LeslieC

I have FF miles on American Airlines but need to economize on the ground expenses. What foreign countries might my husband and I consider for a trip of 10 days to 2 weeks? I'd like to go somewhere I've never been.

Have already been to England, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands. Have never been to Spain, Scotland, or Eastern Europe. Have been to Japan but no where else in Asia. Been to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Costa Rica but no where else in the Carribean or Latin America.

Any suggestions?

Virgogirl

I'd have to say Scotland first, then the Bavarian Alps in Germany! You could even see Bavaria for a few days, then take a short flight to Venice, and a daytrip into the Dolomites, say, Cortina, in a rental car.

What a lovely dilemma! Enjoy, whatever you choose.

thursdaysd

Well, Asia is cheaper than Europe - even if you insist on higher-end hotels. I hear that South America is pretty cheap too.

suze

USD is doing very well against the peso at the moment. I can't imagine you have been to ALL of Mexico?

thursdaysd

Question - I grew up in the UK, and I call that big bit south of Central America "South America". Is calling it "Latin America" one of those UKUSisms?

Cruiseryyc

Have you heard of Canada? Your dollar will go a long way here; it's not too far to fly and you can use your American Airlines FF miles.

suze

thursdaysd~ That's been debated quite a bit here, because Fodor's calls Mexico, Central and South America -Latin America in terms of their forum structure. I'd always thought of them separately myself (US).

travelgourmet

Are you looking for cheap destinations or places where the dollar is especially strong right now, relative to historical standards?

The dollar is as strong against the UK pound as it has been in ages. To that end, now may be the cheapest time for you to go to the UK that you will see for a while. The dollar is also stronger than it has been against the Euro, but not to the same degree.

But, the UK and Europe remain expensive destinations on the ground. Regardless of whether your dollar is worth 25% more now than it was last year, you are still probably paying at least what you would in the US for food, lodging, and any other purchases.

On the flip-side, I have no idea whether the dollar is strong against the Thai Baht, but I know that Thailand is cheaper than Europe. Even relatively high-cost Singapore or Hong Kong would probably be cheaper than Europe, if you can get a good deal on a hotel.

For 2 weeks, I would look into going to SE Asia, if my miles could get me there. Going to Bangkok, an island in the area, and Angkor Wat would be a really great itinerary for 2 weeks (I think you could add another destination, but others don't like to move as much) and would be very affordable on the ground, relative to Europe.

Rastaguytoday

I'm going to Argentina this year because of the value of the Euro vs the dollar, at least when I booked my flight in October.

All in all, Argentina's much less expensive than Europe.

However, some places require payment in US$, to fight the inflation of approximately 20-30% per year.

The Argentine peso used to be tied to the US$. It started floating several years ago, and is now 3.52+ to the US$.

I'm flying on AA ff miles. Being from California, I tell folks that the ground expenses are the same as vacationing in Sacramento. I'd rather be in Argentina than Sacramento.

coldplay

Check out Croatia, beautiful country ,(Brac, or Hvar are stunning.)its not in the Eurozone, so very good xchange rate at the moment.

LeslieC

I guess I could have said it better, but, yes my desire is to travel to a foreign country where my dollar will go far in terms of costs for hotel/food, etc. Although the exchange rate of the US dollar for British Pounds or the Euro may be slightly better than it has been, I understand Europe is an expensive destination, though eastern is less than western.

As far as the meaning of "Latin America" don't know if I'm a typical American (from California) to me this encompasses Mexico, Central, and South America.

I had heard that Argentina is a good choice. What about Peru? How about Vietnam? Costwise, I mean?

travelgourmet

<i>As far as the meaning of "Latin America" don't know if I'm a typical American (from California) to me this encompasses Mexico, Central, and South America.</i>

Typical American or not, this is the correct usage of the term.

<i>I had heard that Argentina is a good choice. What about Peru? How about Vietnam? Costwise, I mean?</i>

Argentina is a good deal, as is Vietnam. I don't really know about Peru.

cary999

There is only one objective answer - The Big Mac Index
http://www.economist.com/markets/ind...ry_id=13055650
The lower the number the better, so best will be negative numbers. Lowest for Feb 2009 is Malaysia where a Big Mac costs you in USD $1.52. South Africa is good at $1.66. (Safari here I come!!!!)

Of course if you average in the air cost the Big Mac works out to be $180

regards - tom

LeslieC

cary999 - THANKS. That's just what I needed, assuming the Big Mac prices are a valid measure of purchasing power of the dollar! I do understand about needing to consider other costs.

cary999

I know, it sounds so silly, but I think it does reasonably show the purchasing power of the USD. And other currencies as well.

regards - tom

TAW

New Zealand!!!

thursdaysd

Another place to check into comparative costs: oprals.state.gov

ehasbrouck

In terms purely of shifts in the value of the local currency against the USD (compared with, say, 6 months or a year ago, or averages over the last 5 years), and your lists of places you want to go and haven't been to before, I'd agree that Scotland should top your list: there hasn't been a more afforcable time for people from the USA to visit the UK in mnay years. After that would be Canada if you don't have so many miles. AA doesn't fly to anywhere in Asia except Japan, but if you have enough miles for tickets on one of their marketing partners, the place in Asia where the currency has declined most is South Korea.

Currency shifts don't measure absolute costs, though. The Chinese government has kept the Yuan (CNY) pretty stable against the USD, but prices for tourist services in Chgina, especially hotels, have plunged becuase of a combination of factors including over-building of hotels in anticipation of Olympic crowds, visa crackdowns that kept those crowds away, and the shock to the Chinese economy of cutbacks in exports as a result of economic problems in the USA, Europe, etc. China is thus a particularly outstanding value right now. I don't know if there is anywhere else in the world where you get so much for US$50 per night in a hotel room, even in the largest cities.

bettyk

We used FF tickets on AA for our April trip to the UK. We are flying from IAH to Manchester.

Most of our accommodations are under 70 GBP for a double. We are booked into small hotels and a couple of B&B's.

Whenever we have traveled to Europe, I always aim to keep our accommodation costs to an average of $100 per night. It is never a problem in Germany and Austria but not in the UK -- until now. The UK is a much better deal now than it has been or likely will be in quite some time.

If you want to visit Scotland, go now.

november_moon

We went to Bali last summer and I would go back in a heart beat. Costs were very reasonable. We stayed at a hotel resort in Ubud for $75/night - pretty nice place with a pool, spa, restaurant, etc. We also stayed at an out-of-the-way beach area, bungalow about 10 yards from the water for $60/night. This place was more basic, but still had a restaurant and dive shop. Meals were really inexpensive - I don't think we paid more than about $10 apiece for dinner. Transportation was also pretty cheap.