Happier Abroad Forum Community

Hey, guys. I was just wondering something- how do I do all my money stuff in another country? What I mean is exchanging it for Euros or whatever they have over in that country (I'd think I'd just go to a bank with cash, but having large sums of cash can cause problems- might get into shit leaving the US & such like that), getting money from my account (my bank doesn't have a branch in Czechia, I don't think it's international), and doing traveler's checks (if they still exist). Basically, how do you guys pay for shit while you're in another country?

Can I just go to a bank in that country & get them to get the money from my bank? Is there an extra fee? What about getting an account over there? Do you have to be a citizen? I get that a lot of this might be very situational, so I don't expect that there'll be an exact answer for some of this. At the very least, who would I ask about this sort of thing to find out details?

Just use your American bank cards at the ATM's, and you will get whatever you want in that country's currency. I have a credit union account that charges only one percent per such transaction. In a lot of European countries the banks owning the ATM's don't charge a fee for this, so it is usually much cheaper than going to a currency exchange, which are, like ATM's, all over the place in heavy tourist areas.

In Thailand, OTOH, huge fees charged by the banks owning the ATM's. Another reason I hated the place -- figure on about ten percent more than projected costs just for bank fees.

So any ATM will work like that, even if it's not the bank I have an account with?

See, I'm hoping to dodge even that (might be stretching things a bit thin if I wind up staying longer than a few months)- but still good to know, thank you. I just read about banks that don't charge to use their ATMs, would that likely be the same with other "brands"?