I don't think that Travellers Cheques will be a great help.
My bank in Switzerland does not offer Travellers Cheques anymore (noone uses them anymore), so it might actually be even harder to find a place where you can cash them in than it is to find a "money machines".

I'd rather have some cash on me, and as long as you don't wave it around, nobody will know. Oh, and I travelled by bus, train... stayed in Youth Hostels and worse, and I never had a problem.