When traveling, I usually use my debit/credit card. Most debit/credit cards are on some kind of group like Plus, Star, Cirus, Interlink. All you have to do is find an atm that has the logo for the group that is listed on the back of your card, it does not matter what bank. You do have to pay a fee from that atm and usually one from your own bank, but if you take out a decent amount at a time you dont have to pay that fee too often. I find it much easier to do that than worry about loosing a ton of cash at the begining of the trip. Plus, with a credit card, you have some fraud protection. But, always remember to watch your money no matter what form it is. The one downfall of using your card is that you are subject to the conversion rate at the time of the withdrawl. So, if things change, you could end up getting more or less than you did for the same transaction before.

One more thing to keep in mind is that STA Travel does offer Travel Insurance. One of the many benifits of the insurance is that it does offer 24 hour emergency cash transfer assistance. Always nice to have a back-up plan.

Hi—I don’t advise bringing cash—it’s too easy to lose. You can bring your credit card and will be able to use it a lot, though it won’t be accepted as commonly for smaller purchases like people use them here. I would bring an ATM card and you’ll be able to use it there to take money out—just verify which system you are on and that it’s on one of the major networks like PLUS. You will pay a charge to take cash out, just like you would here, but you are getting the best exchange rate (banks always give the best rate), and you are taking out what you need instead of carrying around hundreds of dollars. Feel free to call if you have any questions! 1-800-210-7685 Jengwu