Currency exchange while traveling: why do some still carry wads of cash? (page 20 of 28)

enough to make you sick, dissatisfied, and bitter?

Why would I be?😮

Just because some people behave badly doesn’t mean I’ll lose sleep over it. There’s no reason to.

I don’t follow your logic.

And if you want and can afford the Ferrari of your dreams, go for it. We still have the right... It’s just pleasure, and life is short.

Why would I dream of a Ferrari? It’s pointless.

If it makes some people happy to buy one with honestly earned money, I don’t see the issue—but personally, meh.

Should this topic (tax evasion) have a place in a discussion about travel?

There are as many ways to travel as there are travelers...

Tax-driven travel is one of them.😇

Good evening,

We can dream of things that serve no purpose—seems to be the very principle of existence, if you ask me. So, a Ferrari or something else, why not? Of course...

You’re coming across as bitter in this discussion; it’s dripping from every one of your posts.

Some people behave badly? Well, let me tell you straight: when it comes to bad behavior and disrespecting common rules, if there’s anyone here who has no right to talk—and especially no right to lecture—it’s the French state.

Michel

if not to make yourself sick, unsatisfied, and bitter?

Why would I be?😮

Just because some people behave badly doesn’t mean I’ll lose sleep over it. There’s no reason to.

I don’t get your logic.

And if you want and can afford the Ferrari of your dreams, go for it. We still have the right... It’s just pleasure, and life is short.

Why would I dream of a Ferrari? It’s useless.

If it makes some people happy to buy one with honestly earned money, I don’t see the problem—but personally, meh.

I find it particularly pathetic not to contribute to funding social security, the pension system, the education system, or the various safety nets while still wanting to benefit from them.

................... You’ve got to own it instead of playing the shocked virgin like, "It’s not just me—big players do it, so why shouldn’t I?"

It’s petty.

Intellectually, in this specific and isolated case, I think you’re becoming increasingly disappointing. You’re veering off course in the middle of a turn by digging into your desire for social morality and exemplarity. You’re missing the point. That’s not cool!

And also: no, tax-driven travel isn’t travel in the spirit of this forum. Bitte! Please, Ti prego...

You're bitter in this discussion; it's obvious in all your comments.

Isn’t there a missing 'e'?

What’s with this new habit of thinking others are bitter just because they think differently?

What’s the argument here?

I don’t see it.

Intellectually, I think you’re becoming—at least in this specific, isolated case—more and more disappointing.

I care as much about what you think of me as I do about a Ferrari...🙂

We don’t argue to please or displease. That’s nonsense.

And also: no, tax travel isn’t travel in the spirit of this forum.

I don’t know.

There are lots of threads on this forum about ways to bend the law. They haven’t been censored.

(Not just from that perspective, either)

Some people behave badly? Well, let me tell you straight up, when it comes to bad behavior and not respecting common rules, if there's anyone here who has nothing to say—and especially no right to talk—it's the French state.

I tend to agree with what Attila said. Yeah, I know—I spent most of my life in France, and the deductions are huge, we all know that, and sure, it's easy to conclude that the state is messing up. But despite a long-standing effort to unravel things, the social benefits in France are still massive.

I now live in Argentina. Half the economy is underground, no one wants to pay taxes, it's often hard to pay any other way than cash, and yet, there are rarely—*very* rarely—days without protests in the capital demanding EVERYTHING from the state.

To me, this makes absolutely no sense, but hey, I must be old-school.

As for the eternal refrain "they steal so I steal," it’s even more illogical. Here, THEY really do steal—a lot—but in the strictest sense, just to line their own pockets, *really* fill them up. So everyone feels entitled to think, say, and do pretty much whatever they want. The egg, the chicken, the chicken, the egg—I still haven’t decided which came first...

Intellectually, I think you’re becoming—just in this specific and isolated case—more and more disappointing.

I couldn’t care less about what you think of me than I do about a Ferrari...🙂

We don’t argue to please or displease. That’s nonsense.🤪

Dear unyielding activist, your saber strikes are wonderful!

Here, let me try to soothe your fiery mind (right now, anyway). I’ll tell you about a few minutes of my return from Greece... nobody cares, no big deal 😏

off-topic, yes... just like your recent comments in this thread (not like you at all!!!).

-- From my seat, I scan the sea. A gentle sway. At a certain angle, a smudge on the window becomes a ship on the horizon.

My gaze drifts between the TV and the outside. I sweep across the endless, slow undulations of the choppy surface, hoping to spot the sudden appearance of a giant vessel or a pod of dolphins. No luck.

On TV, a young bearded guy in a T-shirt with a playful, youthful design rolls out crepe batter, then takes one of his creations to his mouth. He tilts his head back, eyes on the ceiling, making it abundantly clear: *what a delight, how talented I am!* True, if I could do the same at this moment... (that was my thought).

The lounges and hallways are empty... *packed* empty. Not a single sound of human activity. The hum from the engine room grates on my nerves and slightly drowns out the TV chef’s commentary. I don’t understand a word the artist is saying (it’s Greek), but I get everything he’s doing so wonderfully. This was last Sunday between Patras and Fusina.

I didn’t wonder if he paid his taxes...

la pâtre à crêpes

I guess that’s intentional.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46OKq8Fs-f0

This discussion is completely off-topic for travel. Why assume that anyone paying in cash is automatically a fraudster, a thief, or a social parasite?

There have been plenty of cases where people paid for all sorts of things with cards linked to offshore accounts or corporate accounts (misuse of company assets), etc. Paying with a card doesn’t make you virtuous by default... (We had a whole political scandal in Geneva where a city official was paying for restaurants, nightclubs, and private banquets with the credit card meant for official expenses)

Why start from the assumption that anyone paying in cash is necessarily a fraudster, a thief, or a social parasite...

That’s your conclusion.

I only said that cash can encourage crime and that some people don’t need much encouragement.

There have been plenty of cases where people paid for all sorts of things with cards linked to offshore accounts or corporate accounts (misuse of company assets), etc. Paying with a card doesn’t automatically make you virtuous... (we had a whole political scandal in Geneva where a city official paid for restaurants, nightclubs, and private banquets with the credit card meant for official expenses)

We’re not lemmings.

Just because one idiot jumps into the sea doesn’t mean we all have to follow.

That’s your conclusion.

No, that’s the impression I get from your comments.

And the cards funded by fraudulent accounts—it seems like that made (and maybe still does, I’m not up to date on these things) the heyday of Panama, some Caribbean islands, Singapore, and others.

You're jumping to conclusions too quickly.

Just because one abuse is pointed out doesn’t mean it applies to everyone.

But it’s partly because of this abuse that cash is disappearing.

That doesn’t prevent other issues, but it’s one less problem.

We're not lemmings.

Just because some idiot jumps into the sea doesn’t mean we all have to follow suit.

What applies to cards also applies to cash.

You can be dishonest with cash just as easily as with a card.

You can't trace cash.

With a card or a check, you can. (Not always easily, but there's at least a thread to unravel.)

That's why fraudsters ask for cash. It leaves no trail.

Just talking shop.

la pâtre à crêpes

I guess that was intentional.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46OKq8Fs-f0

You're always one step ahead—I hate you for that!!!

A somewhat lengthy article, and in English, but very informative about Sweden's backpedaling on cash usage after passing a law at the end of 2019 to guarantee the use of cash.... https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/12/bank-and-atm-closures-what-the-uk-can-learn-from-sweden/

You can't trace cash back..

That’s exactly why they say money has no smell :)

But apparently, it has a whiff of cocaine

...😮