I don’t like to plan. I’m pretty averse to it, actually. I like to have a goal and then somewhere along the line everything falls into place and it happens. But to actually sit down and say, “I need to do steps 1, 2, 3…,” well, that’s not for me.
Having said that, I almost always try and have a loose “plan B.” Today’s lesson is why having a plan B is important.
Normally when I travel, I don’t think about money. I take what I have on me, confident in the knowledge that my ATM and Visa card will get me the local currency at reasonable rates. A few years ago, while traveling across Europe, I got a call from my bank saying they were worried about activity on my card. This year, I decided to tell them up front that I was going to be overseas. Either they screwed it up or the Visa vendor did, but they seem to have turned off my card, not insured that it would still be working!
So my plan B was to have some carrying around US dollars, “just in case.” In this case, it means I’ve got about $300 I can convert into ¥32,000. Coupled with my Amex, it should keep me through the weekend. Now to find a place to do the conversion on a Sunday!
Note to self: next time I nag Sam about his packing list/making sure he’s ready to travel, add $$ to the list.
Ah. So this doesn’t just happen to me….
Looking forward to reading of your adventures and the pix. Am most amused that the weather in Tokyo is the same as in Washington as I know how much you love the heat. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Enjoy and wreak havoc.
Kind of an excellent object lesson in not planning. If you had just lived instead, you wouldn’t be busking for loose change on a Sunday night in Tokyo.