1) Best offline language translation app - I like to use the Italian Dictionary by iThinkdiff. They also offer other languages. Easy to use and it allows you to hear the word or phrase.
2) Do I carry the passport(s) with me at all times? I always carry ours with me everywhere. If he has shorts or pants that have a pocket that button then he carries them. I don't trust leaving them in the room or room safes. I might consider a room safe if I am going somewhere like the beach or pool.
3) Should I take US cash over with me? I take a couple hundred in case of an emergency. All cash I use overseas is accessed through an ATM. It is very expensive to get money exchanged at a exchange bureau.
DIRECTLY FROM FODORS:
Ten Simple Rules for Exchanging Your Money
1. ATMs are still the best choice for day-to-day funds.
Although some banks have high fees to use foreign ATMs, not to mention adding on high foreign-transaction fees (Bank of America, for example, charges $5 per withdrawal plus 3% premium on top of each withdrawal at a non-partner ATM), the ATM is still almost always the cheapest option for changing your money. And if your bank has international ATMs or partner banks abroad, you can sometimes save a little on your cash withdrawals; that's true even at BOA, which charges just 1% at member banks and no other fees. Capitol One Bank charges nothing for a foreign ATM withdrawal, while other banks such as Chase charge 3% on top of every withdrawal as well as a $3 fee. It pays to shop around for a bank if you travel a lot internationally.
2. "No-fee" bureau de change are usually the most expensive places to change money.
When you see a sign that offers "no-fee" currency exchange, be sure to check the rates. You'll notice that they are almost always significantly worse than what you'd get if you had simply taken money out of an ATM. It's a good idea to keep up to date on the latest Interbank rates (the rates banks pay for foreign currency) to find out if you are getting a good deal. A web site like www.xe.com can give you those rates, which change daily. At best, you normally pay between 4% and 9% of the total amount you are exchanging to change money into a foreign currency, and this cost is usually built into the bad exchange rate. You pay again to change your euros or pounds back into dollars, so think carefully how much cash you actually need on a day to day basis.
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