I spent ten years talking about taking my parents to Europe, six months planning the trip, and two days fighting canceled flights, all to arrive unable to take cash out of the ATM in order to pay our VRBO host. I knew it was sketchy that they required cash but I needed to oblige. I called the banks to let them know I was traveling and did everything that I thought would be enough to ensure monetary security during the trip. However, I failed to take matters into my own hands. As a child, I was taught to ask nicely if I wanted something but as a grown-up, I needed to independently fish for the things I wanted. Nowadays, banks have interactive online portals that allow you to submit your travel information yourself and receive an email confirmation that your travel plans have been logged.

Don’t be like me and believe that the nice lady over the phone is inputting your information correctly (although, I am sure she had the best intentions). Make sure to follow these steps to confirm that you have any and all financial resources that you may need during your trip:

• Gather the equivalent of at least $100 (more if you want to feel extra secure) in the currency of your final location. Regardless of what taxis, tips, hunger pangs, etc. come up between your departure and arrival at your accommodations, this should have you covered. If you want to bring more and avoid the fees at the airport, feel free to do so. Be realistic though and don’t take out more than you will actually spend as you may end up losing part of the deal when converting the money back to your original currency at the end of your trip.

• Have multiple forms of payment. You should have at least a debit card and a credit card. The more diverse your forms of payment, the more secure you will be if one card is canceled, lost or compromised.

• Make sure that your card is internationally accepted. Most credit cards are, however, not all have a chip allowing easy reading by all machines. This was another lesson learned while trying to extract cash from the ATM in Corfu, Greece. My consequence consisted of walking a mile to find a bank that could read my chip-less credit card. I now have Chase Sapphire that not only provides reward travel points but also contains a convenient chip that has been read everywhere I’ve gone since. When in doubt, get the card with the chip and the strip.

• Travelers’ checks are for the birds. This concept is considered antiquated and less suitable. Stick to traditional currency to guarantee that your money is accepted by the vendors.

• Submit all travel plans online and make sure to do this for all of the cards, even for those that you may only use in the event of an emergency. It is suggested to do a follow-up phone call to verify that all plans are confirmed within the system. You can never be too cautious when it comes to money and travel.

The last thing that you want to worry about on your trip is finding an ATM. You could chalk it up to sightseeing with a purpose….by why not avoid the stress, time crunch, and use your resources to enjoy the journey that you have just embarked upon!