StCirq

OK, this isn't for a trip to Europe, but you people know everything, so here's my question:

I need to get about $100 in each of 12 different S. American, African, and Asian currencies. I have an account at Ruesch International, which for years handled my currency needs at a great price, but they no longer deal with physical currencies. My account rep there just told me I should go to Travelex. My admittedly limited experience with them has left me believing the markup is more than I should be paying.

Does anyone have any suggestions for other companies or places where I might get a better deal?

Michael

Check the rate with local exchange companies. In SF, one exchange office had a better rate than any bank.

StCirq

I can't find any local companies other than Travelex and Ruesch (which doesn't deal in physical currency any longer). Even Google can't find any, which is weird - this is the capital of the USA!

Den_

I would probably start by talking to people on these message boards, you may get a better deal. Post what you need on the appropriate boards and people will have invariably carried back some amount of currency from a trip that they don't need or want anymore.

StCirq

Thanks, Den, I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm talking about 12 different currencies for 3 continents. I would have to give up my job to deal with individual transactions like this over a message board. I need a single source where I can take care of this in an hour or less.

hetismij

The currencies of some African countries are only available within the country itself. It can in fact be illegal to take the currency home with you, though of course people do, as souvenirs.
The dollar is widely accepted in Africa as an alternative.
Which countries do you need? Try posting on the Africa forum naming the countries and see if anyone has what you need.

janisj

Travelex is probably your best bet. The rates aren't the best but should be 1-stop shopping.

Or you can try http://www.xe.com/ - They seem to deal in most currencies.

StCirq

I need about $100 worth of currency for:

Costa Rica
Brazil
Namibia
South Africa
India
Vietnam
Cambodia
Japan
Hong Kong
China
Malaysia

I realize some of these are probably soft currencies and I won't be able to get currency until I get there, but I think most of them are obtainable in advance.

Thanks, janis. I guess I'm off to Travelex tomorrow. At least it will be the closest thing to one-stop shopping I can manage!

Michael

How about this place?

Commonwealth Foreign Exchange
910 17th St NW # 318
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 872-8500‎

Michael

Or try this:

http://www.insiderpages.com/s/DC/Was...rrencyExchange

StCirq

Wow, thanks, Michael.

Your Google must work better than mine

Michael

I just typed "currency exchange, Washington D.C."

shellio

At least for Cambodia, don't bother. USD is what comes out of ATMs there and I don't think I ever needed local currency.

Of course I may have been paying a bit more but it wasn't noticeable.

Kristina

Unless there is some specific reason you need the currency, you won't need anything but US dollars in Costa Rica or Cambodia. Both places will give back small change in local currency, but accept dollars at a good rate.
I was just in Cambodia in December. Trust me, you do not want to have to carry $100 in Riel! As someone said, all ATMs dispense dollars. Just make sure any you bring with you are squeeky clean and new. Torn bills will be rejected.

StCirq-Are you going on a single trip that hits all these places? I'd be interested to hear about that!

StCirq

Thanks, Kristina. I've got the message about USD in Cambodia.

It's not for me; it's for my daughter, who's going around the world with Semester at Sea. I'm going to meet her in India, so that's my only involvement, but I thought I'd try to get her some local currencies on my own. The SAS people offer a "package" of currencies, but the exchange rates are ridiculous, so I figured I could do better on my own - and even with Travelex, I can!

Dukey

Just curious...can any of those kids get off the ship and use ATMs locally to get money?

Kristina

Semester at Sea? How cool! What a great opportunity for her. Sigh. I wish I was young enough to be able to do that... Wish her the best...

Seamus

StCirq - would you happen to know if they might need a ship's nurse?

StCirq

Dukey: Yes, they can get off the ship and use ATMs. It's just that my daughter has planned extensively for off-ship independent tours and they only have 4-6 days at each stop, and she's thinking it would be good to have a bit of currency at each stop so as not to waste time hunting for ATMs. I agree she probably would be able to get cash pretty quickly at any port, but she'll feel better prepared if she lands with a bit of currency.

Seamus, I don't know if SAS is actively recruiting nurses, but I can tell you that my sister, who's a nurse, just got a very sweet deal as a "fill-in" nurse on some Hawaiian cruise ship. Apparently, nurses on board ships get really, really bored with the routine and need a month or so off every few months, and so the cruise lines hire temporary nurses so that the regular ones can get off the ship for a month or so at a time. My sister gets flown to Hawaii every 4 months or so and does a month on board the cruise ship. Great pay, not much hard work (seasickness is usually the worst of it), and she gets to float around the islands for a month. You might look into it!

bdjtbenson

Start with a large amount of 12 currencies, then buy something in each place