If you live in Ireland, but either spend a lot of time travelling for business to Australia, or are planning to emigrate there, then money will be one of the things that you wish to think a little more about. With fluctuating currency rates, it is possible for transactions to be out by quite some amount just by the smallest percentage point change.

It may be worthwhile using a site like Australian Dollars Today, where it is not only possible to get up to date exchange rates, but to even hold money in several different currencies at a time. This is particularly useful if you trade and travel a lot, but could also make sense if you are planning to move to the land down under.

By keeping several currencies, you will protect yourself against volatility in the market, and given Ireland's unsettled economy at the moment, this might not be a bad idea!

This way, as you travel or do business, you would not need to keep a close eye on exchange rates, as you would already have a sum of the Australian currency put to one side.

Of course, it is very easy to get money out of an ATM machine in Australia, which would come out of your normal Irish bank account. This is fine for those smaller transactions, but if you envisage spending over 5000 Australian dollars, then it might not be the best option.