Money and dodo birds

Apparently the traveler's check has gone the way of the dodo bird. Now, instead of not worrying about conversion rates and how much the bank is ripping you off, you have to worry about them. If you go to a bank and convert your money to a foreign currency you are charged a fee. If you leave your money the bank and use your ATM card they charge you a fee. Wells Fargo, by the way, charges 3 to 4 percent every time you use your card and 15 percent to convert the currency, which they call a conversion charge.

However, if you are traveling for a long period of time to Australia, you can open a bank account there, which is what I plan on doing. Still, I would be a much happier person if people quit nickle and dimeing me.

On the up-side, if you are a member of AAA, exchange your currency with them. They don't charge you a fee, but it's still less than what it should be.