Carrying Cash on Tour
#26
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No nearby branches for my bank along the route, so I'm not sure how I would have been able to access any wired money along my tour. Pulling out cash before departure was way easier.
I guess to the O/P's point, I believe in still carrying a cash stash around...
I guess to the O/P's point, I believe in still carrying a cash stash around...
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That’s what I’ve been doing these last two weeks. Racking up some serious REI dividend money. I did pay cash for one campground because the guy gave me a discount. Paid cash tonight because it was only $15, and I don’t think the place takes plastic. I have been saving the cash for small purchases, like snacks and newspapers.
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Additionally, you can go to almost any bank (does not have to be your bank) and have money wired there of which even the smallest towns there is a bank.
The catch is there is usually a $6+ fee and the limit is frequently $300 in smaller locations. I think the bank fees may be higher but then you can also send larger amounts.
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#29
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Hmmph, I guess I just learned everything I ever knew about wiring money.
(I obviously never had to learn previously)
Good to know for any future tour mishaps!!!
(I obviously never had to learn previously)
Good to know for any future tour mishaps!!!
#30
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On a recent trip, some campgrounds only took cash and others only took cards. You need both. $100 in cash was enough for a couple weeks, only using it where required. Found a Wells Fargo to replenish cash along the way.
#31
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A few weeks ago someone on this forum started a poll, road bike shorts or mountain bike shorts for touring. I recall saying always mountain bike shorts that have at least one pocket. When touring my wallet is in a zipped pocket. I have my other backups in either a toilet kit or somewhere in my handlebar bag which goes in restaurants or stores with me. I also have photos of my IDs and plastic on my phone. And I have my credit card company phone numbers in my contact list in case I need to start calling them about theft, which I had to do once over a decade ago.
Some stores do not want me carrying a handlebar bag in the store, for example a local hardware store in my community. But I just leave the bag with the cashier and don't make a big deal about it.
This is my wallet of choice for touring, however they usually start cracking and falling apart, probably will not last for a three month tour. But I have used them for a four week, five week tour and seven week tour. A small amount of cash, an ID and a couple credit cards will fill it up. But for touring you want a wallet that does not hold much, so a minimalist wallet forces me to carry only what I need.
https://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-9918.../dp/B000FAMT9K
Ex Officio, a travel clothing company used to put a passport sized zipper pocket on some of their pants at ankle height but I think they stopped doing that over a decade ago. Unless you were looking for it, you did not even see it. I do not carry those pants on bike tours, but I wear those pants when I go to Europe or some other location where I am vacationing in touristy areas. Ex Officio also has zippered passport size pockets on some of their shirts. And a couple decades ago REI also had zippered passport pockets on some of their shirts. A few other companies have done something like that too, I have a Royal Robbins shirt that has a velcro closure pocket inside that is passport sized. These clothes are not designed for wear on a bike on a bike tour, but were designed for travel. And I usually bring at least one item that has a passport zippered (or velcro closure) size hidden pocket to wear off the bike when I bike tour.
I am spending way too much time writing this stuff, quitting here. You get the idea.
Some stores do not want me carrying a handlebar bag in the store, for example a local hardware store in my community. But I just leave the bag with the cashier and don't make a big deal about it.
This is my wallet of choice for touring, however they usually start cracking and falling apart, probably will not last for a three month tour. But I have used them for a four week, five week tour and seven week tour. A small amount of cash, an ID and a couple credit cards will fill it up. But for touring you want a wallet that does not hold much, so a minimalist wallet forces me to carry only what I need.
https://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-9918.../dp/B000FAMT9K
Ex Officio, a travel clothing company used to put a passport sized zipper pocket on some of their pants at ankle height but I think they stopped doing that over a decade ago. Unless you were looking for it, you did not even see it. I do not carry those pants on bike tours, but I wear those pants when I go to Europe or some other location where I am vacationing in touristy areas. Ex Officio also has zippered passport size pockets on some of their shirts. And a couple decades ago REI also had zippered passport pockets on some of their shirts. A few other companies have done something like that too, I have a Royal Robbins shirt that has a velcro closure pocket inside that is passport sized. These clothes are not designed for wear on a bike on a bike tour, but were designed for travel. And I usually bring at least one item that has a passport zippered (or velcro closure) size hidden pocket to wear off the bike when I bike tour.
I am spending way too much time writing this stuff, quitting here. You get the idea.
#32
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$300 is a fair days wage for a lot of people and would be a reasonable amount to be able offer to someone, if they had to take a day to bail you out of a jam.
#33
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Sometimes there may only be one option of places to shop, but I've never had anyone question my carrying in a bag including a handlebar bag.
#34
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It is in a high crime area, I see no reason to argue with them. I rarely see women carry purses anymore, especially in a hardware store.
#35
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"Wiring" money??? Doesn't that require a Western Union office with an agent that knows Morse code? :^) Isn't it simpler just to put money into a checking account and access it with a debit card?
I've led four ACA TransAm tours managing all of the food and overnight money for 12-14 riders. The first trip in 1993 was back in the dark ages of traveler's checks. I never had a problem finding a bank to cash them in small quantities as needed. The three subsequent trips all of the money was deposited into my personal bank account and I could always find an ATM and use my debit card every 2-3 days to replenish cash to give out to the cooks and campgrounds. The foreign ATM fee was figured into the budget and worth it for the convenience. Sometimes I'd use cash back at the grocery store to avoid fees. I believe that ACA now issues a company card to leaders.
At the end of one trip we were under budget and I had to give each rider a $100 refund. I had to find three ATMs on consecutive days to get that much cash together. No problem!
I've led four ACA TransAm tours managing all of the food and overnight money for 12-14 riders. The first trip in 1993 was back in the dark ages of traveler's checks. I never had a problem finding a bank to cash them in small quantities as needed. The three subsequent trips all of the money was deposited into my personal bank account and I could always find an ATM and use my debit card every 2-3 days to replenish cash to give out to the cooks and campgrounds. The foreign ATM fee was figured into the budget and worth it for the convenience. Sometimes I'd use cash back at the grocery store to avoid fees. I believe that ACA now issues a company card to leaders.
At the end of one trip we were under budget and I had to give each rider a $100 refund. I had to find three ATMs on consecutive days to get that much cash together. No problem!
Last edited by BobG; 09-26-21 at 05:34 AM. Reason: typo
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#36
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When I rode the GAP a few years ago the supermarket in West Newton made me check the pannier I had ridden from camp to the store with. When I went to pay I realized I had left my wallet inside the pannier. The place let me take out my wallet but would not give me the pannier to load my groceries until after I had paid for my purchase. Must be a tough town.
#37
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heck, back in 93 I was able to walk up to a bank machine in a small Basque Spanish town and take out money in pesetas using my Montreal bank card, easy peasy.
I must be missing something with this topic.
Thab, the most important thing is to just use common sense of where you keep the X hundreds that you take out, we've all done this on bike trips and touch wood, its ok if you are careful. Do the obvious and don't flash too much at once.
I must be missing something with this topic.
Thab, the most important thing is to just use common sense of where you keep the X hundreds that you take out, we've all done this on bike trips and touch wood, its ok if you are careful. Do the obvious and don't flash too much at once.
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I do not know if I missed something here, but the O.P. never wrote if this is a self sufficient (I hate the term self contained) tour, and the length of his tour beyond "cross country". $3,000 seems really excessive to me, regardless. If staying in hotels, I can't see using cash. Cash for coffee stops, but hotels, -no way. I can't imagine needing 3,000 for coffee etc...well that's a lot of coffee, I herd Starbucks prices might be going up, but not that much. I just returned from a two week tour of central California. I think that I spent about $20- $30. in cash.
#39
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I do not know if I missed something here, but the O.P. never wrote if this is a self sufficient (I hate the term self contained) tour, and the length of his tour beyond "cross country". $3,000 seems really excessive to me, regardless. If staying in hotels, I can't see using cash. Cash for coffee stops, but hotels, -no way. I can't imagine needing 3,000 for coffee etc...well that's a lot of coffee, I herd Starbucks prices might be going up, but not that much. I just returned from a two week tour of central California. I think that I spent about $20- $30. in cash.
#40
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that one holds no more than $100 in small bills for daily usage, photocopies of whatever important docs i'm carrying, and one or two INVALID credit cards for decorative purposes only in case of muggings/theft/brainfart.
#41
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I do not know if I missed something here, but the O.P. never wrote if this is a self sufficient (I hate the term self contained) tour, and the length of his tour beyond "cross country". $3,000 seems really excessive to me, regardless. If staying in hotels, I can't see using cash. Cash for coffee stops, but hotels, -no way. I can't imagine needing 3,000 for coffee etc...well that's a lot of coffee, I herd Starbucks prices might be going up, but not that much. I just returned from a two week tour of central California. I think that I spent about $20- $30. in cash.
I spent about $1500 on my Trans America including a new bike, airfare, a large portion of my gear, and all of my on the road expenses, but that was in 2007 and I didn't pay for any rooms and camped for cheap or free as often as possible. Prices have gone up since then, but I can still go pretty cheaply. Also it was a low end bike and gear, but it all served well enough. I know guys who say their coffee or bar tabs exceed my food camp expenses. I have no reason to doubt them other than I don't know where they find expensive coffee in tiny towns in Kansas. Maybe they seek out the bigger towns that I avoid.
My point isn't that anyone else should go that cheap though. Just that there is a wide range in what folks choose to spend. While a bit of a surprise to you and I, $3k may not be that unusual.
Last edited by staehpj1; 09-26-21 at 05:38 AM.
#42
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Here in Canada, a restaurant supper will be at least $20, a small local motel is probably in the 70-100 range, and heck even a campground could cost 40 bucks at the high end if unlucky.
So stuff does add up easily.
generally when biker traveling, I use cash for small places and ask if its ok to use credit card and when so, do, saving the cash i have for the small places and small purchases.
thab, maybe I didn't read properly your reasoning, but would you use credit or debit cards at times? If you have a fee each time you use one then it's understandable to try to limit use.
So stuff does add up easily.
generally when biker traveling, I use cash for small places and ask if its ok to use credit card and when so, do, saving the cash i have for the small places and small purchases.
thab, maybe I didn't read properly your reasoning, but would you use credit or debit cards at times? If you have a fee each time you use one then it's understandable to try to limit use.
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#43
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Here in Canada, a restaurant supper will be at least $20, a small local motel is probably in the 70-100 range, and heck even a campground could cost 40 bucks at the high end if unlucky.
So stuff does add up easily.
generally when biker traveling, I use cash for small places and ask if its ok to use credit card and when so, do, saving the cash i have for the small places and small purchases.
thab, maybe I didn't read properly your reasoning, but would you use credit or debit cards at times? If you have a fee each time you use one then it's understandable to try to limit use.
So stuff does add up easily.
generally when biker traveling, I use cash for small places and ask if its ok to use credit card and when so, do, saving the cash i have for the small places and small purchases.
thab, maybe I didn't read properly your reasoning, but would you use credit or debit cards at times? If you have a fee each time you use one then it's understandable to try to limit use.
Meals... I tend to eat breakfast or lunch and seldom dinner in a restaurant when I choose to not cook. They tend to be better values than the evening meal. I never buy a beverage with the meal. I like water and beverages like soft drinks tend to be expensive. Some places can be great values others terrible ones. So a lot can depend on your choices.
Motels can be similarly variable. I don't get a room often, but have found that they can range from around $30 to WAY over $100. I can pretty much always negotiate at least a 10% discount. Just ask the price before negotiating the discount or they will say it was already included in the quote. These days just asking for an AARP discount often gets me the same price as I'd get doing the whole "riding across the country" song and dance. That said, I once had them offer me a much nicer room at a cheaper room price and then discount even that price and that was in a really nice place with a great room and a super nice breakfast. I have also had a really expensive place offer me something like a 50% discount, but they were still more than I wanted to spend and I decided to press on and camp.
Not sure, but, I wonder if motels might look on you with suspicion if you were to pay cash. I bet many would want a card on file in case you damaged the room or something.
#44
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Even if paying with a card they run an extra $100 deposit to cover any damage and/or smoking in the room. It’s supposed to be refunded. You can be sure I’m going to check my next statement.
#45
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Many do. Just stayed at a Red Roof Inn last Thursday to escape really bad weather. There was a notice at the desk informing that if you were paying with cash you had to fork over the room rate plus a $200 deposit. The guy in line in front of me did not have that much and walked out.
Even if paying with a card they run an extra $100 deposit to cover any damage and/or smoking in the room. It’s supposed to be refunded. You can be sure I’m going to check my next statement.
Even if paying with a card they run an extra $100 deposit to cover any damage and/or smoking in the room. It’s supposed to be refunded. You can be sure I’m going to check my next statement.
#46
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Here in Canada, a restaurant supper will be at least $20, a small local motel is probably in the 70-100 range, and heck even a campground could cost 40 bucks at the high end if unlucky.
So stuff does add up easily.
generally when biker traveling, I use cash for small places and ask if its ok to use credit card and when so, do, saving the cash i have for the small places and small purchases.
So stuff does add up easily.
generally when biker traveling, I use cash for small places and ask if its ok to use credit card and when so, do, saving the cash i have for the small places and small purchases.
One night I stayed at a state park in NY. The entrance is along a trail. The old train station has been converted into a store/cafe. Picked up a Sunday NYT and some local craft beers for a little over $20, in part to save the small, independent business the swipe fee.
In general, I try to mimic my cash/card usage when at home. For example, when I’m working and go out for a sandwich and paper for lunch I pay cash rather than use a card.
#47
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That’s in line with prices here in the northeast. My motel stays were $89-$100 plus tax. My one restaurant dinner with two glasses of wine was well over $30 with a tip. Used the card. Camping has gotten ridiculously expensive at some places. One KOA along my route wanted $82 for a tent site.
I have paid that much for a room on tour when I really wanted a room and there was no other option, but only rarely. More often I have stayed in very inexpensive ones or just not gotten a room. Typically I get a budget one or don't get one.
Meals... If I spend $30 I consider it a real splurge. That probably has happened only maybe twice and once it was a terrible rip off that I regretted. I think the only time I have gotten wine on tour was when we bought wine, a bag salad, and a frozen bag pasta meal to heat up in camp. Wait, no I remember one other time I had wine with a meal, probably was under $30 though.
All that may have more to do with me being a cheapskate than anything else though.
#49
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About the only tours where I found it useful were off road or in the sierras in really hot weather where it was nice to filter ice cold snow melt streams for a cold drink. Otherwise I leave it home.
#50
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I think I have had them clear my card for an extra $100-200, but not actually charge it. I think your credit card company may see it as money spent if you are approaching your credit limit. They drop it off after some amount of time, but you could get in trouble if you run close to your limit.