excellent post. Once people start to realize this on a larger scale (that interpersonal relationships are more important than materialism and that strangers are not always scary, both national as well as international), there will be a lot less problems in the world.

You will see this all the time, especially when you travel abroad as well.
Cheers and keep blogging,

Harry

Thanks for the info on Charles Schwab and Capital One. I knew there were some banks that did not charge the ATM fees, but I wasn’t sure which banks they were. And I actually have a Capital One credit card, but I didn’t know you avoided the 3% international fees when paying with a Capital One credit card. I’m going overseas soon, so I will have to look into that! Thank you!

1) Get a Charles Schwab checking account. They reimburse all ATM fees, even internationally.

2) Get a Capital One credit card. They’re the only credit card company that doesn’t add an international finance charge (3% on all other cards).

I have both and am very happy.

In regards to your question about accessing money while out on the road, I usually start my tours with about $200 in cash. Its a big enough amount of money that I can make it last quite a while, but it’s also a small enough amount that if I lose it or it gets stolen, it’s not going to mean I have to cancel my tour. Then, as I need more money, I do as you suggested (go to ATM machines) and get more cash.

I currently belong to Washington Mutual, but as you may or may not know, Washington Mutual and a lot of the nation’s other major banks are in trouble right now… so I don’t feel comfortable recommending ANY bank at this point in time. If you are using Wells Fargo and you can’t find an a Wells Fargo in your area when you’re traveling, just pull the money out and pay whatever fee the bank imposes. Usually the fee is just a couple dollars, so it’s not that big of a deal – especially if you pull out enough money to last you a while out on the road.