The quiet tax on your travel budget
Currency isn't glamorous, but a few bad exchange decisions can cost you 5–10% of your entire trip — money that could be weeks of travel. The good news: most of it is avoidable.
The rules that hold up
- Never change money at the airport. The worst rates, every time. Change a tiny amount to land, then use ATMs or local exchanges.
- Use a low-fee card. Travel cards and good debit accounts refund ATM fees and use the mid-market rate. A 3% foreign-transaction card is a slow leak.
- Pull local cash, in bigger pulls. A flat ATM fee hurts more on a small withdrawal. Take out what you'll spend in a week, not a day.
- Carry a backup. Cards get eaten. Keep a second card and a little USD cash in a separate place.
Timing matters more than you think
When a currency weakens against the dollar, your money goes further on the ground. Our markets page tracks FX changes — a 10% move can quietly add days to your runway without anything else changing.