Kimmie, just a heads up for your Italy trip next year. The Italian government is trying to keep better tabs on the cash people spend and receive for goods and services. It is illegal to pay anyone more than 1000 euros in cash. Any balance above 1000 must be paid with a credit card. Your new bag, if purchased in Italy, would cause problems. I am traveling to Italy in August and have already been notified by my Venice hotel, since the bill will easily approach 1000 for my stay.

I live in fl and not sure if Kimmie lives here or the Islands south of here. I know someone that tried depositing cash into her father's bank account last week to cover a check he had written and the bank would not let her deposit cash. If you are paid in cash you have a hard time depositing now for some reason. The tip mess created by NYC restaurants is causing a nightmare for dividing up the tips now, crazy pain in the arse and it is reported now. Thanks Mario. Anyway, Cash transactions are becoming more regulated. We have to pay tax in fl now for all of our amazon purchases. Kimmie, I am glad you had a wonderful trip.

Kim Kardashian... is that you? :-)

>>My financial insituation has a lot of fraud with EU countries so they are all blocked.>>

kimme - how do you think those of us who live in europe manage? of course we use c/cards etc all the time. Ditto most of your compatriots who travel here. Fraud, whilst a problem here [is it not also a problem in the US?] is a drop in the ocean compared to legitimate transactions which are happening by the million every day.

anyway I'm glad that you had a nice time but suggest that by the time you are ready for your next trip, you sort out a way of travelling which does not include carrying so much cash. Because that is a very good way of attracting thieves.

In Belgium it is not allowed to pay more than 3000 euros in cash.

If I want to use my European card in the US, I have to let the bank know in advance (due to the high risk of fraud in the US; according to the bank).

My Credit Union blocks my cards for some European countries, but not for France and Italy! However, I also have credit and ATM cards from Capital One for travel to avoid the foreign transaction fees. I occasionally carry $1,000 - $2,000 or so cash but only when I have no other choice (e.g. for Myanmar), and the OP certainly has other choices for western Europe.

<<My financial insituation has a lot of fraud with EU countries so they are all blocked.>>

Utter BS.

She lives in Grand Turk, TCI. Could be something to that banking issue due to money laundering.

kimmie--in Italy and elsewhere, put the excess cash in the safe in your hotel room (or the safe at the front desk). Carry around no more than what you plan to spend during the day, plus, say, E100 extra.

We also leave our passports, drivers' licenses (if in the city) unused credit cards, etc.) in the room safe. I know that many people on this forum carry their passports around with them; we don't and we're not going to. We do carry fotocopies of passports and will continue to do so.

"we don't and we're not going to"

What about countries where you're legally required to? I suppose you never stay in a hotel unless it has a safe? I have certainly stayed in many more places that don't have a safe than those that do.

I note that the OP currently lists her favorite hotel and restaurant as being in Orlando, I hope there will be an update now she's been to Paris!

"Had to. My bank doesn't allow my cards to be used in Europe and doesn't issue the traveller checks. "

Now guys we had someone on from Venezuela in the winter who had the same problem, the government was bust and not letting any money out of the country. Hence they had to hide dollars about their person.

I remember that thread, but IMO it was a really different thing than credit cards being denied. JMO

The Venezuela banking laws are unique, IME. Nothing to do with this person's problem. And even in the absolutely remote case of a US bank (or TCI bank) not allowing cards to be used in Europe, there are a thousand and one easy ways around that, any one of which makes far more sense than tooling around Europe with wads of cash on your person.

Wow, I was worried about my 50 euro a day budget excluding lodging and transportation. Maybe not so bad.

I'm reading Paris trip reports on the eve of an October trip.

This was by far the most entertaining.

I lol'd at "Kim Kardashian - is that you?" comment. Perfect.


(No mean to ofFENDI, Kimmie.)

Boots

Honestly one of the all time best wind ups and OP keeps coming back and the tale gets even more crazy and the funniest thing is some actually try to give cash advice etc. like this is serious. Incredible.

<I had to google Fendi, I live in a bubble.>

You have to look up the "faux Fendi" episode on Sex in the City, really it's a classic.

I find some answers clearly offensive towards OP.
Probably motivated by sheer jealousy.

If you can't travel with wads of money, what is the point ?
If you have to travel without a limo, better stay in the hotel !

Obviously 5 k€ is on the very low end of what is needed to travel one week in Paris. At least for normal people. Now if you want to travel like a monk... maybe you can do it with less.