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Traveling – we all know what that can involve – sometimes a great deal of trouble. Although often a joyful experience, traveling can include everything from hassles with luggage at airports, delayed flights, missed connections, wrong dates for hotel reservations, and so much else. Even the “smart” traveler can have such problems.
London Bus and Taxi, Photo Courtesy of Rob Shelsky
One difficulty that many travelers never give too much thought about, and they should, is money, the need to have some local currency readily at hand. Whether the English Pound Sterling, Euro, Yen, or Yuan, you have to have it when you need it. And when you first arrive in the country of your choice, is often when you need it the most. Buses, taxis, tips, even some toilets (Victoria Station, London, England, for instance) require you to have local currency readily at hand.
So for those travelers who didn’t purchase any of their destination’s currency before leaving home, getting money exchanged immediately is a priority. And exchange rates can be tricky. Airport exchanges, for example, often can be expensive. They are convenient, but you may pay dearly for that convenience if you don’t know any better.
Knowing the current exchange rate helps you avoid this trap. It allows you to make informed decisions. But how do you obtain this information? One answer is to do a quick, free, and easy check at Currate.com to find the most current rate of exchange for whatever currency you are going to be using. Do this just before you leave home. Then, you will know if that rate they are offering you at the destination airport is a reasonable or an expensive one.
Currate.com Mobile Version - available on iPhone Web browser or any mobile phones with web browser built in.
An even better way to be sure of the current rate is to use either of the two mobile versions available at Currate.com. These are my favorites, because they allow me to access the current exchange rate no matter where I am, or when I need to do it. All you need is a mobile phone that can browse the Internet, and you will have access to up-to-date information on current exchange rates at any time. You can find these mobile versions at http://currate.com/m.php, or for the more enhanced mobile version, at http://currate.com/e.php.
For small amounts of currency conversion, varying exchange rates may not seem to be of huge importance to the average traveler, but if you are changing significant sums, hundreds, or even several thousand dollars, for instance, this becomes more important. Also, if you are a frequent traveler, those exchange costs can accumulate over time and add up to a large expense, long term. So knowing and getting the best exchange rate is always important.
Now, for those travelers who plan lengthier stays in other countries, these mobile versions are even more essential, and great to use. If your trip entails you being in another country for a week or more, the rate of exchange will undoubtedly change, sometimes by a lot, during that period. So the mobile versions at Currate.com take on even greater significance.
When traveling in another country, you will be using their money on a daily basis. Therefore, it is important you know the current rate of exchange all the time. Remember that, and it will be to your “monetary” advantage. The money you save by not making currency exchange mistakes can go for other and better purposes. If your goal is to be a “smart” traveler, then use the mobile versions at Currate.com.
Rob Shelsky, Currate.com Contributing Editor
References:
Pay toilets in Victoria Station:
http://www.spike.com/video/pay-20p-to-go-to/2821045?cid=YSSP
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=497968
Fluctuation in currency rates:
http://foreigncurrencyexchangeservices.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html
Airport Exchange rates:
http://honeymoons.about.com/od/moneymatters/a/CurrencyExchang.htm
