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I like money. Not in the greedy, do just about anything to get it, kind of way. I like foreign money – I love the look and all the history you can learn from it. When traveling you generally have to change your money to the working currency of that place. So before you go you should find out the Exchange rate so you know what you have to work with really when you get there.
There have been many times when I thought I would completely run out of money – “$80usd couldn’t possibly last me 2 week in Nicaragua !” (I lost my purse in the airport, bank card and all). Lucky for me I was familiar with the exchange rate which was in my favor in Nicaragua.
Its very important to know how your money will translate when you travel. And there are many websites where you and check the exchange rate and you can use their online calculators to put in different amount to gauge the cost of things from food to clothes and even tours.
I use the Currency Converter from Yahoo! Finance. It is accurate and has worked really well for me in the past for my travels. Once you are comfortable with the exchange rates you can budget you money for food and gifts and make out allotments for what you think you might need to take with your excursions ahead of time. That way you dont have to carry all your cash and you dont have worry about losing your value or overpaying as much as you can control.
Practice will have you shopping like a pro in no time. If you are secure in your money knowledge you will be less likely to be targeted. Holding up large bills you got from the bank pleading for someone to help you figure it all out. Vultures are everywhere. Use your common sense and protect your assets (cash).
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