Money???

[Lnj]

I know we will need to have money on us but is a credit card of any use? About how much spendable should we have available and/or on us for an 8 or 9 day trip? Assuming 2 people will be eating "out" or off trail whenever possible.

[tiptoe]

I suggest carrying a credit card and a debit card, plus a small amount of cash. Many restaurants, hostels, and inns take credit cards, but some charge extra for using them. And some don't take them at all. When you shop for groceries at a supermarket, you can often get cash back (generally up to $50, in my experience) if you use a debit card; it's a good way to avoid an extra charge at an ATM (most towns have ATMs, either at banks or at gas stations). Cash comes in handy for the odd small purchase (soda and snacks at vending machines). I prefer paying for meals in cash, but you might not care.

If you are traveling "far" from home, it's a good idea to inform your bank and credit card company of the dates and itinerary of your trip, so your charges don't get blocked. Also carry the phone numbers of these institutions when you hike, in case you lose a card and need to sort things out pronto.

[Gambit McCrae]

As a rule of thumb I always carry double what my shuttle fee is in cash, plus I have a credit card and debit card (so 3 different backup accounts)

To get yout shuttle it would probably cost about 120 so for 2 people 480 would be more more more more then enough cash and prolly overdoing it. BUT-if you spend a night in Helen, a night at TOG and a night at neels your looking at $90 a piece for those 3 nights combines-
TOG is $20 I think
Helen would be $50 a piece
Neels is prolly $20 for a bunk as well

[bigcranky]

I like to have at least $100 in cash, certainly nothing bigger than a twenty, a debit card, and a credit card.

The cash goes for things that require cash -- hostel stays, shuttles, small purchaes at out of the way convenience stores, meals. I use the debit card for grocery stores, and often get cash back to replenish my supply. The credit card is used for hotels and any sort of emergency (medical care, travel).

[Slo-go'en]

8-9 day trip and eating "off trail" whenever possible? I'm not sure that is even possible. Getting off the trail uses up the better part of a day so you don't want to do it too often. I can see getting off the trail once in a 8-9 day trip, about 4 days into it. It's pretty easy to spend $20 on a meal, another 30-40 on food for the remainder of the trip and 30 to 100 on a room in town depending on the accommodations you choose if you spend the night.

[BirdBrain]

8-9 day trip and eating "off trail" whenever possible? I'm not sure that is even possible. Getting off the trail uses up the better part of a day so you don't want to do it too often. I can see getting off the trail once in a 8-9 day trip, about 4 days into it. It's pretty easy to spend $20 on a meal, another 30-40 on food for the remainder of the trip and 30 to 100 on a room in town depending on the accommodations you choose if you spend the night.

Agreed. 8-9 days is about my average between resupplies. To each their own. I hike to get away from towns. Other than that, great tips above, especially the one about informing your bank of your plans and locations so your cards will stay active.

[rafe]

What Slo said. On a trip of 8-9 days I'd plan no more than one town stop, unless the town in question is really easy to access from the trail. There are a few places in the mid-Atlantic where that sort of thing happens on the AT, but elsewhere, not so much.

More typically the nearest town will be a few miles from a road crossing, and you'll either walk or hitch to town and back. Even if it's just some mini-mart a mile from the trailhead, that's a relatively major detour for a 8-9 day hike.

[CarlZ993]

I suggest carrying a credit card and a debit card, plus a small amount of cash. Many restaurants, hostels, and inns take credit cards, but some charge extra for using them. And some don't take them at all. When you shop for groceries at a supermarket, you can often get cash back (generally up to $50, in my experience) if you use a debit card; it's a good way to avoid an extra charge at an ATM (most towns have ATMs, either at banks or at gas stations). Cash comes in handy for the odd small purchase (soda and snacks at vending machines). I prefer paying for meals in cash, but you might not care.

If you are traveling "far" from home, it's a good idea to inform your bank and credit card company of the dates and itinerary of your trip, so your charges don't get blocked. Also carry the phone numbers of these institutions when you hike, in case you lose a card and need to sort things out pronto.
+1. The only slight difference being I'll have a little more than a 'little cash' w/ me. I'll keep it in a neck wallet that stays on or about my person 24/7.

[NY HIKER 50]

I carry some cash but I'm wondering. Does anyone use travelers checks any more?

[NY HIKER 50]

I do carry credit cards also.

[Lnj]

Thanks! I have a good idea how to manage now, with all of your advice. I really don't want to get "off trail" at all and I certainly don't want to sleep in a hotel or hostel. The whole thing, for me, is about being "out there" I might feel differently if I was thru hiking or hiking a longer section. Just 8-9 days is short enough already. I just know if I can get a burger somewhere along the way, I am quite likely to do that. :D

[Just Bill]

Thanks! I have a good idea how to manage now, with all of your advice. I really don't want to get "off trail" at all and I certainly don't want to sleep in a hotel or hostel. The whole thing, for me, is about being "out there" I might feel differently if I was thru hiking or hiking a longer section. Just 8-9 days is short enough already. I just know if I can get a burger somewhere along the way, I am quite likely to do that. :D

Your section of choice probably affects this answer more than anything else.

8-9 days to do Shennandoah... you could hit every wayside and campground and lodge and spend quite a bit.
And if you drink beer and can't yogi anyone into buying them for you... you could easily spend a few hundred on beers there too.:eek:

8-9 days to do the 100 mile wilderness... other than burning your cash to start a fire and cook some dinner it won't do you any good.:)

Take a peek in a guidebook and see what you're likely to actually walk past (or detour for) and you'll have a better idea.

$100 is small bills and an emergency $100 sewn into your pack is pretty typical for most. (and a few pristine singles for a vending machine)
DL/ID, debit card, credit card, and health insurance card rounds out a wallet.

To answer the above poster- nobody uses traveler's checks in the US anymore really.

[Jeff]

I carry some cash but I'm wondering. Does anyone use travelers checks any more?

I have been paid with a travelers check by a European hiker. At my bank, the "young" bank teller didn't even know what a travelers check is....had to get a manager !!!!

[Traveler]

I carry some cash but I'm wondering. Does anyone use travelers checks any more?

Travelex stopped selling Travelers Checks a few years ago, but American Express still sells them so they are still in use by people who don't want to use or don't have a credit card. They can be replaced if lost which is their key feature.