The airport on the trip back is the first place to consider getting the money exchanged into U.S. currency. The company Thomas Cook is considered a foreign exchange expert with offices in many international airports. This makes currency exchange at the airport easy to accomplish before departure or after arrival and before you get your bags. Ask the airport information desk where to find the office. Thomas Cook offices work with both currency and travelers' checks. Don't fret if the Thomas Cook office is closed when you are at the airport, as there are other ways to get your money converted into U.S. dollars.
Most FDIC member banks have the ability to exchange money. Converting foreign money into U.S. dollars is easier than getting U.S dollars converted to a foreign currency since this usually needs to be ordered ahead of time. Keep in mind that the cost of the transaction varies from bank to bank and may cost more to exchange foreign currency into U.S. dollars. Be aware of the exchange rate to be certain you are getting the current exchange value less any fees.
Another option for converting foreign money into U.S. dollars is visiting hotels located in high-traffic tourist areas. Contact the concierge at the hotel to see what currencies are accepted and what the fees are. Hotels can usually accept currencies of the countries most heavily represented by tourists from those nations. For example, hotels in Hawaii convert the yen and euro most frequently because of the high number of Japanese and European tourists who visit. But most major hotel chains will have their own accounts with an exchange expert such as Thomas Cook to convert any currency requested.
