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Kettle Moraine, WI | Good advice above. Debit is possible but not the best.
If you need to take your chances with it and if you have secure Internet access, I think a strategy of having 1 account with debit card and one account without debit card may mitigate some risk. Keep money in account without debit card and transfer what you can afford to lose as needed to the one with the debit card. I believe this would limit any losses. Check your bank as some have debit card benefits that cover fraudulent uses on card (and be sure they apply internationally). Also, have a contingency or know what to do if a card is lost. A international bank's credit card may be easier to replace when on vacation. (Pickpockets sense you as a tourist and you will be a mark)
Credit or debit don't forget to tell your bank(s) you are travelling abroad as card may be locked if not notified of foreign travel.
I suggest spending the couple dollars of service fees and get some of your destination's currency from local bank in your pocket while stateside. Peace of mind is valuable when you arrive there and don't need to immediately pay horrible exchange rates where convenient.
A few coins jingling in pocket is good if you need to use the restroom as many places charge in Europe (and they won't be as easy to find as the US)
This applies to any bank service call you may need or personal call. You won't receive calls or really make a call someone in the States will answer until after 3pm or so and you may not be able to call a stateside bank until 5pm central Europe time. So you may not be able to communicate and correct issues timely as you are used to. But phone may ring middle of night not knowing where you are.
If this is your first international trip, don't forget "the first step off the plane onto a new continent is something to remember the awe factor"
Embrace the new surroundings while there. Things are similar but different. You will learn as much about yourself as you will about the places you see. A safe excursion outside your comfort zone. Not everything will go perfect and accept the fact you roll with the circumstances. And please slow down and look around peacefully sometimes because you might just miss what you are there for. | |
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debit card for overseas travel
