Traveler's Checks in Australia/New Zealand and/or China

I am concerned about using traveler's checks while traveling. It seems that they have fallen out of favor in many of the places that we have traveled. I also do not like using ATM's as I have had three cards compromised in the last 18 months. Carrying enough cash for two tour directors is also not the best situation. Will the tour directors accept traveler's checks for their gratuity or will I have to find somewhere to try to cash them along the way on the tour?

Comments

  • Oh, gosh, we have not used traveler's checks in at least 15 years as they have become so problematic to cash...it's ATM's and credit cards (only CapitalOne as there is no foreign exchange fee, etc.) and we've never had any sort of problem. In fact, it's disconcerting how easy it is to get cash 10,000 miles from home!! With that said, you have had ATM issues, and that too would make me wary. I wonder if you would be able to acquire a card solely for this particular trip??? As long as you alert your provider to your travel plans, withdrawals and charges should not be a problem.
    You mention two TD's, so, from your heading, it seems as if you are combining two trips. We have taken eleven Tauck trips, and usually bring US dollars for the tips with us. Sometimes we tip in local cash, making sure we have withdrawn enough as our trip progresses (usually early on as I don't like to stress over having enough currency). We've never had a problem carrying the money for gratuities. The hotels Tauck uses always seem to have safes, so we are not concerned with security. If the trip is one where we move about a bit in airplanes (think Peru/Galapagos. or Vietman, Cambodia, Thailand) we keep the cash in carry-ons.
    My gut reaction would be that if we have difficulty cashing traveler's checks, so would the TD. Also, there sometimes is a fee attached to cashing them...are you planning to factor that into the gratuity??? The last thing you want to do is to short change the Tour Director! After eleven trips, we have not had one TD that we have been displeased with, and most whom we tend to tip more.
    Again, if you have had card trouble, perhaps your bank or credit union (whichever you use) could help you acquire a card to use where you will have no worries about security.
    By the way, we took the Grand Australia/New Zealand tour six years ago (has changed a bit since then) and it is on our top 3 list!!! Loved it!!
  • Travelers Cheques can be very difficult to cash and can incur fees to boot.

    What I've done is to set up a separate account in my bank that is isolated from my other accounts (nobody using my cash card / ATM card can manipulate any account nor have money transferred to the travel account with "overdraw protection").

    I then use that ATM card exclusively for travel and notify my bank when and where I am traveling. It works pretty well, and most places in the world will be more accommodating to ATM cards than travelers cheques, in my opinion. Just remember some (not all) banks charge for foreign ATM machine use, so don;t waste your time getting small amounts several times - and don;t forget to meter our use so you aren't stuck with difficult-to-change currency when you depart a country (no worries with some, such as Euros, Pounds, etc. etc.)

    And as Joyce says, US dollars work very well in some countries for tips and purchases - just be sure you bring immaculate bills, no tears, folds, marks. Even in some foreign countries that use dollars, they may get picky with your dollars if they are used and worn (even if your bills given in change may be so old and dirty you could grow seeds in 'em!)
  • Hi nanawhiite,

    I did a little bit of personal research for you, by asking a TD friend at Tauck. She was surprised you'd be using Travellers' Cheques, but she said that if they were all correctly signed they would be okay. However, as someone else has already mentioned, there might be fees involved and that could be awkward.

    There may well be other methods, as others have again suggested, that could work better for you.

    Cheers,

    Jan
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