Travellers cheques

Carrying travellers cheques is one of the safest ways of carrying your money. Often they are too much of a pain for petty thieves to steal as most places also request to see your passport as you cash them in.

The only drawback is that some places will try and rip you off by either asking for a $50 minimum exchange, for example, or by adding a high processing fee which has been a common problem for me in South America - especially in hotels.

In some situations you will have no option but to do this if you are stranded in a town with no cash and no ATMs. Just think of it as a learning experience and the chances are that you will change them BEFORE you run out of money next time!

Next: Money belts