Credit cards are accepted in major cities around the world just about everywhere.

You can even use them in market towns in many countries at the main hotels and some restaurants.

But in most developing countries, once you leave the main cities you will need to use cash for everything from fuel to food. Thus, cash management becomes an issue.


Before you leave:

• Obtain a passport visa for your destination country if required.
• Contact your bank and all of your credit cards and tell them your destination, expected arrival date and length of stay. If you don't do this the security flags on your card will shut it off when charges start appearing from your destination.
• Procure a "bait wallet" and put some expired or non-valid credit cards, insurance i.d.s, etc. and $40 USD in it.
• Procure stealth camera bags, i.e. black, charcoal, tan, etc. Remove all camera specific mounting points, etc., i.e. tripod clips.
• Procure, load and install heavy duty luggage tags on all bags, including camera bags. Place additional ID cards inside all bags, especially small shopping bags that could be left in cabs, etc.
• Procure a set of noise cancelling headphones. You will never regret it.
• Stash U.S. currency in safe places on your vehicle. The U.S. $20 is very large currency, even in its depleted value state, in the non-developed world. The amount will be related to how long you will be gone, but a few grand seems reasonable. Don't leave it in the console.
• Bring U.S. cash with you when you fly. Use a money belt. Don't keep your cash where you keep digging out your passport.
• Keep one credit card and a hundred or so in one easy to access place.
• Put the rest of your cards with your main cash stash.
• Make color copies of the photo page of your passport, innoculation record, international drivers license and the front and back of your credit cards. Consider blacking out a portion of your credit card # and creating a code that you can use to recreate the full number. Make multiple copies. Keep the set of copies you are taking with you in a safe place. Safer than your cash. Leave one set with your trusted "go-to" contact stateside. Leave one set in your safety deposit box.
• Make two-sided color copies of your vehicle title(s), registrations, insurance cards, Carnet(s), etc. Make multiple sets (we carry 10). Leave one set with your trusted "go-to" stateside fixer. Leave one copy in your safety deposit box.
• Make a list of all the international contact numbers for your credit cards.
• Make a list of all the international contact numbers for your international health, K&R, etc. insurance. Ensure that your primary stateside "go-to" person has a copy of those phone numbers.
• Make a list of every credit card, insurance service, etc. that provides translation services and that contact phone number. Ensure that your primary stateside "go-to" person has a copy of those phone numbers.
• Arrange for a driver to pick you up at the airport and take you to the hotel. It helps if they have a basic understanding of English. Fax or carefully spell your last name so they can hold up a sign for you at the airport.
• Place a small amount of U.S. currency in a dedicated pocket for conversion upon arrival.
• Hand carry all valuable cameras, laptops, etc.
• Lock all bags, checked and carry on, with TSA combination locks. Don't use key locks, keys get lost, combinations don't.
• Procure and pack suitablely sized Pac-Safes for your camera bag(s), laptop bag(s), etc. http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php

• Set your watch to your destination time as soon as you get settled into your seat.
• Fill out the immigrations and customs arrival cards as soon as the flight attendents hand them to you. Put them with your passport.

• Ensure your passport is not in the same place as your cash.
• Pass through immigration.
• Collect your luggage.
• Pass through customs.
• Exit to the chaos scrum.
• Do not accept any offers of rides, services, luggage collection, etc. from any local person.
• Locate your driver. They should be in the receiving area outside of international arrivals, usually right outside the door in the shouting, churning chaos scrum.
• Before you leave the airport, find an ATM (preferred) or a currency exchange booth (more costly) and change enough U.S. cash to the local currency to get you to your hotel and checked into your room. This means you need enough local cash to pay for the driver, doorman, bellman, etc. Maintain due dilligence.
• Go directly to your hotel. Do not allow the driver to deviate to any "must see" attractions or especially, shopping opportunities.
• Get your bags into your room.
• If the room has an in-room safe, move your main cash stash, vehicle docs, etc. into it and lock it. It there is no room safe use the hotel safe.
• Using your Pac-Safes or other means, lock your camera bag(s), laptop bag(s), etc. to a water pipe, closet rod, table cross brace or other physically solid, non-easily removeable object in the room.
• Change clothes & shower.
• Go down and get a drink and celebrate success with stage one.

• Confirm all valuables are locked.
• Take only one credit card and keep it in a zipped pocket.
• Put your passport and some cash in your money belt.
• Put a small amount of local cash in one pocket, local coins in a different pocket.
• Confirm your bait wallet is loaded with $40 USD and an equivilent amount of local currency. Put it in your normal wallet pocket.
• Establish and maintain utmost "place rigor." This means you establish a place where you ALWAYS put your passport, where you ALWAYS put your sunglasses, where you ALWAYS put your memory cards, etc.
• Establish and maintain a no quibble, no discussion, no debate "gut rule." If you feel anything in your gut, or anyone you are traveling with feels anything, and I mean anything, even the slightest little tingle, you all turn around and leave. There is no board meeting, no conference calls, no Roberts Rules of Order, no proxy vehicle for unresolved relationship issues. One tingle, everybody bails. Now.

• Locate an ATM that is in a safe location. This doesn't necessarily mean the closest ATM to your hotel, it needs to be safe first, convenient second.
• Do a test run at that ATM. Take out just a little local cash. You are testing that your ATM card works in that machine and that it truly is safe.
• Check and see if anyone in the area is monitoring the ATM. Watch and see if you are followed.
• Walk immediately back to your hotel and put the cash in your room lockbox or hotel safe.
• If the ATM proves safe, start making currency runs every day to build up cash. Go at different times of the day and vary your route back to the hotel.
• Get extra cash. You will need it.

• Locate an ATM that is in a safe location. This doesn't necessarily mean the closest ATM to your hotel, it needs to be safe first, convenient second.
• Do a test run at that ATM. Take out just a little local cash. You are testing that your ATM card works in that machine and that it truly is safe.
• Check and see if anyone in the area is monitoring the ATM. Watch and see if you are followed.
• Walk immediately back to your hotel and put the cash in your room lockbox or hotel safe.
• If the ATM proves safe, start making currency runs every day to build up cash. Go at different times of the day and vary your route back to the hotel.
• Get extra cash. You will need it.