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Does anyone have any advise on travelling in Europe when your funds are in a currency weaker than the USD?
Does anyone have any advise on travelling in Europe when your funds are in a
currency weaker than the USD? I am concerned with: AUD, CAD, NZD currencies mostly. |
#2
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"Max Power" wrote in message ... Does anyone have any advise on travelling in Europe when your funds are in a currency weaker than the USD? I am concerned with: AUD, CAD, NZD currencies mostly. I always thought it doesn't matter whether your own currency is weaker or stronger than US Dollar when travelling in Europe! It really depends on how much you can buy with your currency (converted to Euros, of course) when you are there compared with what you can buy for it back home. That is what makes Europe more (or less) expensive than home. I guess for the locals it is a product of the relative average earnings in a country compared with the cost of living Who cares what the US Dollar is! Gerrit - Oz |
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"Max Power" wrote in message ... Does anyone have any advise on travelling in Europe when your funds are in a currency weaker than the USD? I am concerned with: AUD, CAD, NZD currencies mostly. I always thought it doesn't matter whether your own currency is weaker or stronger than US Dollar when travelling in Europe! It really depends on how much you can buy with your currency (converted to Euros, of course) when you are there compared with what you can buy for it back home. That is what makes Europe more (or less) expensive than home. I guess for the locals it is a product of the relative average earnings in a country compared with the cost of living Who cares what the US Dollar is! Gerrit - Oz |
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"Max Power" wrote...
| Does anyone have any advice on travelling in Europe | when your funds are in a currency weaker than the USD? | I am concerned with: AUD, CAD, NZD currencies mostly. The USD isn't exactly eating up the Euro, either. Either way you cut it, its going to cost a wheelbarrow full of bills on the exchange, so you may need to scale back your travel plans. [R] |
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"Max Power" wrote...
| Does anyone have any advice on travelling in Europe | when your funds are in a currency weaker than the USD? | I am concerned with: AUD, CAD, NZD currencies mostly. The USD isn't exactly eating up the Euro, either. Either way you cut it, its going to cost a wheelbarrow full of bills on the exchange, so you may need to scale back your travel plans. [R] |
#6
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On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 15:34:19 +0800, "Gerrit 't Hart"
wrote: I always thought it doesn't matter whether your own currency is weaker or stronger than US Dollar when travelling in Europe! It really depends on how much you can buy with your currency (converted to Euros, of course) when you are there compared with what you can buy for it back home. That is what makes Europe more (or less) expensive than home. When he says his currency is weaker than the dollar, I assume he means either that his currency is falling with respect to the euro or that it buys fewer euros than a dollar does.. Otherwise the word "weaker" is meaningless in the context of travel to Europe. Actually, if his currency is falling with respect to the dollar, he's in real trouble. -- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup |
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On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 22:19:16 -0800, "Max Power"
wrote: Does anyone have any advise on travelling in Europe when your funds are in a currency weaker than the USD? I am concerned with: AUD, CAD, NZD currencies mostly. Barbara Vaughan's Cheap Travel Decalogue ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Stay in hostels. They're not only for youth (except in Bavaria), and many of them now have double rooms. 2. If you want to visit more than one place, buy an open jaws ticket to save on-the-ground travel costs. 3. Stay less time in the more expensive places (London for example) and more time in the cheaper places (Spain for example). 4. Don't move around too much, and when you do, research cheap flights from place to place. Often Ryanair have ridiculously low prices from London to Italy, but you have to buy fairly far in advance. Usually, I can find very cheap fares from London to Ancona (near my home) and very cheap fares from Ancona to Paris or Barcelona. Already, there is the basis for a vacation in 3 countries. With an open jaws flight arriving in London and leaving from either Paris or Barcelona, most of your travel costs are covered. (You would want to get a train from Ancona to somewhere else, I assume, but trains in Italy are very cheap.) This is only an example based around my home. Try to see if other cities have similar possibilities. A small city might be the best for the second destination, as they are more likely to have budget airlines, and their airport web site usually highlights them. Pisa might be another good possibility in Italy. It is served by Ryanair and is near Florence. 5. Intercity bus travel from is usually cheaper than train travel, and often more scenic. (In some countries, however, such as Italy, trains are very cheap and intercity busses are rare.) Remember that rail passes rarely pay off. Be wary of public transport passes marketed for tourists, with discount packages attached. They are rarely good value. 6. Visit the tourist office as soon as you get to a city. Look and ask for free and cheap entertainment, discounts on museums, and the like. 7. Eat one meal a day in a restaurant (preferably lunch, which often has a cheap menu of the day) and one meal in your hotel room, with food bought in a supermarket. Always look for a "menu of the day" in restaurants; it's usually a good bargain, but compare it with the a la carte prices. If you don't really want three courses, it may not be a bargain. 8. Buy a good budget travel guide. I can recommend Let's Go for finding good cheap lodgings in most of Europe, and also for general transport advice, location of laundromats, etc. I have also had good experiences with the Guide Routard in Spain and fair experiences with Lonely Planet in Ireland. 9. Don't stint on the things you really want to see or do. Save money elsewhere. If you really want an excellent meal in Paris, bite the bullet and go for it. Otherwise you'll regret it later. Just make sure you're getting an excellent meal and not an inflated reputation. If you like art, give yourself a generous museum budget and save on food and lodging. 10. Travel very light. It will save you lots of money on taxis. -- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup |
#8
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On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 15:34:19 +0800, "Gerrit 't Hart"
wrote: I always thought it doesn't matter whether your own currency is weaker or stronger than US Dollar when travelling in Europe! It really depends on how much you can buy with your currency (converted to Euros, of course) when you are there compared with what you can buy for it back home. That is what makes Europe more (or less) expensive than home. When he says his currency is weaker than the dollar, I assume he means either that his currency is falling with respect to the euro or that it buys fewer euros than a dollar does.. Otherwise the word "weaker" is meaningless in the context of travel to Europe. Actually, if his currency is falling with respect to the dollar, he's in real trouble. -- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup |
#9
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On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 22:19:16 -0800, "Max Power"
wrote: Does anyone have any advise on travelling in Europe when your funds are in a currency weaker than the USD? I am concerned with: AUD, CAD, NZD currencies mostly. Barbara Vaughan's Cheap Travel Decalogue ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Stay in hostels. They're not only for youth (except in Bavaria), and many of them now have double rooms. 2. If you want to visit more than one place, buy an open jaws ticket to save on-the-ground travel costs. 3. Stay less time in the more expensive places (London for example) and more time in the cheaper places (Spain for example). 4. Don't move around too much, and when you do, research cheap flights from place to place. Often Ryanair have ridiculously low prices from London to Italy, but you have to buy fairly far in advance. Usually, I can find very cheap fares from London to Ancona (near my home) and very cheap fares from Ancona to Paris or Barcelona. Already, there is the basis for a vacation in 3 countries. With an open jaws flight arriving in London and leaving from either Paris or Barcelona, most of your travel costs are covered. (You would want to get a train from Ancona to somewhere else, I assume, but trains in Italy are very cheap.) This is only an example based around my home. Try to see if other cities have similar possibilities. A small city might be the best for the second destination, as they are more likely to have budget airlines, and their airport web site usually highlights them. Pisa might be another good possibility in Italy. It is served by Ryanair and is near Florence. 5. Intercity bus travel from is usually cheaper than train travel, and often more scenic. (In some countries, however, such as Italy, trains are very cheap and intercity busses are rare.) Remember that rail passes rarely pay off. Be wary of public transport passes marketed for tourists, with discount packages attached. They are rarely good value. 6. Visit the tourist office as soon as you get to a city. Look and ask for free and cheap entertainment, discounts on museums, and the like. 7. Eat one meal a day in a restaurant (preferably lunch, which often has a cheap menu of the day) and one meal in your hotel room, with food bought in a supermarket. Always look for a "menu of the day" in restaurants; it's usually a good bargain, but compare it with the a la carte prices. If you don't really want three courses, it may not be a bargain. 8. Buy a good budget travel guide. I can recommend Let's Go for finding good cheap lodgings in most of Europe, and also for general transport advice, location of laundromats, etc. I have also had good experiences with the Guide Routard in Spain and fair experiences with Lonely Planet in Ireland. 9. Don't stint on the things you really want to see or do. Save money elsewhere. If you really want an excellent meal in Paris, bite the bullet and go for it. Otherwise you'll regret it later. Just make sure you're getting an excellent meal and not an inflated reputation. If you like art, give yourself a generous museum budget and save on food and lodging. 10. Travel very light. It will save you lots of money on taxis. -- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup |
#10
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Max Power wrote:
Does anyone have any advise on travelling in Europe when your funds are in a currency weaker than the USD? I am concerned with: AUD, CAD, NZD currencies mostly. All of those currencies are currently stronger than the USD. miguel -- Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu |
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