Mind if I slip in one more post about my recent “Ham Highway” journey across northern Italy? Think of it as a sort of epilogue to that series if you like. Although, unlike the other posts about my time in Italy, I’m actually going to moan a bit in this one.
Yes, I had a wonderful time. Yes, I highly recommend everywhere I visited. Yes (of course), I hope you read all my posts about all my adventures. And yes indeed, the few times I went to withdraw my money from an ATM what I got was a lot less than I expecting knowing the official exchange rates.
Such gauging isn’t specific to Italy. It’s ubiquitous around the world. In so many cases, exchange rates and bank charges veer too much toward the favour of the institution handling your money not in the direction of making sure consumers get the best deal. It’s annoying to say the least. And, anecdotally from my experiences rambling round the planet, it seems worse now that ever before.
Next time I go abroad (and all indications suggest I’ll be doing a lot more international travel in 2014), I’m going to consider giving WeSwap a try. I’ve just found out about this new service with an aim to make currency exchange less costly. Providing a social platform that matches you up and your particular currency with other travellers and their currencies, WeSwap cuts out the middleman and only charges 1% (compared to up 17% for some exchanges!) for an exchange.
Check out weswap.com for more details about WeSwap and have a look at this handy little informational clip about its services:
Sponsored by WeSwap
