My daughter is going in April - she has gift cards but I don't know if if will be worth her taking them with the exchange rate on them. Any suggestion?
Packing & Preparation - 3 Answers
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1 :
I went to Italy two years ago. I found that having a credit card is much more convient. Every merchant will know what that is and there is no need for explanation. I would think that if someone did not understand it would be kind of hard to explain if you don't speak italian. But she will have the time of her life either way!
2 :
I went to Italy on my honeymoon two years ago and we used Visa cards from AAA for everything. I'm assuming you are talking about the type that you can add money too. It was very safe and they worked. It will take money out in Euros, so you have to factor that in when you decide how much money to load onto the card. Also, some restaurants and retailers charge a fee for using them. We used them as ATM cards and got cash for our needs and then used the cash to avoid the fee.
3 :
You can use a Visa gift card anywhere that accepts Visa. As for the exchange rate. I can't tell you that. You never know what that will be until much closer to the time you're going. The american dollar could take a dive, the euro could take a dive, who knows? But I would recommend bringing a visa or gift cards or something along those lines instead of a pocket full of cash. You can cancel a card if it's stolen and not be out any money, but if your cash disappears, you're just out of luck! Obviously, some cash is necessary, but I never depend on it exclusively when I travel, it's just not safe.
