Getting the Most for Your Money The USD exchange rate is not very good and has not been for some time. The dollar in the international currency exchange rate is not strong but there are some destinations where, despite the USD exchange rate, you can save some money on traveling. The benefit of using Dollars Whether it be the exchange rate of the UK or any international currency exchange rate the US Dollar is exchanged all over the world. But there are places that will give a rate that is higher than the actual set rate. The worst USD exchange rate is places such as airports and places where there are not many choices for exchanging money. The more choices you have to take advantage of the international exchange rate, which is fixed, the better rate you will get considering they have competitors that can lower the rate in order to attract customers. Off Season Travel It is a fact that the international exchange rate is a set rate. But even though that is the case one of the best ways to stretch your dollar is to travel to locations in the off-season. Off-season travel can be cheaper and you can get a better exchange rate since there are not as many travelers in the off-season. The international currency exchange rate will not change but your dollar will go further since it will be less expensive to travel to destinations in the off-season and places that exchange currency wants you to exchange money so they will get their fee. For example, the exchange rate in the UK will stay the same as other places in the world but if you go during the colder months in the UK you can stretch your dollar traveling, but not because of a better USD exchange rate. To learn more about traveling in the off season to save money visit: http://budgettravel.about.com/od/planningtools strategies/a/off_takeoff_2.htm Watch out for Travelers Checks Travelers checks can offer safety if they are stolen but you generally have to pay more to use them. The international exchange rate will not change with traveler’s checks but there will be a fee to use them as well as the fee that will go to the place of exchange. Cash is good to use but do not take too much of the foreign currency with you as the international exchange rate may fall when you are traveling. It is better to exchange smaller amounts more often. The USD exchange rate will not change no matter where you travel as it is set but the ways you can save money while traveling can. To learn more about exchanging money and traveling visit: http://budgettravel.about.com/od/planningtools strategies/a/exchange.htm