With the price of the US dollar skyrocketing, Bangladeshi travellers are directly affected by fluctuating exchange rates. Should you then drop your travel plans until the price of the US dollar becomes stable? Is there any way to deal with this dollar crisis and still travel? Let’s look at some alternative ways to travel abroad without purchasing US dollars. WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES TO BUYING US DOLLARS Traveling abroad can be an exciting and enriching experience, but it can also be expensive. One of the biggest expenses of international travel is the cost of converting Bangladeshi taka into the currency of the country you are planning to visit. Travellers usually carry US dollars when visiting any foreign country. The recent price hike of US dollars has made the exchange rate high regardless of the base currency. Therefore, it would be wise and cost-effective for travellers to consider the alternative ways. Read More: Bangladeshi passport’s ranking improves in 2023, still behind Iran and Sri Lanka as per Henley Index WAYS TO TRAVEL ABROAD WITHOUT BUYING US DOLLARS ·        USE CREDIT CARD Bangladesh Bank advises taking dollars through an international card (dollar-endorsed VISA/Mastercard) in case of traveling abroad. It has given this advice due to rising exchange rates and supply shortages in banks and open markets. The difference between the cash dollar price in the open market and the bank is currently over Tk 10. It is cheaper to endorse dollars on your credit card. In the current situation, it may save you around Tk 5 to 10 per US dollar. However, currently, the exchange rate for cash and card endorsement is the same, which is Tk 106 (as of January 12). According to a news in August 2022, when it cost up to Tk 109.50 to buy one US dollar in the open market, the price of buying dollars through a bank or card went up to Tk 95. Read More: Beach Bucket List: 9 Magnificent Sea Shores in South Asia “This is why we are recommending travellers to request their banks to ask for travelcards instead of asking for cash, so that they pay less,” Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Sirajul Islam told media at that time. ·        BUY THE LOCAL CURRENCY OF YOUR TRAVEL DESTINATION Buying the local currency of the country where you are traveling can reduce your exchange cost. The exchange rates of different currencies against the US dollar have also gone up. So, you can check if buying your destination country’s currency reduces the cost or not. For example, if you are travelling to India, buying rupees from Bangladesh may give you more currency than converting to the US dollar. You ·        USE DIGITAL WALLET Many countries now accept digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet. If you plan to travel to a country that accepts these types of payments, you can avoid the need to convert your currency altogether. You can load currency using a third-party service. Read More: 10 Best Professions for Travelers ·        TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FOREIGN ATMS When you are in a foreign country, it can be more cost-effective to withdraw cash from an ATM than to convert currency at a bank or currency exchange shops. If you have a dollar-endorsed card from Bangladesh, you can withdraw money in the country you are traveling to using the local ATMs. However, check with your bank to ensure that your card will work in the country you are planning to visit and see if there are fees for using foreign ATMs.