Lessons from Abroad

Lessons on currency exchange: 47 kuna
Understanding public transportation: 137 kuna
Learning something new everyday: Priceless

For me, traveling around different countries let's me see a lot cool and different sights, but living there really provides a different understanding and appreciation for the tiny intricacies about a people, culture, and country. Unfortunately, that knowledge often comes at a bit of a price, but everything worthwhile does...

I came over to Croatia with a few hundred dollars Canadian, and chose not to exchange it all at once. I exchanged it in three separate occasions, with three different costs associated. Now the exchange rate from CDN $ to kuna is about 1:4.5, but exchanging it in three different locations each gave me a different value for my dollar. I first exchanged it at a place near my house and got a 4.23 kuna for my dollar which was pretty good. The next time, I was near the main train station and used the currency exchange shop there and received a similar rate, but they had a service charge of about 17 kuna. The last time, I had planned on going back to the original exchange location, but found another store just down the road, so I just changed it there. Out of curiosity, I decided to check the rate at the original location and found there was a difference of about .20 kuna per dollar. I guess the two lessons here would be:

• Exchange your money in less touristy places for a better deal
• Shop around for currency exchange stores, the rates vary quite significantly

As for transportation, let's just say that in Croatia, a trams not always a tram, sometimes it's a bus down the road, and if you don't see it, tough cookies.