Friends received a postcard from me from Manaus, Brazil, of a scantily dressed fellow energetically dancing in a jungle clearing. The card read: Don’t I look great in my thong and tan? Ran out of money up the Amazon and had to go native to raise cash. The tourists love my show. See you soon, I hope!

My postcard struck a familiar chord of terror many travelers experience. What do you do when you run out of cash thousands of miles from home?

During my student days it was commonplace to run out of money while traveling, but I never fretted. My loyal parents always bailed me out. Since I only visited popular areas of the world, I made their job easy. Money transfers were often routine and quick. But what do you do when you don’t have parents to bail you out?

I’ve had an American Express card since 1969. Over the years, I believed I had the ultimate weapon against fear. That all changed for me in Bangkok a few years ago while extravagantly spending a small inheritance in a few weeks. A shopkeeper told me a chilling tale about her friend who unexpectedly had her credit with American Express cut off. Frightened this could happen to me, I decided to protect myself by obtaining a Visa card, also.

Amazon River boats allow visitors close-up views of the jungle.

Armed with an American Express card, a Visa, some traveler’s checks and sufficient cash in my checking account to cover most emergencies, I headed to Latin America for a fun-filled, devil-may-care holiday. Everything went well for the first two weeks. I felt protected and safe from any crisis — until I realized I was running out of cash, and I needed to write a check.

In Salvador da Bahia, I experienced the first sign of panic when I discovered the American Express office there had suddenly been closed. Assured by American Express in São Paulo that there was a full-service office in Manaus, my next stop on my Brazilian holiday, I gaily continued to spend.

When I arrived in Manaus, I quickly discovered a new reality. The only American Express employee who could cash my check and turn my dollars into reais was on a fishing trip. To make matters worse, I couldn’t find an ATM machine that would accept my Visa card.

Fortunately, I survived. I lived off my credit cards until I reached Santiago, Chile, where there was a full-service American Express office waiting for me. And, to obtain cash during the interim, I paid for the dinners of strangers with my credit card in exchange for cash.

For someone as independent as I am, this was an undignified way of obtaining money. Determined never to allow this to happen again, I turned to others, including my banker, for suggestions. Here are seven recommendations:

1. Always carry a major credit card such as Visa. You can make cash withdrawals worldwide against your card, and the money withdrawn is posted to your Visa account as a cash advance. To use an ATM machine to withdraw money, you will need to be assigned a personal identification number (PIN).

If you forget to obtain a PIN, you can always go to a bank that accepts Visa and show the bank your card and two picture identifications. On the Bank One and Chase credit cards, the transaction fee is about 3 percent, or US$10 minimum, whichever is greater, plus a small charge to use the ATM or bank service. (The maximum amount you can charge to your account per day is US$300.) For more information contact your credit card– issuing bank, or, if your card is issued by either Bank One or Chase, call 800-436-7927.

2. Don’t leave home without an American Express Card. In most areas of the world, wherever there is a full-service American Express office, you have check-cashing privileges. The amount of the check you may write varies, depending on the type of American Express card you have. Besides free check-cashing privileges, American Express offers other services to its card holders. They include:

A. Those needing cash may go to any ATM machine around the world exhibiting the American Express symbol, enter a PIN and automatically withdraw money from their bank account. This service is called Express Cash (800-227-4669).