What to do with Coins when travelling?
 

I wonder if anyone has any neat suggestions for dealing with coins when travelling. I'm looking for a easy way to store 2 or more sets of coins when on the move. I like to leave them in my bag when travelling then decant them into my pocket on arrival.

35mm film canisters used to be OK, but are no longer easily found and maybe be a little small.

When at home I have one of these to keep all my currencies in:

http://www.motherearthliving.com/~/m...ala-dabba-1(1)

One currency per pot. Not really practical for travel!

I keep all my foreign currency in separate snack-sized Ziploc bags (similar to those in Doc Savage's post, but smaller). On return from a trip, I put the currency-filled Ziploc bag into a larger paper envelope labelled with the name of the country, along with SIM cards, transit cards, and other things I might need on my next trip to that country. Works for me. :cool:

I use Bangkok street market coin purses. The one I have is leather, two compartments with zippers. I bought 8 for 400Bhat in different colours. In each are my coins and SIM cards from that country.

I think these seems to be UK-specific but instead of rolls of change from the bank, which I think is normal in the US, we tend to use these types of bags;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixed-Coin-M.../dp/B001RYAPYE

I just pop into my bank and ask for a bunch. They weigh absolutely nothing and I find them totally indispensable.

The "no mixed coin" bit is just to say if you use them for paying the coins in at the bank they should only contain certain quantities of coins (£1 in pennies, £5 in 20p, etc ...) so they can be weighed.

I get rid of them when I leave a country and have no intent of returning soon - usually with the "Change for Good" program when they are collecting for UNICEF on the flight back.

JD Diver makes an excellent point.

Many charities need such donations of coinage more than I do. I fly quite a bit and see various Red Cross and other relief organizations along the way, and I give them all of my coinage.

Years ago when I was flying positive space or stand-by, I believed that if I made a donation, I made the flight. It did seem to work at the time.

One less item to fall all over the floor when security says " Please empty your pockets, before stepping through. "

I use coin tubes.

You should be able to find then at a coin collector shop or a general hobby shop. Inexpensive, sturdy, they work well for me, especially when I want to be sure to have change for parking meters or public transit.

This was going to be my reply. And write the country on the bag using a sharpie.

I use the little net bags you get with laundry detergent tablets. They have a grip toggle thing on them so they don't pop open, but you can see what's in there. I find they are sturdier than plastic ziplock bags.

With most of my coins, I do as does JDiver and donate them at the airport, but I save some for souvenirs. I quite often find coins in hotel dresser drawers and am finding it harder and harder to use coins as even hotel vending machines often are in the higher spend range.

On a recent trip I picked up what will be the last of Canadian pennies just to have them.

When I get home I put them into Zip-loc bags maked with the country and date.

Exactly! The coin/s I forgot in a pocket as I go through security - so not worth it. I do have a few souvenir coins - Ziploc sandwich bags + sharpie.

I also never give children US coins (well, I actually make it a rule to not give people money as a gift unless it's a local custom to tip etc.) because it crates huge problems for them - banks will not accept US coins and add forex charges etc. for changing money, in most instances. Not infrequently the se kids come to me and ask me to exchange US coins for local currency, etc. and - I wind up hauling some US coins back to the US; coals to Newcastle. Or I may give them to UNICEF - I have a 20 Kuna note that I wasn't able to rid myself of in Croatia next month - next week on the flight to the UK, UNICEF gets a 20 Kuna note... ;)

I've been asked to change US coins for local a couple time. Not a bother at all.

With a bottle of Coke running $2 at many hotels and taking paper only, US coins aren't much use to me when traveling in the US.

I gotta throw another vote on the ziplock bags. I also have a few extras in a pocket (one for my phone, one for my wallet, one for my camera, one for my passport, etc) in case it starts raining when I'm out and about.

Some airlines like Air Canada & BA I've travelled with (fairly) recently accept the different currencies in little envelopes and I normally make it a habit to empty my pocket with whatever is there and hand it in.

The other times I put the few coins in a leather ticket folio that has a zippered pocket.