Foreign currency for cruise to multiple countries

[Travelcat2]

Definitely a mark of respect.  When you go to foreign country, one should have their currency, be fully aware of customs of that country so that you do not accidentally insult the local people (like not touching the head of a child in Thailand, not pointing your feet at anyone, using your thumb to point rather than your index finger ........ and the list goes on and on).

 

As I have brought up before (it has been a while), even in England where we share the same language, you need to be aware of certain things.  My favorite blunder (did not think it was funny at the time - I was horrified at myself), is when you order drinks, for instance, and hold up two fingers (like the "victory" sign), if your hand is facing the wrong way, you are flipping them off).  

[Hambagahle]

14 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

Definitely a mark of respect.  When you go to foreign country, one should have their currency, be fully aware of customs of that country so that you do not accidentally insult the local people (like not touching the head of a child in Thailand, not pointing your feet at anyone, using your thumb to point rather than your index finger ........ and the list goes on and on).

 

As I have brought up before (it has been a while), even in England where we share the same language, you need to be aware of certain things.  My favorite blunder (did not think it was funny at the time - I was horrified at myself), is when you order drinks, for instance, and hold up two fingers (like the "victory" sign), if your hand is facing the wrong way, you are flipping them off).  

Too true!  And well put.   Another thing to avoid in this case in Italy is what the current President of the US does all the time - make a little circle with thumb and first finger to indicate - I think anyway in his case - that something is good.  In Italy this means  **** You ...  Not a great thing to say to Italians who on the whole are very nice people!!

[Travelcat2]

Thank you Gerry - I learned something new!

[Hambagahle]

Just don't do it Jackie!!

[Travelcat2]

58 minutes ago, Hambagahle said:

Just don't do it Jackie!!

 

Couldn't resist (but won't do it in Italy and I don't typically do that in our daily lives.) 

[RachelG]

Gerry, i have a similar set up in our safe, but with envelopes rather than zip lock bags.  

 

I always try to use local currency, but some places actually prefer US dollars.  Peru and Argentina come to mind.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

We have traveled all over the world for more than 50 years. 

Here is our money plan:

If we are planning a land trip to one or two countries for a week or more, we get local currency from a local ATM machine at a bank in the foreign country, with our debit card. Our bank removes all charges for us and charges us rate at time of purchase. 

On most cruises, when in port for a day, we use US Dollars and Euros and credit card (with no foreign transaction charges). 

We just returned from Canada (fishing trip)..we paid our fishing guide in US dollars, using the rate of exchange between US and Canada. We paid the Inn by credit card. Restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, etc  always take our credit cards. No problems. We have done this trip for 10 years. Never a problem. 

Sheila and Herb

[Hambagahle]

8 hours ago, RachelG said:

Gerry, i have a similar set up in our safe, but with envelopes rather than zip lock bags.  

 

I always try to use local currency, but some places actually prefer US dollars.  Peru and Argentina come to mind.

Zimbabwe too - but unlikely anyone on a cruise would go there!

[TravelnAl]

5 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

Zimbabwe too - but unlikely anyone on a cruise would go there!

Actually, Zimbabwe uses the USD as its national currency.

[Hambagahle]

2 minutes ago, TravelnAl said:

Actually, Zimbabwe uses the USD as its national currency.

They did for a while under Mugabe.  A mix really of the USD and the ZAR (Rand).   Then they went back to the Zim$ - which is in the process of crashing.  I grew up there and still have family there...it is a very bad situation.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Hambagahle

[mrstanley]

We set up a "TRAVEL ACCOUNT" . The money in this account is not linked to any other accounts that we have.

We have an ATM card to this account which allows us to get local currency anywhere. If we have any currency left from our

trips we put it in baggies for future use or give the currency to family to use. When in restaurants or shops we try to use

a credit card. Tips are left in local currency....not on the credit card. We have two ATM cards to the account so in case 

one gets lost ! We both carry our own passport, cash and credit cards. Its a bad idea to have one person carrying those

important things. YIKES...if they get lost or stolen.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 7/27/2019 at 11:36 AM, Gilly said:

Are we the only people to have such a tray in our home?  (No, we are not setting up a currency exchange, though it occasionally feels that way!)  Small currency amounts are in ziplock bags (originally) in alphabetical order, plus we have a $ purse, a € purse and a SFr purse for those we use most frequently!

 

Got one very similar to this!

 

[califsealion]

On 7/27/2019 at 8:36 AM, Gilly said:

Are we the only people to have such a tray in our home?  (No, we are not setting up a currency exchange, though it occasionally feels that way!)  Small currency amounts are in ziplock bags (originally) in alphabetical order, plus we have a $ purse, a € purse and a SFr purse for those we use most frequently!

 

Mine is not nearly that orderly, but I do keep some currency on hand from different countries. I will say it was a little bit of a shock on my last trip to the UK to find out my old pound coins were no longer legit currency, but thankfully a friend there was able to change them out for me (since you had to have a UK bank account to accomplish this).  So there is a downside to hanging on to extra currency...

[Caroldoll]

We have found that in the airport exchange booths we can get enough local currency for bathrooms at least.  If we are staying there, we purchase more

[Gilly]

8 hours ago, califsealion said:

So there is a downside to hanging on to extra currency...

 

@califsealion indeed there is...but we have had more than one giggle in a conversation beginning with the question "how long ago were you last here?!  (and then profuse apologies and more than a few more smiles and so on).  In my book, the joy of travel is the interaction with people and such encounters are the things we remember. 

 

Re the old style pound coins, we had a news report yesterday that there's £145million in old coins still out there somewhere and a suggestion we all look down the back of our sofas.  The banks will still change them (I thought they did that over the counter and didn't realise you needed an account)  though we've heard that a huge percentage of them are fraudulent!  (which is why they redesigned the coin)

[Hambagahle]

I love the CHF purse!!   My flag!

 

Ken kept some Dutch guilders that he acquired when an exchange student in Germany in 1954.  We went to Holland in 1966 and he tried to pay with them.  Was told that the queen on the notes (Wilhelmina) had abdicated and the notes were no longer valid!!   Fortunately they weren't worth thousands!!    Reading the post about the GBP coins makes me think that the £1 coins we have might no longer be valid...will watch that when we go to the UK next time.

[SteveH2508]

1 hour ago, Gilly said:

 

@califsealion indeed there is...but we have had more than one giggle in a conversation beginning with the question "how long ago were you last here?!  (and then profuse apologies and more than a few more smiles and so on).  In my book, the joy of travel is the interaction with people and such encounters are the things we remember. 

 

Re the old style pound coins, we had a news report yesterday that there's £145million in old coins still out there somewhere and a suggestion we all look down the back of our sofas.  The banks will still change them (I thought they did that over the counter and didn't realise you needed an account)  though we've heard that a huge percentage of them are fraudulent!  (which is why they redesigned the coin)

Just to add a warning to our US friends - the UK is changing (has already changed £5 and £10 notes) to the polymer ones. £20 note changes next year I believe. If you have paper Sterling notes they are going to be out of date (if not already).

[Gilly]

1 hour ago, Hambagahle said:

Reading the post about the GBP coins makes me think that the £1 coins we have might no longer be valid...will watch that when we go to the UK next time.

 

@Hambagahle the current £1 coins are bimetallic and twelve-sided.  If you have the old round ones, you can change them in a bank, I'm sure.

 

Yes, no doubt about where our SFr are kept 😉

[taxare]

These are good points. When Modi did the India rupee demonetization a couple of years back we had to scramble to get our rupees exchanged (I was traveling there frequently). We also have some old pound coins which we will give to some British friends in September. Once a year I do a quick look at the various currencies to see if anything is being replaced. 

[commodore2010]

On 7/25/2019 at 9:02 PM, Travelcat2 said:

Paying in U.S. dollars for tips to tour guides and bus drivers is no big deal - anywhere (although when someone gave a someone a dollar in Africa, they they held it up to the light - turned it over and upside down trying to figure out what it was).  It can be an issue when you want to purchase something  (especially if they do not take credit cards).

 

I'm trying to find the word in my brain that means that we are pretty selfish to assume that other countries love to have USD.  There are a few that do but for the most part, they are a nuisance. How would any of you like to be paid in British Pounds, Danish krone, krona or even the Canadian dollar?). We live 20 miles from the Canadian border and our city does accept Canadian money but at a horrible exchange rate.  The "horrible" exchange rate is likely put in place because they do not want foreign currency.

 

 

 

Yes, USD for tour guides and drivers.  Its expected and they know where to exchange.

 

USD, being the reserve currency for the world,  makes the USD a little different than say the pound or canadian dollar.

In most underdeveloped countries or countries with struggling economies,  many would rather have USD than their own currency. 

I was in Argentina earlier this year and they LOVED the USD. You could spend it anywhere and get a better exchange than at the banks or by using ATM's. 

[commodore2010]

4 hours ago, taxare said:

These are good points. When Modi did the India rupee demonetization a couple of years back we had to scramble to get our rupees exchanged (I was traveling there frequently). We also have some old pound coins which we will give to some British friends in September. Once a year I do a quick look at the various currencies to see if anything is being replaced. 

 

I still have Marks, Lira, Drachma, franc, guilder and pesetas.  I am just going to keep them.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 7/29/2019 at 5:55 PM, califsealion said:

So there is a downside to hanging on to extra currency

 

Yes. I have sone obsolete Turkish lira I believe. 

[GrJ Berkshire]

28 minutes ago, commodore2010 said:

 

Yes, USD for tour guides and drivers.  Its expected and they know where to exchange.

 

USD, being the reserve currency for the world,  makes the USD a little different than say the pound or canadian dollar.

In most underdeveloped countries or countries with struggling economies,  many would rather have USD than their own currency. 

I was in Argentina earlier this year and they LOVED the USD. You could spend it anywhere and get a better exchange than at the banks or by using ATM's. 

But not in UK please, it is of no real value here

Anyway the main advantage  is not needing  cash for tips, as they not needed in the UK.

Equally we are now in Norway,a no tipping country it's embarrassing to see American visitors trying to give tips to guides ,just doing their job and having money thrust at them.Many guides with qualifications will be on very good wages.

[Mahogany]

20 minutes ago, GrJ Berkshire said:

But not in UK please, it is of no real value here

Anyway the main advantage  is not needing  cash for tips, as they not needed in the UK.

Equally we are now in Norway,a no tipping country it's embarrassing to see American visitors trying to give tips to guides ,just doing their job and having money thrust at them.Many guides with qualifications will be on very good wages.

I've been told to tip the tour guides. Perhaps the cruise lines should specify which countries to skip tipping. As an American,  I apologize to you for tipping in your country - how embarrassing!!😉 Or were you joking? Hard to tell with some posts.

[GrJ Berkshire]

No tips needed in the UK And no US $ either

 

Not jonnn,