Stupid Dollar.
Posted on November 30, 2007 7 Comments
I saw an article in Time today that reminded me of something I overheard on our way to Ireland. A young woman returning home to Ireland was advising American tourists not to buy gifts and souvenirs overseas. She said with the exchange rate so bad for the dollar (and so good for the Euro), she was doing all her shopping in the US as she visited with in-laws. She came to the States with her bags half-full, loaded up on merchandise at the Mall of America (in Minnesota), and returned home with loads of new clothes for the season.
When we got to Ireland, of course, we discovered that what she said was true. With the exchange rate currently at $1.47 per 1 Euro, buying anything overseas is expensive. My brother just returned from Europe and complained about the same thing.
Now, Time has chronicled the phenomenon. You can read about it here.
But don’t let the high Euro exchange rates stop you from traveling and experiencing the world! According to the LA Times, there are still plenty of places where the exchange rate is good and the cost of living is lower, which combine to equal bargains for Americans. For the most part, you’ll still find good travel options in Central and South America. (And the more I read and learn about those places, the more I want to visit them!)
For instance, the other day I was on Apple Vacations’ Web site and I noticed a January five-day trip to Punta Cana for about $750 per person, including flight and hotel. A similar trip to Puerto Vallarta was going for about $700. The hotels were beautiful, the trip was over a weekend and the airline was United. You’d pay that for airfare to Europe alone, even during low season!
Of course, there are also plenty of places to visit in the US – though most will be chilly for the next few months.
Hmmm… those vacations South of the border are sounding pretty good right now!
Category: Uncategorized
Comments
7 Responses to “Stupid Dollar.”
Leave a Reply
December 1st, 2007 @ 12:41 am
I did a 15-day tour to China last year for about $2,700.
That included round-trip airfare from Chicago, 4 or 5 star accommodations in every city, all flights/tour guides/admissions/buses/boats within China, and most meals.
This year I went to Europe.
It was half as long, I barely ate any meals, I stayed with a friend and in a hostel. All for the price of $2,000.
Both trips were amazing, but China is definitely the better deal right now.
December 1st, 2007 @ 7:18 am
$1.60 for 1 Euro? I think you went to a bad currency shop! The Euro only recently touched $1.50, and the currency shops don’t usually jack rates up that much. From an ATM would have been the best rate, of course.
And I recently booked a flight to Switzerland over Christmas for only $550! But you’re right, it’s usually hard to find airfares to Europe for less than a whole vacation in Mexico.
December 1st, 2007 @ 8:23 am
The dollar is totally sucking right now. It’s nice to know that there are still affordable places to travel outside of the US, but I wish the dollar would pick up again so traveling to Europe might be fun instead of painful.
December 2nd, 2007 @ 12:16 am
Oh, when I went it was actually $1.40. My bro told me it was $1.60 in Italy, but maybe he was wrong. I’ll check the exchange rate and fix it. Thanks!
December 3rd, 2007 @ 7:01 pm
My friends and I just went to Costa Rica for a week-long trip… we stayed in amazing hotels (that would cost over 300/night here in the States), did adventurous stuff like white-water rafting and horseback riding, and ate and drank to our hearts’ content… total cost of the trip per person? 1000. Including airfare. Central America is definitely the way to go!!
December 5th, 2007 @ 5:08 am
Katie, don’t kid yourself. You weren’t staying at 4 or 5 star hotels at that rate in China. I go to China constantly for business and know it well, in fact I’m in China now and for the next two weeks. I’m aware that your tour operator probably told you they were 4 or 5 star hotels but they weren’t. We do stay in the 5 star hotels and even with our corporate discounted rates (which are very discounted compared to the other rates since I work for a large international bank) it costs at minimum $300 a night at the good hotels, and usually more. Then when you factor in the taxes and incidentals it’s at minimum $400 a night.
The term 5-star hotel is thrown around a lot when it shouldn’t be. I’ve seen hotels that are equivalent to the Ramada being called 5-star hotels. The 5-star hotels in places like Beijing, Shanghai, etc. are St. Regis, Four Seasons, etc.
January 7th, 2008 @ 9:55 am
Costa Rica is a country with a extremely sense of freedom. The landscapes are for much the most green in whole center america.The chances of investement are way to high, the average of Americans, European and people of the entire planet who is buying here is up in the sky !!!
Great investment opportunity in Costa Rica: condos, costa rica real estate, costa rica property. Visit us for more info at: http://www.jaco-bay.com/