carry one in our wallets. They work like sensible tags however they’re rechargeable and the form of a bank card, only a bit thicker. Don’t carry loads of money. The extra you go to an ATM, the more it’s likely to cost you in withdrawal costs and/or forex alternate. Which may lead you to take a bigger sum out each time so you don’t need to go as usually. Stability that urge to keep prices down towards becoming a extra likely target of pickpockets, especially if you’re in a very touristy place like Paris, Barcelona or Prague.Playing cards are usually safer than cash. Like within the US, there are two sorts you should use in Europe: debit and credit cards. Debit playing cards take money immediately from your steadiness in your bank account; within the US it’s from your checking account. Credit score playing cards contain borrowing money from the card issuer. By the way, nobody in Europe accepts travelers’ checks anymore. In addition they won’t accept any sort of non-public examine, and even the banks won’t money American checks anymore.Depart the checkbook at house. Which ought to you're taking? Take each with you, preferably two of each, so if one doesn’t work or will get lost or stolen, you should utilize the other. And keep them in two completely different locations. If you’re traveling with a pal or associate, carry every other’s additional cards or, higher yet, get them a card on your account. I speak from expertise. Years ago, my husband, our two teenagers, and i took a month-long trip to China. My husband had his wallet in his again pocket, and it must have fallen out on the train on the way in which from residence to the airport. ENJOY11 official had time, as soon as he realized it was gone, to run again out of the departure hall at the airport, report the loss to the police and cancel his cards.Meanwhile, the girls and i sat all the way down to attempt to work out how much money we’d want every day - I’d already prepaid all the inns, transportation and transfers, thank goodness - to see if we might afford to go on this trip with out his contributions. We determined that we may, so long as we didn’t go shopping - solely meals and admissions to sights. I had a debit card for my husband’s account, which he didn’t cancel when he cancelled his own. Nonetheless, he had no method to shift any extra money into it.I didn’t have a lot in my account both, however I did have credit score. The story has a cheerful ending too: somebody turned in his wallet and he got it again once we obtained home. Debit cards are much more commonly used in Europe. It varies per country, but usually credit score playing cards will not be used day by day like in the US. Many playing cards (debit and credit) are automatically blocked from being used overseas. Verify yours. Often it’s something you possibly can set your self by the bank’s webpage or app. In any other case, contact them and ask. When your journey is over, remember to dam your playing cards once more!Another story: On one trip - I believe it was Dubai - my debit card wouldn’t work in any ATM I tried - and i tried a number of! I had a debit card from my husband’s account as a backup, so I referred to as him, told him the state of affairs so he may make sure there was enough within the account, and it was positive. Ultimately, I discovered that after a certain amount of time, my financial institution mechanically blocks the card from being utilized in different nations.I ought to have checked earlier than the journey. One other thing to check together with your bank before your journey is what sorts of fees they cost should you pay things in international forex with a credit score or debit card or use an ATM overseas. There are cards with no transaction charges, so that you might need to get a kind of. However, the ATM’s financial institution will likely charge its own charges that your bank has no management over.It’s additionally a good idea to let your financial institution know the place you’ll be and when you’ll be away, so they will help catch any fraudulent charges. You could possibly also arrange a daily limit for withdrawals (or raise your usual daily limit). Take their cellphone number with you - on paper, not in your telephone - in case the card and/or your cellphone will get lost or stolen. Depart your credit score and debit card numbers somewhere at dwelling where you possibly can entry them from afar: in the cloud, perhaps, or with a trusted one that you'll be able to name.That manner, if they’re misplaced or stolen, you may report them to the financial institution easily to cancel them. You would possibly be able to report them through a bank app in your cellphone, if it isn’t also misplaced or stolen. If that is already seeming like rather a lot to maintain monitor of, don’t worry! I’ve made a guidelines of all of the things to arrange beforehand and what to do during the journey, plus another strategies.Just use the form beneath to subscribe to my once-a-month publication and you'll download and/or print the guidelines! Rachel’s Ruminations monthly newsletter! You may unsubscribe anytime. For more particulars, assessment my privateness policy. The information you provide on this kind will only be used to ship you my monthly publication. By clicking beneath to submit this kind, you acknowledge that the data you provide can be processed in accordance with our privateness coverage. Choose in to receive the free guidelines and subscribe to the monthly newsletter. Now verify your inbox to confirm and obtain your free guidelines! Visa and Mastercard are most accepted in Europe. They can be used at larger resorts, chain hotels, and large chain shops, but generally not in smaller retailers and sometimes not in restaurants either.Some locations will only accept one and never the other; they aren’t interchangeable like in the US. American Categorical is just not accepted in many places: larger resort chains and chain stores, but that’s about it. Go away any other cards at dwelling. Be sure that you could have pin codes to your debit and credit playing cards, and be sure to remember them! You won’t always have to sort a code in, but sometimes you'll. A signature isn’t required today for bank card purchases, which is why figuring out your pin quantity is so essential.Examine that your credit score and debit cards have both a chip (left-hand image under), which will get learn if you happen to stick the card into their machine, or a faucet-to-pay image (proper-hand image below), which helps you to simply hold it close to the machine to pay. I’ve heard that faucet-to-pay is extra secure, i.e. much less prone to be hacked. Fewer and fewer venders use swipe machines to learn the magnetic strip, so don’t rely on that. Many lodges will ask for a card at test-in, even when you’ve pay as you go the room. They put a hold on a certain amount of money - maybe €100/night time - simply in case you trash the room or order room service.They release it routinely when you try. If you use a debit card, that money may be in your account, however it's blocked while you stay there and sometimes for a few days afterwards. So if it’s a protracted stay - say, every week - you may need $seven-hundred that you don't have any access to for perhaps 9 or ten days. Use a bank card as an alternative. You shouldn’t have to hand debit or credit cards to anyone. Don’t let a salesperson or waiter walk away with your card.Instead, use the card reader yourself. Typically, in a restaurant, they’ll carry it to you, or they’ll ask you to stroll to the money register to pay. The only place I can think of the place you might hand your card over is at a lodge reception so they can take the knowledge for his or her security hold. Watch what they do with it; usually it involves a scan into their laptop, they usually must be doing it right there in front of you.These online banks can come in very helpful, I find. I’ve traveled in locations exterior Europe where my common bank debit card doesn’t work for no matter motive. Yet my Clever card has labored absolutely everywhere. Each of those banks are very travel-pleasant, and that i find their expenses very cheap. My Google wallet works easily in pretty much each scenario that allows tap-to-pay. I’ve added my debit and credit cards, as well my Wise card. I simply swipe to the one I need to make use of and hold my telephone up to the card reader. And paying this fashion is safer than taking out a wallet and trying to find a card. To open the app requires a move code or a fingerprint, so set this all up forward of time.Don’t rely on this alone, however. Telephones do get lost, stolen or broken, so take your physical cards as effectively. I’d also recommend attaching a lanyard or wristband to your telephone and utilizing it consistently to thwart snatch-and-grab thieves. To keep a handle in your money, obtain the apps that go along with your debit and credit cards so you can shift money around if needed, block a card that’s been stolen, and so on. How to decide on a destination: Tips to consider before journey.If you’re like me and want to see in every single place, this guide may show you how to slim it down. Preparing for a flight: A really complete guide. I wrote this with travelers in thoughts who're new to flying or haven’t flown in a very long time. 28 sensible tips for girls traveling alone. We shouldn’t should, however women do have to think about safety more than men. Minimalist packing tips: Easy methods to travel light. On most trips, I take only one carry-on bag and one under-seat bag. This article tells how. Solo dining: 16 practical tips for eating out by yourself. Consuming out alone is uncomfortable for many individuals.The following tips can enable you to deal with it. In many international locations in Europe, you need to use a taxi service like Uber or Bolt or similar and pay by way of the app together with your credit card so you’re not attempting to deal with unfamiliar money as you pay. Check ahead which companies operate within the country you’re visiting, obtain their app, and set up payments via your bank card within the app forward of time. You may even pay a tip through the app so you don’t must deal with cash in any respect.As my story in regards to the taxi illustrates, I’ve made essentially the most money errors on arrival in an airport in a new nation. What works much better, only for that arrival day, is to splurge a bit by booking one thing like GetTransfer or Welcome Pickups. They meet you at the airport with an indication, walk you to their taxi and take you to your resort. It’s all paid in advance, so that you simply don’t should think about it. If the trip has been lengthy and you’re tired, it makes things so easy. For much less of a splurge on arrival, however still with out having to deal with money when you’re tired, use Uber or similar.Guide it after you get by immigration and choose up your luggage. At airports they’re prone to arrive quite rapidly. I prefer to e book lodging and transportation forward of time. The advantage in phrases of cash is that for me it’s a form of budgeting - it spreads out my funds over the months earlier than the trip. And it means not having to think about paying when you examine in to resorts. For trains and buses, Omio works effectively inside Europe, while I’ve discovered that 12Go works very nicely in Asia. Or use the particular country’s train app: NS within the Netherlands, DB Navigator in Germany, SBB Cellular in Switzerland (Switzerland has one of the best trains!), etc. Ferryhopper is useful for booking ferries.And at Uncover Automobiles you may examine costs across totally different rental car corporations. If I’m booking far in advance, I at all times pay further at no cost cancellation. A tip about booking lodging: learn the critiques! But don’t just read them as given. You may set the order so that you see the newest reviews first, and that’s key! A narrative, again from outdoors Europe, but it nonetheless applies. I had booked a resort in Delhi for the previous couple of nights of our journey in India. I regarded on the critiques, and so they have been all quick and positive. As I read the primary several, it dawned on me that these reviews were all very related, and similarly uninformative.I realized that I hadn’t sorted them. So I set them to “most latest.” Now the very first review, posted that same morning, said something like “Don’t imagine the evaluations! They lie! It is a bordello! Besides setting the evaluations to “most recent,” I don’t even consider any motels that solely have a couple of critiques. The first few reviews for any lodge are likely to be from friends of the proprietor, so you can’t trust a hotel’s rating till there are lots of extra.Don’t tip like you do in the US! It’s just not mandatory in most places in Europe because waiters and porters and such get a living wage in Europe. High tipping like within the US additionally spoils issues for locals. Service individuals start to expect big suggestions, and locals is probably not able to meet that expectation. And in some places, I’ve heard, tipping is just plain insulting! As an alternative, look up what the norm is in the nations you’re visiting. Here within the Netherlands, we usually simply go away a euro or two on the desk if the service has been good, or inform the waiter a barely higher complete to sort into the card reader.For a taxi driver we would round up a bit. But it’s by no means the 20-25% you pay in the US, so just don’t! What about leftover money? At the end of each journey, there’s at all times a bit of money left over. Here’s a fun challenge I wish to do whereas we look ahead to our flight on the airport. I collect up what’s left of the cash now we have - hopefully at this level we only have a few coins in our pockets.The problem is to spend them down to each final penny. I don’t all the time succeed, but it’s fun to attempt finding simply the right small item or two - chewing gum or some candy, for instance - adding up to exactly what I've. If that doesn’t appeal to you, there are a couple of different choices. You probably have so much left, you may alternate it at an alternate sales space at the airport, however the rate they provide you'll undoubtedly be poor, so I keep away from this. Many airport outlets will let you use a combination of your leftover cash and a debit or credit card, so when you desire a souvenir, a field of chocolates, or a bottle of alcohol, that works properly too.In fact, you might keep it for the subsequent journey. The question is: is that seemingly? I've a complete piggybank stuffed with international coins, and customarily I simply neglect to choose by means of it before a trip. If you happen to didn’t already, download my free checklist! It’ll help you keep track of all of these things to do earlier than your journey, and give you some extra solutions and hyperlinks which may assist make your trip go more smoothly.Fill out the kind under to get the checklist. It’ll also subscribe you to my e-newsletter, however don’t fear! I won’t spam you with mails. All you’ll get is the one single newsletter per 30 days that I send to my subscribers. I will not share your e mail deal with with anyone else, and you may always unsubscribe. Rachel’s Ruminations month-to-month publication! You'll be able to unsubscribe anytime. For extra particulars, evaluate my privacy coverage.The information you present on this kind will solely be used to send you my month-to-month e-newsletter. By clicking under to submit this form, you acknowledge that the data you provide will likely be processed in accordance with our privateness coverage. Opt in to receive the free guidelines and subscribe to the month-to-month e-newsletter. Now examine your inbox to verify and obtain your free guidelines! I hope this has been of use to you as you plan your journey.And i hope your trip in Europe is all the pieces you need it to be! Please let me know the way it goes by adding a comment under! Skyscanner is where I all the time begin my flight searches. Should you choose, Expedia gives kind of the same. Discover Vehicles offers a simple way to check prices from all of the main car-rental companies in a single place. Use Viator or GetYourGuide to seek out walking tours, day tours, airport pickups, metropolis playing cards, tickets and whatever else you need at your destination. GetTransfer is the place to book your airport-to-lodge transfers (and vice-versa).It’s so reassuring to have this all arrange and paid for forward of time, quite than having to make choices after a long, tiring flight! Buy a GoCity Cross when you’re planning to do a whole lot of sightseeing on a metropolis journey. It might save you a large number on admissions to museums and different sights in huge cities like New York and Amsterdam. Ferryhopper is a convenient way to book ferries forward of time.They cowl ferry bookings in 33 completely different international locations ultimately depend. I’ve develop into an affiliate for VisitorsCoverage travel insurance, mostly because it's best to At all times have travel insurance coverage when you travel! ’s worse if you happen to don’t have insurance! Get an e-sim! It’s actually awkward to must rely on WIFI once you travel overseas. An e-sim is a superb alternative to paying high roaming charges for your own home provider. Both GigSky and Holafly have labored nicely for me, so it’s price comparing them.Holafly provides unlimited knowledge, but when you won’t use that much, GigSky is perhaps more price-efficient. For both companies, I’ve generally needed help from their customer service to get the e-sim working, but both firms have nice customer service, so it wasn’t an enormous deal. Obtain either of their apps and activate it while you need it. GigSky: use code RACHEL10 to get a 10% low cost. Holafly: use code RUMINATIONSRA for a 5% low cost on a travel esim or, should you travel so much, 10% off a Holafly plan. Rachel Heller is a author dwelling in Groningen, the Netherlands. She is the proprietor and primary author of this webpage, Rachel’s Ruminations, a journey weblog targeted on unbiased travel with an emphasis on cultural and historical sites/sights. Learn more right here about her and about this website. All images in her articles are her own, until otherwise specified. Rachel additionally owns and operates a website about World Heritage journey.