I'll grab a couple $100 equivalent before I go (at my bank if I have time, more often at the airport), and hang on to that for emergencies. Then use the ATM to pull cash to live on once I'm there. Would hate to arrive and find out none of my cards work for some reason.

I'll use CC's only for hotels, rental cars, and trains. Otherwise too much risk of your account getting skimmed and shut off.