touché, Paddy ;)

But I really thought that for the Vatican, any currency is good enough if a bank gets it !

Pergon, look at cabins in Tulum, they're loaded with charm, and not too expensive. The food is cheap too.

There is NO WAY I'm traveling to Europe until the dollar gets stronger, the world won't end if I put off European travel for a few years, there are still a lot of places left to see in the world.

We just came back from Costa Rica, it was fantastic, flights were $249 roundtrip, lodging wasn't cheap but we stayed at very high-end places at half of what you'd pay in Hawaii. Food was cheap...I'm patient, I can wait.

I've got library books out on Peru, China and India. Am also considering Colonial Mexico.

I think Europe is out for us too, although I do have books on Bulgaria because on-line I found some fascinating looking bicycle tours there, and the price was really good--about E420 per person per week, all inclusive.

We were lucky enough to have traveled to Italy in Jan., but the exhange rate then really hurt. I posted when I got back that I'd reached my limit.

Pegontheroad, I'm not sure if this suits you, but GAP Adventures looks like a much more low-cost way to explore Mexico (and much of the rest of the world) than many tours. As I posted above, it's quite possible to do Mexico City cheaply and easily on your own.

Guatemala is wonderful - the colonial cities of Mexico such as Morelia , Guanajuato, Oaxaca are delightful. And easy to do on your own. Unfortunately it seems anywhere nice now is expensive to visit. I'm comitted to Itlay and Greece this yeat but next year - who knows.

Well I and other family members are not going to Italy this year either. We should start a club travelme. I can't make plans right now but I have some ideas in my head for travel within the US. And since my daughter and son-in-law have a very good friend that lives here parttime and somewhere in Mexico the rest of the time it sounds like their next trip will be to his area of Mexico which would be a lot of fun for them.

I love going to Italy but like other decisions in life there is a limit as to how much I will spend. A Fodorite who is a friend is going to Hawaii, their first visit, this year instead of the annual trip to Europe.

Wishing everyone a fun trip whereever they decided to visit. We certainly have many beautiful areas in the US. And keeping our money at home would help our economy too.

If anything else, remember NY State Lotto's motto: "A dollar and a dream"

MC, you should change it to "A dollar is becoming a dream" :(

And with these gas prices very soon we'll start cutting on air and auto trips :(

The currency of Montenegro is the EURO, however, they are not an EU member.

Yes, and they have no agreement with the EU so they can't make coins themselves. This is a interesting article I've found :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurozone

I'm with Suze on this one. For us its not just the weak dollar. It's the weak dollar plus the much higher airfare. With prices to Europe at over $700 during off season, that's more than we've ever spent on flights to Europe and we've taken over ten trips within the last 5 years. Add that to expensive hotel prices (and yes, we usually book apartments) and food costs, etc, and it all adds up to a pretty expensive trip.

We are going to Germany next month, only because we used FF miles, but we too started looking elsewhere. We are headed to Costa Rica in August (airfare at under $225, shorter flight and much cheaper) and have been considering colonial Mexico, Peru, Guatemala and other parts of central/south America for future trips, as well as Asian destinations such as Cambodia, Thailand and Bali. I love Europe just as much as everyone on this board, but with the airfare and weak dollar its just harder and harder to justify spending the money.

Tracy

Pegontheroad, check out Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It's on the Pacific Coast, is at heart still a fishing village and is wonderful. It's also a big bargain. You won't need a travel agent. Allie

Hi CW,

>Do they take it in Greenland and is that a country?

Greenland is part of the "United Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Isles". They use the Dkk.

((I))

I was always a budget Europe traveler, so countries like England and the Scandinavian countries were out of the question. I used all the "Euro beating" techniques before. Now I don't know what's left to try.

I don't know when, if ever, I will be able to go again. The dollar is sinking much, much faster than I can save. Weak dollar, high airfares, plus having been squeezed dry by inflation in the US = my vacation this year will be camping in a tent somewhere near to home.

Good thing I live in a place where there are lots of great options. Just wish I could afford to go somewhere new for different experiences..:-(

Dayle--

Your first paragraph describes our travel style exactly. We too in the past automatically eliminated England and Scandinavia just because of the costs.

We have an advantage over experienced European travelers. June will be our first time to Europe and $1.55 Euros are all we know. I bet those of you that have been when the Dollar bought 1.20 Euros, are remembering the good old days....

I'm from Canada. I don't think we ever had good old days:)

Luther_Brenda--our first trip to Europe after the Euro came in to being, one Euro cost 92 cents.

We are about to leave on our third trip to Italy. For the first one (Feb. 04) the exchange rate was around $1.28. The rate dipped to $1.18 the second time (November-December 05). Now we are looking at something over $1.50.

I looked at what we spent on our previous trips. Our first trip was booked through Expedia. Friends of ours were also going to Rome, and they suggested Expedia. We were visiting our daughter who was studying in Rome, and our travel planning time was spent in helping her get ready. As a result, booking through Expedia was convenient but costly (i.e. $4,000 for a 9 day stay). The exchange rate was $1.28

Our second trip (Florence) cost around $4,400 for an 11 day stay). The exchange rate at that time was $1.18. For this trip, we booked everything directly through airline/hotels (3 star).

On Sunday 3/9 we will leave for a 9 day stay. I estimate that the total cost of this trip will be under $4,000 even with the unfavorable exchange rate. We are staying in B&Bs this time, and will not have as many admission fees this time, since we have seen many attractions already.

I'd say don't give up - be creative and patient and think of ways you can make a trip work. Maybe there's a way to earn some extra money, maybe there's a cheaper destination, maybe you will find a great airfare, maybe you can do a volunteer working trip, etc., etc. I don't want to be all pollyanna, but often there are solutions, just not immediately apparent.

WillTravel,

I am to the point now where I think the only way I'll be able to travel anywhere, even in the US, is to do a home exchange. I've been looking into that and will soon list my home in Park City. Fortunately, it's a popular place for many reasons and various seasons!

Any takers?

Jake1-- $0.92 per Euro (or even a little less) sounds like what we encountered in Paris is 1999, during the transition period from Francs to Euros. Now the conversion costs about 2/3 more. Oh well, we will be there for the month of May and just live with it.

"I'm from Canada. I don't think we ever had good old days "
"
Agree.

We have been traveling to Europe for years ( often more than once a year) and visiting US when Canadian dollar was almost 40 % lower.

Friends and neighbors , don't panic !
You will get used to it.

Hi all,

I'm trying to put together a budget-conscious trip to Europe for this Fall and face the same quandry as everyone else! Unlike many of you, I have not been a frequent traveler to Europe. This will only be my 3rd time over there and it's been a decade since my last visit. I'm very eager to go, but concerned about keeping costs down.

I'm thinking of Portugal and it <i>looks</i> like I can make that a do-able option for this year. I've gotten some terrific suggestions from the helpful folks here.

Several posters make a great point about other areas of the world that are worthy of exploration, and not horrendously expensive. I've visited Costa Rica the past 2 years in a row and loved it so much that I almost didn't want to consider Europe instead of a 3rd trip to CR! I agree that Alaska is an amazing destination and have also greatly enjoyed trips to Quebec and Nova Scotia in recent years. None of these have broken the bank although the US dollar won't really help you out in Canada these days!

Dayle, I've read some of your helpful advice regarding the National Parks of Utah (I grew up in Bountiful, BTW although I now reside in Florida...). Seems like you might enjoy Central America.

I love Canada and I love Canadians but I do have to remind them about their tax situation when they remind everyone that they have had it bad for years. Yes, the exchange has not been great I do admit but consider what they pay in sales tax in their own country. Most Canadians pay 15-17% tax on sale items and at restaurants. Its a killer and what makes it worse is that they are taxed on the tax. Its called a &quot;harmonized &quot; tax. You pay the provincial first and then you are taxed again for the federal tax. So you are paying a percentage on a tax that you already payed. Its terrible. I live in Massachusets and my sales tax is only 5%. Big difference. So point being when the Canadians travel that should bare in mind that they wont be paying sales tax or tip if in Europe. Thats 30%.

But there is a VAT added in Europe, which is higher than our sales taxes,so....I think I'm missing your point?

In Europe, the VAT is generally hidden and invisible. In Canada, it's quite visible. But it's a good point to compare after-tax prices across the board.

I read a study somewher that Canadians have 20% less purchasing power than Americans. So we start from behind before even leaving the wintery north!

Here in Arkansas our sales tax is 9.25%

I found that eating out in Spain while I was there 2 weeks ago was less expensive than eating out in Quebec or the Maritimes. The hotels were about the same if not less than in Spain than in those mentioned places in Canada. So, in some ways, Spain and most likely Portugal would be a reasonable destination for Canadians. Not so much for Americans anymore.

Of course, a trip to Spain will almost certainly be cheaper than a trip to NYC, even with the exchange rate, and regardless of whether you are European, Canadian, or American.

It's actually not unfortunate to have to look elsewhere...it's an adventure! Peru is my favorite place on earth, and you can still get about pretty cheaply; I loved Vietnam; I'm planning for India and some $17 a night hotels.

But, if you're still into Europe, do look into www.untours.com ; if you have a little group going, it's quite reasonable and you can &quot;live&quot; in the villages pretty cheaply. Also, Poland and Lithuania are a great combination that won't stretch your budget horribly; try a cheap flight out of London (and maybe a night in a London Priceline hotel.)

I'm a budget-ish kind of traveler, and Europe is getting pricey for me, but there are some ways to get 'round the worst of it through judicious choice of location and such.

travelme,

First of all, PST differs in different Canadian provinces Federal tax GST is now 5%.
Alberta ( one of our provinces) has no PST so the total tax there is 5%.

What does paying taxse have to do with travel anyway?.

$200 US will last me a lot further in the States than $200 Canadian in Canada. Its an expensive place and the taxes have everything to do with it. Ive never thought Canada was a bagain even when the exchange rate was better.

It all depends where you go. For example, Victoria, BC in the winter has very cheap hotel rates (although it's obviously not the best time to visit), so your dollar will go further there than in San Francisco, for example.

A trip to Argentina offer many exciting places,
Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan, European styled city, with great restaurants , hotels, boutique hotels, b&amp;b et, tango lessons, tango dances, cafes, theaters, opera, good and many sports spectacules from football to polo,
etc and many fascinating other destinations like Bariloche , lakes and mountains, ski in their winter, something like Switzerland, the wine country in Mendoza great wines, good food, adventure tourism, Salta a fascinating destination with some old buildings from the XVI century and much more, the South with the glaciers, and last but not least the fantastic Iguazu Falls. Horse riding, estancia where you can stay, colonial buildings, near by beaches in Uruguay, etc etc. And one dollar is worth 3.15 pesos. Good rate.

Hi Graziella. Yes, Argentina is fantastic and the food is sooooo good. My partner and I were in Spain just a few weeks ago and what type of cuisine did we end up eating a lot? You guessed it, Argentine. Of course we had paella, tortilla, great embutidos and me, tons of fish. But he is allergic to fish so we opted for parrilladas. We went to a great Argentinian restaurant in Malaga and another in Madrid. We also had a good dinner at a Uruguayan restaurant near the Plaza Mayor called Colonia de Sacromonte.
I really love Argentina and I would like to see more of Ururuay. Its too bad that the airfare is pricey. I live in Boston so we pay from $900 +.
I have enjoyed your posts on Argentina and Uruguay. You give a lot of good info. Gracias.

As someone in Italy now, I can tell you I do not plan on coming back until the Dollar is stronger. I enjoy the shopping and it is impossible to do that now. You can only cut so many corners. I use Mcdonalds as a guide to how expensive things are. Here a meal is over $10. There are only so many corners you can cut. The Uffizzi was 13 Euro - almost $20. For a country with lots of museums it si hard to cut corners.

Here's what a lot of people don't get....yes the US$ will eventually recover (a good start will be when a certain moron leaves the White House)...but in the interim as the US currency rises, inevitable inflation will occur in euroland and most likely, prices in euro will go up....which means guess what, you'll pay the same thing anyway.

To me, no offense meant to anybody, the easiest place to cut back is on shopping. My shopping when on holiday generally are fridge magnets, key chains or whatever as small gifts. There is almost nothing I have ever seen on holiday that I can't get for nearly the same price at home...I travel to see how people live, to see the historical sights and whatever.

As I said, the way I've been able to fight this is to slightly downgrade the level of my hotels, perhaps staying a bit away from the city center and using public transportation, a snack or sandwich for lunch, cheaper wine...unfortunately it isn't going to get much cheaper.

We have a trip planned for early May to visit our daughter studying abroad in Germany. Because we're visiting her, I am sure we will not consider cancelling. But if we weren't, who knows?

Luckily, we are flying with miles. I am trying to tell myself that if I budget properly for apartments/rooms then we'll be okay. Our first three nights are an apartment in Cochem and the rate (for 3 of us) is &euro;42 per night. Even at an exchange rate of 1.75, that's only $74 per night.

I know they won't all be that inexpensive, but I'm working on it. Our issue seems to be food, as dear Mr. Fan is fond of eating in restaurants and being waited on.

I will say, though, that our trip last year was 9 days in Italy and the last 2 days were in Germany to visit family. The food costs were staggeringly different. What fed 3 of us in Venice fed 7 people in rural Germany. So there are parts of Europe that are less expensive.

That said, I doubt seriously I'll be looking at Europe next year.

H

I apologize in advance for the following boring posting. I have to laugh when someone blames the weak dollar solely on a President. Have a basic understanding of simple economic factors. The trade deficit is about 5 percent of our GDP. That high and you run the risk of foreign investors losing confidence and retreating from the dollar, the exchange rate falls, interest rates rise, and all that causes a major recession in the United States. Right now our imports from China outweigh our exports to China by more than five to one.
If you reach a point where it becomes a problem, there is an built in adjustment mechanism, which is that the dollar will fall in value, making our goods cheaper for other countries and the import/export ratio should improve and reach a balance and the dollar regains strength. Also by buying all those Chinese products you are sending hard cash to China, helping build up their economy so then in turn their demand for oil goes up, causing the price of gas to rise at your local gas station. I said all that to say this: Stop buying Chinese products or stop complaining about the dollar's weakness and the high cost of fuel. You can control some things.