MY NORMAL SYSTEM
I CARRY ON ME:
- 2 ATM
- 200 U.S.A. Dollars (United States of America)
This works for:
- North America
- Central America
- South America
- Europe
- Southeast Asia - Thailand and around.
- Most of India with care to have money when available.
PROBLEM COUNTRIES:
- Iraq
- Any war country
- India is a little lax on ATM's
MY IRAQ SYSTEM
I carried 2000 Dollars U.S. in cash and stayed in 20 Dollars and below
Hotels.
THE ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED SYSTEM
- 1 months in U.S. Dollars. (Euros are still a problem. Dollars are KING)
- 1 Credit Card.
- 2 Debit Cards or ATM cards from different systems. i.e. Cirrus and Plus.
- The whole trips worth of money in Travelers Checks
- This system is guaranteed that you will spend twice the money you budget.
- You need a person at home to help with banking.
HOME COUNTRY CONTACT
- Friend or Family you trust.
- If you will not loan this person money, it is the wrong person.
- They must be available by email.
- They must be able to speak on the telephone. They should speak your
language.
- They should have a permanent address and do not move much, they would own
their house.
- Bank officers normally suck, and are not good at helping in a quick fashion.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS TO CARRY - WRONG!
FIRST E-MAIL ALL THIS INFORMATION TO THE INTERNET AND PUT IN A FOLDER
- Trusted friends name, address, telephone number and email address.
- Banks telephone numbers.
- All your bank accounts and such.
- Scan all your ID, Cards, Passports, and such and send to email box.
All this is under the premise that you get robbed in a country. The strip you
naked and you have nothing.
RULES OF THUMB ON MONEY
- Have 1 months money in cash either local, dollars, or maybe Euros.
- When it gets down to 1 or maybe a 2 week supply, go get one more months.
- Backpacking is easy on 15 dollars U.S. per day in underdeveloped countries.
25 if you are drinking and doing drugs.
- Europe and the USA is easy also for me on 20 per day, but I recommend you
budget 35.
- All this is under the premise that you get robbed in a country. The strip
you naked and you have nothing.
ATM: Automatic Teller Machines or Bank cards.
- (ATM) Automatic Teller Machine Cards are called bank cards where you have a
PIN Personal Identification number or password and you insert the card into the
machine to withdraw money.
- The have little tags or symbols on the back. I have a CIRRUS and a PLUS
card. If you have the SAME symbol on the back of your cards this will mean...
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE TYPE OF ATM. This is a huge problem if that one computer
system is down.
TRAVELER CHECKS
- Cash is taken everywhere. Traveler Checks are not. This is not for your
spending money, this is to use when you have no money.
CREDIT CARDS
- Do not get cash advances.
- Do not pay with credit cards.
- They are for extreme emergencies when you need to abort rule 1 and 2.
- The only thing I pay with by credit card is for Airplane Tickets inside the
Airport. Not at a travel agent under any condition. I use cash, and go to the
ATM money and extract money.
PAYING HOTEL AND RESTAURANTS:
- I never recommend you use a credit card to pay hotels or restaurant.
- Pay in local money.
BANKING ONLINE:
- Normally you must know how to download in the internet cafe a 128 Bit
Encryption program form microsoft.com. If you do not know how to do this, and
maybe you will have a problem.
- The only 2 I know are good ... maybe - 1.
Nationalcity.com
2. Citibank.com Expensive
but worldwide 3. Paypal.com
can be used as a bank, but is dangerous because if you access in some countries
like Thailand they may just shut you off.
TRANSFERRING MONEY
- This is sometimes easy if the same name and the same
bank. But for a transfer from one name to another name. I make the bank or the
account name the payee and send a check from my
Nationalcity.com
account to the bank address. I place in the memo section the account number. The
cost is basically free, but may take up to 3 weeks to occur
-
Paypal.com Works also.
HAVING PEOPLE PAY YOU?
Accept credit cards:
paypal.com
Have them mail a check to your bank: I use National City Bank Nationalcity.com
Citibank.com Expensive
but worldwide
RECOMMENDATIONS
- I put money in my side hand pocket, then twist the pocket inside so anything
inside is trapped inside the twist.
- My secret pockets solve most problems.
Click Here.
- Change - or "No Change" - Whenever possible give a bigger bill to the large
shops, or people you do not like and get small change. A taxi, bus, or small
vendor may try to keep your extra money. Do not let them cheat you, that only
encourages them
CHEATING YOU
- Do not allow them to short change you or cheat you in
anyway. This encourages the culture or teaches them that this is OK.
- Do not allow them to cheat you or you will in the end
hate or resent the country, and remember the times they cheated you and not the
good things.
If you have information that you think I have missed. Please click on CONTACT
below and e-mail me for this page.
Thanks Andy HoboTraveler.com
