In Reply to: Travellers Cheques posted by pk on Tuesday, 6. April 1999 at 16:47 Bali Time:
As an Australian, I would not take travellers cheques to Bali again for the following reasons:
a) I have met fellow Australians who have taken only Australian dollars Travellers Cheques (Amex) and no one would cash them. They were stranded without money until family wired them some.
b) To buy US dollar Travellers cheques cost Australians a LOT OF MONEY - at around 60 odd Australian cents to US1 - your spending money soon disappears - then to add insult to injury you receive less when exchanging them for Rupiah (even if it is only 5c US per $1).
c) You need to take your passport with you every time you need to exchange travellers cheques.
If you are sensible and keep small quantities of cash on you as suggested by other readers of this forum you will be OK. If you are foolish enough to carry all of your cash on your person - you are asking for trouble.
US participants of this forum need to be mindful that not all participants are US residents and could be severely disadvantaged by taking advice based on the US dollar alone.