First, when making reservations on the Internet, be sure, and be really sure that besides the little "lock" on the bottom of the page, that in the address there will be an "s" after http -- i.e https. The "s" stands for secure.

Secondly, regarding withdrawing large sums of cash for purchases away from home, a Ziner last year suggested moving money in your home bank into a special account for withdrawal by cash advance for just this purpose. We did this with a new debit card which we call "travel." If we have an emergency away from home and need cash, we always know that we can go into any bank away from home and get a "cash advance" without any difficulty ( or we can use it in an ATM machine abroad.) The money is there without any interest payments as it is not a loan - it is our money. Also, this account has a known balance so that no one can "steal" above that amount, should our card be stolen and PIN figured out. This makes us feel very secure.

Good luck, Susie Newton, MA