soulchaser

Generally there are 3 options for accessing your dough from abroad. I'll discuss them all and give you my personal feelings.

Credit/Debit Cards

A pretty safe bet as far as security goes. If they're stolen they are easy to cancel and most banks will refund any fraudulent transactions. You will be stung by bank charges though - bank's comission, foriegn usage charge, and maybe the local bank's own charge! It's better to withdraw larger amounts to keep charges to a minimum.

Use internet banking to keep track of how much money your sucking out of those machines as well. It'll be more than you expected!

Also be wary of not being able to find a cash machine that you can use.

You can also use your cards to make purchases in most countries. Check with your bank how much they will charge you for this, it can work out the cheapest way to buy something.

Traveler's Cheques

Very safe option. Biggest problem is finding places to change them but you can avoid problems by keeping a float of cash and taking advantage of the times you can change tem. Most banks will change American Express Traveller's Cheques so buy these if possible.

There is a small charge for buying them but do not pay any charge to change them to cash. Look for somewhere else if you are aked for this. Remember yo will need your passport both to buy and sell these cheques.

Cash

Needless to say carrying a lot of cash is pretty dumb. But not carrying any is pretty dumb as well! Keep an emergency float of a couple of hundred $US in small bills. You will have no problem finding someone to change these if you run out of currency.

Conclusion

Easiest Option: Credit/Debit cards and small amount of cash.

Safest Option: Traveller's Cheques and small amount of cash

Cheapest Option: Difficult to say. Check with your bank to see what they charge, compare it with cost of purchasing TCs (usually a pretty tiny percentage) and the exchange rates and comissions of local businesses.

My Option: I am a terrible spendthrift and having a Bank Card just makes it too damn easy to get hold of money and spend it! So I carry every cent I have for the trip in Traveler's Cheques, some cash in small bill $US and a float of the currency of whatever country I'm in.

The advantage for me is that I know exactly how much money I have (generally very little) and can see how quickly it's disappearing, which usualy keeps my money in my pocket. The added hassle of changing the damn things also tightens my purse strings. In turn this means my trip lasts longer, or I can afford extra excursions/tours etc.