recently I had a card swallowed by a foreign cash machine... fortunately I had an address to which anew one could be posted, but it took two weeks to get it,
What do you all do?

The solution is not to have all your eggs in one basket..

I have 2 different bank accounts with 2 different cards as well as 2 credit cards.

I split my travel cash between between the 2 difference bank accounts.

I would use my debit card in the ATM's. I happened to lose my debit card so I just used the other card. I didnt even bother with getting a replacement. SIMPLES !!

I also have a couple of credit cards (1 stashed in luggage, 1 stashed in the bike)..

When I lost my whole wallet, I used my credit card to withdraw cash and pay for fuel until I could get a replacement.

Using a credit card for trips, gifts, excusrsions etc means you have that security of claiming back any dodgy thefts or transactions.

Many people also prepay their credit cards. I personally would pay for insurance on ONE card. The one you use for any large or suspect payments while abroad.


What I would now do in heinsight is to have £50-£100 for EVERY different currency you will need. Just as an emergency, stashed deep in my luggage. It can be a nightmare at some small border towns to try and change cash or find working ATM's. Not being able to buy fuel and a bed for the sake of a few quid makes no sense.

I did this for my transamerican trip. It made things so much easier. I went to a currency exchange place in Houston and ordered about $30-50US in as many latin american countries as possible.

You may not get the best deal, but it was so convenient that I would have no pressure to find money right away.

A word of advice if any of you are going to Bolivia. Don't bring back any currency unless you want to save it as a soveneir.

I had about $100us left of Bolivianos with the intention of selling it at the border with a money changer. Unfortunately, the border that I went to (south chile) was desolate.

I tried to exchange the money in 20+ casa de cambios in cities near bolivia all the way to Santiago with no luck. No one would take the money.

Once I realized I couldn't sell it to a currency exchange place I ended up finding a backpacker at a hostel and telling it to her.

Apparently casa de camibios don't want to get involved with double digit inflation

dg