How are you helping your foreign hosts exchanging currency?

If that has to make my trip amazing I will just stay home :laughing:.
With my leftover money I always buy some chocolates or small souvenirs in the airport. My joy is to buy whatever I can still buy with the little I have left and the cashier or Unicef :relaxed: gets the last coins.
For my transport from the airport I prearrange and pay afterwards, or I pay the taxi in US$, or I get money from the ATM in the airport. OK, this is a bit more expensive, because ATMā€™s in airports tend to give a smaller amount but after 20 hours of traveling I really donā€™t see myself passing customs and looking for some tourist that wants to change some money.
I am actually wondering if you have really ever traveled yourself?

I really donā€™t think thereā€™s enough market in the touristā€™s leftover coins. I donā€™t see anyone spending $US 1000,00 on a trip and then fussing over $US 15,00 at maximum. Inconvenience and mistrust are two huge mountains you would have to overcome. I donā€™t see it happening, certainly because of the limited reward. Not even taking into account the fee you will have to charge to keep things running.

In airports it will also only work with countries that have several connections a day. Because if there is only one flight a day, letā€™s say Brussels - Ouagadogou, when I have passed customs the tourists traveling the other way will already be boarding.

I am no expert whatsoever, so I might very well be talking BS, but there might be a serious market for you in other places: Currency flows between two countries with a very weak currency, where there is a bigger spread between the exchange rate for buying and selling currency, and where people have to first change to dolar and then change these dolars to the currency they need.
For anyone exchanging from/to ā‚¬ or $ I donā€™t think it will work.

You will also find a market in ā€œblack marketā€ countries, but in those cases the question will be how long your service will remain legal.

1 Like

I see what you mean :grinning: :grinning: and itā€™s especially because i was stuck in some Colombian cities without ATM where i was obliged to change on a black market at a really bad rate, waiting 2h in Havana to change my $ at an official casa de cambio or in argentina on the blue market at a really good rate but without a way to get rid of my equivalent $100 leftover currency that i thought about all the possible useful way. :sunglasses:

Anyway, we all have our own habits, preferences, experiences and i really thank you for your time and point of view.
Thanks a lot.:clap::+1::pray:

I donā€™t know anything about it and frankly would not want the responsibility of giving advice on something like this. I would tell them to Google it.

On the transatlantic carriers I have used, there is always a charity envelope into which passengers can unload their leftover currency to benefit good causes. For many people in the world travelling abroad - even if itā€™s a backpacks-and-hostels trip - is way beyond their means and would seem like an indulgent and luxury experience.

For those of us who have that luxury, the least we can do is to donate our leftover currency to help worthwhile causes.

3 Likes

I save my currency for next trip. Also, there is a machine at Pearson Airport in Toronto that takes foreign money including coins and converts it.

I do too when we go to the UK because that is a fairly regular trip for us.

2 Likes

I have a box with all my leftover currency. Last year, my mother was headed to the UK and we were able to pass on enough pounds to get her to our cousinā€™s house. In fact, I never land without the appropriate currency in my pocket.

2 Likes

We are the same. If only for an airport coffee and a taxicab ride.

1 Like

Yep same. I keep all my currency because I know I will be back. Iā€™m still young and have a lot of travelling to do!

It doesnā€™t happen very often, but I do sometimes accept a credit card (which they will be charged in the guestā€™s home currency, of course) and give travellers local currency (ā‚¬ in my case) in cash, in return. I am ā€œabusingā€ my iZettle for this, which I generally have for guests who want to pay for anything while staying with me (tourist tax, local public transport ticket) by credit card.

For leftover travel money you can use these applications: WorldKoins and DropKoinsā€¦

It doesnā€™t seem that itā€™s still workingā€¦seems to be down.

@Zandra, US / UK / EU, ok but do you plan to go twice in every place you visited?

Yes. If I like somewhere I like to go back. Iā€™ve already been to Warsaw 5 times. Iā€™ll be back to Canada and New Zealand too.

All others are in the states /EU so currency isnā€™t really an issue anyway.

I get off the plane walk up the the closest ATM and get local currency. I am careful to use it up as I get ready to leave the country. The remaining bits get dropped in the airport charity receptacles. Convenience and safety, not exchange rate and fees are more important to me.

That said, if you are able to make the UBER or Taskrabbit of currency exchange a successful business, good for you.

1 Like

Not down. It is still workingā€¦