When travelling abroad, taking care of your money is something that cannot be left to chance, as it is one of the most precious possessions for a traveller. With it you can pay for attractions, souvenirs, food and everything else you may need for your trip; however, being victims of theft, loss or overspending are the biggest risks you face on your trip. So, being careful will avoid a lot of headaches when it comes to taking care of your money.

If you read the first part of this article, it is time for you to learn some new tips to take care of your money while travelling and have a better trip.

Better ways to take care of your money while travelling
Imagen de Goumbik en Pixabay 

Carry an anti-theft bag with you

Nowadays it is possible to get bags, backpacks and purses specially designed for travelling that include among its features, for example, steel cable reinforced shoulder straps to resist cuts, and equally cut-proof fabrics or zippers that can be locked. These items can slow down thieves and discourage them from doing their job, therefore, it would not be a bad idea to buy these products if you want to save your money while you are traveling.

Carry as less things as possible in your wallet

When traveling, some of us tend to put all our credit and debit cards and a good amount of cash in our wallets, which is a very big mistake if you want to take care of your money. We have already discussed how important it is to divide your money in different places, but what you keep in your wallet can spell trouble if it is lost or stolen.

Take your time to check your wallet and when you get out, leave only what is necessary (a credit card, a debit card and a small part of your money). You can keep the rest of your credit and debit cards and the rest of your money elsewhere, ensuring that you have a backup in case of mishaps.

Keep an eye on your account

Online banking is a very useful tool for those who want to manage and take care of their money while travelling as it allows us not only to keep track of our accounts, but also to detect fraudulent transactions, with which it is possible to alert the bank and avoid greater ills.

Use a fake wallet

Many of us are terrified of the idea of having our wallets stolen when traveling. However, some places are notorious for pickpocketing and mugging, so anyone concerned about their safety and money should consider using a decoy wallet. The trick is buying a cheap wallet and making it look real enough by putting it in a pocket or purse. To do this, we will fill it with some cash and several fake cards that we can lose in the event of a robbery. That will allow us to keep our real wallet safe and in the worst case it will give us something to toss and run, as well as enough time to escape.

Adapt to the local money culture

Diversifying your forms of payment will allow you to have different options to pay for your vacation which, depending on the local money culture, can be an advantage, so researching the money culture of the destination that we will visit is a very important task since if it is a cash economy, we will have to make sure that we have enough amount of bills and coins on hand at all times to meet our expenses.

But in the case of destinations where automation is common, using compatible chip and PIN cards will be very useful, especially if you are at an unattended gas station or train station after hours, since they avoid having to carry cash and risk being mugged.

Notify the bank

It is recommended that you always contact your bank before travelling to let them know the destination where you will use your cards. This not only for security if you want to avoid fraud and the freezing of your accounts, but also to avoid annoying calls to corroborate some data while you are traveling. Likewise, it will work to know the possible fees that you could incur and thus can make plans in advance.

Use money alternatives

In high-traffic environments, including metro stations and bus lines, it is quite useful to do without cash or credit card transactions entirely. Instead, it is advisable to use other alternatives to money such as multi-use tickets, particularly if you are in a city where the public transport system allows the possibility of buying several tickets at a time at a discount.

This way, you will not only save your money a bit, but you will also minimize the chances of losing your wallet by having to take it out and put it away fewer times.

Store valuables safely

Without a doubt, the best way to take care of your money is not carrying everything with you. In this sense, hotel safes are a fairly safe place and especially if we have a bundle of money or valuable items that makes us nervous to carry with us everywhere. So check to see if your hotel has a safe and don’t worry a bit.

However, if you use the hotel safe, you should always keep in mind to retrieve your valuables before you leave as in the rush to leave, you may forget about it until, for example, you’re on your way to the airport. Therefore, you could incur additional transfer costs to recover them or miss the flight if it is too late to return to the airport.

Avoid exchanging money at the airport

Although this is usually a common practice for many travellers, according to experts it is cheaper to change at exchange houses in the country which you are travelling to, especially if it is far from the airport.

Avoid giving too much information to strangers

Some tourists tend to be overconfident and end up giving more information than they should to strangers they come across. However, while being friendly has its advantages, experts say that if you want to take care of your money and belongings, it is not advisable to talk, for example, about the hotel where you are staying with people you have just met to avoid being mugged.

ALFA