WU Brand Ambassador Amandine is a Berlin-based fashion, travel, lifestyle blogger and influencer. She is a WU customer and guest blogger who we’ve teamed up with. Follow along with her adventures, here: https://www.instagram.com/lesberlinettes/
Have you ever travelled to a country where it was not possible to use your credit card? Maybe you planned a certain amount of travel money, but it turned out not to be enough? These things happen, even with the most experienced travelers.
Over the past two years you can see that I’ve added more travel content to my social media presence. I feel so lucky that I was able to visit and document my journey to so many incredible destinations. I am passionate about travelling the world and meeting people, it allows me to escape everyday life and learn something new every step of the way. You’d be surprised just how much you can learn about yourself when you travel, especially on your own!
But like everything in life, there are pros and cons when it comes to travelling abroad without your home comforts: lack of sleep, stress, homesickness and missing important events back home. Unfortunately, in the past I had to miss the wedding of some of my close friends because of travel assignments. Also, finances really play a big role while travelling and extra costs can quickly turn an adventure into a challenge.
I am getting better at sticking to a budget while travelling, but I remember once when I went to New York City a few years ago and things didn’t go according to plan. I brought cash with me but, as you would expect, New York City travel expenses turned out to be higher than expected and I ran out of it while staying in the Big Apple. I tried to withdraw money using my credit card. However, it turned out that it was not working. I had to activate it for international purchases and withdrawals before going overseas, one of those new rules of my bank, which I did not know about at that time.
As I walked down Manhattan, I saw Western Union® signs in several streets, the very recognizable yellow and black logo pinpointing its agents. So I called my mum for help as, at this point, the only possible option for withdrawing cash abroad in the local currency was to have some funds wired via Western Union. Luckily, it was such an easy process; I just needed to go to a Western Union® agent, show my ID and transfer number and collect the money that had been sent to me. In the end, that trip to the USA, my first of many, ended up being amazing and unforgettable.
Since then, I’ve learned how Western Union allows me to send or receive money while travelling and in different ways; be it on its website or using the app or the old-school way of visiting one of their locations in person.
Send money with Western Union
Having lived in different parts of the world and eventually settling in Berlin, I have even developed a ritual with my little sister back in France using the app. Whenever she stumbles across something that would be just the perfect gift for our parents’ birthdays or for Christmas she lets me know so I can send her the money to buy it. The Western Union® app quickly became my go-to option to help my sister surprise our parents for almost any occasion. It is really convenient for sending money to her bank account or she can collect it at a Western Union® agent location throughout the country, which means my sister and I have plenty of options. Handy, especially if she is also on a road trip.
The Western Union® app gives me the flexibility to send money any time of day, regardless of the time difference or the day of the week with the option of checking the foreign currency exchange rate and transaction fee beforehand. I also find it simpler to use an app because, without leaving the house – or the airport, or the car, train, hotel or wherever I may be around the world – I can check how much it will cost me to send money via Western Union and how long it will take for the cash to be available for pick up.
As someone who both sends and collects money using Western Union, I can definitely say it has made transferring money while travelling such a simple experience.
Try it out yourself by downloading the Western Union® app here:
Amandine Hach – blogger & social media consultant
