'An overseas wallet... do you have one?' blog discussion

andrewheath · 4 June 2008 at 10:08PM

I thought it was just me! In fact, we have 3 holiday wallets, one has Indian Rupees and some Singapore Dollars, one with Australian and New Zealand Dollars and a third with Euro. The very best thing is having some small change for tips, taxi or train fare as you leave the airport.

digitig · 4 June 2008 at 11:18PM

I keep my cards separate from my cash, so EHIC & debit card are in my card wallet. I have three wallets, one for UK£, one for Euro and one for Swiss Francs, representing the places I usually visit. On a trip I always take the UK one (for the UK leg of the journey) and the appropriate foreign currency one.

cshowell · 5 June 2008 at 10:27AM

cashpoortimerich wrote: »

I have a nice thin wallet with just my E111 card, Nationwide debit card, some Euro notes and some emergency numbers. I also have another travel wallet full of expired cards, loyalty cards etc and about 5 euros which I sometimes take as a decoy wallet if travelling in a bit of a dodgy place. It's worked for people I know in the past when inter-railing and someone has rifled their bag and made off with the first wallet they found.

I also have a decoy wallet, in case anyone tries to mug me. In it are lots of chopped in half credit cards, with just the top half showing so it looks legit, along with some indian rupees which are worthless (about 3p worth). Not had to use it yet but feel safer having it with me.

choccyface2006 · 6 June 2008 at 10:33AM

I carry everthing Martin does

Nationwide card
Other debit card
European health cards
Travel insurance docs
Currency
Organ donor card

Plus

One dose of painkillers
Plaster
important phone numbers (in case my mobile doesn't work)

Plus I have scanned our passports and health cards and emailed them along with important numbers to myself just in case, then I can retrieve them anywhere should they get lost/stolen.

Sarah x

saffouri · 9 June 2008 at 6:15AM

Currently jet-lagged from US trip, so a good time to see this thread!

I've started getting more organised on this one recently, though have had a 'Russia wallet' for some time with my leftover rubles and my Russian sim card. My 'US wallet' has tended to be scattered but I've been pulling that together. Being from the US originally I still have a US bank account and credit card, plus US driving license, local library card (which I just needed to reactivate, but as the public library facilities are so fantastic near my parents' place it is good to keep going), and REI membership card (outdoor clothing chain from Seattle that pays dividends on non-sale purchases). Conveniently, my mom was just about to give a nice card wallet away to a charity shop, but I snatched it for my own use - so that could be the answer to keep all my US cards together from now on!

My annual travel insurance card thus needs to keep moving between the wallets. I don't use my American CC much any more but it has occasionally been very handy. On my recent trip I changed pounds into dollars at the top rate going (thanks to MSE - as our Abbey Zero CC hadn't come through before I went) - simply to control my spending and not use any UK cards, which worked. (One thing that helped there I have to say is that when I needed a few more dollars, I exchanged some of my UK notes with a friend of mine who is travelling to the UK later this month - so that was a win-win situation on the exchange rate!)

saf

cerimaesteg · 9 June 2008 at 9:35PM

We also change cash as we go along -if possible when the exchange rate is good - in preparation for the next planned holiday (Euros or Dollars). We save £2 & £1 coins. Once we have enough bags of coins to exceed the free delivery rate on the Currency checker - we order the currency & put it in the travel wallet.

nebula · 11 June 2008 at 7:14PM

I do keep one. As well as those items mentioned so far, mine has my cash card for my foreign bank, and it does have loyalty cards for foreign outlets, because, although collecting points may not be viable, some good occasional offers are only available to card holders. I also have a senior citizens rail card for Italy, giving me up to 20% off rail travel. It's called Cartaviaggio, though you need an Italian Codice Fiscale to get it. It's free to over 60s.

emsgrandad · 18 June 2008 at 5:59PM

I keep up-to-date note of prescritions ( precise and generic names) for self and wife,as well as EHIC and Nationwide card.

And I carry a "mugging wallet" with out-of-date cards.

curly_cabbage · 18 June 2008 at 6:07PM

Yup, we have one it contains my Spainish bank card & pass book, NIE paperwork (Renovating a house in Spainish mountains) Euro's in change and small notes for tolls when we drive down through France and northern Spain, copy of passports, Euro token for trollies and E111 heath cards for us all and most imporant 24 Anadin (19hrs in a car with OH & 2DS i need them).

CC

anakim · 18 June 2008 at 6:19PM

Sorry to disappoint anyone who thinks after year of paying NI contrinutions and tax that when they get an EHIC card that they will get FREE treatment abroad - they won't.
The card only guarantees you treatment. You will have to pay for the treament and drugs. So get medical/travel insurance.
My daughter got bitten by a horse fly while on hoiliday in Holland. Luckily she got treated very quickly and professionally. Can't fault their health service.
But she got bills to the value of £150 which a relative paid for on the spot - had to pay cash!!!
We tried to claim the money back through the EHIC office in Newcastle. They sent the forms and we sent them back with the documents. Then were told that our daughter - who is a student - had earned too much so she would get nothing reimbursed. Yes! it is based on your income. Basically you have to have such a low income to claim there is no way you could afford to travel abroad. It's a big con and my MP never even bothered to reply to my letters.
FORGET EHIC GET GOOD TRAVEL INSURANCE. and have cash available if you do need treatment.

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'An overseas wallet... do you have one?' blog discussion

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