Questions for on the road... first: one about cash

[kidiekat]

mockturtle You are so right.&nbsp; Shoulder length is harder to maintain.&nbsp; All I have to do is wash my hair and then use the elasic bands.&nbsp; I do a multi section pony tail. So it is one band at the top and then every 8 inches another band.&nbsp; So I don't have to worry about tangles and stuff.<br><br>I like the fanny pack.&nbsp; I had one years ago.&nbsp; I didn't know you could still buy them.&nbsp; That is a gotta have thing.&nbsp; Top of my to do list....&nbsp; <br><br>I don't have a .38 Ruger.lol&nbsp; But I have considered getting a gun and lessons on the care and use of one.&nbsp; I wouldn't want to kill any one though.&nbsp; I thought of getting one that I could use snake shot in.&nbsp; At least using that I know I would hit some part of a robber and it would stun enough that I could escape.

 

[kidiekat]

wagoneer&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Oh my goodness.&nbsp; My can opener does that...&nbsp;&nbsp; duh.&nbsp; Something so simple, right in front of my eyes and I didn't even think of it.&nbsp; You can even weight the can and reseal it with some elmer's glue.&nbsp;&nbsp; If some one is going to rob you they sure don't want a can of beans.&nbsp; Their gonna grab the good stuff, they can buy a steak with their bootie. <br><br>I am gonna find the most icky can of food I can think of and use that idea now.&nbsp; That is even good for medications and jewelry.<br><br>Wow some really great ideas.<br><br>Thank you all so much.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Yeah, baltimore is a ghetto hellhole, I am glad i escaped and never want to go back.&nbsp; I have family there, and every time i go there for a funeral or something I am reminded just how good it is anywhere else.&nbsp; <br><br>My first trip going to a major city besides baltimore, was when i went to canada.&nbsp; Toronto was a massive city (i think thier mall was bigger than the harbor), and quite a shock for me.&nbsp; I had never imagined a city with clean streets you could lick off of, and friendly people, the only bums were hippies relaxing on the grass (?!!).&nbsp; Not having to carefully plan how i would walk to avoid getting jumped, or plan out where the nearest weapon id have to run to if i was.&nbsp; A person i didn't even know at the bus station actually showed me around for a while. <br><br>My aunt lives on the shore somewhere now, i forget where exactly. &nbsp; Its not so bad over in salisbury and around OC (though its a tourist haven). &nbsp;&nbsp;

 

[Zil]

Yea. know what you mean. My last son can't have a bank account and he is always looking over his shoulder. My self has never been more relaxed now having my financial life in order. Wish I had done it sooner.<br><br>When I first was on the highways, I had traveler checks, do they still have such a thing?

 

[James AKA Lynx]

Travelers checks are a thing of the past. Cash or credit card. If you want a lot of cash on hand, carry bullion coins. <br><br>I am leery of taking large amounts of cash from banks (the locals often know how much you have). Using ATM's not from my bank can get expensive. <br><br>James AKA Lynx

 

[Zil]

Ally Bank refunds all my ATM charges.<br><br>I did carry a bag of Kennedy dollars when traveling in Mexico. we didn't appreciate the silver content, but the Mexicans did.

 

[highdesertranger]

<p>zil you gotta love real money.&nbsp; I prefer the pre 63 though.&nbsp; &nbsp;highdesertranger</p>

 

[Zil]

pre 63. Right, I was waiting in line at a bank teller and the lady in front of me wanted to know what to do with the Kennedy half dollars. the teller said they were worth 50 cents each. She was going to cash them for bills, I offered .25 on the dollar and scored. They were not the clad sandwich, (some of those had silver content to work the machines).

 

[wagoneer]

was this lady senile taking advantage like that is elder abuse

 

[Scorpion Regent]

kiddiekat -  Me thinks you need this book:

https://www.powells.com/searchresults?keyword=The+Big+Book+Of+Secret+Hiding+Places

Bear in mind that it's useless for smuggling.  The LEO's have likely read it cover to cover and have it committed to memory.

 

[user 423]

...It's been over 8 years since "KiddiKat" last posted.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

...It's been over 8 years since "KiddiKat" last posted.

You're right but some one out there will like the book.

 

[izifaddag]

I do everything with my credit card and debit card. Rarely do I use my debit. Lately I have gone to Gasbuddy which is just another debit card.
I carry very little money on me. I think I might have a $20 or so in my money clip. It has been there untouched for months. As already mentioned there are places that will not take plastic. It is getting less and less though. I have been all over the 48 and and only now and again has it been a problem. For some reason the western states love this annoying habit of charging less for gas if you go inside and pay cash. Why this should only be a thing in Colorado, etc and not Alabama for example I will never know. 
Worse gas too. 
Your post prompts me to take some measures. i.e. numbers written down somewhere safe.

Regarding the 'in the shoe' method.
I saw a video of street urchins going for a man in a city in Colombia. Quite real and caught by a street security camera. The first thing these monkeys did was whip the guys shoes and belt off. BOTH are well know to criminals as hidey spots. Next they slashed his pants with razors until they were shreds. They were looking for hidden pockets. These were kids about 12 at most. I saw with my own eyes the same thing in Ukraine in 05. Urchins actually killed a man while I was there. It was Dickensian.
The only time I am worried is in Algodones, Mexico but I have no choice, I have to go.
Mexico is Mexico. I spent considerable time there in 85 and the vibe has not changed in 2020/21. 
It is poor and people are often desperate. Why vanners go there or Guatemala is beyond me. It is dangerous and nothing you can do can prepare you for when it comes. You are a sitting duck.

Algodones is flooded with Americans and Canadians going there for dental, glasses and medicine. This has encouraged a sort of amnesty, a truce if you will, however you still have to put up with being approached by prostitutes and pushy vendors. 
Fortunately the dentist takes credit cards and I am in and out. I am not there for sightseeing or shopping. I hit a pharmacist on my way back to the border crossing point. Done, out of there.
There really is nothing to see there and it isn't generally any cheaper than Yuma. The only incentive for the joy of dealing with that long line and obnoxious border guards is cheap dental care. It's just as good as in the States but for 1/3 the cost.   
In and out and I keep to the main streets.
Bob's video on Algodones makes it appear a little too friendly, a bit too Pollyanna. Don't ever take more than $50 in cash and make sure it is small bills. Maybe that is too much. If they want it let them have it. Better safe than sorry.
I am sorry to be so down but I can only speak of my experience.

 

[wayne49]

My experience in Los Algodones is different, yes, there are many street vendors, but they aren't pushy or threatening.

Keep to the main avenues, and daylight hours, where the dental/optical places are and open. Try to locate where you are going so that you walk can directly from the crossing. Ignore anyone who tries to engage you as to where you going. They won't be offended. They'll move on to whoever is behind you.

Prostitutes? Where and at what time were you in Algodones?

I have made a few trips to Cucuta, Colombia, on the border with Venezuela, that is a sh*thole.

Obnoxious border guards? Not my experience. Universally obnoxious is TSA, that's been my experience.

I always wear cargo pants with buttoned and zippered pockets and avoid standing close to others. Covid is great cover.

PS the above is what I do anywhere and everywhere that I go, US or ex-US, in nearby Pahrump as well. Go there, get what I came for, and go back home.

 

[maki2]

It is an easy problem to solve. There are money belt pouches made for travelers. I do not carry a purse, I use one of the traveler's bellt pouches for my money, cards and a small pocket comb as well as a spare set of keys. It is visible and easy for me to access without taking it off. But no one can just grab it and run off with it or get into it without my noticing it. It slides onto my regular pants belt. As I am out camping all the time in the Western USA I am also staying in areas where people are dressed mostly in casual sporting clothes. No one has ever made any comments about my using a waste pouch instead of carrying a purse.

 

[izifaddag]

Prostitutes? Where and at what time were you in Algodones?
Obnoxious border guards? Not my experience. Universally obnoxious is TSA, that's been my experience.

I will tell you exactly. That was January this year. Av B on one of the street corners, north side. On my way back to the crossing.
As for the obnoxious border guards there is a particularly nasty black guard and I have had the misfortune to encounter him a couple of times. Also met a couple of very easy going guards too. 
This is not unique to Algodones. I think my worst experience was in New York. I forget the airport. Kennedy I think.
I have a flag next to my passport in the system. So I am always taken to 2nd level questioning. After more than 20 years of this I am quite used to it. I have had guards try to help with advice (Miami) and even apologize. I have had a background search done by the FBI to see if it is them, that included fingerprints. Nope. The guards say they don't know where the flag is originating from.
Then you get the officious jackasses. The Mr Robotos. They treat you like some kind of criminal or are in the prison system. 
I am not making this up I have been dealing with it for over 2 decades. Crossing at Algodones is not fun.
I am a world traveler. VERY experienced from USA, Europe, Russia and the far east. I know how this goes. For example in LA I am put into a  locked room but treated very nicely. In NY the only thing missing is the handcuffs. Miami is a pleasure so is Dallas Fort Worth. Algodones I get rudeness and ungloved fingers rummaging around in my medicine bottles in the pills. If I say anything I am told to stand away from the desk and practically order me to attention. As I have said thank goodness they are not all like that.        
This is what I have experienced. I am glad you have had a better experience. I stopped jumping on planes in 2017. Unfortunately I am not rich and so have to go to Algodones for dental work. If it was cheaper in the States I would never cross the border again.

 

[Tony's Dream]

I have never carried a lot of cash either. So many places now let you buy something and take extra cash, that keeps me going. The post office lets you get cash and there are post offices in every town.....as long as they have it avaiable. As a retired military, I have always kept my hair short. Half a cup of water poured on my head....and my face and hair are both clean. Keep it simple.