Travellers going to any of the 12 countries adopting the euro from next year are being urged to get rid of as much spare foreign currency as possible.

Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain will all use euro coins and notes from January 1. However, the 12 countries all have different policies on how long the old currencies will remain legal tender.

'It is very confusing. The most common date for the currencies no longer being accepted in shops is the end of February, but the Netherlands, for instance, will only accept the old currency until the end of January,' said a Thomas Cook spokeswoman.

The national banks in each country will continue to exchange the old curren cies into euros until at least 2004, but not all bureaux de change will offer this service and those that do will charge an average handling fee of six per cent.

A leaflet with details of currency expiry dates is available in Thomas Cook branches nationwide. The travel agency is collecting unwanted currency for Children in Need until November, and British Airways is donating the money to the Unicef Change for Good appeal. You can visit a BA Travel Shop or telephone Unicef on 0870 606 3377.