If you change money at a bank, you pay commission and charges whether you do so in England or in Spain. You might not know it, as it's probably built into the rate you get, but it's a fact.
You will pay no more in charges/fees for currency exchange if you withdraw cash from a bank machine.
Your logic is very faulty here.
Fraud happens but the percentages, even in places like Russia, are quite low. You're certainly just as likely to get mugged or robbed.
As for the risk of losing your card, cards are replaceable. Most banks will send you out a new one overnight express.
If you lose cash, it's gone. Bye bye. So your logic escapes me here, especially since you admit you take a debit card as back-up.
If you'll note what I said above, I advise taking a debit card for primary spending and a credit card for back-up. (in reality, I usually take 6 cards
)
Sorry to harp on about this but it's just amazing to me how people insist on living in the past century, alongisde a general lack of knowledge about how the banking system works and a lack of personal finance discipline.
But hey, whatever works for you. We're just giving advice here. Most important is to enjoy your holiday.
. I will never use a debit or credit card to purchase an item abroad unless emergency requires me to
