Get a prepaid credit card for travel at your bank and set up a security plan including a PIN number and limit on the amount you can spend each day. This protects you if your card is stolen. Ask about exchange rates for the countries you are visiting and about refilling you card with money if it gets low while you're away.
Go online to your preferred credit card company and get a card straight from it. You'll have to plan ahead for this, as it could take a week or two for the card to arrive. Call your credit card company to inform them of where you will be traveling. You may have the option to block your card automatically if purchases are made in other locations -- a big help if your card is stolen.
If you're visiting multiple countries with different currencies, a prepaid credit card is handy because you won't have to carry four kinds of currency in your purse or wallet and be left with small amounts that aren't worth exchanging back. Traveling with a prepaid credit card instead of large amounts of cash is safer because there are security features available on prepaid cards. Because the card is prepaid, you won't face a credit card bill later, and if you don't use all the money on your card, you can use it when you come home.
Research your location before deciding to use a prepaid credit card. If your trip is to popular tourist destinations and big cities, using a prepaid credit card is a valid option. However, backpackers to remote areas or visitors to small towns should consider that credit cards may be accepted only at hotels, if at all. You will want hard currency for meals and shopping.
Just because a credit card company advertises that its cards are accepted worldwide doesn't mean they will be accepted in the location you are visiting. Check the website of the hotel you're staying at and other business websites to see what cards they accept.
There is no need to wait in line to exchange currency at the airport or go to a bank; you can just begin using the card as a credit card or withdraw cash from the card at an ATM. If you are going out of the city or to an open-air market, simply withdraw the amount of cash you will need. For the busy city, consider using the card so you don't attract pickpockets with a full wallet.
