Travel money

So one of the hardest things to figure out for this trip has been how I am going to take my money. It has been suggested that I take all cash, but i wasn't keen on the idea of walking around with £4,000 in my pocket!
So after much deliberation I have chosen these 2 services to carry my cash, as well as somd cash for when i first arrive:

CaxtonFX Global Traveller Card
CaxtonFX is a part of the Newcastle Building Socity. For £10 you get the card, though £10 is automatically loaded onto the card, so it's essentially free. There are no ATM fees or international transaction fees from the issuer. For £5 you can get a spare card, definitely a good idea if you're travelling, so if you lose the 1st, you can cancel it and use the second.

Travelex Cash Passport
Recommended by the Foreign Office, again this card has no ATm or international fees from the issuer. This card has a double edged sword: buy it in GBP and you get a commission put on your bill. Buy it in any of the other currences (USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, ZAR or EUR), and you face a bad exchange rate. I did some number crunching, and if you use anything but GBP, you will only get £972 for your £1000 (did some reverse exchange). So you loose out on almost £30! Now the commission for GBP is only £20, so I'd definitely recommend this. (EDIT: I wrote this section once, then changed it when I did some more research).

So I'm taking these 2 cards, plus a spare card for each in case I lose the first. I'll also be taking around £150 in Chinese Yuan, and £100 in JPY, the Chinese Yuan to last me the whole time there, and the JPY to get me to where I need to go and for my first few purchases, until I find an ATM.
It's also a good idea, if you can, to leave your account details at home so that someone can recharge your cards in case of a bailout.

And as an extra fail safe, I will probably apply for a American Express Blue card. There's no annual fee, and if you're under 21, your application is based on household income rather than yours. This is good for me, as I won't have income while travelling around, but I can still get the card. This last one really is only for emergencies, and I'd try not to use it at all. It would be my last resort. Also, this card has 0% APR for 6-12 months, so if you're only travelling a little while, you can use it, pay what you used and then cancel it before they charge you more!!

For information on the CaxtonFX card go to: http://www.caxtonfxcard.com
For information on the Travelex Cash Passport go to: http://www.cashpassport.com
For information on the American Express Blue card go to: http://www.americanexpress.com/student

Above all, be careful with your money! Never log into an online bank account while not on a secure network, never divulge your details, don't carry more cash than you need, make sure you have the banks telephone number for cancellations of cards. You get the picture ;).

Happy spending!
~GA