I will be going to Spain in May and would like to have some Euros "in hand" as I arrive--I know there is some way of obtaining them before leaving the States--but need to know who to contact.

Call your bank to see if they handle euros. If they do not ask what bank in town does. If no local bank handles euros ask your bank to order them for you. Bank One has a 800 number to call to order if you are a customer, I'm sure other banks offer the same service. Also, the airports have banks that offer this service.

Keep in mind that you will pay a stiff premium for getting them in the US. You will get a very unfavorable exchange rate, and probably be charged a commission on top of that. If that's what you really want, then it is worth it. But what many people do is to use the ATMs at the airport upon arrival. It's very convenient, and you will get a much better rate of exchange.

Thanks to both of you for the information.
Judy, I especially appreciated learning about the commissions and high rates charged, and believe I will take your advice and just wait to use the ATM at the airport. Had just thought I would need some cash to pay cab fare to hotel, etc. This will work fine. Thanks

If you're talking about, say, $50-$100 worth of Euros (which should do fine for getting you started when you arrive), then I wouldn't sweat the few extra dollars it will cost you. I think it's worth it to make it that much easier on you when you arrive, that you'd have one less thing to be concerned about.

This topic usually gets kicked around about once a week on the European side.
Advice varies as you might expect.
But here is my approach to the problem of handling money for my trips to Europe.

1. Before leaving, I get the minimum amount of the currency of the first country I visit so that I will not need to exchange any US money nor will I need to find an ATM machine right away.
Usually the minimum is around $100, but that varies. Any major bank can handle the exchange for you. However! You will pay about 5% more for the currency than you will in Europe.

2. Once in Europe, I use my ATM card for cash withdrawals. You get the best exchange rate that way. Usually, the rate is much better rate than exchanging American currency or traveler's checks.

3. Also, once there, I use my credit card(s) as much as possible. That way, I get the best exchange rate possible for a small amount of exchange. BUT, check with the issuer of the card to find out what the conversion fees.
Visa and Master Charge add 1% for the conversion. Make sure that your bank does NOT tack on 2% more in charges to all conversions. I recenty dropped one credit card that had adopted that practice.

4. I take along a few hundred US dollars in traveler's checks as an emergency, last resort, reserve.

In the last 4 trips, I have cashed two checks. Obviously, most of them come home with me, and I simply used them here. My bank adds no extra charge when I acquire them, nor do I pay extra to cash them.

Why would I need to cash even 1 check?
Once, at the Zurich airport train station, the ATM was down and I did not have time to look for another one.
I wanted to make a purchase at a food store before getting on the train and the store did not take credit cards.
The bank teller window was open, so I cashed a check.
The second time I was in a small Swiss village and needed Swiss francs. The bank took only Master Card debit cards in the ATM machine. My debit card is Visa and it would not work.

In that respect, I might add, I carry both a standard ATM card and a debit (check) card. And I take along two credit cards, just in case one of them fails. That happened once too. I was in a little restaurant in Paris and the waiter came back indicating that my credit card did not work.
Why, I never new. The second one did and he was satisfied.

Other travelers have different strategies, but the ideas I described above have worked for me.

knew!!!
I knew better, but bad typing is nothing new for me.

You can order them online at www.bofa.com (bank of america) for a fee of $4.95.