Traveling this summer?  Travel can be respite from the daily grind and a chance to live healthier and happier.  In addition to packing and planning, travelers should take some time to safeguard their wallets, credit cards and money.

Bennett Schwartz, TD Bank’s Foreign Exchange Managing Director, has some key tips to guide you in your travels:

• Safeguard your cards – Prior to leaving, call your bank(s) / credit card company and inform them of your travel plans to help to prevent cards from being mistakenly flagged for fraudulent use. 
  
• Change your PIN – Make sure your debit card has no more than a four-digit PIN number for ease of use at international ATMs; if it doesn’t, contact your bank to change it.  
  
• Transfer money from savings to checking – Most ATMs cannot access savings accounts for non-institutional accounts, so transfer money to your primary checking to ensure you have enough available funds while traveling. 
  
• Go local for money exchange – Exchange (or order) foreign currency at your local bank, instead of airport kiosks or overseas banks, to ensure you receive competitively-priced market exchange rates and lower costs. (Fact: At TD Bank, select stores have some foreign currencies on-hand, and at any of our stores, more than 70 different currencies can be ordered for delivery within two to three days.)