Thanks Tim. You did a good job explaining that.

I don't understand this comment. This is the worst time to visit Canada in terms of exchange rates. It's the worst rate in something like 30 years. In the 90's the CDN was worth about $0.65 US.

I haven't been to Ecuador, but I understand they replaced their currency with the US dollar in 2000. Therefore, there's no exchange rate to deal with and maybe it's a bargain (?)

Those days are now gone. The Cedi now trades at approx 0.94 to the US Dollar since the new currency came into circulation on July 1.

The Indian Rupee is pretty favorable to the USD ($1=40INR). Also, unlike a lot of other countries, things are truely cheaper.

OTOH luxury properties are NOT cheap in india, as opposed to Asia and South America

Among some of the destinations that I have been to recently:

JAPAN - is generally an expensive country. That said, it is much cheaper than it used to be and the farther you get from the traditional Anglo comfort zone (with some exceptions) the cheaper it is. If you insist on eating in a high-end hotel restaurant because the menu is in English and the staff speak it relatively well, you will pay very high prices. If you go to a little local hole in the wall and point at dishes as they go by, you can do much better. Transportation is expensive but there are deals to be had.

PORTUGAL - when compared to the rest of the Euro zone, I found Portugal relatively inexpensive. Definitely less than Italy, Germany, France where I normally travel.

TURKEY - was surprisingly expensive. I was traveling with a Greek who found the prices in Ankara high compared to Athens. Now, if you get off the beaten track, prices will probably be significantly lower.

there goes my 2 cents:

Argentina is a great bargain. Have been there twice in the last year and going again. Great for a couple of weeks. side trips to Bariloche, Mendoza, Iguazu and/or Santiago de Chile.
Prague is no bargain but.... very good deal. Too small to hang around for 2 weeks, though

I may be biased as far as the next two but look into Bulgaria (in Varna look at the Musala Palace Hotel) - good fall weather, no crowds, incredible food and friendly people. Sofia is great all year round with many side trip possibilities including a 2-3 day side trip to Athens (not cheap at all)
My other suggestion is Israel. Great fall weather, very few tourists (after the Sept holidays), you can still go into the sea and there is enough sun to enjoy the warm days. Food is great and the people are..... well.... its Israel. Jerusalem is amazing in the fall sunlight. Instead of hotel, think about renting an apt. or an aparthotel.

Nine years ago it was $1 USD = $1.5 CAD. My how the tide has shifted.

But certainly a beauty for us in the Great White North to head south of the border.

Uh, no. A magazine on my desk says "$4.99 U.S. / $6.99 Canada" -- nearly everything costs more in Canadian dollars, even before the 15% sales tax. That used to not matter, back when USD1 bought CDN1.30 (or more), since the Canuck markup was at least cancelled out by the positive exchange rate. Now, your Bush pesos* exchange at par, and then you pay the Canadian markup. Not a good deal.

Aboot the only things I found to be cheaper on my most recent Canadian trip were allergy pills (duh) and fleece jackets at MEC. The same goes for A/NZ: their currencies, like Canada's, have been driven higher by strong commodity markets.

Latin America and Southeast Asia look like good choices. Northeast Asian central banks are diversifying their currency holdings, so expect the yen, won, etc. to get more expensive.

My plan to deconstruct and export the (cheap!) beautiful old buildings of Buffalo to ease Toronto's housing shortage looks better every day.

* used here to denigrate his fiscal policy, not immigration policy

It seems that Mexico is still reasonable --unless you are at the strickly tourist areas.

Eastern Europe is becoming part of the European Community; where the dollar does not take you anywhere..
your best bet is South America, Mexico, some parts of Asia and Africa.

1. Thailand - excellent service at low rates with many beach resorts
2. Slovakia - beautiful scenery, Bratislava
3. Bulgaria - Sofia suprisingly pleasant, nature within two hours
4. Egypt - pyramids, history, and beaches available also
5. Russia interior - Moscow/St Pete great cities but hotels outrageous. Kazan, Samara, and many others are interesting
6. Mexico
7. Croatia
8. Kiev
9. Czech Republic - Prague still features 1 liter of great beer for 30 krowns
10. Baltic States - hotels usually priced in euros and Latvian Lats are actually as strong as the pound - but things priced appropriately.

Can't speak to south america.

You should have saved your travel money and lobbied to get a new president in 04. We'd have a stronger dollar by now. Why not consider traveling in the US. Given the value of the Peso (aka US Dollar) going abroad won't be cheap. Someone mentioned Australia, but there really is nothing cheap in that country.

7.08 South African Rand = 1 USD.