Money abroad

The Euro is already used within most Western European countries and will be rolled out across the new EU states as they fulfill the economic conditions. This means it's getting increasingly easier to travel to multiple countries.

A network of bank machines (Bankomats) has sprung up across Europe so it is now extremely easy to access your home account. If large withdrawls are made, the rates can be better than the tourist rates at an exchange office - even with bank charges included. It is recommended to take cards on different networks - not all machines will accept Visa but those that don't will probably accept Switch (Cirrus).

Travellers cheques used to be very popular and are the safest way to carry large amounts of cash, but changing them is much more hassle than using a cashpoint. You are tied to bank hours, some banks will not exchange them and they can charge high commissions.

In an emergency, money can be wired direct through services like Western Union [and aff]. These services provide almost instant transfer of funds and while expensive, could be useful in an emergency.