Credit Cards and International Travel
Traveling without a credit card nowadays is not advised. It's also almost impossible. Even if you only use cash, you still need at least a debit card to withdraw cash from an ATM. The days of Traveler's Checks and exchanging cash are basically over and done. If you're still doing those things. Stop. Now. It's the 21st century! Back in the mid-1990s, I went on a trip with a couple professors. Long story short, they said if I purchased my own airfare, I could tag along on their month-long trek through England and Scotland and sleep in the rental car (or outside, as weather permitted). I jumped at the chance and soon found myself in London, in front of a bank, so we could exchange money. While my well-traveled professor went into the bank to exchange Traveler's Checks and US currency, I went to the ATM machine, put in my card, entered my PIN, and withdrew a cash advance. After a half-hour or so, the professor came back to the car and asked if I had went to a different...