Introduction

Are you planning a trip abroad? Be it a few days in Paris or a work trip to the States. Starting from getting a visa to booking your flight, rooms, and rides, you will be bound to spend foreign currency while planning. Going on a trip to a foreign country is an expensive affair. So you have to take care while managing your budget. And there are other ways to carry money while traveling other than cash. Check out some of the clever ways to travel cashless in this article. 

One of the smartest ways to carry foreign money while traveling abroad is to carry an international debit card that helps you travel in more than 150 countries hassle-free in terms of currency. A global travel card with Zero Forex Markup is the one thing you can’t go without. The international debit card makes carrying money abroad easy for you.

5 Smart Ways of going cashless while traveling abroad

Here are the 5 most thoughtful ways to travel cashless while you enjoy traveling abroad.

1. Debit cards

Debit cards are frequently used all over the world. They are accepted internationally and can be easily used to carry and manage your money while traveling. They can be used instead of cash on your regular payments but your bank might charge you some extra amount for using it outside your country. The bank charges you explicitly on every transaction you make overseas. It is advised that you use in-network ATMs of some partner banks that will save you some fees. You can withdraw vast amounts of your money and use your card to travel cashless and make purchases rather than cash.

2. Credit cards

Credit cards are an efficient way to travel cashless in a foreign country. These cards are used to handle transactions you make with your savings account. Credit cards are an easy and safe way to carry money while traveling abroad. You can also add the many variables of credit cards to your travel wallet. They are safe and universally acceptable transaction modes to travel cashless, and the foreign currency transaction fees are also less on credit cards. They are the best choice if you want a hassle-free trip overseas.

3. Prepaid travel cards

Prepaid travel cards are one of the safest and most popular ways for travelers to travel cashless. They are also commonly known as multi-currency forex cards. They are known to protect travelers against the transaction charges they face while exchanging their currency for an international one. They also help in currency fluctuations and have minimum charges when you use pre-paid forex card at an overseas ATM.

4. Online payment apps

In this technological age, nearly everyone has online payment apps on their smartphones. Online payment apps are mobile applications used for managing your payments with your linked bank account. While traveling in another country, you can easily use your online payment apps to pay there and travel cashless. It is an intelligent way to not carry any cash. Many payment apps are convenient and offer the option of e-wallets as well. Online wallet services such as Google Wallet and Apple Pay can be used easily while traveling.

5. Traveler’s cheques

Have you heard of them? Probably not, as they are doubtful to exist still, but they were an effective way to travel cashless back in the days. In the modern era of ATMs, these traveler’s cheques are less popular. But they do exist. They are helpful for places where there are very few ATMs, and cards are not accepted. They are also used to restrict the traveler from spending over their budget. This feature is absent in travel cards as it gives travelers more flexibility.

7 Tips for carrying your money smartly 

Carrying money while traveling abroad can be done in various ways. So here are some smart tips to carry your money safely while traveling abroad.

1. Make a realistic budget for traveling.

Having a reasonable budget pre-planned for your trip gives you a proper idea of how to travel cashless. Consider everything from your trip duration to how much you want to spend while sightseeing and shopping. You can talk to someone who has visited that country and knows about living standards or the money culture. This tip will help you make a realistic travel budget and allocate specific amounts of travel budget to different tasks.

2. Get travel insurance and carry an anti-theft bag.

Getting travel insurance before traveling to another country is a must. Travel insurance protects you from threats you might face on your days out of your country. You could be unfortunately sick or have any medical mishaps. Travel insurance also protects you from luggage theft, flight cancellations, and other unfortunate events you might encounter overseas. So it’s best to take precautions beforehand. In addition to this, you can also use an anti-theft bag. 

Anti-theft bags are tougher than regular backpacks. They are specially designed to stop pickpockets from taking your money while you are traveling. These bags are cut-proof and have steel-cable reinforced shoulder straps. They are also made with slash-proof fabric and have locking zippers. These features prevent pickpockets from taking your money.

3. Divide your money into different spots

Carrying many bills is a tedious task and often not safe. So it is advised to stash your cash in different spots on your luggage if you travel abroad. And use only some of them at a time. Keep some small bills handy with you to spend while sightseeing. But keep the money safe in your hotel room, away from potential theft so you can travel cashless. These methods of storing money might not interest you, but they will keep your travel money safe in a locked hotel room.

4. Get your foreign currency in advance and use a dummy wallet.

When you reach your destination, you will need money to buy food and pay for your taxi to your hotel. It will be helpful for you to take foreign currency from various service providers in advance, and it would be best if you remembered to carry small money bills in case of emergencies. This way, you will also avoid changing your currency at the airport, where the charges are incredibly high. 

If the place you are traveling to has regular muggings and pickpockets, then you can do something to keep them away. To save yourself from pickpockets or muggers, you can buy an inexpensive wallet that looks real and use it as a decoy wallet to keep in your bag or pocket. You can also place one or two fake credit cards to make it more realistic. So this is how a dummy wallet can save your genuine wallet from the hands of pickpockets.

5. Choose a forex card or an international debit card instead of a credit card.

A forex card is a better choice than a credit card to travel cashless while traveling abroad. But there is a way much better than a forex card. You can use an international debit card that offers Zero forex markup and helps you manage your finance easily on your trip overseas. This card allows you to pay your expenses or withdraw money from ATMs in foreign currency and easily track your expenses from the app. Furthermore, relying on just a credit card can be more expensive as every transaction you make with it costs you a foreign transaction fee and a conversion fee. 

6. Automate your payments

This is a brilliant tip for managing your bills while you are away from home for a long time. When traveling abroad, you still need to pay the various bills at home. So you can automate your payments for your utility, credit cards, smartphone, and loan bills. This will help you pay your bills on time even when you are thousands of miles away and travel cashless. You can set up your bank account for monthly recurring payments. 

7. Use a smart wallet for international payments.

The term smart wallets are now referred to as digital wallets. Online payment apps like Google Pay, Apple Pay, or PayPal provide a digital wallet service to keep your money handy and travel cashless. It is an easy method to keep your cash digital, and you can spend it whenever you want. You must install the online payment app on your mobile phone and connect it to your savings account. And then you can also spend and manage your expenses from the app. This is also one of the safest and easiest ways to carry money overseas. 

You need to know these crucial points while managing your money abroad and travel cashless. It is advised not to rely on a single mode of payment while traveling overseas. You should maintain a budget and work it properly. Sometimes the best way to carry money is not to carry it at all. Go cashless on your leisure trip to your dream country. Refrain from getting tangled in cross-currency affairs. Get your money settled and safe with you while traveling. Hope this information helped you finance your trip correctly and within your travel budget. Enjoy your trip overseas without worrying about carrying money abroad.