Hi everybody,
I'm sure almost everybody reading this post has long stopped using traveler's checks. Well, for any of you who, like me, who tend to use outdated technology, I have to warn you that they will be a major headache in Honduras. The Lonely Planet guidebook says that they are accepted throughout the country and are easy to change. The truth is, the banks are very suspicious of them and will only change 100USD per person per day. Since the average wait at a bank in Honduras is about three hours, this will represent a major waste of time on your vacation. Just bring a debit card. ATMs are everywhere.

A timely post John Leonard! The same is true for Costa Rica. Well, the bank lines may or may not be that long. Depends on the day.

Also - BE CAREFUL when you're using the ATM anywhere! Those Who Wish You Harm may be watching and waiting till you have a goodly sum stashed in your pants or your sock or wherever and they will be only too happy to relieve you of it.

AND, here in CR at least, the banks do not like bills that are anything but perfect. I mean no little tiny rips in it, no undue straining, no corners missing etc.

I think better advice for Central America is not to rely on traveler's checks as your primary means of accessing cash. I always travel with a stash of them, although almost always finish a trip without having tapped any of them. I had a largish stash of AmEx TCs that lasted me for a half-dozen trips over three years.

They can be a godsend in a pinch, although they aren't terribly convenient.

I disagree with you Felix....DO NOT BRING TRAVELLER'S CHECKS.

Waste of your time and effort. Forget 'em, dump 'em, shove 'em.

Bank card.

I agree with Felix and tend to keep a stash on me for an emergency. But even more important to mention is that anyone who has AAA in America and opts for the free TCs, do yourself a favor and AVOID VISA TCs...they are not commonly accepted (American Express is the better brand) and even in America (NYC) I was turned away from banks when my ATM card had a security breach in Russia.

Maybe I should have gone into further detail. There is no harm in having them as an emergency backup. I carried TCs with me for eight months and when the company temporarily turned off my access to my ATM, I had just enough cash to take the Jamaica Station Subway in NYC. Wells Fargo, my bank, isn't located in NYC. With only a credit card, I was piss poor on a weekend with no money for food and the leftover TCs were my only option. They weigh an ounce or less, if you lose them, you get the money back. It's worth it.

quote:

Originally posted by Piecar:
DO NOT BRING TRAVELLER'S CHECKS.

Waste of your time and effort.

I'm with Felix and Cristi. Bringing them doesn't necessarily mean using them.

I just got back from a trip to Mexico. I was staying in a very small town in the mountains, 3 hours from anywhere else. The town had one, and only one, atm. The elctricity was out at various times for various lengths of time, so no access to atm. (Actual credit cards are pretty much useless in this town, also.) Additionally, there was a large festival going through town which tripled the population. The atm could have been easily drained because of all the visitors, to be replenshed God knows when. Knowing what I was getting into, I brought some old - like five year old - travelers checks with me as back up. Didn't end up needing them, so they live another day to go on yet another trip. They are "just in case" money, nothing more.

I had my debit card stolen several years ago, while in Malaysia. I had enough cash ringgit and dollars to last me a few days. It took nearly two weeks to receive a replacement. If I hadn't been carrying a backup stash of TCs, I would've been absolutely screwed.

It would be stupid to rely on traveler's checks. It is equally foolish not to diversify your access to cash while traveling, especially for extended periods. Traveler's checks are the safest way to carry money. That safety costs a convenience premium.

(That said, in the past few years, I've had an easier time cashing TCs than using a debit card in San Pedro, Guatemala; Utila, Honduras; Esteli, Nicaragua; to name a few.)

On one hand, I've never had use for traveler's checks. Not even in Latin America. On the other, I hear so many anecdotes from folks (like Felix here) wherein a TC comes to the rescue in a desperate situation, that I am loath to put the final nail in their coffin.

At the end of the day, a couple of folded traveler's checks don't really add any weight to the old wallet. So, the risk:reward ratio is pretty low.

If anything, I'm now tempted to go out and buy a couple just for nostalgia value.

Well, I guess everyone is different, but traveller's cheques are an antiquated concept that have been supplanted by the ease of the ATM. Now, with ubiquitous internet cafes, you can carry two bank cards, transfer money back and forth on line and have your own safety net. All without every having to carry the things around or stand in that line.

However, the point is fair. It can never hurt to diversify how you you carry your money, so carry those things if you want......


.....but you don't need to and they are antiquated. AND, Honduras ain't the best place to be doin' any of that traveller's cheque spending. They are a little basic out there.

It all depends where you travel. There are still times and places where travelers checks do still come in handy. They've bailed me out at least twice in the past 3 years. Yes, it is rare. But there are times where even having an ATM card and a credit card with a PIN for cash advances has left me stranded. Of course, I've never had this happen to me in Central America....

Like most here, I carry TCs as an emergency measure (and once plain forgot that I had them on me when I needed them--doh!)

I've had AMEX checks declined by a major bank in India (due to counterfeit cheques in circulation), so of course I would never rely on them as a sole, or main, source of funds. But I've also had AMEX cheques replaced when they were stolen, with a minimum of fuss.

Yes, it's antiquated technology. But ATMs can go wrong (in fact I have an idea for a novel involving a bunch of culture-shocked travellers stranded somewhere in Africa or Indonesia because the net goes down/banking system fails/war breaks out, or all of the above I haven't started it yet, because I don't like any of the characters). If you travel a bit off the beaten path, you'll encounter many areas without ATMs/electricity and you'd be surprised at how far you can get with antiquated means.

I could not use my mastercharge debit card in either Livingston , or Tikal or El Remate, Guatamala.
In Livingstons case I had to take a boat over to Puerto Barrios to get money to rent a hotel. Travelers checks would have helped immensely.

i'm not sure it's worth holding onto them for years, waiting to use them during a trip where you have complications. this is money tied up, losing value against inflation, not gaining interest. maybe i'm a capatalist pig but amex is certainly making money off of your investment that is tied up in those TCs. this is very lucrative for them.

if you feel it is necessary to have them during a vacation, and you don't use them while you are away, spend them when you are home. the cash you would have spent in their stead is more productive elsewhere.

i think i may finally be "over" the TC thang. ATMs and a stash of dollars has served me well lately.

I carry them. I like to have enough to pay for a plane trip back, more or less wherever I am. I haven't yet had to test this theory, but I have bought a rug in turkey with them.

Still, I depend on my ATM card for ready cash. Going to banks is a pain, and the changing booths often charge premiums to cash them.