If you want to take cash:
Generally speaking, you can take up to $10,000 Euros into any EU country, and up to $10,000 USD into any Asian country without declaration. However when you exit the country, there may be additional restrictions on local currency. For example in Taiwan:
Taiwan Headlines
"The Foreign Exchange Control Act states that inbound and outbound passengers must declare sums of money in excess of NT$60,000, foreign currency in excess of US$10,000, or Chinese currency in excess of 20,000 yuan when entering or leaving Taiwan."
If you didn't declare and they find excess $, they'd confiscate it. In the article above, a guy brought $40 million yen with him and forgot to declare it, so they confiscated $38.8 million yen. He was not a happy camper.
When I travel to Asia, I usually bring USD in cash. I'd exchange $100 at the airport, and the rest at local money changers. If I need more $, I'd simply use my ATM or credit card at local ATM. This works in Taiwan, HK, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, China, etc.
However keep in mind that ATM access may be limited in certain areas. I was at Boracay in PH earlier this year and had to walk all the way to the D-Mall to use an ATM.
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