When traveling abroad having at least a small amount of the local currency on arrival is essential. Credit cards often add foreign transaction fees, debit cards do not always work in foreign countries and finding an ATM can be a hustle. Even travelers checks might require you to go to a bank or issuing company’s office to exchange it for cash. Solution is to exchange currency before the trip. Unfortunately, currency exchanges at airports may often be more expensive due to the provided convenience. If you live in the city of Chicago or its suburbs, Continental Foreign Exchange Service Inc. may be a good place to obtain foreign currency before heading to the airport. They provide currency exchange services for more than 50 countries and you can check daily rates for major currencies on their currency exchange rates and services page. Happy travels.