mary

We booked two places in Italy which require us to send a deposit of one night's stay in lira. What is the best way to do this? We have never done this before in foreign currency. Can we get some type of money order in Lira or traveler's check in Lira? Where do we get this? Thanks for all advice.

Christina

I had to do this once in French francs -- you can
get checks made out in foreign currency at
places that sell foreign money; one such chain
is Thomas Cook's, that's where I got mine made
out. If you don't live in a large city or can't visit
one easily, I don't know what you'd do -- I guess
I'd ask my bank.

Christina

I had to do this once in French francs -- you can
get checks made out in foreign currency at places
that sell foreign money; one such chain in U.S.
is Thomas Cook's, that's where I got mine made
out. If you don't live in a large city or can't visit
one easily, I don't know what you'd do -- I guess
I'd ask my bank.

Cheryl Z.

hi - we've never had to do this. We always use a cc, requesting fax confirmation. If this hotel won't take cc deposit, I'd find another hotel. You don't say where this hotel is, or the name. Possibly if it's a little hotel in an outlying area, not a touristy place, then maybe they don't take cc, but it's highly irregular not to.

Carol Leventhal

I've never had to send a check in the currency of the country, either. Instead, whenever asked to send a deposit, I send the dollar equivalent for one night's stay. Invariably, when I arrive, the check has not been deposited owing to transaction problems, I pay with a credit card, and the check is ripped up.

Penny

Any large bank will give you a cheque in a foreign currency, such as Italian lira. But they charge a lot to do it. This will increase the cost of staying at the hotel. Try asking the hotels if you can secure the reservation by faxing them a credit card number. Otherwise, you may be better to find other hotels. Ones you can find on the Net may not want a deposit. There are many of these for Italy. Try searching with Alta Vista under Rome + hotel.

Penny

Any large bank will give you a cheque in a foreign currency, such as Italian lira. But they charge a lot to do it. This will increase the cost of staying at the hotel. Try asking the hotels if you can secure the reservation by faxing them a credit card number. Otherwise, you may be better to find other hotels. Ones you can find on the Net may not want a deposit. There are many of these for Italy. Try searching with Alta Vista under Rome + hotel.

Barbara

Mary, I have experienced this a lot, because we tend to stay in small places that often don't take credit cards. I have always just sent a personal check in American dollars which they can cash, convert and deposit. This method has always proven acceptable, and sometimes the checks are just held and not deposited. Do get a written confirmation and carry all confirmations with you as proof, not only of your reservation, but of your deposit. Buon Viaggio.