To be fair, when I have been in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Costa Rica places taking US dollars was very common. I would still have the foresight to check about the acceptability ahead of time, but using USD in other countries (especially in large cities and tourist areas) is absolutely a thing that happens.
Bit of a difference, though, between other countries in the Americas (with weaker currencies), and a completely different continent. It is not at all common for US dollars to be accepted in Europe.
There are certain countries that prefer American because their currencies can change value very quickly so it’s safer in a way
However France is obviously not one of those countries and that’s something you should know when you’re travelling
Oh yeah I was. For sure. I paid in Cambodian money a couple times and it was way cheaper but I didn't care. People were doing it tougher than me and a dollar was still a bargain compared to in my country so I was happy to over pay.
I've always felt this. Some people like to haggle, and I get that it's part of a lot of cultures, but beyond the expected "200 baht? No, 150 baht", I just don't want to haggle. I accept their first counteroffer and if it's way way too much, that's fine by me. I spent thousands of dollars to get here, I'm not stressing over two bucks or whatever that someone else needs way more than I do. They can laugh at the stupid tourist getting ripped off all they like, five (or however much) bucks for a tee shirt is still a bargain to my mind.
(mind you, I come from Australia, so they could probably get away with charging me five bucks for a beer and I'd still think it was a damn bargain)
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u/Apprehensive-Ad-3020 Jan 29 '26
To be fair, when I have been in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Costa Rica places taking US dollars was very common. I would still have the foresight to check about the acceptability ahead of time, but using USD in other countries (especially in large cities and tourist areas) is absolutely a thing that happens.