Agreed on all counts, and I think I'm not articulating well
I posted earlier about carrying a credit card on overseas travel as an emergency fund to be backed up with cash from my emergency fund in my bank at home. That's what I meant by being irritated when a balance was cut pre-vacation...would mean I'd have to either carry more cash (which can be stolen) or deal with issues accessing my bank overseas. I should have quoted my previous post, because this was a continuation of that thought
I carry cash and, often, pre-paid no fee gift cards (Amex is great for this) pre-printed with my name that offer lost/stolen protection when I travel, with enough for a bit beyond anticipated expenses. Were an emergency to come up that cost beyond what I'd planned, I'd use a credit card to pay for it, then pay off from my funds at home when I got back.
I'm only saying that being irritated that your balance is lower pre-vacation does not necessarily mean that you're planning on paying interest on that balance when you get home - credit cards have advantages over debit cards (particularly in terms of travel, when a hotel or restaurant or car rental company will put through hold charges that can cause problems because the money has to be removed and then refunded from a debit account...and I've had that process fall apart more than once, meaning I had to go track down where my money went). Depending on your individual cards, too, there are other benefits to purchasing with credit and paying it off...one of my cards has automatic trip insurance for travel, and another includes basic insurance for rental cars, meaning if I cancel a trip or am in an accident in a rental car, I'm covered if I booked using the appropriate credit card (but not if I used a debit card). Regardless, you pay it off when you get home, or interest makes things a LOT more expensive than they need to be!