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Enjoy a Multitude of Memories by Travelling in Nova Scotia
Copyright 2005 MHG Consulting
Nova Scotia is an ethereal peninsula that juts off of Canada's eastern coast into the Atlantic Ocean. It's array of geography from dense, rich forests to windswept, rocky shores and fertile inland orchards make it the...
Health Tips for Travellers
Travelling in Canada
Each year, over one million visitors come to Canada to explore this vast land. From cosmopolitan cities to majestic mountain ranges, Canada's landscape is as diverse as its people. Travel, whether abroad or in one's own...
Savings for Business Travellers
With hotel prices soaring and London losing its affordable hotels to demolition and refurbishment as parts of big hotel chains, business travellers are often forced to pay premium prices for a hotel room. Many companies have found a simple and more...
Travel To Russia - Kamchatka
Among the mysteries of the Russian language there is an expression "Sitting on Kamchatka" which in school slang, this idiom means, "to sit in the back row of the classroom, far enough from the teacher's strict gaze. This geographical idiom...
Valencia Spain - What A Great Travel Experience
Valentia, dating back to 137 B.C., is what we now know as Valencia, Spain. If there was any confusion as to where Valencia is or what it is known for, the city's renovation with breathtaking architecture turned into museums, aquariums and Imax...
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Travelers Checks Versus Debit Cards
My first time overseas, I had to exchange cash in $200 of travelers checks to pay a mountaineering guide who hadn't heard of American Express. The bank charged me $8. During the same trip, I used my debit card at an ATM to get $200 from my checking account. Once home, I saw that the charge for this was one dollar, and that was the last time I used traveler's checks.
Debit And Credit Cards When Traveling
I usually carry a debit card and a credit card when I travel now. I keep them well-hidden in two separate places. If they are stolen, which has never happened yet, they have either zero liability, or a fifty dollar liability limit for any unauthorized charges. Ask your bank or credit card company about this.
When an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) won't take one of the cards for some reason - and this will happen - I use the other card, which usually works fine. Credit cards may be less trouble than debit cards. Your liability could be zero on your stolen debit card, but you probably won't have access to your account until the matter is sorted out.
Of course, on longer trips it's a hassle to pay the credit card bill on time, which isn't a problem with debit cards. Carry both, and on
longer trips you can wait until you're a few weeks from home to use the credit card. That way you'll get there before the bill does.
An important advantage credit and debit cards have over travelers checks, is that when you need the local currency, you'll almost always get a better exchange rate with your cards. Also, the cash you get from the local ATM will truly be accepted everywhere, something even American Express Travelers Checks can't promise.
I have nothing against American Express. Once, when I was robbed in Mexico, they quickly and curtiously replaced my stolen traveler's checks. Also, at times it is appropriate to carry money in several forms, including theirs. However, times change and ATMs are everywhere now, so my policy is : Travelers checks; don't leave home with them. You can take an American Express credit card instead.
About the Author
Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. To read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com
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