Patty

bozama,
It makes sense to bring your home currency as an emergency back up as more than likely you won't need it, so why spend the extra money getting anything else.

Patty

bozama,
PS - the idea isn't that you would actually use your home currency as is. It's that you'd convert it to the local currency <i>if all else fails</i>.

MademoiselleFifi

Yes on euros (leftovers); no on other currencies (ATM upon arrival).

dickensdad

On our last trip (Italy - March 2008) we took no euros. We stopped at the first convenient ATM (Rome Termini) to get some cash. On the trip before (Florence), we bought some euros from friends of ours who had just returned from Italy.

suze

bozama~ As others are clarifying, I would carry USD (or Canadian) to *exchange* into the local currency before spending it, if for some reason the ATM machines aren't working. So your &quot;not welcomed&quot; comment does not really apply.

travelbunny

always..though I try to make sure I leave Europe with extra euros and pounds so I dont have to go to a bank locally. I was caught out once and that was enough..usually 100 sterling or 150 euro. I go to Paris frequenly and always keep coin for the machines for RER tickets from the airport...saves time.

whoknew

I always seem to come back with some Euros or pounds and so have money at the ready upon my return to Europe. This is also an excuse to begin making plans (&quot;Oh look, I still have money left over, I must go back to spend it&quot. I admit I was incredibly relieved to have it immediately available in 2003 when I needed to visit the airport pharmacy in Munich. I was suffering from food poisoning, and the combination of illness and exhaustion and being able to purchase what I needed right then was one less thing I had to worry about. It's never a lot of money, but generally enough to tide me over until I do find an ATM. It does give me a sense of security having that money available.

And I do carry about $200 of my own (US) currency, because I always need some cash on my return home. And I also know that if I had to, I could always use it in an emergency (I've never had to so far).

I'm from a medium sized city. It's quite expensive to order foreign currency here. That's why I like to have a little bit on hand and then use ATMs once I've arrived.

cybertraveler

We live in a suburb of a medium-sized city in the US. Our local bank branch needs to order Euros from the city branch which only takes a day or so. We brought about 400 Euros in cash on our last trip three years ago (back when that was about the same as $400). We also brought travelers checks in Euros. (I'm almost embarrassed to say this, having read some of the other posts on this board!) I thought that they would be safer than cash. However, when they ran out, we used ATMs in Paris &amp; Florence.

The problem is the fees that are tacked on for using the ATMs, and the machine in Florence ate our card! That took some time, with us having to go into the bank in order to get the card back. Apparently, not every card is accepted by every bank's ATM. We ended up having to go down the street to another bank and spend about 45 minutes waiting in line to withdraw cash personally with a signature. It sounds like the airport ATMs are a much better option.

Next trip, I'd like to bring all cash for any shopping. We got totally burned on the VAT, because we couldn't find the correct office in CDG to refund the tax, and ran out of time waiting in line, so just wrote off the loss. With cash, the merchants often won't even charge the tax. Just a tip!

cheribob

Yes, DH is a Luddite. He always goes to Travelex to buy 100-300&euro;. Plus we take any left over Euros we might have from the last trip. Then we use credit cards for purchases &amp; debit card to access ATMs for cash.

I live in a town of about 150,000 outside Chicago.

Vttraveler

We always take a little. OUr one experience with an ATM eating a card was years ago in the US (Shasta California on a Sunday afternoon--of course)but it has made us nervous about that possibility

Nikki

If I have some local currency from a previous trip, I bring it. I never exchange money before leaving the US. I always have two different ATM cards (from separate accounts) and two credit cards. I do usually have some US dollars to exchange in an emergency.

The arrival airports I have seen have always had exchange booths, usually right next to the ATM, usually very conveniently located for arriving passengers.

agulha

Triple AAA has prepackaged money amount in euros and pounds. No fee if you are a member.

American Express office in the Marriott Marguis hotel (NYC) has the money readily available for a few.

I live on LI, NY so it is easy for us to take a bit with you.

ParisAmsterdam

Call me a Luddite too if you wish
but I always have 500 euros in
my pockets when I land...

Rob

tod

Definitely - any cash in British currency, USD$, and left over Euros from last trip.
There are so may places to change it.
This time I am jumping for joy having won the equivelant to 500 euros on our local Lotto!!
This means my stomach will be expecting some decent grub!

GreenDragon

Yup - like this summer, we're going to Scotland, and I'll need &pound;100 cash for the taxi (for 6 people) from Glasgow to Edinburgh. Costs more for credit card. I would rather not rely on the ATM working if I can help it.

I usually bring about $200-$300 worth on my trip. In the past it has saved my butt (like when I realized my credit card was still at home in the purse I decided not to bring at the last moment).

ggnga

Hello,

I take $300 or so depending on the length of stay. Now with the lousy $ it might need to be more. I don't get the euros but like to have some cash I could convert in case the ATM goes amuck.

If I don't need it, I just put it back when I get home and haven't lost the conversion fee.

gg

Clifton

Never do. Euro $ Sterling counties seem to be the most likely to having working ATMs when there anyway. Doesn't help at all if what you really need are forints, lei, korunas, etc. Many currencies can't be purchased outside their own borders.

We just take some backup USD, and if we got stuck for an ATM, we grumble an hit up an exchange window for enough to get us into town.

Michel_Paris

Yes, maybe 50-100 euro. Big city, I can get it at my local bank for ~4-5% above offical rates

Why...because when I get off the plane:
a) don't want to have to locate an ATM
b) don't want to wait in line behind 20 other people
c) ATM could be broken

I land, pick up bags, and get on transport to hotel

Poohgirl

I never did until I landed in Budapest to find out that my ATM card didn't work! And I had to pay my driver in cash as well as the apartment where I was staying. My driver took pity on me and took me to my apartment. The apartment managers took pity on me, paid my driver, allowed me to use their phone so I could sort out this problem, and offered me a loan to get me by. It turns out that the Visa people did not release my debit card but did my credit card. After being blown off by the Visa people, my own bank figured out what was wrong and activated my card. I finally got some cash, settled with the apartment people, and felt a major weight in my stomach disappear. So now I do bring along some money. If I can't get it in the currency where I am visiting, I will bring USD and change it there if I have to do it.

thursdaysd

Only if I have some left over from a previous trip. In Europe the last few years I've never had problems with ATMs. Occasionally in Russia or Asia I've had to try a couple before getting lucky. I live just outside Raleigh in NC, and I have enough trouble getting brand-new twenty dollar bills (for back-up) without trying for some other currency.