MONEY MATTERS & PASSPORTS

CARRYING MONEY & PASSPORTS
There are a lot of options for carrying money. A good option to is to wear a money belt with money and your passport in it around your waist underneath your pants. Sometimes this get a bit bulky and cumbersome. Another option is to keep your wallet between the sling of your wheelchair seat and the cushion. Or, in a sack that hangs under the seat of your wheelchair.

However you carry your money and passport, when planning a trip, slim down the contents of your wallet or purse. Carry your driver's license, passport and two credit cards and a small piece of paper with emergency numbers. In addition, I keep my passport in one of my front pockets at the airport. The reason being is access and convenience at the security gates and customs and immigration. As a person sitting in a wheelchair, I keep things a bit simple and safe. It would be difficult to reach into someone's pants' pockets when they're sitting and grab a wallet or passport.

Stay in hotels that are reputable and have safe boxes. Keep most of your cash and passports in the safes. Take only what you need out with you while you venture around new places. Most safe boxes in hotels these days are electronic. So, you only need to keep track of your pin to access the safe boxes. At destinations themselves, I put wallet items in a money belt and keep these items in the hotel or room safe. I take only cash with me when I venture out.

Passport - always keep a copy of your passport in your suitcase and one at home.

For passport information and applications issued in the United States, go to the
US Department of State's travel site.

SMALL MONEY
When you visit a country where the country's currency is rather large such as the Korean won or Czech Koruny, make sure you keep small denominations with you at all times. If you don't, buy something small at an airport gift shop or a convenience store near your hotel. One of the main reasons for this is to pay cab fares. Another is to pay for meals at restaurants (i.e. in Prague). Sometimes, cabs don't - conveniently - have the correct amount of change for you. When you're dealing with countries that are developing or second world countries, this is especially the case.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE & ATMs
Your best bet for most anywhere in terms of getting the best currency conversions is to use a cash or money dispensing machine, otherwise known as an ATM. Currency exchange rates are closer to the actual conversion rate and you only pay a non-bank ATM fee plus an international fee. Usually, a non-bank fee is around $2 USD and the international fee is nominal, perhaps around $4 or $5.

Remember, you lose a lot of money on exchange rates if you exchange currency at your local bank before you go on a trip. You have to remember, banks will often charge fees such as shipping charges to have currencies brought to the branch. Mainly, banks sell you a "retail" rate and don't tell you that "retail" rates include inflated exchange rates of about 20%. So, if you change $100 USD for euros, you'll be losing approximately $20 USD on the exchange rate. Banks will often say that they'll waive fees if you change money in high volumes, say $2000 or $4000. But, again, they don't tell you that the retail rate isn't the actual exchange rate. The retail rate is the "sales" rate. Like any business, they jack the price up. You lose a pretty penny when you exchange with a local bank. Always check the exchange rates online before.

Use the Yahoo! Finance page to check current exchange rates.