wondered...
>I will be travelling from Australia to Thailand soon.
>
> I am thinking about the best way to handle the currency conversion of
> Australian dollars to Thailand's Baht.
>
Travelling from the UK I normally get some Baht from my bank - but they
don't charge me any commision, and give 'on the day' rates (plus I use the
opportunity to activate my travel insurance cover).
I take enough cash to cover about a week of 'everyday' expenses (and I'm
talking normal semi-urban Thai lifestyle plus maybe 25% rather than farung
expectations)
From then on I rely on ATM withdrawals. I've rarely had a problem, although
I did have a scare in January when they suddenly refused to pay out. The
internet connection was down, so by the time I was able to check my account
they were back online . . . .
If you are in a position to set aside a block of money, ask your bank about
taking out a card with a fairly low limit for use on the holiday and pay it
all off when you get back - Visa and Mastercard can be used pretty much
everywhere for hotels (and some guest houses), major shopping, and transport
(trains, long-distance buses, car-hire with or without driver). Having a
low limit might be reassuring in that any fraud is limited, although I
haven't had any problems on my visits.
Have fun
_______
Geoff B
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