No, travelgourmet, your important distinction doesn't apply here. In case you don't know, it's difficult and/or expensive to obtain large amounts of US dollars from banks outside the US.

If you are flying from the US, as I do, you must take the $5,000 cash, or more, with you. Therefore it serves to reason you must deal with US security procedures at your departure airport in the US also, no?

And if you don't live in a major hub, as I don't, then you must travel to your international gateway and therefore deal with US security procedures more than once before you leave the US, no?

So yes, I agree this thread is ostensibly about US security procedures and problems concerning the TSA and money belts and cash, etc. And yes, my contribution also addresses these same issues, no?

I travel the world and I've never carried 5K of any kind of currency with me, but to each his own.

Julia1, I'm just curious why someone traveling FROM the US, would need to get US currency outside of the US? You're leaving the US, so why do you need US currency?

Disregard, Julia1, I just read your post about Iran. It's the same in the Maldives, but at least they take credit cards.

If you are traveling to Burma, you need to take pristine US cash along. I've traveled to Burma twice in the last few years and each time, I carried thousands of dollars with me through security.

That pristine US cash is also necessary for many apt. rentals in Buenos Aires - and for changing to Pesos at the bank or in certain other circumstances. ATMs are available, sometimes, but the charges are high and the rate of exchange low.

People in many African countries, too, covet USD in preference to their own currencies. For example, paying a Kenyan tour operator in USD will be cheaper than converting to KES and there often can be a nice discount for doing so. And in some countries, paying in any hard currency is sometimes advantageous and offers a way around government currency controls, again often resulting in discounts.