Hi everyone,

Four of us will be driving round america during late spring/summer for 3 months. We are leasing a large GMC van to be able to do this.

As we are from england we will be carrying a large number of traveller checks between us (probably $8,000) We plan to stay in a number of hostels and campgrounds.

Does anyone have any ideas for how we should keep our valuables safe? Do all campgrounds/hostels have storage facilities - or will we need to hide them in the van?

Thanks in advance,

Matt

If the only valuables you are talking about are travelers checks - it does not really matter where you keep them. They are replaceable. For anything else (jewelery, etc.) if you can't leave it home, keep it on your person. As far as personal possessions, stuff you buy - you really just have to keep it in the van, I would think.

Don't know about hostels, but I have never seen a valuables storage area at a campground. It would seem to me that would be more dangerous than just locking anything up in the van.

Make sure your insurance (renters/homeowners) covers any possessions outside of UK - in US some companies will not cover stuff if it is taken out of the country.

No one can predict, but I think the chance of your van being stolen or broken into is not real great. It is not on any high-risk vehicle list I have seen.

Have a great trip - would love to hear where your 3 months in US ends up taking you.

I am not sure whether private campgrounds have safe deposit boxes, you might try contacting the camps you are planning on staying in. Campgrounds in US National Parks or state parks would most likely not have any such facility. Hostels probably would offer safe deposit boxes.

You may be able to lock the glove compartment (i.e. glove box) in the car, but of course if someone breaks into your car, that is one place they are sure to look.

The beauty of travellers checks is that if they are lost or stolen, you can get them replaced. Keep copies of the serial numbers in several places, like your suitcase, the car, your wallet and with someone back in the UK who can fax them to you or give them to you over the phone.

That being said, I think you are much safer using credit cards. Virtually every place in the US will take cards, and I am sure the campgrounds will. US National parks take them. Visa or MasterCard is preferred, but American Express is widely accepted as well. The advantage to you is that you will get a much better exchange rate than buying travellers checks. You are also protected if the card is lost or stolen. On such a long trip, you would need to make arrangements for someone back in the UK to open your bills and pay them, or arrange to pay by phone or PC.

To get cash for daily needs, I would withdraw small amounts from ATMs, which you will find everywhere as well, including supermarkets, convenience stores, campgrounds. (Often a charge of US$1-2 per withdrawal, and your bank may impose other charges.) Again, you will get a better exchange rate by withdrawing US Dollars on your UK Pound account than you would if you exchanged cash or bought travellers checks. You will find these everywhere as well. I guess a small amount in traveller's checks would work as well if you don?t want to use an ATM.

By way of example, the consensus on this board for Americans travelling to Europe is to use a combination of credit cards and ATMs, and not to bother with travellers checks. There are fees for returning unused ones, and all in all not really necessary anymore in the world of credit cards and ATMs.

If you are going to a lot of US National Parks, you might want to buy a National Parks Pass that will give you entry to all parks, it costs US$50, includes vehicle admission charges, and is good for a year. You can buy it on-line, take a look at https://buy.nationalparks.org. Website for US National Parks is nps.gov. This can save you quite a bit, as for example, the entrance fee for the Grand Canyon and most other parks is $10 per person or US$20 per vehicle.

You should be aware that travelers checks are not widely used or accepted in the US. Very few places (restaurants, shops, hotels, etc) will allow you to pay with them. Usually all you can do is to look for a bank that is willing to cash them - I'm not sure what kind of premium thay would charge. You really should rely on either credit cards or your ATM card - in the US these are routinely used everywhere - including supermarkets, drug stores, dry cleaners etc. And every store of any size has an ATM so you can get cash almost anywhere/anytime.

Credit/ATM cards will also give you a much better rate of exchange, not to mention not having to pay the fee to buy the checks.

About 6 years ago we can back from a trip to Europe with extra travellers checks and couldn't find anywhere to spend them - had to take the time/trouble to go to the bank to have them deposited into our checking account after they were "verified" with the issuer.

Another vote for using credit cards and cash from ATMs rather than traveler's checks. It's much more convinient.

matt, actually, travelers checks are difficult to replace.

There was an Ombudsman collumn in the Conde Nast Traveler about a gentleman from England who had $11,000 in travelers checks stolen off him and American Express would not reimburse him.

Even after Conde Nast Traveler stepped in, AmEx refused to do anything.

The burden of proof is on you to prove you have done everything possible to keep them safe.

Can you open a bank account while you are here?

I would use the ATM and get a much smaller amount of travelers checks.

Never leave any valuables in a car. You will be able to replace your TC but do you really need this kind of headache when you are on vacation? Can't you have a small bag or pack you and carry it with you whereever you go?
When you said America do you maybe mean Central America and Canada as well?
Another vote for using credit cards and cash from ATMs

In my experience, most hostels and campgrounds will NOT offer secure storage for $8000 worth of travelers' checks. As others have said, use credit or debit cards, and get cash from ATMs. Be sure to let your CC issuing company know that you will be traveling.

Carry a few TC's if it makes you worry less about what you'll do in case of problems with your plastic, but use them up towards the end of the trip so you're not stuck with them.

I agree with all the previous posters regarding credit cards and ATM's.

If you do carry traveler's checks, make sure you buy them in US dollar denominations. Cahsing checks in Euro denominations will be difficult in the large cities and next to impossible in smaller ones and in rural areas.

All you need is about $200 each in cash at any one time; and use credit cards for any purchases. It would be a good idea to have a variety among the 3 of you so that if one place doesn't accept a certain one, you are all covered with another.

Just replenish the cash as you go from ATM's.

It might be worth it to look under the hood of your van because I own a chevy silvarado 1500(the pickup truck)and it has a box under the hood in which to keep valuables.

Regarding accceptance of travelers checks - I disagree with poster who says they are not widely accepted. I have been left with several hundreds of dollars in AmEx travelers checks from daughter's trip last summer to Europe (she is 13, went with school group, ATMs/credit cards less of an option for her). Since I we chose the 2-signature (either/or) variety, I have now been using them up whenever I remember - have yet to find a place that will not accept them - including restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations. Sometimes they look at them as if they were radioactive, but they always accept them.

Get as many travelers checks as you need to feel secure - but ATMs and credit cards are really safer. While it would be an annoyance, there is always the option of someone home wiring you money (such as to a Western Union office) in an emergency.

Use credit cards and take an ATM card if you need cash. Sure, you'll pay some extra ATM fees but think of it as cheap insurance. Carrying 8k around with you is just not very wise.

Traveler's Checks- I live in Metro DC and witnessed 2 experiences in DC where a person was not able to use her trav. checks. In a hair salon, I overheard the receptionist tell a woman that they do not accept them d/t fraud and the inability for the salon to get reimbursement. The other place was a large well-known restaurant and the manager refused a traveler's check "because we have that choice." I felt so badly for the visitors but I guess they're not as widely accepted as even I had thought. Threehearts

Perhaps it depends on what part of the country you're in. I found that they were useless in several restaurants and stores in New York.