Quick Question - Where to get FIJI currency
 

I am leaving for FIJI on Monday Jan 31st from Washington DC (IAD) and want to get some local currency. Since I am arriving at 3am in Nadi, I was trying to find a place in Washington DC to get some local currency before I arrive, however, no one seems to have any on hand.

Any suggestions as to what I should do? Or does anyone know if the locals accept US currency?

Thanks in advance!

There is an exchange at NAN airport. If you're travelling via AKL (I suspect not when there is a direct flight from LAX but hey this is FT after all!) you can also change at AKL airport. I'm not sure about LAX T2.

If pushed you probably could pay taxi in US$ but it will cost you a lot more.

Any chance you are getting routed through LAX? Travelex should have it there. I seem to recall the airport has an ATM but might be limited what you can withdrawal. You can also order currency from Travelex.com but it charges the commision.

Thanks for the reply Kiwi Flyer. You're right, I'm flying direct from LAX to NAN. I wonder if the exchange is open 24 hours - perhaps the owners are savvy enough to keep it open when flights arrives, despite it being in the middle of the night.

Thanks for the comment wanderlust_jules. I actually checked with them first before posting here and they do not currently have any inventory of Fiji currency. But you bring up a good idea with an ATM card - didn't think of that. Thanks.

There is definitely a currency exchange at LAX as I had to turn my Fiji dollars back into US when I got back. LAX is major hub from west coast to Fiji so they must have currency. I can't remember if it was Travelex or some other. The ATMs give you the better exchange.

Be prepared for slllllllllloooooooooowwwwwww customs processing at Nadi, even at that hour.

You may be right about Travelex in LA having Fiji currency. I called 4 different ones here in DC and even one coin shop. No luck.

Since the Community forum is for FT get-togethers and the like, I'm going to move this to TravelBuzz.

Welcome to FT, however, and I hope you enjoy Fiji... its on my short list for places I want to visit soon!

Fiji was great, especially for $51.25. :)

I know there are several ATMs at NAN, and I'd recommend using one of those. If not, there are plenty on the street between the airport and the city, and any taxi driver shouldn't have any problem taking you to an ATM. A ride from the airport to the city should run around $10-15 US, IIRC.

I can't remember for the life of me if the travel exchange is open, but even when we arrived at 5 am or so, they had people playing music and singing to greet us to Fiji, so I don't imagine the exchange booth will be closed. A lot of travel agencies were open in the morning too.

Travelex at the LAX International Terminal has Fiji-Dolars. But the exchange rate is terrible. Don't change more than $100. Enjoy your trip.