Travel Advice

[Opusfxd]

Advice is like a bellybutton, everyone has one.

Tomorrow I'm going to marry a very sweet wonderful woman. Next Thursday, we're going to Aruba for our honeymoon. Neither of us has traveled outside the continental US.

My question is about money. How would you travel with it? How would you have it available? My betrothed is paranoid about identity theft using her credit card, I'm not so much. I'll call the bank and get it fixed. (Sounds simple enough and I'm in IT and close realization with security issues so I know the risks).

For those that you that travel, what are your thoughts?

[AlohaStyle]

Stop worrying and use your card. I use my credit card that doesn't have Int'l fees and you make sure to call them in advance letting them know you'll be in that country, otherwise their anti-fraud might shut down the card while you're trying to use it.

I personally get some cash at the airport or most convenient/safe place and use credit card for most major purchases in decent restaurants etc. Use the cash for hole in the wall restaurants, street food, bars, little shops, taxis etc.

[GWN]

What Ryan said. If you can convert cash before you leave, it's often best to convert at the airport when you land versus your resort/hotel and they usually ding you with an additional fee.
I've also starting calling CC company to let them know I'm travelling, even to the U.S., but have used CC in Cuba and Jamaica with no problems without doing so.
Congratulations and enjoy your trip!

[jjmitchem]

Being military and traveling to third world countries we have the same concerns so what we did was set up another checking account that we can transfer money into but is not tied to our main account for overdraft. We call it my deployment account

We just transfer in what I think I will need for my trips.

[Cigar Mike]

I concur with Jim, although you might not have enough time to get that set up. Do at least notify your card company so that they'll know not to kick in their automatic anti-fraud alerts and freeze your card unexpectedly. Also, you might be able to ask them to put a daily limit on your card usage just to limit the damage in case someone does get their hands on your info.

Also, before you leave, write down all the phone numbers and email addresses of your financial institutions in case you do need to contact them. It seems like a small thing, but sometimes finding that information without the original cards or an internet connection can be time-consuming and frustrating.

[floydpink]

In Aruba, US dollars are not only accepted, but preferred to the local currency.

It's a Dutch island so things are well organized and the food is great.

Very little crime in the tourist areas, so have fun and use normal common sense.

It is a pricey island compared to many other islands, so bring plenty of money,

[Skywalker]

Congratulations!!!

[Sauer Grapes]

Originally Posted by floydpink

In Aruba, US dollars are not only accepted, but preferred to the local currency.

It's a Dutch island so things are well organized and the food is great.

Very little crime in the tourist areas, so have fun and use normal common sense.

It is a pricey island compared to many other islands, so bring plenty of money,

This is spot on. The wife and I did our honeymoon there. US dollars are fine and the places that took local currency and USD usually had pretty good exchange rates if you compared the prices in both currencies.

Find out how much it'll cost to use your credit card in fees, let them know where you are going, let your bank know for your ATM card in case you do need local currency (you probably won't) and in case you need some emergency cash.

Take your credit card and as much cash as you feel comfortable with (especially if your hotel has a safe). Don't flaunt the cash and don't carry a ton if you are going out drinking, etc.

We never felt unsafe while we were there.

Oh, and get a 4wd rental car. I can't believe we didn't get stuck in our little toyota economy car, but we still couldn't explore as much of the eastern part of the island as we wanted despite going places that the car shouldn't have.

[Opusfxd]

Thanks all for your input! Very good advice. We can't wait for Thursday. Saturday went off without a hitch and it was perfect. Hope the second half goes as well.