Originally Posted by
k374
there are ridiculously cheap flights from Australia to much of SE Asia on the discount carriers. Flights from the USA now even just to Mexico are obscenely priced...I was looking to go to Mexico later in the year and the price is now double what I used to pay just a few years ago!
If the cost of traveling abroad for Europeans and Aussies was comparable to what it costs for Americans (especially now that the $ is in the dumps) then far less would travel.
Ridiculously cheap flights to much of SE Asia? I wish I could find them. I put some random dates into the Jetstar site for a trip from SYD to DPS, a budget destination for many Aussies, and the fare was $770 return - didn't go any further to see what it would be with check-in bags or food included. The average Aussie isn't going to take the family to Bali on a whim at that price.
Our dollar spent many, many years in the dumps, only increased in the last couple of years, yet we still had a higher percentage of passport holders. So that's not a valid reason either.