OK, all you experienced travellers -- I need some help planning how to manage my currency exchanges during a month-long trip this summer.

Here's the agenda:
London 2-3 days (Pounds)
Berlin 2-3 days (Euros)
Prague 2-3 days (Kroner)
Vienna 2-3 days (Euros again)
Czech Republic 10 days (Kroner again)
Linz (Austria) 1 night (Euros again)
London 2-3 days (Pounds again)

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can manage my money exchanges across this itinerary without returning home with a motley assortment of change and bills in 3 currencies?

I do plan to use ATM's for cash (no traveller's checks), and Visa/Amex for major bills (hotels, restaurants). I don't want to land at each new destination with *no* currency appropriate to the place, since most of my intra-city travel will be on public transportation, and it'd be nice to buy a multi-day transit ticket right at the airport/train station.

Any hints or suggestions would be welcome, and many thanks in advance

Fritzrl

I'd just rely on getting what I needed on arrival at an ATM in each destination, but if you're more comfortable, then get $50 to $100 of each of the three currencies before you go.
Don't exchange any of the currencies. Keep leftover for your return to each of the places where the same currency will be used a second time. But when you leave Czech Republic, you might put all you have left on the hotel bill so you aren't left with any. If you plan to return to Europe in the next year or so, I'd try to work down to about $50 each of euro and pounds and keep them for your "seed" money next trip.

As Patrick says, you can just apply your leftover currency towards your hotel bill. I'd reserve out less than $50, though -- just enough to get you to the airport and a few snacks.

In London and probably other major cities, you can use your redit card when buying public transit passes.

Just don't take out too much - try to guesstimate what you need when using your ATM card. But if you have dribs and drabs of various currency left over you can use it at Heathrow for you final shopping before flying home. the cash registers are set so they can convert almost any currency. (Any change you receive back will be in &pound

OR - major department stores all have currency exchange desks so you can spend the left over's shopping.

t

Use the all time favourite's in all your transactions..

Credit cards...

Since many of those countries will be moving over to the Euro in May, you might only need to "adapt" while in England. In France a few years before the official change to the Euro, it was accepted in lieu of francs in many shops and restaurants.

Quite frankly, it is silly to run around getting all the different currencies; that is what credit cards and ATM's are for. When arriving in each new country, there are sure to be ATM's. Use them...I don't even understand the paranoids who feel they need to get local currency before arrival even if it costs them money. This is the 21st century and the ATM's work quite well thank you. Oh yes, what if the ATM's happen to be down I hear people cry. Then and only then saunter over to the exchange bureau swallow hard and lose the few dollars on lousy exchange rates for cash transactions.

Am a veteran European traveller and have never had any difficulties whatsoever. As a matter of fact, in many countries, the local transportation authority right in the train station takes credit cards anyway. You will be shocked that in many parts of Europe, use of credit cards is on a par with the US insofar as they are taken even in places like McDonald's.

So you will probably not need all that much cash if you use your credit cards everywhere they are taken and supplement with ATM withdrawals.

The information given by hlphillips2 is not accurate. The countires joining the EU on May 1 won't be adopting the euro immediately. More like 2006-07. Second, while euro in electronic transition was introduced prior to the actual changover, the actual notes and coins weren't released to the public for general use until either the changover date or just prior (12/31/2001).

Thanks for the clarification as to the actual notes versus electronic currency prior to the release of notes in 2001 just prior to the changeover which occurred the next month.
I've recently read an article about this in National Geographic's Traveler and perhaps misunderstood the adoption dates of currency for the new countries.

I understand the folks who want to have a few euros in their pockets when they arrive in Europe. If it makes them feel more comfortable even if they lose a couple of bucks, then it's probably a worthwhile expenditure.

As someone else said, "that is what credit cards are designed for". Let us suppose you are visiting 6 different monetary countries, if you can afford to make the trip, trying to save $50 is what it might cost you by reasonably figuring your cash needs for the countries in which you travel. Stop trying to figure how to save $10 and make your liofe easier.