Exchanging money through tour operator
 

I will be going through Contiki tours for my first trip to Europe. I have learned that they will sell a "starter" pack full of currency from each of the countries that we will be visiting. I am not sure that buying the pack will give me a favorable exchange rate. I have gleaned from this forum that ATM and credit cards are the way to go, but I am not sure I will have time to get to the ATM before each of the introductory city tours. I am considering getting some currency for each country at Thomas Cook instead of going through the tour operator. What to do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Many folks get a few $ worth of each foreign currency before they leave the US. You didn't say how much would be in the "starter kit". If it is just a little of each countries currency then it really doesn't matter if the exchange rate isn't the best - you'll only be losing a few cents or dollars. But if they are trying to sell you hundreds of dollars worth - then skip it and look for the nesrest ATM.

Also, take a couple of 1-USD bills with you. It can be very helpful upon your arrival e.g. for the bellboy bringing your lugggage into your room. USD are appreciated all over the world and I always take small bills with me. Also, if you need to change just a very small amount for the last day.<BR>Also, the "starter packs" are a good thing and as Janis said, the amounts are usually small and the exchange rate is not really important, but you will be glad in case you need some money upon arrival (to buy a drink, etc.) <BR><BR>Also, if you travel in different European countries, try to get rid of the coins once you leave a country. You will not be able to change let's say French coins (the most valuable is the FF 10.-coin, approx. USD 1.5) in Switzerland into Swiss Francs. The banks will not take it.<BR>

Ursula,<BR><BR>I'm sure that the bellboy do appreciate your 1 $ bills, but I'm sure sure too he would appreciate much more the same amount in his own currency, since it would spare him a visit to the bank to change your bills and the fees he will have to pay. Also, he would probably consider you as less patronizing (no doubt he will politely smile, though, whatever he could think).<BR><BR>You can go on believing that US dollars are appreciated everywhere but in western europe they have exactly the same value than Indian rupies or the Spanish pesetas in the US: none, as long you didn't have them exchanged into the local currency. <BR><BR>In some eastern european countries, though, your advice about tipping in a foreign currency could be correct : german marks could be appreciated.<BR><BR>Sorry to have to tell you that your habbit to tip in dollars is a typical "ugly american" thing (actually not really sorry, since this kind of comment pisses me off).

Clairobscur:<BR><BR>Do we now have to defend our European friends against charges of being "ugly american"?<BR>Or, perhaps I should just appologize to her for your "ugly american" assumptions.<BR><BR>Gerry<BR><BR>Sorry, Ursula, we Americans don't all share claireobscur's views of Europeans.

Now, let's make this clear: To give 1 US$ is still bettter than standing in your hotel room and the bellboy waiting for a tip.<BR>I usually take 1 US$ bills when I travel in different Asian countries and they definitely appreciate US$. And believe me, bellboys are not stupid at all. ;-).<BR>Local guides even ask, if you have US$ to give away.<BR><BR>Now for German Marks, the smallest bill is DM 10.-, for Swiss money it's the same, i.e. SFr. 10.- (some 7 US$).<BR>Clairobscur: Would you give that much as a tip?<BR><BR>Now, this currency problem will be solved after February 2002 with the Euro, at least in the countries concerned. I guess even a Swiss bellboy will take them... but he will be as happy with US$, if you do not have any Swiss coins.<BR>

I'm sorry - but to give a $ tip is the height of ugly-American jingoism. You realize that converting currency gets them the worst excange rate. SO your big Dollar tip will probably net them about 65 cents. Yeah - big American spender! Be a sport and get a few coins at the airport so you can tip in their currency. <BR><BR>How would you like getting a tip in FF or Bahts? Not likely.

Unless I've gone completely insance, "questions" is traveling to Europe, not Asia.<BR><BR>Do not, under any circumstances, give tips in foreign currency while in Europe. The person you're tipping can't exchange a one-dollar bill, and you're only insulting this person.<BR><BR>I've seen the starter packs of currency at AAA, and the exchange rate is horrible--usually twice what you'd normally pay. If you're spending more than 1 or 2 days in a country, it's worth it to exchange some money yourself. But if you're only going to be in a place a short time, it's probably not worth it. If you're unsure, take US$ with you, and exchange them at a local bank.

Apparently I have gone completely "insance". Sorry. That's "insane". Now I'm going to go crawl quietly back under my rock.

Even if traveling to several countries, I get a little currency for only the *first* country in the itinerary, i.e., the country where I land. And the only reason I do that is my brain, which has been stuck inside a metal tube with 400 other brains for 10+ hours, can't deal with an ATM without coffee. I usually have about $100 in local currency (the amount that's most economical based on fees, etc. from banks or AmEx), or less if I had some left from the last trip.<BR><BR>I never get currency ahead for the rest of the countries; I get it when I arrive at an ATM. The currency packs are convenient, but I bet you pay a stiff vig for the convenience.

Girls, girls, girls!

Victorian man! Victorian man! Victorian man!

And Elvira leads with a right.<BR>Ursula gets a strangle hold.<BR>Whoopee! Better than wrestling, particularly the language.<BR><BR>Tipping in US $ in Western Europe is ignorant at best and insulting at worst.<BR>The US$ is not the currency of choice in<BR>that part of the world.<BR>Granted, the clerks at Schiphol Airport will take any major currency, but they are making a fortune on the exchange rate at their volume of business! <BR>And the dining car on some Austrian trains will take Swiss francs, German marks, and US dollars. But that is more of a way to sell food to international travelers. <BR>What the heck is a bellboy going to do with a $1.00 bill anyhow? Convert it it for<BR>6.5 ff francs or 1 mark 60 pfennig?? Hunt for an American going home and try to beg an exchange??<BR>In English?? <BR><BR>As for the starter packs, they are real money makers!! And exchanging currency at a foreign bank is going to be little better than buying the starter pack!!<BR>Use the ATM unless your bank is now socking you with an outlandish surcharge as some are now doing on credit card transactions: e.g. 2% fees just to make the conversion.

It would have been easier to advise if we knew the countries and how many of them -- but, I imagine that starter pack is like the one's AAA sells. I agree that given you don't know your access to ATMs right away, you should have some local currency. The exchange rate on those packs is horrible and the amounts are often not that convenient, either. I wouldn't buy them. I would go with the suggestion to get some for your first country to be visited from your bank/local exchange place (sounds like you have a Thomas Cooks), whatever you have where you live; or, for 2-3 countries if that's the maximum (more than that gets to be a bit much). Then, buy some for the next country you are going to when you are in the first one in Europe, etc. Assuming you'll have access to exchange bureaus in the cities you are touring, they are usually everywhere in main tourist areas. Within Europe, exchange rates are always better, even at the airports it seems, than in the US before going. I would never tip anyone with US money in Europe (or anywhere) except in countries without a hard currency, like Hungary or Egypt, where they like US dollars. It's better than tipping nothing, though, I'd agree. I suppose service people who get tips may encounter that kind of thing and save up the money for a trip to the bank once a month or something, just be aware that they are going to pay a percentage for the exchange. One of the funniest questions I see on forums like this is when someone asks if ATMs in France (or other countries) will give them money in US$.

For fear that my response to clrairobscur was itself too obscur, let me in Ursula's words "make this perfectly clear:<BR><BR>Clairobscur refered to Ursula as an "ugly american". <BR><BR>Ursula is neighter "ugly" nor an "american"! She lives in Zurich(where they know about money) and she is Swiss! She was giving us Swiss advice, not "ugly American jingoism"...<BR>Claireobscur, on the otherhand....<BR><BR>For an illustration and a question:<BR>I recently went to Rome. Each way I had a 2 hour stop-over in the Munich, Germany airport. Now what if I want to tip someone and all I have is Italian lire and American dollars. Should I ask him to wait while I go find an ATM machine and get say $20 worth of Deutchmarks(paying a $2 ATM fee and "$2 currency conversion fee") to get money for the tip? Ursula seems to think I should give him a couple of my American dollars. If I did that would I be just an arrogant "ugly american" ? Or maybe better I just don't tip anybody? <BR><BR>Gerry<BR>

Am I wrong with this impression:<BR>Hotel employees in tourist hotels in major European cities regularly get tipped in foreign exchange. They swap it among themselves until they accumulate enough of a given denomination to make a trip to the bank worthwhile. <BR>Truth or fiction??<BR>

The hotels Contiki will be using will not have bellhops so no need to worry about what to tip them. You'll be lugging your own bags.<BR><BR>I did Contiki in 92 when everyone used travellers cheques and bought the currency pack. My boyfriend just did a Contiki in May used his ATM everywhere but did buy a pack so that he would have some money till he got to an ATM.<BR><BR>I would buy the pack. Yes you can use your bank card everywhere but when your on the highway and enter a new country and stop at a rest stop and want to buy something to drink how do you do it? No ATMs at the highway stops.<BR><BR>He paid $200 Cdn for his pack. I can't remember how much they wanted in US dollars. And yes you pay for the pack the night before your tour starts in either Cdn, US, or Pounds. The you get it the next day. <BR><BR>Which tour are you doing?

In my travels I have met many people that will collect dollars. They accumulate them until they have enough to exchange. Some accumulate them for their vacations as the dollar is still more stable than most other currencies. I'm not saying not to tip in local currency, but, it may not always be convient esp when as Ursula mentioned, the smallest German bill is a 10DM (approx $5.)<BR>

Thanks to everyone for their informative replies. It's very helpful. First stop is London (so I will take a jaunt to the local Thomas Cook and get some GBP).<BR><BR>To Lidija: I am taking the European Discovery tour, but will be leaving the tour to stay in Paris.<BR><BR>Thanks again, everyone!

I travel on business 15 to 20 times a year mostly to the Pacific and the Far East. Usually, I have to leave on very short notice. I always keep my bags packed and always keep a wad of $1 bills in my travel kit. I use them everywhere to speed things up and not waste a lot of time. I learned this from other business travelers. The porters, bellhops, doormen, whatever just take all of their dollars, yen, pounds, whatever to the money exchange and change it into their money the same as I could do.<BR>Some of you European tourists seem sooo up-tight to me. Really! Stop worrying about the small stuff. They don't care if you are being politically correct. They just appreciate the tip.