The world is a big, open place with plenty of places to go and plenty of people to see. When you go on holiday or choose to backpack abroad, the world can seem like an amazing place to be. We are lucky to have a planet full of culture and beautiful country to be seen, so it’s a bit of a shock when you travel the globe and become stranded with no money. That friendly, exciting world that you’ve been exploring can seem very lonely and cold when you run out of cash.
It’s not as uncommon as you think for someone to get stranded while abroad. Whether they’re the victim of a mugging, or they have simply lost their wallet on a tour, it’s very easy to go from being financially flush one minute to frantically looking for the best personal loan companies. It’s not always the result of reckless behavior, being stranded, and it’s quite terrifying to have to deal with – especially in a foreign country. However, there’s no need for you to panic. You can get hold of the cash that you need, and we’ve got two ways that you can do it.
Western Union. Go back to your hotel or apartment building if you have lost your wallet and use the main phones to call home. Once you’ve contacted a member of your family, ask them to wire you the money using Western Union. It’s not a cheap service, but money can be wired to you in any country as Western Union have a long list of places that they operate within.
Travelers Cheques. You should be able to replace traveler’s cheques that have been lost, all it will take is for you to contact the telephone number on the receipt you got when you purchased them. Traveler's cheques are designed to be replaced if lost, which is why it can be safe to travel with these as opposed to straight cash.
When you are going to visit foreign places, you have to follow standard safety rules to make sure that you don’t find yourself in a position where you are stranded with no money. Here are some of those tips:
- Don’t keep all your cash on you. If your hotel has a safe, utilize it for half your cash. Only take with you what you will be spending for that day and you can ensure you aren’t left without anything at all.
- In your bank account, you should keep an emergency amount of money to cover you if the worst should happen and you are left without your wallet. It does happen, so don’t be afraid to dip straight into that emergency fund if you need it.
- If you’ve purchased traveler’s cheques, then always keep the receipts away from where you keep the actual cheques. You will need it if you lose them.
Being on holiday means that you need to be careful about your documents and your cash – you’re in a new place and you need to take care of yourself while you’re there.
