Travel With Debit / Credit Card? (Best Way to Travel With Money)

If there is a dilemma for most people planning a trip is whether to use a credit / debit card or keep using only cash. The use of these cards as payment when traveling is an issue where many people are reluctant to be part of it. Whether for fear of fraud, fear of relying solely on them or fear a loss, some choose to carry all your cash (which is also a huge risk).

Travel With Debit / Credit Card? (Best Way to Travel With Money)

The truth is that these cards are more useful than you think, as long as they are used judiciously and bearing in mind some concepts of their operation:

• Money from debit cards comes from your bank account and the limit to use will depend on the amount you have on that account. With a credit card, the money that you use is from the bank and they will establish a limit on the quantity you can use, which you have to pay later. Until recently, debit cards were not entirely popular as credit, though more and more establishments (including websites and booking fee) are accepting them equaly. On which card is better, there is no definitive answer and it boils down to which one best suits your way of managing money. as for me, I rather use debit card.

• With a card you must be there ready when a problem (lost, stolen or malfunctioning) happens, so be sure to write down the emergency number from your bank and issuer of the card (Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards are the best known ).

• It does not matter if your card is a credit or debit, you will almost certainly have to pay commissions every time you use it to take money out of your country. You may be charged a small percentage of the amount taken from the cashier or just charge you a fixed fee per transaction. How much is the commission? you should find out with the bank, and keep in mind that this from important factors such as the type of card, the amount you get and the type of issuer of the card (MasterCard or Visa, for example).

• Finally, do not travel by paying most of the costs with your card or else you will lose more money from the account in commissions. It would be best to use it only to make payments online and to withdraw cash from an ATM. If you're going to get money from an ATM, try not to do it so often and the withdrawal amount allows you to handle yourself with cash for a while.

Best Way to Travel With Money.

Regardless if you lean more to take money from your credit / debit card or if you prefer to travel loaded with all the cash in your pocket, at the end you have to manage that cash so that you avoid being one of the many victims of theft or loss.

Travel With Debit / Credit Card? (Best Way to Travel With Money)

The following tips are not quite perfect (nothing in this world is), but I'm pretty sure they will reduce any risk of taking money with you:

1. Rule number one and most important of all is to try not to attract attention. Even in the safest destination in the world, there are always people willing to rob you. If you are someone who goes for a walk around looking like a tourist (backpack on the shoulders, camera on the neck, shows money on the street), no doubt you will be targeted by criminals. Start by dressing up without much luxury, keep it handy as locals and don't  hold your wallet in public.

2. When traveling by plane, I suggest you take all your money with you. Losses of luggage in airports are common, and many fail to appear, so better save yourself headaches without even arrived at your destination.

3. Avoid as much as possible to put all the cash in one place of the backpack, but distribute it strategically. They typically hide it in the bottom of the backpack and the rest on any  luggage compartment where you can put a padlock. It also works to hide it inside an objects that are not transparent or even a sock, which serve to fool the eye.

4. When getting outside to sightsee bothers try not to take all your money in your wallet, ther are pants (both short and long) or belts with secret compartments where you can place the amount you will use for the occasion.

5. The best places are those with safes services, option that I 100% recommend to store all kinds of valuables, including money. These safes are usually in your room or at the reception of lodging.

6. Needless to say, not all hotels / hostels are so good with the issue of better security, and many travelers seek them by virtue of being cheap accommodation. As for me, I would pay a little more to have some security in my lodging, to save a few dollars and go uneasy with my belongings.