041 – Dealing with Money before leaving home
December 7, 2007 in Money and Finance, Preparing to Travel
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This week the Indie Travel Podcast tackles one of the toughest travel issues: money. The real problem is most of this has to be done before leaving home, which can be a good excuse to postpone travelling as well as a source of frustration. In three sections Craig and Linda advise on how to deal with money before leaving home on an extended trip.
- Part one: deal with debt.
- Part two: save enough to keep you safe.
- Part three: sort out your bank.
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This article was written by Craig and Linda
Craig and Linda Martin have been living on the road since February 2006. Both born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand they are ... somewhere in the world! Craig and Linda host the Indie Travel Podcast - you can get in touch with them here.
Since November 2006 the Indie Travel Podcast has evolved into an independent travel hub with regular audio and video podcasts along with articles by travellers from all over the world. 
Hosts Craig and Linda Martin started travelling in February 2006 and have been to over 50 countries. They were 
Gary said on December 9, 2007
Some suggestions:
1) Try to get both a Visa and a MasterCard debit card. Not only will it give you a backup in case you lose one, but some places only take one or the other. I was stuck on Easter Island with a Visa card, and the only ATM on the island takes MasterCard.
2) If you are really, really in a pinch, make sure someone back home knows where the nearest Western Union station is, in case they should ever have to send a MoneyGram.
3) In some countries I’ve been to (Japan, Philippines) it is hard to find an ATM that will take foreign cards. Make sure you can find an ATM that will work. In Japan, all the ATMs at post offices will work. In the Philippines, I had to find international banks like HSBC.
Craig and Linda said on December 15, 2007
We tend to use our debit/cheque account and a EFTPOS card to make cash withdrawals, rather than using a credit card. I guess it depends on your bank, but cash advances sting us big time.