Buying Foreign Currency and Carrying Cash Safely

Lewis N. Clark Luggage Rfid
Waist Stash

     When traveling to Europe, it is generally cheaper to withdraw cash from ATMs there than buying foreign currency at home even if you have to pay ATM fees. Cash withdrawals, regardless of amount, are based on the wholesale exchange rate which is typically available only on amounts of 1 million USD exchanged electronically between banks.
     The amount you can withdraw per transaction at European ATMs is limited to a range of 250-450 Euros and the daily withdrawal limit is up to the maximum amount allowed by your bank. However, there are cases when you will have no time to look for an ATM upon arrival at your destination or you will need an amount more than your daily withdrawal limit the day of your arrival (e.g. if you need to pay the full rent for an apartment when you arrive). In such cases, you will have no choice but to buy Euros at home.

     On our second trip to Europe, we decided to buy Euros before we left the U.S. because we had to pay the full week's rent in cash for our apartment in Aix-en-Provence. We found that more convenient than looking for several ATMs in the city to come up with the amount we needed. We comparison shopped online and found Wells Fargo (https://www.wellsfargo.com/foreignexchange/) to have the best forex purchase rate. The wholesale rate at the time we bought the Euros was around $1.32 per €1 and Wells Fargo's rate was around $1.37 per €1. The minimum you can buy is the equivalent of $25 and the maximum is $3,000. There is no service charge and the shipping and handling fee depends on the total amount purchased. I checked the S&H fee for certain amounts and it seems like they charge a flat rate of $15 for orders below $1,000 but orders over $1,000 get shipped for free. We purchased €2,000 with free S&H and our order arrived via Fedex in 2 business days.
     Now, on the subject of how we would carry our euros and dollars safely through the airport and without fear of having our wallets or bags stolen, we started looking for money belts online and in stores. Considering my small stature, I wanted one that wasn't bulky (preferably flat), comfortable (no contraptions that would dig into my skin), and not too expensive. We decided to buy two of the "Lewis N. Clark Luggage Rfid Waist Stash" which was cheaper than the more highly recommended (by Rick Steves and most reviewers) "Eagle Creek Travel Gear Undercover Money Belt De Luxe".
     On the day of our departure, Ken and I split up the cash and stored them inside our money belts with some of our credit and debit cards. I wore comfortable khaki pants that were a little loose around the waist and the cash I carried remained dry and unwrinkled. Ken's money belt, on the other hand, got a little damp from his sweat, and the cash he carried got a bit moist but not wet and just a little wrinkly (Travel Tip: it might be a good idea to put the cash inside a small plastic or ziploc bag). I checked Amazon reviews and learned that cash stored inside the Eagle Creek can also get a little damp when the wearer gets sweaty.