travelgourmet

<i>Most people agree that SE Asia is realtively inexpensive to travel to. I've been to Vietnam, and I'd agree. And, a number of those currencies are pegged to the dollar, but many aren't. Correct?</i>

But this is because you are falling into the trap of thinking that it is only fx rates making things expensive. Much of Europe would be expensive, even if the dollar rose back to the levels seen in 2001. Similarly, places like SE Asia are so cheap that even with a doubling in the value of their currency, things would still be relatively cheap. I just don't see the point in worrying about the dollar. Either the country is cheap or not, and a swing in the fx rate is not going to suddenly make one place cheap and another expensive.

WillTravel

For most people, the factor that makes a trip affordable or not is being employed at a sufficient salary (and/or having sufficient other sources of income). That's more significant than what the exchange rate is.

kerouac

I use euros in Southeast Asia -- they go a lot farther than dollars.

The Saudi riyal has been pegged at 3.75 to the dollar for almost 30 years. Oh, too bad, they don't like to give tourist visas....

Clifton

Yep, Ecuador and Cambodia both use USD. No exchange needed. Cambodia does have a currency called riel, but for all purposes, uses it for loose change under a dollar. ATMs, few that there are, dispense USD.

We're prepping for Nicaragua and finding that most everything of any significant cost seems to be already priced in USD as well although they have cordobas as the local currency.

travelgourmet

<i>Cambodia does have a currency called riel, but for all purposes, uses it for loose change under a dollar.</i>

Even the beggars look disappointed if you give them the local currency in Cambodia.

Clifton

True. And most of the time it's hard to tell if it used to look like something other than plain grey paper.