Traveling with money
 

Hello Everyone!

In about a week and a half my wife and I will be traveling to honduras for 2 weeks. Was curious as far as how we should take currency? Travelers checks, cash, or just use our debit/credit card?

What is everyones thoughts?

I use all of the above, or at least pack along the options for them, though I don't always use them. I like to have some lempiras when I head there, saved from a previous trip or ordered online and picked up at my bank; you can also change from US$ at the airport. I take some US cash in 1s, 5s, and 10s. I take traveler's checks for places (Spanish schools, dive ops, lodgings) that accept them; find out ahead if there's an additional charge for their use, sometimes 5-10%. I don't like to pack around a lot of cash so I mainly use an ATM card as I go. Watch the fees - they can really add up, and be sure to tell your bank and card companies you'll be using your card in Honduras. Happy trails!

travel.state.gov Honduras for a heads up

insuremytrip.com cheap wise for me usually Patriot

or Amex Global Travel Shield for me.

Onebag.com leave expenive electronics at home theft magnet

For me capitalone.com no foreign fee CC for everything Backup

USD in my moneybelt works great for me there.

TCs lots of fees hard to cash not worth it.

US PassPorts are worth $3k keep them in my moneybelt

with everything else of value in there worn to the front

UNDER clothing... I go down there a lot to help needy folks

in dodgy areas like hh4honduras.org dummy "throw down" wallet

wide if travelling outside major tourist areas.

Lastly room safes are not safe EVERYONE has the general combo

that supercedes your personal one so do not use.

Have fun,

Check with your home bank if they have affiliates in Honduras. I was pleasantly surprised my trip to Mexico last week. I was able to use Santander or Scotia bank (as a BoA customer) without fees and I got the exact daily bank rate of exchange (which was higher than what was being given when you exchanged USD/peso).

Again my experience is Mexico not Honduras, but swiping debit cards for individual purchases wasn't really available.

I think Travelers Checks are a good idea to have at least for emergency situations and as one more possible option of getting cash.

I decided to paste my safety guidelines here since there are some money things included. Happy trails!
____________________________________________

Sometimes I travel alone, sometimes with one or more of my kids and/or my husband, sometimes with a group in tow. I don't feel overly paranoid but have never had a problem and would like to keep it that way.

Here are my concessions to safety when I travel in Central America:
:: I avoid the big cities as much as possible
:: I don't "party"
:: Where recommended I take specific transportation (Hedman Alas in Honduras, for example, or avoiding chicken buses on the mountain runs in Guatemala, taxis after dark)
:: I know where I am and where I'm headed
:: I don't wear jewelry (not even my wedding band) and try not to flash camera equipment or money around
:: Some trips I carry a “throw down wallet” with an expired card or 2 and the day’s cash in it
:: I keep important documents and cash under my clothes (except what I need for shopping, buses, etc. for that time period)
:: I ask locals about safety in an area - evenings, hiking, etc.
:: I travel really light so I don't feel vulnerable getting my bag off and on buses, shuttles, etc.
:: I continue to build skills in Spanish