Checking on Uncle Sam....travel notes, beer and aspen-gold

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Depends how hard and quick you swipe, and then wipe, your cards.

True.
I always stumble over the bit where they tell me to "stick the chip in first"....and then to punch in the pin. :eek:


Some good info there, hope I remember some for our trip.
Easy enough to log into the hall-'o-wisdom here anytime and refresh the memory. :pP
That's...if you remember the username + p/w :whistle::whistle::bs
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
That's hilarious..(hmmm, don't like that word either.)

What'll it be sir? A rock or a hard place?

True...2 turds, just one of them stinks less.
Man, if that's the top-of-the-crop that the US have to offer, I don't wanna look at the rest of the zoo
 

nev

Super Térrarist
I think we discovered on our US trips that our cards had best results in ATMS run by the big national banks - eg Citibank, Bank of America. Also, I seem to recall that more often a hole in the wall at a bank building would work whereas the privately owned ATMs in convenience stores were more likely to reject. It's because each card issuer has it's own network affilliations, and private ATM companies are less likely to need to pay for those interconnections to overseas banks whereas the banks themselves will have that functionality.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
I think we discovered on our US trips that our cards had best results in ATMS run by the big national banks - eg Citibank, Bank of America. Also, I seem to recall that more often a hole in the wall at a bank building would work whereas the privately owned ATMs in convenience stores were more likely to reject. It's because each card issuer has it's own network affilliations, and private ATM companies are less likely to need to pay for those interconnections to overseas banks whereas the banks themselves will have that functionality.

Sounds logical...but still doesn't solve the problem of rolling into some little town along the way at the end of the day to find one or 2 tiny local banks with the next "biggie" 80 miles up the road....which in return is another question mark as it's near impossible to find out which of the "big mobs" accepts which cards at what levels.
Staying in an area for a few days to find out who's what and where is a different thing.

As mentioned before...180+ different banks in Colorado alone don't make things easy for the through-traveller. The little 3.party ATMs saved our bacon twice.

Experienced similar issues in Europe, where many local/ regional banks refused the AUS VisaCards...or limited cash withdrawals to 200 Euros or so.
No issues with paying with the cards, though...
 

nev

Super Térrarist
To be honest, on our last trip, we probably only went to the bank once a week or maybe even less, and withdrew large amounts so we'd always have cash, and paid by visa or mastercard whenever it was available. I think the only time we had to bounce from one ATM to another was the day we arrived in Canada and stayed in a small country town. We just needed enough cash to last us a week, and we budgeted so well, when we crossed the border back to the USA a week later we had a few coins totalling about $1.20 canadian currency remaining.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Recommended stay: Stowe/ Green Mountains/ Vermont

http://www.stowelodge.com/

Some Euro-Alps Ski-Lodge style place with great facilities (big indoor pool/ sauna/ spas and a very generous, cooked breakfast.
Plenty of timbers everywhere, another outside pool and well-cared for grounds.

https://goo.gl/maps/kfd9v7EeTbU2



As for a good place (in Stowe) to sink a coldie (24 beers on tap + 100 bottled) and grab some rustic tucker, it's hard to go past this place
http://rustynailvt.com/
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
US2016_0065.JPG


16 bux for the esky in a sporting-goods store
6 bux worth of freezer-packs
A buck each for 4 metal forks and knifes at a $2-store
Some plastic plates and a roll of paper-toweling
A $10 "bear-killer" blade-from-China from Harry's Hardware

....and that's the essentials for 3 weeks worth of on-the-road-life out the back of the rental-sled.
Freeze the cooler-packs in the Hotels/ Motels room fridge (or grab a bucket or 2 of ice from the ice-maker in the reception or so).
Add a roll of dunny-paper for the unavoidable Montezuma's Revenge, a pack of "wet-ones".... and it's smooth sailing into the travel-sunset.

Leave everything at the last overnight stay/ motel/ hotel...the staff loved the free Esky, freezer-bricks and China-blade. :so



US2016_0121.JPG



Lunch, brecky, cool drinks, nibblies...and emergency rations if the shyte hit the fan in the middle of WhoopWhoop.
 

twowheeler

two wheels are best
Sounds logical...but still doesn't solve the problem of rolling into some little town along the way at the end of the day to find one or 2 tiny local banks with the next "biggie" 80 miles up the road....which in return is another question mark as it's near impossible to find out which of the "big mobs" accepts which cards at what levels.
Staying in an area for a few days to find out who's what and where is a different thing.

As mentioned before...180+ different banks in Colorado alone don't make things easy for the through-traveller. The little 3.party ATMs saved our bacon twice.

Experienced similar issues in Europe, where many local/ regional banks refused the AUS VisaCards...or limited cash withdrawals to 200 Euros or so.
No issues with paying with the cards, though...

Perhaps a bit late now Pete as I guess you're home, but if you look for an ATM will a small "Cirrus" icon within the 'accepted cards' icons, you'll be able to withdraw local cash from your home account with your Aussie MasterCard or Visa. There'll be an extra conversion charge but it's usually only a couple of $. Banks big and small ( but not all ) worldwide are part of Cirrus.
 
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