How obtain $USD while travelling?

We've been on the road for 15 months in Asia (Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia, India) and spent a lot of time traveling in Western/Central Eastern Europe beforehand. We have been able to use ATMs and local currency for the most part. We've been surprised to find ATMs in some obscure places.

However, there are times when USD is required - visas come to mind, as do hotels in certain parts of the world (eg, Uzbekistan). Euros are becoming more accepted and desired in some areas, so it's pretty easy to change Euros as well in most places. But, I agree that there are some countries that still have an attachment to the $, even as it is declining by the day.

There are some countries that give you a choice of currency at the ATM machine so you can take out USD or local currency - Georgia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia come to mind. There are also countries without ATMs - Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan (except for 1 or 2 in 5* hotels in Tashkent), Burma/Myanmar where having a stash of USD is absolutely necessary.

We started our trip with a stash of USD and Euro in our money belts and have restocked in countries where we can get it from the ATM or have exchanged local currency from an ATM for $.

Wow, I didn't realise it was such a hot topic!
Given everyone's advice, I will be taking a small stash of USD for emergencies and where only USD will do. (Do not fear Wayworn... I will try my very bestest not to spend them ;-)
Many thanks to everyone for posting - really helpful advice
Happy travels.

Funny how some people are willing to accept this crap when they travel. But I also notice that not one of you commented on my question to you about what would you think or say if someone in the UK insisted you pay them in US dollars.

I guess you just meekly accept and by doing so condone this type of thing.

Wayworn, to answer your question I've always found it funny that non-US travelers carry around US cash. It seems strange but sometimes it is necessary. Like you've stated, if you don't like that policy and they won't take local currency you can just leave. That's a traveler's choice. Most travelers don't even realize they are paying an extra 3% on their ATM transactions so I doubt they will put much thought or care into the currency conversion schemes you've noted.

On my last trip a Canadian family was in the ferry terminal in Jordan trying to go to Egypt. They were traveling for a long time on only Canadian dollars. They put up a big fuss about paying in US dollars and that's their right. In the end they still wanted to take the ferry and ended up exchanging their money for US dollars at a bad rate because there was only one exchange booth. Traveling with non-local currency other than Euros or dollars will probably get you worse exchange rates simply because there's not a demand for it and it's going to be harder for the buyer to get rid of it.

If someone in the UK asked for US dollars I would think it was strange but I would spend my dollars. Then again, I'm from the US and dollars that I've brought with me from home don't cost me any fees. Many of the countries that require US dollars for visa payments have a less stable economy and currency than the dollar (well, until recently!) and taking dollars helped them keep a stable price. It tends to be countries with less stable economies that accept foreign currency so a comparison to the UK doesn't really resonate.

The dollar isn't really accepted in Madagascar and when I was there I had to buy euros to pay for some big ticket things. The first time I left the bank I literally had local currency bulging out my pockets and strapped around my body. I didn't want to put it all in one bag just in case but $100 worth was just a huge amount of bills. They also wouldn't accept US travelers checks, only TX in euros. I dealt with it. Otherwise I guess there's a flight back once a week I could have got on.

You're right, we don't need to meekly accept this, but then again, no other country has to accept our request for entrance.

A reasoned and sensible response bunglegirl. We can simply agree to disagree on where to travel and what to do when confronted by demands for a currency other than our home currency or the local currency.

No one has ever got me to pay for anything in US dollars, other than in the USA and I have no intention of changing that. And yes, if they don't want to let me in to their country in that case, I'm perfectly willing to bypass them. It's their loss not mine. There are plenty of other countries to visit. I can't think of any country that I couldn't live without visiting.

Either you have principles and lines you will not cross, or you don't. It seems many don't.

Wow...you are really hard on this. Actually, it is your loss, not theirs. They could care less, but you will miss out. Too bad.

I will give you one example. Just one of many...but it dealt with one of the most awesome trips I have ever take. We were sorting out a trip to the salt flats in Bolivia. We were kind of surprised by the expense, and many of us did not have enough local currency to pay for everything and there was no local ATM that worked...we were in a really small town. Luckily, I had a stash of $100 bills. Enough to pay for the trip for me and my friend. They would only accept local currency or USD. That was it. Either pay or hit the bus for a 6+ hour horrible ride to a larger town that had an ATM. Guess what, everybody had USD....even a French couple! We all went on the trip and had a great time.

I guess you would have been heading elsewhere....

No craigt, I would have had enough local currency. Simple really.

As I wrote earlier, I've only once had to go around something. Travelling in an area with few ATMs just requires a little different way of handling money. It doesn't REQUIRE US dollars.

I realize there are some things (you picked a bad example) and places where ONLY US dollars are accepted. The earlier gorilla example is one of them. But it doesn't bother me. There are thousands of things to see and do in the world. It doesn't matter how many of them require US dollars. There are plenty of others which don't. Since no one will ever manage to see and do everything, the only question is whether something is an absolute must for the individual. As my philosophy is there is no such thing as a 'must see', only things I would 'like to see' which are no better than many other things I'd like to see, there is no problem choosing to ignore some.

Suppose for example you had a choice between the Plains of Nasca or Easter Island. You couldn't do both, you had to pick one. Which one would you choose to see?

The point is, people act as if there is no choice but to comply with demands for US dollars. There's a whole world of choice out there where US dollars are not demanded. You can choose whether to be part of the problem or part of the solution as I said. As for who loses, well since it is about getting money, there is no question it is their loss, not mine. They don't get the money, someone else who doesn't demand US dollars from me does. And they could care less. They want the money, that's the whole point. I'm the one that couldn't care less, what they have to offer is no better than somewhere else.

Wow...like I said, you are hard on this. And actually, if you were in our circumstances (which you were not) you would not have had local currency. But I don't need to explain further.

I will give you one other. I was in Costa Rica last month getting a Nicaraguan visa for my wife (she is Thai with a Thai passport). Guess what. Only Nica currency or USD. Period. I only had CR currency, so I had to hire a taxi, head to the bank, wait in line an hour to convert CR into USD, then back to the Nica embassy to pay for the visa. I guess I could have converted it into Nica currency, but the rate was MUCH better for USD...and I got enough to replinsh my emergency funds of USD...I picked up Nica currency in Granada from a money trader on the street (better rates than an ATM).

Anyway, the net is, USD are good to have. And who cares about your argument...we are here to travel and have fun!!!! And it is not a problem at all...at least to the rest of us...

I am putting together a Gorilla safari in Rawanda...here is a quote from a thread on TT:

"Lastly, we really struggled with our $ while in Ruhengeri and Kinigi. We did not change enough money in Kigali and could not do so in the other places. Only US dollars were acceptable at the banks and we had pounds and traveller cheques. No to either. "

Best to be prepared and enjoy your trip...

Buy the US dollars in your home country, so that you don't pay to exchange money twice. As you will be paying with sterling, you will get a good exchange rate (assuming you buy them at the right places, such as the post office). Get yourself a good money belt, which you should have anyway, so that you are unlikely to lose them.

I've used USD cash to get myself out of jams far away from the US, in situations that have nothing to do with bribery. The main benefit is that it is (still) the world's major reserve currency -- it is almost universally accepted in one way, shape or form.

But I would carry a mix of dollars, euros and sterling (since you are already in the UK), just to be safe. And carry small denominations, as you cannot always get change, and prices can mysteriously increase when you appear to be loaded with money to burn.

(Ignore Wayworn. He's an angry old coot who has been banned several times from this website already. He's great at lecturing, not so good at listening or at maintaining an informed dialog.)