On The Road - Money Matters

The Quiet Death of Traveler's Checks
Abroad, Richie prefers traveler's checks.  The last time we went to France (2009) he brought them in dollars and subsequently we spent most of an afternoon visiting the various banks in a small town in Bretagne.  "Non!" was said decisively when tellers were presented with American dollar traveler's checks.

That's when he learned to buy them in Euros.  He called his bank for Euro traveler's checks only to be told they don't do traveler's checks any more.  Neither does the credit union or Triple A.  The best he could do was actual Euros.  (Wells Fargo, Manhattan Beach Mall.)

The Fraud Squad
Prior to leaving the country, call all of your credit card issuers, ask for the Fraud Squad and when connected, tell them that you are going away and the dates.  I did that yesterday and this morning I got an automated call back from Chase making sure it was me that called yesterday!  All of this for an account that has a zero balance because I've never used it.  So why carry it?  For places that don't take MasterCard, slip'em your Visa.

Planned Spending
When you've decided on your destination, sit down with paper and pencil and figure out how much "small money" you're going to need.  "Small money" includes:

Postcards and stamps
Restaurants that won't take credit cards -- and there are more of them in "foreign parts" than you might think. (Or certainly like.)
Tip for your hotel room maid
Bus/metro fares
Beer money!  When we stay with Michelle, we take the train into Paris and when we return around 4:30 or 5 p.m., we always stop at the bar along the way to her house for a beer.

Excellent Service
In the event that you actually get some, you shold know that almost all bars and resturants add  15% for the server.  Look for "Service Compris" somewhere on the bill.  It's customary though to leave assorted small change for him/her if the service was excellent or if you've spent most of an afternoon over one glass of lemonade in a sidewalk cafe.

(Aside)  French Lemonade consists of:  a tall glass with ice and a shot of pure lemon juice; a carafe of water and a bunch of those funny little sugar packs -- they look like a fat straw and are about 3 in. long.  Mix it all up to your taste.