I know, I know. There are a thousand currency converters out there. Big ones, small ones, dedicated sites, phone apps, widgets for your sidebar. There are a ton, I know, so why did I spend my time building a new one? Simply put, most of them just suck and none of them fit my needs specifically. Needs that I assume are similar to other backpackers and travelers on the same route and timeframe.
Basically, the currency converters I’ve come across are clunky and inefficient. I don’t know about you, but I hate searching through dropdown menus for the correct currency out of hundreds of possibilities. During my trip through Asia, I’ve been changing countries monthly. Not only does it take time to really get your head wrapped around the local currency, you may be researching for other countries you plan on visiting down the line. I may not even know the name of a country’s currency, which can require a separate Google search altogether. Yes, the existing currency converters work, but come on. It’s 2012. It should just know… shouldn’t it?
I think yes. This converter has all the major countries of Asia already on the page, names, flags and all. No more searching. Better still, you can edit any currency’s value, and all the other currency values will be updated instantly and automatically. Vuala. Convert from your home country to an Asian country or Asian country to fellow Asian country. Rearrange them with the drap and drop capabilities. Pick every country you’ll visit and then bookmark your specific personal layout and never change it again. Do whatever you want. Whatever is convenient for you. No more replacing bookmarks like “USD to Kip” on your browser bar. You get all the information you need and more without wasting a cent of your time.
Beware: US Dollars are not in the dropdown, but instead, stuck on there along with the other Asian Countries. This is because they’re accepted in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and possibly others. Not only that, Visa’s at remote border crossing’s are usually quoted in USD and paying with anything else will be at a sub-par conversion rate. No matter where you’re from, you’ll be handling some American money in Asia. Go figure.
So that’s it. The Ultimate Asian Backpacker Currency Converter. Despite the long name, check it out. If you like it, have any questions, suggestions or find a nasty bug, don’t hesitate to let me know. And enjoy, I wouldn’t have wasted my time building it if I didn’t think it would be super useful.
You are awesome!
If I just had known about this supersmart thing before I was traveling for 5 months in SE Asia 🙂 But I’m thankful I found it now, will be very useful when I’ve moved back to Asia he he.
Why thank you! Use it and abuse it please.