Dove si trova la banca?

Or "Where is the bank?"

The days of traveler's checks have disappeared. The last two times I was in Europe (Italy and Ireland '06) I relied on my bank card and credit card to pay for things. If I needed cash, I went to an ATM and got my limit for the day. If I wanted to keep my cash and make a larger purchase, I used a credit card. I had notified all of my banks and creditors before I left, so wouldn't risk refusal at a critical time. The result felt like I hadn't really left home: no fumbling with many strange, but colorful bills, no waiting in line at exchange kiosks or in crowded banks. Not that I missed those inconveniences. I was just waxing nostalgic for the days of my first trips when those errands had to be built into my day.

Back in April, when the dollar was dropping in Europe, I took some available cash and headed to AAA to purchase some traveler's checks in Euro to lock in the exchange rate before it fell any further. Despite the fact that I hadn't been using the checks on recent trips, I still thought they existed. They don't. But now AAA sells the real thing. So, over the past couple of months, I've been taking a portion of my paycheck up the road and buying cold, hard Euro for the trip as a hedge against inflation. Now, I've got all of the money for our housing set aside and have a few hundred dollars put away as spending money. This makes me feel a little as if I've won the lottery, because I'm not going to have to pinch my pennies as much as I would have if I waited until I got over there to budget. In essence, I feel as if the rooms are going to be free because I've been paying for them slowly over time. I know it's not that way--some of the rooms, especially the one in Florence, are quite expensive. But, I'm not usually a saver for tangible things (like the way I am for retirement), so I'm quite satisfied with myself this time around.