By Lisa Shusterman, Guest Blogger
Blogging at Around the World in Easy Ways
Whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally, ATM machines are the number one way people obtain cash for their travels. They work great, except when they don’t. Following some basic rules for ATM use will help insure things continue smoothly through the duration of your trip.
1. Always use an ATM machine that is attached to a bank, not a stand-alone machine.
2. Cover the keypad with your hand while entering your pin number.
3. Avoid ATMs in areas that are overly busy or deserted.
4. Withdrawal cash only during banking hours.
5. Withdrawal from ATMs in the town in which you are staying. If you are planning a day trip, obtain your cash prior to leaving town.
6. Try not to transact business on the day prior to leaving town.
7. When possible, visit the ATM machine as a separate trip, stopping back at your accommodation to drop off your card and excess cash prior to your other activities for the day.
Does this sound a little excessive? It is. Until an ATM machine eats your card on a Saturday when the bank is closed and you are on a day trip an hour away from where you are staying and all of this occurs on the day before you are supposed to leave for Rome. Or, until you go to the ATM, withdrawal your cash, and then go for a day of sight seeing only to have your pocket picked and you are now down not only the fresh cash you just obtained but also your ATM card.
When you are dependent on something, it never hurts to be a little extra cautious and take a little extra care – even if it seems excessive.
The first picture is of the ATM machine in Chiusi, Italy, that ate our ATM card on a Saturday when, of course, the bank was closed. The second one is of a kind man in the tourist office in Chiusi who couldn't do anything for us at the moment, but wrote a note, in Italian, explaining what happened so that we could present it to the bank.
