Whether hiking Kilimanjaro or trekking to Everest Base Camp, ensure that you use your money wisely when traveling abroad. World Wide Trekking Experts prepared these 9 suggestions to help you on all your adventures.
1. Bring new bills:
- We recommend only bringing new bills. Leave any bills older than ten years and ones in poor condition including rips, tears, or other damage at home. Oftentimes, exchanging these old, worn-out bills proves challenging and even impossible.
2. Keep cash separate:
- Do not store your money with your passport. You may have to show your passport when you do not want your money displayed. We suggest using money belts for this reason.
3. Carry pocket change:
- Keep a small amount of change in your pocket. Small bills make tipping much easier. Furthermore, larger bills leave more room for error when receiving change.
4. Count your change:
- Speaking of change, many people who forget to, do not want to, or incorrectly count their change get shorted regularly when they travel.
5. Request small bills:
- When you exchange money, be sure to ask for small bills. Purchasing anything with large bills proves to be challenging as local people oftentimes do not have enough change.
6. Prepare a cheat sheet:
- Make an exchange rate cheat sheet. This simple hack provides an effective way for you to know how much you are spending while helping you bargain. A small calculator can be handy as well.
7. Photocopy your passport and credit cards:
- Scan the front and back of your credit cards and passport. Remember to store them in a secure, separate place. If either are lost or stolen, you will have all of the information necessary to quickly call and report it.
8. Utilize lock boxes:
- Use the lock boxes in your room while only carrying a small amount of money outside the hotel. The lock boxes provide a safe place for cash, passports, photocopies, and any other valuables.
9. Know the fees:
- If you use a credit card, inquire about the fees associated with overseas charges before your trip. Some companies charge as much as 10% to run a card from overseas.
