Money Matters

During a February ’03 trip, my pocket was picked in Santiago, Chile. The last time I was a victim of street crime was in 1966 when a band of street urchins stole my wristwatch in Saigon.

Re the letter “Valuables Put in Peril,” about losing sight of items going through the airport x-ray. . . Your passport, the majority of your money, all your credit cards, I.D., tickets, etc., should never ever be in a coat, pants pocket or purse. If you have it in your hands in Frankfurt or almost any airport, it is going through the x-ray machine.

Keep frequently needed things in a neck pouch inside your shirt. The rest of your valuables belong in a money belt inside your pants, kilt, skirt or dress.

RICHARD MILBERG
Champaign, IL

I read the reader’s letter “Wildly Varying Cruise Fares Irksome” in the January ’04 issue. I have been on 39 cruises with various lines. As Bill Bennett put it (page 27), “cruise lines vary their prices according to demand.” I agree that is true. I have booked both early and late, and even though I am a past passenger with various lines I must be there at the right time to get the deals. I believe you just luck out unless you are in the know.

The reader’s letter “Unusual Transactions” (Feb. ’04, pg. 41) brought to mind some of our experiences with credit card companies and our prevacation routine.

A letter in the November ’03 issue, page 38, stated that MBNA does not charge for foreign currency conversion. That’s true. What it doesn’t say is that the various credit card companies themselves are the ones that charge; e.g., Visa, 2%; AmEx, 2%, and MasterCard, 1%. I learned the above researching the veracity of the MBNA deal.

There can be significant ATM charges from the issuer, not the credit card company. In the case of the MBNA cards, the MasterCard holder is charged by MBNA 3% for ATM withdrawals. I’d sure like to know what the AmEx and Visa ATM charges are.

In September ’03, one of the largest holding companies of tour companies, FAR&WIDE Travel Corporation, declared bankruptcy (Nov. ’03, pg. 24), pulling the rug out from under numerous tour companies, including Grand European Tours, with whom we were traveling at the time. Here are the lessons we learned:

My husband and I like to travel by rail when we are in Europe, and we have found that a wonderful place to purchase rail tickets is Budget Europe Travel Service (Ann Arbor, MI; phone 800/441-2387 or 800/441-9413). There are no handling fees and your tickets are sent by certified mail at no cost.

Not only is the service excellent, but they are the nicest people to deal with — very friendly and very helpful. They also are well traveled and can offer lots of advice on places to visit.

Thought I would add a postscript to the letter “Money Laundering 101.”

I read the reader’s letter titled “Money Laundering 101” (Oct. ’03, pg. 45), on cleaning paper currency to use for travel. Fascinating. For those more slothful travelers, here is a suggestion.

I definitely object to cruise lines automatically adding $10 per person per day (or any other amount) for collective tips for the staff.