I so agree! It's so easy to put the entire blame on one person. Do you really think that our President can control everything? There are so many factors that determine everything from gas prices to the value of the U.S. Dollar.

Look, I saw that moron say at a Press Conference a week or two ago that he's in favor of a strong dollar but there was no follow up (coming from the same lips who claimed he had not heard that projections for gasoline were it would soon be $4/gallon)...

Without being political, just economics, how do you fund a war economy and then lower taxes on the rich???? Doesn't make sense to me and obviously contributing to the deficit or am I missing something there?

Is it solely his fault...of course not but you have to admit his incompetence and lack of economic knowledge other than what he's fed by his Haliburton friends is playing a role in the destruction of the US economy. What we can argue about is to what degree.

I'm a big contributer too in a zillion ways! Whenever I'm buying a pint of milk, train ticket, whatever. And nobody asked me to help finance the wars and killings of this moron. (that's infact the correct word). And he can keep the inflation he generates and exports to himself too.

I disagree. The president and his administration has a lot to do with our failing economy. That moron's war in Iraq has caused us to go ONE TRILLION DOLLARS MORE (at least) into debt to Asia. Plus every other bone head and illegal thing he has done in the last 7 years to wreck our economy.

Only impeachment followed by the extradtion to The Hague would restore my belief in the american democracy.

"$200 US will last me a lot further in the States than $200 Canadian in Canada."

ever visited New York or San Francisco ????

Relax Logos...

In only 317 this dark era of American history will be behind us....

Totally agree about the moron and his asinine policies but given that there is nothing that will change by this summer when I want to go to Europe I decided to look at some actual numbers, to see how bad it really is.

I looked at what I've spent, on average, in Euros, the last few years. Then I projected for the trip I want to take this year. The hotels I'm looking at are about 10% more than previous trips, don't know if that's inflation or just the areas I'm going to. But anyway, doing that I figure my costs this year (assuming 1.55 exchange rate) will be about $500 more than last summer when the exchange rate was 1.33. And really, people were not all screaming about that rate. And airfare is going to be about $200 more than the last few years. And that isn't the fault of the exchange rate. All in all - about $700 more.

So what is $700 - about $2 a day. So for the next year I could not buy coffee out (except that I already don't do that, but you get my drift). There are plenty of ways to save that difference that the falling dollar will cost us. It's a lot harder for those of us who were already budget travelers, but it seems that anyone who says they aren't going to Europe JUST because the exchange rate really sucks this year, probably doesn't value their European experiences all that much.

And another thought - those who say they'll travel in the US instead, have you projected costs for that trip? With $4/gal gas any driving trips will be plenty expensive. Airfare is going up domestically as well as transatlantic.

And many areas in the US have hotel prices far more expensive (for the same quality) as European hotel prices. Obviously NY and Boston and San Francisco are very expensive, but look at prices in places like Charleston SC or Portland Maine - if you want to stay in the historic centers, they are pretty damn high too. I have to question if trips to those places are "worth" it.

People are complaining about a McDonalds meal in Europe cost $10. Well here it's $7 and it's not worth $7 or 10. Just as easy in Europe to buy some fresh bread and fruit and cheese. I know you can do that here too, but it just isn't the same.

And then there are admissions - anyone been to MOMA in NY lately? $20 a ticket. The poster who complained that the Uffizi is now $20, are you saying it's not as good as the museum of modern art in NY?

The Uffizzi is wonderful and well worth it but there are many museums here and at $20 (10 Euro admission and 3 euro reservation) a shot you cant see them all. On Friday nights you can get into MOMA free. To eat in MOMA you have your choice of restaurants at different price points. All the other NYC museums have suggested contributions.

NExt time I will try eastern europe or parts of the US and use priceline.

yeadonite--We visited Italy in Jan. and i agree with you about admission prices to museums. I was castigated here by a number of people when I commented on this and what the poor exchange rate does to entrance fees. The issue is not that the cultural experience is not valuable, it is just that when one keeps putting out several admission fees a day, day after day after day, the costs do add up.

I've been traveling overseas every year for almost 20 years, neglecting my home to do so. This year I bought all new appliances instead (they served me well for 18 years). I'm glad I had the chance to travel, and have no plans to do so until the dollar gains some strength. As time goes by, I want more to stay in nice places, take taxis, and enjoy restaurants. As for shopping, I only shopped in Hong Kong and Thailand; in Europe, it was mostly kitchen magnets. The idea of vacation, for me, is not to scrimp -- been there, done that.

Most of the time I've used frequent flyer tickets. If enough people stop traveling to Europe because of the declining dollar, perhaps there will be more FF seat available.

In 2000 Bill Clinton pushed through Congress legislation to normalize trade relations with China and have them join the WTO. This he signed into law in Oct 2000. China joined the WTO on Oct 11, 2001. Please follow the dollar value against the Euro since that date. http://bigpicture.typepad.com/photos...o_v_dollar.png.
http://www.econbrowser.com/archives/...ur_18sep07.png
And not solely pointing blame at Clinton, the Republican Congress and many business leaders approved of this.

The price of the Euro has risen above my means, so we are traveling in the the U.S. now. I haven't been to Philadelphia for over 20 years, but my friend and I attended the Philadelphia Flower Show this week and had a great time in Phillie. The historical sites, the neighborhoods and the restaurants were great! Maybe the rise in the Euro is a blessing in disguise --- we can get to know more of the U.S.!

julies - Thanks so much for sticking up for me, you put my thoughts into words. Other countries have certain nights or days free. I have not seen that here. Have these people been here in the last 6 months? I have been travelling to Europe since the early 1980's and I dont remember it being this bad. I have more money than before but feel very poor here. It is not only the exchange rate but also the cost of goods. At 1 Euro to 1 dollar it would still be a little pricey but at this rate it is really high!! FYI -I also live in NYC.

Guess it is a question of value for money, a subjective calculation at best. Several years ago we started a tradition of taking each niece to Paris as she finished high school. The last trip was two years ago when the exchange rate was not as horrid as it is currently. Have to admit that I am grinding my jaw as I wait for fares to come down a bit (and beginning to doubt they will) and looking more carefully at posts about good but economical restaurants, but this niece in particular has been looking forward o the trip for years so no way will we redirect to an alternate, cheaper destination.
We go the apartment route, not only because it is less costly than hotel rooms but also because it is a more comfortable arrangement. It offers economies beyond housing cost - for example, being able to stock the refrigerator with drinks and snacks from the grocery store versus buying at concession stands, or having some meals in rather than at a resto.
Some things we choose despite cheaper options - for example, getting to the airport via public transport is a bit cheaper (for multiple passengers) than a taxi but it is worth paying the higher fare for the door to door convenience. If funds were that tight we could do public transport, but it's a personal decision. Same thing attraction admissions - since this is intended to be a trip that opens the eyes of the next generation to the joy of travel I can't see allowing the difference of a few dollars to diminish the experience. Not being a Rockefeller, unfortunately, there are some things that do get culled, most often shopping for anything other than simple souvenirs. Allowing one self indulgent purchase (niece #1 still wears her high fashion Paris shoes, even shares them with her sister) both teaches about making such choices and creates a nice trip memento.

P.S. LOL about the earlier post re: having coffee at home and using the savings to fund travel. Net savings was one of my justifications for buying a high-end machine. Let's see, if I have 2 or 3 per day, at a savings of at least $3 each, over a year I should recoup a nice portion of the trip cost. Off to make another cappuccino!

Jon Stewart showed a tape of THE MORON in one of the 2000 debates with Gore, in which he decried the Clinton Administration’s lack of a coherent energy policy. Oil was then at $31 a barrel. It’s now over $100 a barrel.

The recession we’re now in is the capstone to Bush’s systematic attempt to destroy any vestige of the American Dream.

He is an American Nightmare that I hope one day to awaken from.

"In 2000 Bill Clinton pushed through Congress legislation to normalize trade relations with China and have them join the WTO. This he signed into law in Oct 2000. China joined the WTO on Oct 11, 2001. Please follow the dollar value against the Euro since that date"

Clinton didn't "have China join the WTO" China was allowed into the WTO once all the other members - including the world's serious international trader, the European Union - agreed.

The US and EU imposed the same conditions on China. The US - as always, the most hostile rich country of all to free trade - has invoked those conditions far more often than Europe.

The Euro has risen <b> while Europe shows far greater openness to foreign trade than the US</b> Our governments don't tell European women how many Chinese bras they can buy, to protect non-existent bra factories. Our governments don't stop lower-paid foreign truck drivers from transporting their countries' products into our countries.

Why are so many Ameriocans so ignorant of the outside world they can't get it into their narrow-minded skulls <b> We all buy goods from China </b>

THe rest of us, though, don't need to devalue our currencies to welch on the debts we owe China as a result.

actually flanneruk...your hatred of the USA comes through even when you're not completely correct...actually the only currency against which the US$ has not lost much ground in the last month or two is.....the pound so I guess the pound has the same afflictions as the dollar or perhaps the British people have the same outlook as the Americans.....

Some objectivity please and we can have a dialogue......

I should have separated my statement into two parts. The legislation Clinton pushed to normalize trade relations with China and the effort by Clinton to have China join the WTO. The statement &quot;while Europe shows far greater openness to foreign trade than the US&quot; is so full of emotion and so lacking in reality it's sad. This is my last statement I'll make on the subject as the Fodor's FAQ asks us not to carry on political discussions. And I apologize to all Fodorites for my abuse of this forum. I was trying to present facts not politics.