I don’t have that much experience with foreign travel. I’m a Southern California native so trips to border towns in Mexico were not uncommon. My husband and I have been on several cruises. Those cruises have all had port stops in Mexico. I also went to Canada with the church on choir tour when I was a high school freshman.
My most noted trip abroad was to London during Christmas break when I was a college freshman. The university choir went to London to record an album and I went with them to sing as well. It was a wonderful trip that I will remember forever and wish I could make again.
I took $300 cash with me to London. I thought I was rich. I didn’t know about exchange rates and was not prepared to have my $300 slashed to £150. After I got over the initial shock, I had no trouble figuring out the prices of things and finding bargains. One of the other freshman girls I was spending time with didn’t convert pounds back to dollars and just thought the numbers on the tags were great deals.
I didn’t use my credit card in London. At the time I had to worry that exchange rates when the transaction went through might be higher. Now the anti-fraud measures for credit and debit cards make legitimate spending harder.
If you’re going to be traveling abroad, be sure to alert your card issuers so they know it’s you. They’re less likely to flag your card use if they have advance warning. Bring cash or cash equivalent. You may find that you’re unable to use your debit card because your card doesn’t comply with security measures in the foreign country.
I know you want to enjoy your trip. Prepare yourself ahead of time and you will.