Comatose.Captain

I think the risk of theft, loss etc. far outweighs the benefit.

He will have a mobile phone, a physical credit card, likely further virtual cards through an app etc. And why CHF if the USD is accepted so much more widely?

It depends on the country, but I'd take something like $20 or $50 at most. It's enough for a few phone calls (in case you iPhone isn't working or something), it's enough to pay for a quick cab ride, train ticket, or some basic meal/drink.

EDIT: I rarely carry around much more than $50 when travelling around the world even if I've got my wallet on me. It can be a bit more in countries in which ATM fees are high or ATMs are hard to come by but $50 is a generous average number for me. I even travel without any kind of cash on me in certain countries such as Poland or the UK.

Dublin_rfk

As a child of the 60’s who traveled. I quickly learned a few things. One was to keep your passport handy and that in an emergency having at least one 50 USD and one 50 GBP could be very, very useful. The amounts may have changed but I still carry two large notes in my passport for the same reasons. Stopping to find or use an ATM is not always possible.

yyznomad

Ha! This is a great life hack! TIL.

IluvSQ

Same concept: SGD 1000.

IluvSQ

Just remember to remove them before presenting the passport to immigration authorities, otherwise they may be removed by some who
would consider them gratuities, or others may charge you with bribery.

yyznomad

Great point.

I'll place it in the passport wallet instead. I always remove the passport from the wallet before presenting it.

StartinSanDiego

I had my wallet stolen in Amsterdam and had roughly $100 USD total remaining stashed in my luggage. If I recall, it was about evenly split between USD and Euro and was my $50 USD hidden stash and a some Euros that were randomly floating around outside my wallet. I flew the next morning to St Petersburg with my passport and essentially no money, debit cards or credit cards. This $100 was by no means enough to last me until my Western Union wire arrived. Things would have gone more smoothly if I had stayed in the EU, but Russia had its challenges and the time zone differences added a day. It was rough. My suggestion is to have at least $200-300 USD or Euro stashed away. I want to have enough for a short hop plane ticket and several days of food, hotel and ground transportation. I now carry more like $500 "spare." I also carry a separate stash of a couple of days worth of my medications and glasses. Money, spare glasses and meds... just in case...

GUWonder

I was advised not to carry too much cash in places where proverbial express kidnappings were a risk at times, as having "too much" cash on person would perhaps be taken as a sign of having way more cash access at ATMs and/or at the place of accommodation and lead to greater risk than it would be worth. $500 cash on a person can give criminals a very different idea about their mark than when their mark has just $100 cash on hand.

Given the stash of points I have to redeem -- points which I can redeem easily for places at least on a reasonably beaten path -- a little internet access goes far enough that my miles/points stash can buy me time and substitute for disrupted access to funds in cash or on bank-issued cards. Miles/points as backup/emergency currency reduces my reliance on a cash note to get by.

yyznomad

Was it lifted from your pocket, or was your hotel room (or hostel or airbnb or whatever room) broken into?

bpe

One single bill while traveling internationally would have to be $100 as they are both high value and universally accepted at currency exchange at better rates than most other currencies. It's enough to get a cheap hotel room plus meals for a day in many places which anything smaller wouldn't always do.

In practice I usually keep one or two large notes ($100, 50 euro, 10,000 yen etc) as well as a few smaller ones of both my origin and destinations if I can. Having $10-20 or similar value is handy to exchange if I need to buy a meal, souvenirs, or for a short taxi ride during a layover.

yyznomad

I like this rationale.

DaveS

I have a $100 bill in my wallet. It has been there for years! Also Euro, which under normal circumstances gets spent regularly. Then some GBP. Anywhere on the planet will accept them and many other currencies. It's money, people want it. Days after the Euro launched, I saw them in use at Afghan money changers. In these times it is very rare to find somewhere that does not have Visa/MC ATM's. For me, it is more important to keep a spare credit card hidden away.

StartinSanDiego

From my backpack in a crowd. Stupid, I know... lesson learned.

Visconti

Easy one for me. $50 note. I've been turned away trying to purchase a $10 - $12 lunch where either the restaurant/cashier didn't have or didn't want to bother giving me change for a $100 note.

yyznomad

You're not the first I've heard had this happen to them, and I'm certain you won't be the last.
I've also heard stories of being robbed at gunpoint/knifepoint while on vacation elsewhere, so at least you didn't have to suffer through that trauma.