Today the us dollar reached a two year low against the Euro. Hopefully this will change for Americans visiting France.<BR>Tim

Today the Euro reached a two year high against the U.S. dollar. Hopefully this won't change for French people visiting the United States.

Exactly, Pierre!<BR><BR>I am tired of whiney Americans and their moaning about the exchange rate. They don't know how good they have it. Try travelling to Europe on Canadian, Australian, or New Zealand dollars.<BR>

<BR>Merci.

I'M tired of Americans who whine about the exchange rate, and I'm tired of whiny Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, etc. etc. carrying on about how good Americans have it. Blah, blah, blah.........<BR><BR>Either grin and bear it or stay home. To Americans, if the 4% decrease in Dollar vs. Euro makes that much difference, you probably can't afford to go anywhere in the first place and should stay home.<BR><BR>To all non-US countries with weak currencies - my apologies, but that's not our problem. Get over it.

Has anyone priced a hotel in Paris lately? They certainly aren't going down in price now that the Euro and dollar are nearly equal. And, I'm not whinning and I won't stay home but I have every right to wish the dollar was stronger!

Yes you do Sandy. And I have every right to wish the euro keeps getting stronger. <BR><BR>So you wish for what you want and I will wish for what I want. One of us is sure to get our wish and be happy.

If the French people don't appreciate American tourism then we should spend our US dollars in other countries.<BR>Eddie

EDDIE! Currency exchange rates have nothing to do with "appreciating" tourism. The other side of the coin (pun intended) is that many people in France have been earning less for the last few years from being on the shorter end of the rate.

I don't understand how the French earned less when the euro was weaker against the dollar. Are you esrnsing less now than you did when the dollar was stronger? <BR><BR>We got more French francs per dollar when we exchanged last year than we do right now, but the prices I paid in 2001 were all quoted in French francs, with euro equivalents for reference. Prices on that scale of value are about the same. If anything, the typical American tourist last year spent his a relatively fixed amount of her dollars which were converted into more francs. This year, the dollar converts to fewer euros, and tourists will probably spend relatively less, and the tourist related businesses will feel it in the cash register.<BR><BR>If the exchange rate continues to change against the dollar, my bet is that American tourists will seek cheaper options or stay home or both. I have no crystal ball, but with negative balance of trade that the US runs, I expect the dollar will decline even more in the next few months. The balance of trade hit a record high negative amount in figures announced this month. To offset a negative trade balance, foreign capital must flow into the United States. Right now, the American stock market and the bond market are not attracting much foreign capital. In fact, it is going the other way as investors sell stock and pull out. <BR><BR>I will make a prediction, and lets see how it holds up: One euro will cost at least $1.05 US before the end of September. (bank wholesale rate)<BR><BR>

We appreciate American tourism, ed, but we also appreciate having the euro worth more when we visit the United States.<BR><BR>Do you appreciate European tourism in the United States, ed?

Pierre: In a word, touch&eacute; !

Pierre, Where do you live? Are you in France now? Are you from France?

A weaker Euro may not have meant less in absolute terms, but when covering the cost of basic commodities trading on the world market (such as crude oil), it can make a significant difference whether a comparative currency is weaker or stronger against other currencies -- particularly a hard currency like the U.S. dollar. This has an impact in lifestyles over time, with similar earnings being "worth" more or less for many purposes. If I was a European, I'm thinking I would prefer a stronger Euro and I'd be willing to take my chances on how that would impact on tourism. Of course, it might depend on what line of business I happened to be in, too.

It is amazing....if an American complains then they are criticized. If any other nationality complains then it is justified. I say Americans...lets keep our money at home and see how those wise asses change their pompous tunes. What a bunch of sorry fucks.........

Can't we all just get along?

I totally agree with glad... 2 posts above. Why do you brown-nose anything a foreigner spews and fight your own? You're a dumbass... that's why!!!

Hey, as TRAVELERS, we all want to get as much for our money as we possibly can. As investors, we can also wish our portfolios were worth more, too. It's not a matter of "taking sides" so much as people offering observations. (Really, it seems kind of like taking sides on an issue like the weather, doesn't it?) A two-year low for the dollar vs. the Euro must still be seen in the context of a relatively strong two-year period for the dollar. To me, it's still cheaper to cover basic expenses for a week's stay in Paris than it is in Chicago or Washington DC. It's also cheaper than Paris itself was five years ago for someone using U.S. dollars, but it's not quite as cheap as it WAS last year or six months ago.

Is no one aware that US dollar prices are being artificially driven down from within the US in order to stimulate commerce?