by Jamie McCormick

Created on: February 11, 2010

When planning a trip abroad, you spend hours thinking about the activities, the sites, and the experiences - not the day-to-day drama of getting money to pay for food and expenses. But taking a few simple precautions will leave your time open to daydream about the more entertaining aspects of your journey. Traveling with an ATM card has advantages and dangers, but if you are careful with it, you can avoid most pitfalls and headaches.

1) Before leaving, notify your bank that you are going abroad. If you fail to do this, you may risk an ATM eating your card because you trigger a fraud alert. Then you are stuck with no way to get money, and the process of replacing the card abroad can be long and grueling. Also notify your bank if you travel between countries on your trip – if you tell them you are going to one country, then your card is used in another, you may also trigger a fraud alert. Keep your bank updated, and you will avoid most trouble.

2) If you use one of the larger banks at home, you will most likely be fine using the ATMs of larger banks in the host country. But especially if you use a community bank or co-op, you need to check your network. If your debit card is a Visa or Mastercard, you should be set. If not, check with your bank before you leave and check on every ATM before you use it – if you cannot find the symbol that's on the back of your card on the ATM as well, you are on a different network and need to find another ATM. If your bank is on a different network from the ATM you try to use, your card can be confiscated or you can be charged high fees.

3) Most travel depots (airports, bus stations, etc...) have international ATMs through the larger banks in the host country, and they have decent exchange rates and fees. When you first get into a country, you will definitely need money immediately for transportation to your hotel or hostel, so get cash before you leave the station. These depots have more security inside, and often, you can't get back in once you leave.

4) When making withdrawals, you will pay a fee on both ends, and although they are small, they can add up quickly. To avoid paying those fees again and again, withdraw large sums at a time, but only carry small amounts. Take a lock box with you, which you will leave in a locked locker at your hostel or a safe at your hotel, and leave what cash you don't need for the day in the lock box (you should also leave your original passport in the lock box, carrying only a photocopy

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