Sometimes time and comfort outweigh savings and a taxi makes sense. At 2 am in Istanbul, after a long flight, I never would have found my hotel without my taxi driver as an ally. Money well spent. Also, not all banks are bad for money exchange. At Caixa Bank in Barcelona I had a great experience exchanging dollars for euros at very little cost beyond the wholesale rate. On the other hand, in France the banks treat you like a beggar if they even let you in the door. Varies by country. The more third-world the country, the more likely you can get a great rate at a money changer. Got a better rate in Thailand and Russia using dollars than I could get at an ATM, even before fees.