I travel to Europe with my trusty ATM and credit card. There are ATM machines all over the place. Used it multiple times on the island of Terceira (2 banks right outside our hotel) and Sao Miguel. You do not need Travelers Checks not to mention the inconvenience of finding a place to cash them. If you are going to smaller places/cafes, make sure you have local monies - just in case they do not take credit cards. There will be small charges to your cards by your US bank for the convenience of using them but cost is minimal...you can ask them before you go. I also order a small amount of local currency from my bank before I go so I have monies to pay for taxis, etc. when I first get there (my bank charges $5 for this). I do take some American cash but I have never used it...mostly take it for return to US to use as airports, etc.). Also, a good tip....there is a nice laundromat in one of the shopping centers in Sao Miguel.
A few years ago, I went with my 4 sisters to Europe and a couple of them would not use their ATM cards and some of us grew weary of always having to find a place for them to cash their traveler's checks....:-( when you can stand outside the bank and just get monies in a few seconds....so, we became their banks and they paid us back when we returned to the US :-(((( Most of all, have fun, do lots of research and talk to the locals, you will be surprised what you will learn about these wonderful islands. "E" -- To unsubscribe from this group, send email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership."
