this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2026
15 points (100.0% liked)

Travel

166 readers
22 users here now

Ask questions, share adventures and information, have fun!

FAQ

"How much does traveling cost?"

Cost of living(rent, utilities, data/wifi, groceries) is $500 USD per month for most countries, up to $1000 for most others.

"Health care and insurance?"

Health care and insurance abroad are both pennies on the US dollar for the highest quality of medical care

"What about visas?"

You usually don't need them; when necessary, visas are almost all entirely online: a fifteen minute e-form and nominal fee offset in your first day by the drastically lower cost of living abroad.

"How do you make money while abroad?"

Any job that nets you $500+ a month works. There are almost 2 billion English students globally right now, so native English speakers have lucked into a guaranteed job on or offline.

"What qualifications do I need as an English teacher?"

Some countries and schools require a TEFL certificate or prefer candidates with an associate's degree depending on the position, but if you want to teach English, all you need is to be a fluent English speaker.

Rules

  1. No misinformation

  2. Be civil

founded 4 months ago
MODERATORS
bitofarambler@crazypeople.online
15
Don't exchange currency at the airport; you'll get a significantly better rate in town (crazypeople.online)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by bitofarambler@crazypeople.online to c/Travel@crazypeople.online
7 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

The currency exchange place literally across the street from the airport will have significantly better rates.

Most places display FX rates on a board in front of or inside their stall, so it's really easy to see the different rates; I have never exchanged money at an airport and got a better deal than outside of the airport. It can be a significant difference, like 20% less in the airport.

There are currency exchange windows in every country and city and you will be able to get a higher rate at those.

If you need to exchange $10 cash to get into the city, go for it, but wait to exchange the rest until you're outside of the airport.

top 7 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] AbsolutelyNotAVelociraptor@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Talking from Italy:

DO NOT USE THOSE SERVICES! Unless you are in absolute need of quick cash and can't find a better alternative.

I worked for one for a year and it was literally a legal scam.

The rates will be either incredibly bad (because of "no commission") or unbelievably good (because there's a very tiny text saying they'll charge a 20% commission plus a fixed fee.

In italy, shops are forced by law to accept cards, that will surely give you a better exchange rate.

If you absolutely need cash but are not in a hurry, go to a post office. They will give you one of the best rates and charge a very small fee. But they take a day or two to get the money.

If you need it quick, the ATM's that you'll find everywhere will give you a decent rate. Not as good as the post office but certainly better than those exchange windows.

[–] bitofarambler@crazypeople.online 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Good to know, thanks. I exchanged USD across Italy at FX windows without issue for a good rate, but that was years ago. Is this a recent development and specific to your region?

ATMs are useful, but those international fees can be rough.

[–] AbsolutelyNotAVelociraptor@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

What was a good rate if I may ask? I can talk from 2017 on. Rates in my town are awful (normally, the commission is a 20% either through a fee or through a lower rate that, in the end charges you indirectly), and I know that in other touristic cities, rates are the same or worse.

The ATM's are not the best, but even with their fees, the rate is way better than the windows. Still, the best is to pay directly with card, you won't get a better rate than that.

[–] bitofarambler@crazypeople.online 1 points 2 months ago

I can't remember the exact rate I got, but I always checked the international average rate online and compare the rates of several windows by walking around, then go to the window with the highest rate, so it would have been roughly equivalent(within a couple percentage points) to the average international exchange rate. There's no way I ever would have agreed to a 10, let alone 20% fee.

Once I choose a place, the agent asks how much, confirms on a calculator the amount I've agreed to, I make sure it's a good rate and the same rate posted, the agent takes my USD and hands me euro. I didn't have any trouble with windows across western Europe finding a roughly equivalent exchange rate using this comparison method.

I am aware of scammy counter fees though, so maybe I avoided the fee-heavy counters you're talking about simply by knowing they were out there somewhere.

Italian ATMs all charged me the local bank fee($5-10)+my home bank fee($5)+plus the exchange rate fee, and that was almost always over 10% of the maximum allowed withdrawal.

I usually use a no-fee card and ATMs these days, but I traveled with cash back then because the EU ATM fees were so high and I didn't have a no-fee card yet.

[–] Cat_Daddy@hexbear.net 2 points 2 months ago (2 children)

You can also usually just go to a bank to exchange.

[–] HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 months ago

Or order some from your bank before your trip. You can pick it up after a few days and discover that £20 and 50 notes are too large to fit in American wallets.

[–] bitofarambler@crazypeople.online 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Banks are another good option, although they don't publicly display exchange rates for comparison, are very strict about bill condition, and you might have to wait for a very long time. In a lot of countries, payrolls, utilities and disbursements are still conducted as individual cash transactions, so bank lines filled with accountants, bosses and customers can last for hours.

Waiting in line for 40 minutes to find out that the corner crease of your $50 bill prohibits the bank accepting it is not fun.

If the bank is empty, you have new bills and you don't mind paying a small premium, city banks are a better option than the airport.

Walking around to a few different FX windows will usually get you a better rate quicker and they are the most forgiving of monetary condition.