carrying money in brazil, how?

Naked Lepper

hey

heading to rio in two weeks and flying home from sao paolo

just reading some posts on this forum about people who have been before and everyone seems to be saying that you should not carried any money around with you when there, surely you need money if you want to buy things or spend the day on the beer!!

how do you suggest we carry our money or how much should we bring at any one time

also i heard muggings are common, will my digi cam get robbed, i want to take loads of pics etc!

agh

RATM

Both Rio and Sn Paolo are dodgy cities in terms of street crime against tourists. Use common sense especially after dark.

When leaving your hotel only bring enough out with you to last you until you get back there. Put the bulk of your cash in the hotels safe deposit box ( or hide it well in your room ). You shouldn't need too much more than $50 or so with you for food, drinks and sightseeing admission fees for the day. That way if you do get mugged all they will get is the minumum you have rather than the whole stash.
I got mugged years back in Rio on my way home from a nightclub. All they got was $7, my smokes and a lighter. I had another $200 sitting back in my hotel room which I am very glad I didnt bring out with me:pac:

Naked Lepper

thanks for the tip man

did u use your atm card over there

i have maestro and a visa credit card that i am going to bring

maybe i cud take small amounts out and leave the card and most of the cash back at the hotel?

RATM

Yeah you can use your atm card there- I used both Visa and a Cirrus/Maestro card.

I normally withdraw the max Im willing to have robbed off me in any one go where if it happened Id just go 'Well no one died'. For me thats €250, will usually last most part of a week traveling and if it gets nicked its not nice but its not going to ruin my holiday either...;)

Naked Lepper

cool!

thats what ill do so

are things there expensive in general, like 250 lasting a week is good going, is the average price of a meal/pints etc nice n low?

RATM

I haven't been there since 2001 so I'd imagine the prices have changed a bit. That said I think if you reckon on a lot of major expenses like taxis, hotels, etc to be half the price of here in Rio and SP then you'll do alright. Smaller purchases like a coconut cocktail or a hot meal from a street vendor should be buttons cheap. Beer prices will be a lot higher in tourist areas than the slums but it ain't such a good idea to go drinking in the slums, unless invited:D, check out this neat worldwide pint calculator:
http://www.pintprice.com/

Also regarding carrying cash- I always travel with two cards, one credit, one debit and I never have both in the same pocket at the same time in case a pickpocket gets to work. Usually leave one in the hotel and the other is on me.
Good idea to purchase around US$200 of Amex Travellers Cheques too. Email the serial numbers on the cheques to yourself and if they get stolen they can be easily cancelled and replaced in any major bank. That way if you do get totally robbed of all cards and cash you'll still have $200 to survive on till the emergency credit card comes through. Worst case scenario but it happened me once and saved my ass from a phone call home begging for cash:pac:

abbococo

Thread just caught my eye so I'm posting as I used to live there. RATM has it all covered but I'd say it's no harm to make sure you carry a little cash at all times as it might be bit tricky trying to explain that you REALLY don't have money if mugged. Really good idea to bring two cards and leave one in hotel and you'll also find it convenient to pay for lots of stuff with a credit card. The Brazilians use them all the time so for restaurants and bars it can be the handiest and ensures there's no need to be carrying a lot of cash around with you.

Regards your camera I'd say just to be a little discreet and not walk around with hanging round your neck!

Hope you enjoy and that I haven't scared you! It really is a class place and you should have a great time.:)