In a panic!! My husband says that if the dollar declines further, NO LOnDON!!! The pound is worth a whopping 1.95 I cant get over it!!!
 

He said that if it reaches 2 dollars to the pound, we can't afford the trip. I am heart broken!!! What is going on with our almighty dollar? I try to tell him that we can cut corners and stay at a few lower end hotels but he is so obssessed with this decline. Does anyone think that it could actually drop further? Its unbelievable!!!

If dollar drops 2:1 make your own drop 1:2 - leave your husband at home! This will cut your expenses :)

From $1.95 to $2.00 per pound is approximately a 2.5% change. For a $5,000 trip, that's another $125. You going to let him hold you hostage for that?

BTW, it probably will drop further.

beachbum's point is well taken, but I don't want to get into family dynamics. Why not go somewhere else? London will always be there.

praline, have you seen the responses to your previous threads on this subject? Just click on your name.

FainaAgain, I don't think that approach will work because praline wants to take a family of four to London.

Well, my husband is paying for most of the trip so yes, he decides. I have a part time job and that . He is a kind man but very frugal. I am in tears at this moment that we wont be able to go. I guess I have to "suck it up" as my teenager says.

from your multiple posts on this subject, i can tell that this trip will not be pleasant. my advice is to not go to london. you and he are the only ones who know your finances and whether you can really afford it or not is not the point. what is clear is that he will be obsessed with what everything costs in $ terms during the whole trip.

no matter how you cut corners it won't help with this problem. so you eat hamburgers instead of real food...he order an £8 burger/fries. this cost him almost $16. He will not be happy with this and from your posts i think there is a good chance that it will be so pleasant as to ruin the trip for everyone.

Tell him to chill. I have experienced $ to £ rates of $1.45 / £1 all the way up to $2.47 / £1. I splurged at $1.45 and scrimped more at $2.47. But every trip has been very comfortable - never had to stay in a fleabag or eat dirt :-)

The exchange rate does not mean you have to cut back that much - remember almost all museums are free, public transport is still one of the best bargains anywhere (wait until you are in London to buy your transport passes because there are many more deals availble there)

Use the 1/2 price TKTS booth for your theatre tickets.

Sure the highest ranked restaurants will be REALLY expensive - but most pubs and ethnic restaurants are very good.

If you want a 4 or 5 star hotel use Priceline. Otherwise, I'd recommend renting a flat instead, Lots more space for less money and you have a full kitchen/washer/dryer. Not that you want to do kitchen drudgery on vacation - but having a kitchen means you can have wine and cheese in your flat before going to the theatre instead of paying a premium in a local wine bar.

There are MANY ways to economize w/o scrimping . . . . .

Willtravel, I have read all the wonderful suggestions made by fellow Fodorites and have presented them to my husband. He was very receptive to the ways in which we can economize. I think that it is just a psychological thing for him to have seen the dollar at 1.87 and now at 1.95 to the pound.
I dont think travelling without him is really an option but maybe he might let me do that. Thank you

Divorce the bum - he sounds like a cheap whimp (the worst kind)! Finish him off by going alone and running up some huge CC charges.

I agree postponement sounds best in this case. London will still be there in a few years. Maybe you can get a full-time job or another part-time job and save the difference and reconsider next year.

Oh, Degas, you must be trying to cheer my up with that funny remark. Thank you.
No it is for better or for worse and I guess Ill have to keep him. Maybe a postponement of the trip might be asolution. Thank you Willtravel. He hasnt cancelled yet but I just feel this great sense of disappointment. I love British History and literature. Well right if we don't go it wont be the end of the world. Its just that I had finally convinced him about two years ago to take the trip. Thanks folks.

This is getting very tiresome.

As someone who has travelled despite the Canadian dollar being low for several years, I have no sympathy to all these complaints. It is still cheaper for an American to go to London than it is for a Canadian.

That said, only your husband can say what the state of his finances are. If he feels he can't afford it, then you can't go. Simple as that. It's not the end of the world, and certainly doesn't warrant getting into a panic.

But Fodorites can't solve this for you, no matter how often you post on the subject.

My suggestion is to put the energy you're wasting on pining and posting for London into figuring out another destination that won't be such a financial hardship.

Like Canada, for instance!

If divorce is not an option, then clean out your a garage and sell all that ueless junk. Donate all those old clothes and books to charity for a tax write-off. Take some of your clothes to a consignment shop. Check for change in your couch and armchairs.

I'm not joking this time, it really adds up! We made a thousand bucks once on a garage sale. And its nice when you can actually park cats inside.

A friend of mine said when she felt down her mother said, "It isn't a testicle, breast, or lung! I guess when you look at it that way, you put things in perspective!

Let me see. If it remains at 1.95 he'll go, but not if it goes to 2.00 he won't. Let's see. For a week of $300 a day (a nice budget) that would cost an extra $ 15.00 a day and that's enough to keep him from going? And you stay married to this man? If he won't spend an extra $105 for a week, I can't imagine his ever taking you anywhere for a decent dinner or anything else. What am I missing here?

But will the cats share with the cars Degas? ;;)

praline, go some place else. It ain't worth the trouble. London will be there for a long time.

Yes, you are all correct and its not the end of the world. However, I am disappointed and there is no way around that. Will I get over it. Ofcourse but I have been looking forward to this trip for two years. So cut me some slack, please.