|
Why Overseas Travel Doesn't Make Sense for Americans Right Now
International travel is a very exciting proposition for most Americans. If you live in Europe, chances are that visiting other countries is a rather common occurrence. You're never more than just five or ten hours away from your countries borders, and there are all sorts of public transportation options which allow you to travel across Europe for very reasonable amounts of money. This is certainly not true in the United States. If you are lucky, you'll visit Canada every few years or take a trip down to Mexico for a vacation.
Americans simply don't get to take as many international trips as our European friends do. Neighboring countries are much further away, we almost always have to have a Passport now, and flying anywhere in Europe can be very expensive. Usually trips overseas are very rare and special occasions that happen once every decade or sometimes even rarer than that. If you're planning on taking one of these great excursions overseas in the next few years, you might consider putting it off for right now.
Because of the current exchange rate between United States Dollars and currency in Europe and other parts of the world, you'll end up spending a lot more than you would have ten years ago. Currently the exchange rate is approximately two US Dollars for one Euro. That means a hotel room that cost 100 Euros per night in the United Kingdom will cost Americans $200.00 USD.
Ten years ago the exchange rate for American Dollars was actually was the other way around. Usually you could trade one US Dollar for 1.2 or 1.3 units of European currencies. This means you would actually get a discount on hotel rooms, meals, and everything else overseas simply because you were paying in US Dollars. Now the sides have flipped and it's extra expensive to visit Europe and other parts of the world.
It does work both ways though, it's a great time for Europeans to visit the United States, Canada and Mexico because of the Euro's relatively strong status right now. A hotel room that costs $150 USD per night would only cost someone from Europe about 75 Euros. You'll be able to purchase a lot more with the same amount of money than you would ten years ago. So if you're traveling overseas to the United States, it's a great time and you'll save a lot of money.
Americans will have to wait a while until currencies level
out again for them to make any serious trips unless they have enough money
where the exchange rates don't really affect them. If you still want to go, then
take a look at Travelzoo for some cheap
flights, and other bargains for holidays.
| 