Back from a vacation in Britain -- it was nice, but I don't think I'd rush back unless the exchange rate to the US dollar improves. It's just too expensive.

This didn't come as a shock to me, and I did a lot of research to save money. Thanks to the internet, I was able to get good information to reduce my lodging expenses. I rented a decent Sawday-recommended cottage in the Cotswolds for under $1000/week, and used priceline in the cities to save money. Car rental also was reasonable: less than $40/day including taxes for a midsized automatic (even upgraded to a Mercedes!) booked thru AutoEurope on a "beat rate" from Enterprise (other competitors, like Alamo, were comparable).

But day-to-day expenses were grinding. With the exception of a few state-run museums that were free, admission prices are punishing: a family of four can expect to pay about $60 to $90 to see just about anything. Petrol (gasoline) more than $7/gallon. A modest pub lunch almost $20/person (I did hit some Wetherspoon-owned pubs where uninspired meals/drink can cost less). Hard to get out of a "real" restaurant for less than $50/person. In general, I would say everything in Britain costs 25 to 100% higher than in the U.S. right now, so you're certainly not likely to do a lot of shopping. Overall, "feeling poor" isn't a great way to spend a holiday.

Other western European countries probably aren't much better these days, although I have been to France and Germany in the past couple of years with the Euro costing more than $1.20 and it seems like I got much more value for money, especially in restaurants and admissions. The only place that seemed a worse deal than the UK is Switzerland, but Switzerland has long been legendary as an expensive locale.

Next summer, I will probably resume my practice of vacationing in Eastern Europe -- countries like Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia -- where there's plenty of good food and "old world atmosphere," and where the dollar still goes a long way. A vacation where you don't feel impoverished is almost always more fun than one where you feel ripped off buying anything.