this tweet got me to thinking:
Cleaning up my travel stuff…found 30+ currencies to file away for future trips.
— Wandering Aramean (@WanderngAramean) July 22, 2013
i had my leftover currency thrown haphazardly into three ziploc baggies, and i figured it was about time to get organized. (see related posts below for previous thoughts on this matter.)
after organizing everything into individual envelopes, it turns out i have 21 different currencies (including subway cards with value). i didn’t realize i had so much of certain ones. should i make those countries a priority to travel to again (like revisiting countries that i spent a small fortune in visas for)? or exchange them back to dollars? (of course, i like the first option the best!)
top contenders
- Chile: $53.67 (excuse: this was a workation; had to work more than i thought)
- Ukraine: $31.45 (excuse: had to rush to airport after Chernobyl tour, withdrew more than enough just in case)
- Sweden: $22.66 (excuse: didn’t know how much i’d need for my Eurovision weekend)
- Norway: $22.41 (excuse: that place is just hella expensive!)
- Vietnam: $14.23 (excuse: i went straight from a tour to the airport; wasn’t sure how much i’d need that day)
what about the ones where i have virtually nothing? are they worth saving as souvenirs, or should i package all currencies i have less than $5 of and drop them off in one of those donation boxes at airports or onboard certain flights?
bottom of the bunch
- Cambodia: $0.07
- South Africa: $0.20
- South Korea: $0.54
- Japan: $0.59
- Hong Kong: $0.77
