brazil, costa rica. carry $10,000.oo?

[johnnywishbone]

i want to go to brazil for a few months, maybe 6. then spend some time in costa rica.
for brazil, $10,000 in the max i can bring in. carrying that much in cash seems like asking for trouble. aside from the physical size of the money lump. i don't stay in big cities, more like "walkabout". if you've "been there, done that", i could use a little help.
if this works out to be a really good trip, there will be a really nice '78 930 for sale.
want to leave the first of the year. just checking. take care, jp

[Embraer]

10K in 100's isn't a big lump at all. I sold one of my cars for 34K in cash, and it fit in a business envelope...

[Hugh R]

Bring some money and got to ATMs, yes they work there too and you get a better exchange rate.

[aigel]

10k is only 100 bills. 100 sheets of paper are not very thick. Under 1/2 inch I would guess.



George

[71T Targa]

I was at the airport in Chicago and watched the guy in front of me pull out a wad of $100's at least 2" thick. I was trying to figure out how much ca$h that was, and now have a better idea.

[teenerted1]

atms and travelers checks the work the world over

[ronster]

I've been to CR three times what do you want to know? ATM's do work but do not work on holidays in CR so check to see what holidays are celebrated in CR and when.

[Embraer]

Also...let your bank know you're going. I didn't, and when I backpacked around Eastern Europe for a while, they shut my ATM card a couple of times, just as a precaution.

[platas]

I lived in costa rica, and yes atm is the better choice, check on the holydays, also for brazil even if you are in small towns, that much cash is not so good, best is atm, also check with your bank so you know your limit to remove cash from the atm, the rest good luck, wonderful experiences.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by johnnywishbone

i want to go to brazil for a few months, maybe 6. then spend some time in costa rica.
for brazil, $10,000 in the max i can bring in.

You can take ANY amount of money. You have to DECLARE it if you bring in more than $10,000

I expect you are not the only person to ever do this. Find an International bank that has a branch in your city and in the city you will be going. See what it will take to get an account down there. Arrange to have $X be transferred on a monthly basis. The exchange rate will be about as good as you can get.

[jriera]

In a 'zippered' belt you can carry quite a few 100's and 20's, ATM + corresponding bank for the rest.

Over 10,000 needs to be declared but is not against any law. I will not rely on traveler checks unless you are near big cities.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by jriera

I will not rely on traveler checks unless you are near big cities.

Traveler's checks are useless imho. The main branch of Chase Manhattan in Panama refused to cash AMEX checks for me 15 years ago. After they had me sign them . . . I have used cash & ATMs ever since. Mind you, I also had the main branch of the Bank of China in Handan, China refuse to exchange USD too.

Ian

[Eric 951]

As mentioned, ATMs are plentiful in Brazil. I took a token amount with me in Reals and then either paid for things with cc or went to the ATM.

[The Gaijin]

Every country has it's own rules. The $10,000 limit is entering (and maybe leaving) the US.

I changed a hundred bucks into euros over the summer. Had to show all kinds of ID and fill out a form. WTF? Only 20,000,000 people working illegally in the US and sending money home..

If you are going overseas - you can call AMEX and VISA and tell them where you are going and what your spending patterns will be..