🌴 [Torako's Travel Narration #03] Travel Essentials? How to Smartly Withdraw Local Currency with a WISE Card

Hello, this is Bell note.
This time, based on my travel experience in Bali, I would like to share with you a topic that everyone struggles with at least once: "How do you obtain local currency while traveling?" along with my own real-life experiences.
In addition, I will also leave behind my honest impressions of actually using the "WISE Card (formerly TransferWise)," which has been a hot topic everywhere lately.
——The reason is that I truly felt that the more you love to travel, the more you stand to lose if you don't know about this.

💳 Get Cash Immediately from Local ATMs with a WISE Card!

On my way to the exit after arriving at the airport, I happened to see an ATM and inserted my WISE card.
The result—without any trouble, I successfully and smoothly withdrew 20,000 yen worth of local currency (Indonesian Rupiah).

Moreover, the interface was similar to Japanese ATMs, so I didn't get lost in the operation, and the exchange rate was almost the real rate plus only a very small fee.
It's cheaper than renting a Wi-Fi router at a Japanese airport and smarter than the hassle of looking for a local SIM.
And above all, the peace of mind of being able to "breathe in the local air and get cash in hand immediately" made the start of my trip much lighter.

🔍 What is a WISE Card?

Roughly speaking, it is a "multi-currency debit card."
It is a system where you deposit (charge) money in advance using the WISE app, and once you arrive overseas, you can pay directly in the local currency.

🌐 Main Features

• Manage & use over 40 currencies

• Free ATM withdrawals up to 30,000 yen equivalent twice a month

• Actual exchange rate plus low exchange fees (from 0.68%)

• Can be issued and charged while in Japan (issuance fee of only 1,200 yen)

• Compatible with over 3 million ATMs worldwide

• Check balance and usage history immediately with the smartphone app

👛 Situations where it is especially recommended

• Long-term overseas business trips, travel, and study abroad

• People who need remittances from family (immediate deposit from Japan to the account -> immediate withdrawal locally)

• Multi-country travel

And, what is most convenient is that you can freeze or unfreeze the card at any time via the app. You can immediately avoid the risk of unauthorized use.

🎞 There is also a narration video by Torako!

As usual, I have created a "Travel Narration" video where my best friend, Torako, introduces the sights of the trip.
It is produced using AI generation tools, and the narration is provided by Torako, the protagonist of the novel "Torako's Case Notes."

👇 You can watch this video here

In the video, I summarize this experience concisely and provide narration that is easy for even beginner travelers to understand.

📝 Summary

But if I can deliver tips that make someone's journey a little easier like this—
I believe that is the joy of "conveying things to people" in a different sense from creative work.
I will continue to make new travel knowledge videos, so please subscribe to the channel and follow my note if you'd like. 🙇‍♂️

🔔Bell