Large Trip - Money Issues

Hello, sorry to post this as I'm sure it is dealt with in parts in the FAQ it's just that this is very un-country specific and so I thought I'd make a seperate post. Anyway I am soon to be embarking on a month trip of Cuba then to Mexico through to Panama (missing out Belize/El Salvador and Nicaragua) before flying into Sao Paolo to spend the last of it in Brazil and Argentina. Anyway what I am worried about is how to manage my money. I have a debit card but accept that whilst I might be able to withdraw money with this is some places it will by all means not be possible everywhere. Are travellers cheques the best option or should I take a whole stack of dollars with me? I don't really want to be carrying mass amounts of cash around with me but this might have to be the case in some places. Now I'm not too worried about Cuba/Mexico or Brazil/Argentina and likewise Panama should be fine as the currency is dollars. What I am really enquiring about is Guatemala-Honduras-Costa Rica, are travellers cheques a good idea for here (and the other places) and if so how much should I get out in travellers cheques and should they be in dollars?

Thank you,

Charlie

Guatemala and Honduras I take my visa charge card, ATM card, and a few hundred in t checks for back up. I'm hoping you don't really mean you're going to try to do all those things in a month. Yikes - I'd worry more about that than about the money.

Woops! That should have said four months!

The problem with Visa card is that the bank won't give me one. Is it best to have the travellers cheques in dollars?

You lucky duck! That sounds better...

Thank you.

When you wrote "Guatemala and Honduras I take my visa charge card, ATM card, and a few hundred in t checks for back up" how long a time were you referring to? I'm really confused about how much I should try and get in travellers cheques.

Figure out your daily budget. We can't do that because we don't know at what level you live. The checks should be in dollars. What were you going to bring? I see you hide behind the Thorn Tree World monicker. If you are one of them...don't think of bringing Euro anything. Can't get a Visa? No matter how bad your credit is you can still get a Visa debit card that is tied to your bank account. It can be used in ATMs and like a credit card. In some countries it is called a Visa Electron. Are you from one of them? Those cards are accepted all over. BTW... even with 4 months I think you are trying to cover too much. Hope you plans include a lot of plane tickets.

I usually travel for about a month at a time. Sometimes I know in advance that a language school or dive op wants payment in traveler's checques, so I take whatever I need for that plus about $300 just in case. IME, they're usually a pain to cash, but are replaceable if I lose everything. Some of the checques I have will be heading to CA for the 3rd time this summer, as I rarely use them.