Travel Tips: What *NOT* to Do




I should be a pro at this, after all, it's my third trip into New Delhi and the first two times I had no problem. But I'm at the ATM (it's so hard not to say MAC machine) and it's not letting me make a withdrawal. This is the same machine that 8 months ago happily dispensed my cash for a fee.

"Okay, let's try this other bank; I've gotten cash from them with no problem before." Nope,  doesn't work either.

Now, before you think I'm in some shady spot trying to get cash, let me tell you that I'm in the airport and there's an armed guard constantly scanning the crowd for trouble makers. In fact, the very first ATM I tried was right behind the guard. There was a 3rd bank's ATM, but I dismissed going there because that bank didn't work for me in 2019.

So, in my desperation, I go to a money exchange kiosk, which I already know is a rip off, but I want the cash. They do take debit cards using a PIN, but I balked at their fee and let them know I wasn't happy about it, but the exchange rate would be whatever rate my bank uses in real-time. Then my card got declined. "What in the world is happening? This has never happened to me on my prior trips." Begrudgingly, I exchanged cash and got a ridiculous exchange rate. 

Then I remembered to turn my phone off airplane mode. In my excitement of breezing through customs and getting both my checked bags intact, it slipped my mind about my phone. After I turned off airplane mode, I got the notifications trying to verify my attempted transactions. The first two ATMs still didn't work for me, but that third one, the one I didn't even want to try, made a lyrical whir as it dispensed my cash with no problem.

WHAT NOT TO DO

  • Don't forget to turn off airplane mode so you can get important notifications, and so you can send family and friends important notifications like 'Hey! I made it and I'm alive'
  • Don't go to a foreign money exchange (if you can help it) because it's a rip-off 
  • When you use an ATM, or have any other transaction, don't let the bank/vendor change it in to US dollars. It is almost always best to take it as the foreign currency and let your bank do the exchange rate because it will save you money and you get more (stay tuned for a future post about good credit/debit cards for travel abroad)

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

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