Dealing with Money while Traveling to Less Touristy Countries

photo credit: techiemania.com

With the exception of Bhutan, these less visited countries are great destinations if you want to enjoy the flavors and scenes of the world without spending a fortune. While traveling in less touristy areas can be difficult in some ways, simply because these countries don’t always offer the conveniences that are offered in countries that cater directly to tourists, you can also enjoy the scenes without feeling crowded.

Money can be particularly difficult to deal with in these countries, though. In the least developed areas, the locals may even still tend to barter rather than using cash, which can make buying things rather difficult. Here are some tips to help you deal with money while traveling to countries like these:

• Find out what the local currency is, and exchange money at the airport or before. If you aren’t positive that the destination airport has a facility where you can exchange money for a fair rate, exchange it before you go so that you have some local cash on you.
• Take traveler’s checks. Even the most backwoods countries are likely to have a bank or two in the major cities – which is probably where you’ll fly in, anyway. These banks will often cash traveler’s checks for a small fee or no fee at all. If you aren’t sure, though, look this up online before you go.
• Take a credit card, but don’t plan to always use it. It’s always good to take one of the travel credit cards best on your trip, but don’t plan to use nothing but credit if you’re headed to a lesser traveled country. Even those that are fairly well developed in the cities may not have any credit card facilities outside of the cities. A credit card is good for emergencies because you can buy a plane ticket home quickly or take care of other problems.
• Find out what you need to take with you. In some less developed and well-traveled areas, you may need to pack quite a lot on your trips to the areas outside of the cities. Talk to other travelers who have been to the area to see what they can tell you about packing your own water, basic medications, and other essentials.

Daniela Baker from CreditDonkey says, dealing with money is usually the biggest hassle when it comes to traveling in less visited countries, particularly if you’re used to swiping a credit card everywhere you go. But if you take these tips, you can take care of the practical pieces of your trip so that you can just enjoy visiting an area that isn’t overcrowded with tourists.