Month long honeymoon, what kind of currency should I take?

emz101

My fiancé and I are lucky enough to be able to afford and go on a month long honeymoon. We are spending a week and a half in Disneyworld then 3 more weeks on the island he is from in the Azores. I am just wondering if anyone else here has taken a longer then normal honeymoon and what is the best form of currency to bring? I have never really used travellers cheques so I am not very familiar with them and how they work, or even if businesses on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean would accept them. I will bring a credit card for emergencies but I don't like the though of bringing cards just in case of theft and I don't want to see crazy exchange rates on my bill. I am way more comfortable bringing cash, however once again in case of theft, and I am sure that it won't look very good to be bringing wads of cash. We will be  needing quite a large amount of currency since we will be gone a month, what have others done?

charlottesmom0626

I haven't gone on a honyemoon yet, but I did live in various countries for extended periods of time. They should have able to cash travelers checks at the airport, and also various shops on the island. I haven't been to the Azores, is it a popular travel location? If so you can definitely cash them. If not, I would suggest bringing cash and investing in one of those traveling belts. They look ridiculous but you can hide them under your clothes with a passport and keep your money on you at all times.

lyndausvi

I've traveled a lot overseas. Sometimes a month at a time. I haven't used traveler's checks in years. Most of the time we just use cards. We will take some US cash and then convert some to the local currency at the airport of taxis and such. If we need more we hit up an ATM. 

 There are sometimes extra fees associated with that, but I feel like it's worth it for us. There are some places that are more remote or are more cash based. Even still I have not really had an issue accessing an ATM to get more. I'm not sure about the Azores though.

ETA - go to the Trip Advisor forums.   They often have these types of questions. Just do a search on the Azores.   GL

Sonietsjka

Considering the Azores are a Portuguese territory, they use Euros. I'd suggest you bring euros, USD to exchange on the island, and/ or an ATM card so you can take out cash there.

CMGragain

Traveler's checks are not used much anymore, and many places won't take them.  Bring your ATM card and use it to get cash.  Call your bank before you leave and let them know that you will be out of the country so they will approve your cash transactions.  I have traveled all over Europe this way.  You should also be aware that there will be a VAT tax on everything, because Portugal is a member of the European Union.  You can get this refunded for large purchases, but you must apply for the refund as you leave the country to fly back to the USA.  This can make a big difference on purchases in the Azores!  Your refund is sent to you in the regular mail.

JoanE2012

I didn't even know travelers checks existed anymore. Whenever we travel, we bring a little cash for emergencies or to exchange at the airport for cab far. Otherwise, we always use the ATMs. We get a better deal that way than bringing cash to exchange. Between my DH and I, we have accounts at 3 banks, so we always notify all 3 banks and bring all 3 cards in case any of them give us a problem (only one did one time, and we travel alot!). We also use the United Mastercard for purchases.....there are no foreign transaction fees. I know there are several other credit cards that don't charge fees too. And always make sure the merchant in the foreign country charges your credit card in the local currency....if they offer to convert to USD, don't let them.....it will cost you more in currency conversion.

[Deleted User]

My parents travel to Europe and through the US alot. They take enough cash to cover a few days. Then they hit an atm & take out the max allowed and are good for a few days. Yes the fees add up, but the ease of getting money as needed is worth it to them. Like a pp stated, make sure to call your bank & cc company to advise them of your travels so they don't think your cards have been stolen & put a freeze on them.

freebread03

Ditto PPs that said to use credit cards.  I almost exclusively use credit cards when traveling internationally-I have a Visa and a Mastercard through Bank of America that do not charge international fees (usually around 3%).  I think they are the "World Points" cards, and both have the chip that is needed in many countries.  We also get local cash through ATMs-the ATM fee is usually less, or similar to the exchange fee if you were to change US dollars to the local currency.  But we do like to use cards when we can (and always call ahead to give our bank our travel dates).

emz101

Thanks, I think I will be using mainly credit cards, I am not sure how it works with the exchange since I am in Canada and all my accounts and cards are in Canadian funds, I will have to call my credit card company and find out.