Roland Perry wrote:

In message , Al
writes
Then this is even worse for Mr Perry! There is absolutely no financial
cost whatsoever to taking the pounds he may need on the way back with him
at the time he flies out, much less have to convert foreign money to GBP
when he comes to fly back.

I'm out of the USA for months at a time.

As was I. You'll find that currency from some months back is still usable.

So there is some cost
associated with keeping lots of sterling with me.

50 quid is lots? Perhaps you had better consider earning a living instead of
galavanting. Whatever: there is no additional cost to keeping 50 quid with
you beyond the cost imposed with keeping your passport and return ticket
with you. Except the three seconds it takes to put the dosh with the
passport, of course.

This was also the
first time I've used a taxi on arrival for several years - normally use
the train (but let's not get into the difficulty of buying a ticket
quickly at Gatwick station).

People in ULL will remember this story: I found myself in Harlem one night,
needing to get back. I had $107 with me: a $100, a $5 and two $1s. Taking a
cab back to Grand Central, with a big black bloke wider than he was tall, I
discovered a note on the back of his screen to the effect that cabbies do
not have to accept notes over $20. Now I could have done a runner, but I
generously gave him the $100 instead -- "Here, mate, put your kids through
college!"

You can do that, when you have an expense account :-D
--
Al