Cash is king and travellers cheques are on the way out for Brits abroad, according to new research.

Research from Santander reveals over half (52%) of all Britons travelling abroad took cash as their primary payment method. Only one in 20 use traveller's cheques.

The bank found that almost half (47%) withdraw three-quarters of their weekly spending money abroad from an ATM.

But is walking around foreign countries with bundles of cash really a good idea?

Probably not. In many cases debit, credit and cash cards are an easy way to access your money when you're abroad.

Santander's Zero Current Account, which launched in January 2010, does not charge any fees for withdrawals and point of sale transactions world-wide. In addition, all Santander bank account customers get fee-free withdrawals from Santander ATMs in Spain.

Another option is Nationwide's FlexAccount which offers consistently good rates when used outside of the UK and has no charges for usage in the European Visa Region. Moneyupermarket says customers using the Nationwide card rather than the Current Plus account from NatWest, could save themselves £45.00 on fees when withdrawing £1,000 from ATMs outside the UK.

Vim Maru, director of retail products at Santander UK, says: "Some may find this research surprising - with so many Britons relying on cash when they are abroad - and the once ubiquitous traveller's cheque only as popular as the foreign currency account. The reliance on cash does raise some concerns however: one is it safe to carry large sums of money; and, two, is cash the cheapest way to pay for items whilst out of the UK?

"Britons do believe that credit and debit cards do not get great rates of exchange, but this is simply not the case - the exchange rate on cards tends to be very close to the daily wholesale rates."