Experienced European travelers, how does value for your money stack up now, in regard to flights, hotels, package offerings from travel companies........ in comparison to the last ten years or so??? Thanks a bunch!

Not well !
Airfares are high and the Euro/dollar exchange is not good.

Come on Bob! I have tix ORD-FCO - MXP-ORD Sep 18-Oct5 for $522r/t a 2bdrm apartment in Rome for $65/nt/couple a 4 bedroom villa for a week @$412.couple and 3 nights in the Cinque Terre @$60/night. Then take a look at the dollar tanking in Europe vs. what the market has done here and Life is Good.

Despite the exchange rate, which really doesn't eat THAT much into a budget unless you are talking about spending large sums of money, I'd say my trips to Europe these days cost about the same as they have over the last 10 years. I just came back from a 2-week trip to France. My airfare (USAir)was $390, including all taxes. In Provence, when I wasn't staying with friends, I stayed in places recommended in the MichelingRed Guide to the tune of 40-60€ a night and ate in restaurants for an average of 25€ a meal at dinner (also using the Michelin Red Guide). In Paris I paid 72€ a night for a hotel room. I mostly didn't eat breakfast at hotels and for lunch had light fare or picnics. Gas is expensive, but it always has been, and with diesel you can drive for days without refilling the tank. All in all, I don't feel I'm paying more for European trips these days than I have in past years.

StCirq........ is an American traveler warmly welcomed in France these days??? When my nephew was there last year, he did not get a warm and fuzzy feeling from a lot of people. Do hope that is changing now! Thank you for your information, everyone!

Sorry folks but facts are facts. I have priced out several trips for clients for summer and fall travel and it is clearly 20% higher than before. Of course you can shop well and travel cheaply, but that same hotel in Rome or Venice that was $170 is now $210. And, the airfares are not nearly as competitive--just read the trade press.

I wish I were as frugal as several other people who have replied. A few years ago, my trips to Italy were quite a bit less expensive. I live in Hawaii so airfare has gone up - in September I'll be paying $1,450 per ticket, coach. Also, the dollar buys a great deal less than it did before. When we still used Lira, it seemed so reasonable. Even the first year we used Euros wasn't so bad as I believe the Euro cost around $0.85 US. Now it is closer to $1.21.

So, am I going to Italy again this year? You bet. Amost everything, everywhere is more expensive every year so get over it. Unless you can travel back in time, travel to Europe this year. It could be even more expensive next year and you'll find some other reason not to go. When Lira were cheap, I bought lots of sterling silver, Frette linens and Tods shoes, none of which had much to do with a trip.

If you do some research and pay attention, it is possible to travel comfortably on a budget. Every penny you spend will reward you for years with great memories and wonderful experiences. Book your flight now. Have a terrific time !

Bonnie - Your nephew may not have gotten a "warm and fuzzy feeling" while in France last year simply because the French tend to be somewhat formal. This in no way means that American travelers are, or ever were, unwelcome.

I have always found, and continue to find, the French people with whom I interact to be extremely polite. They may not be perceived as "warm" to many Americans, but I think this is mostly a difference in cultural style.

The good news is that the exchange rate has deterred some people from traveling which has helped reduce some of the crowds.

As regards air:
Not considering the cities of London and Paris (which always seem to be on the cheap end for air fares), air to Europe of recent has not been that good in comparison to previous years -- While there were certainly some isolated sales and some good prices on connections from London and Dublin via Ryan Air and Easyjet, the prices for airfare in general were much higher than in previous years.
My guess would be that the previous posters that got good deals on air either lucked out or else did as many on this board do and track the fares on a regular (likely daily) basis for months in advance of their anticipated travel. They then know a good deal and act when they see it.
As regards hotels:
Have not noticed that significant an increase.
As regards packages:
Dont usually do (prefer independent travel), but find them to be tracking pretty close to previous years in price.

Bonnie: Most of the French people I interact with in shops, restaurants, hotels, etc., have no idea I'm American, as I grew up speaking French, so I'm not the best person to ask. Almost everyone I meet is polite and, while not "warm and fuzzy," helpful and cordial. I don't think the French are adept at being "warm and fuzzy," and in fact don't consider that an admirable trait.

I will say that one shopkeeper in the Drôme, when I mentioned I was American while he was fixing my camera, expressed the thought that it might be a difficult time for Americans to be traveling in France. The anti-Bush sentiment, he said, is so strong now, that it's difficult for some people (not him, he was quick to point out) not to take out their hostilities on American tourists. That said, I didn't notice any French people being hostile to Americans anywhere I traveled, and that included Paris, where I saw my share of Americans behaving in rather boorish fashion - launching into loud English without so much as a "Bonjour," for example, and trying to tip waiters in dollars. I think most French people are savvy enough to try, at least, to keep their feelings about American politics separate from their attitudes toward individual tourists.

>When my nephew was there last year, he did not get a warm and fuzzy feeling from a lot of people.<

Is there some reason why he should have?

Actually, what my nephew experienced was downright rudeness & a refusal to speak English when it was revealed that he was an American. My nephew speaks French very well, is a polite and kind person, and was surprised to find this reaction from people who knew nothing about him except that he was an American. Happily, this was not true for many French citizens that he met.

In my case, I would say I have done fairly well over the years. The most I have ever paid to fly to Europe from California(excluding Iceland) was $525 and that was on my first trip to Europe in 1995. I have always paid less ever since. In 1992 I was told it would cost $1200-$1400 to fly from California to Iceland. I just went 3 weeks ago for $850.

As for lodging I am paying roughly the same I was paying when I started traveling to Europe on a regular basis.

I could care less what the exchange rate is. It will never stop me from traveling to Europe or anywhere else in the world. You don't have spend a lot of money to have a great trip. Iceland is very expensive yet my B&B was $57 a night and my food costs were less than $10 a day. And after 9 years of traveling to Europe (ex Iceland) I am still wondering when I am going to pay more than my first airline ticket cost.

bonniebroad, I'm trying to figure out why, if this guy speaks great French, he should expect or even want people to speak English. If I were a Frenchman in France and found a visitor spoke my language fluently, why would I expect or want to speak his language?

Patrick, when I said my nephew spoke French very well, I meant *for an American college student who has studied it in school for several years.* Having said that, there were still times when he needed some assistance in some situations, and did not find some of the French population very forthcoming or gracious. Personally, I always try to be gracious to people visiting in my part of this world, whatever language we are speaking.

When they switched to the euro, we felt prices in restaurants went up quite a bit. Other than that, I don't feel it's particularly expensive to travel in Europe. We just paid slightly less for tickets from LAX to Nice than we paid for LAX to Paris in 1996. The price of hotels has remained fairly stable and is certainly much less expensive than something comparable in the US.

We both speak French pretty poorly and when we've been in Paris (including last November), the minute we speak in our halting French, we are answered in English. Neither of us likes it because we want to improve our French by using it, but it has always seemed to us that the French try very hard to make us comfortable and welcome.

When I discovered he spoke fluent English, I asked a waiter in the Loire many years ago why he hadn't used his English with us. He replied quite honestly, "because it's difficult." Yes, he studied English in school, but he wasn't comfortable. Therefore, he used the language he knew, his own. When I finally got to a place where I simply couldn't figure out the French for what I wanted, he spoke English. It makes perfect sense.

Honestly, how many French people come to America, go into McDonalds or Denny's and speak to the waitress in French and get an answer in their own language? It doesn't happen here. Why should it happen there? People are usually more comfortable in their own language.

That said, we have found many more French people who can and do speak English than we have found Americans who can and do speak any other language. We are not a good people to complain about other country's language deficiencies!

Some of you are making good points, but I think we may be misunderstanding each other just a little. It wasn't their (some of the French) not speaking English that my nephew felt was rude. It was their mannerisms and attitude toward him as an American that he felt was rude, whatever language they spoke to each other. But let me say again, this was not the case with many French citizens he met.... but he did feel *some* went out of their way to try to make him uncomfortable. But by no means am I trying to paint everyone with one brush!!!

I'm finding the discussion of trip costs very informative. Somehow I'd gotten the mistaken impression that Europe was cheaper to visit now than it had been for awhile but I am obviously mistaken. I appreciate the information you've all given me.

....."it was their mannerisms and attitude toward him as an American..."
Could you please explain to us just what those "mannerisms" and "attitude" were? And, by the way, what was HE doing and how was He acting?
There are two sides to every story and this is beginning to sound like one of those far right wing political hatchet jobs.

I feel the french don't want to be bothered with us. The people from the east coast especially don't want to be bothered either. I live in R.I. and there arn't to many people who would tell you the time of day. Life is fast pace here and people just go about their business. Maybe it is the same there? No? Yes?