Is the plunging u.s. dollars becoming a problem for your travelling experiences?
Dec 1, 2006, 7:03 pm
#32
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getting ridiculous for this american
A few years ago. I could buy 1 euro for $.85 so a 5 euro Coke in a cafe cost $4.25. At todays rate for $1.33 I can buy 1 euro so a 5 euro Coke in a cafe now costs me $6.65 ouch! This makes the 28 euro hamburger at the Rome Hilton out of the question $37.24+tip 
At least my free award nites (seem) like a bargain, but its the exact same room I stayed in before. Time to give Europe a break
At least my free award nites (seem) like a bargain, but its the exact same room I stayed in before. Time to give Europe a break
Dec 1, 2006, 10:09 pm
#34
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Given the size of the Dubyanomics train wreck, it's amazing the damage hasn't been a lot worse. He's both the #1 tax-cutter and #1 spender since WWII, and has had huge trade deficits on top of ruinous budget deficits. Without reserve-currency status and investor psychology, the punishment would have been meted out in full some time ago.
As for the effect on travel, I'm chronically on a low budget and have been for some time, but it's hard to sort out which places are just plain expensive vs. which can turn with exchange rates. Europe is more pleasant with a 90-cent euro than a $1.30 one, but even in the former case I don't know if it's "cheap."
Similarly, Tahiti (tied to the euro, only worse) always seems like Tokyo.
Probably the most variable places I've been in recent years are Canada and New Zealand. Both have had currencies beaten down temporarily to where they actually look good on land costs vs. the U.S., but I'd say not so anymore.
SE Asia is still a good zone, too, even with places like Thailand and the Philippines bouncing 10% or more off their recent lows. Many of those places are so export-dependent that they deliberately won't let their currency get too strong against the $ UNLESS China goes first, and China has only made very modest steps. So there hasn't been near the effect there.
Contrarians also usually have a handful of places with even more troubles than the U.S. Often someplace in South America will be in the doghouse, or Mexico, or maybe Indonesia.
As for the effect on travel, I'm chronically on a low budget and have been for some time, but it's hard to sort out which places are just plain expensive vs. which can turn with exchange rates. Europe is more pleasant with a 90-cent euro than a $1.30 one, but even in the former case I don't know if it's "cheap."
Similarly, Tahiti (tied to the euro, only worse) always seems like Tokyo.
Probably the most variable places I've been in recent years are Canada and New Zealand. Both have had currencies beaten down temporarily to where they actually look good on land costs vs. the U.S., but I'd say not so anymore.
SE Asia is still a good zone, too, even with places like Thailand and the Philippines bouncing 10% or more off their recent lows. Many of those places are so export-dependent that they deliberately won't let their currency get too strong against the $ UNLESS China goes first, and China has only made very modest steps. So there hasn't been near the effect there.
Contrarians also usually have a handful of places with even more troubles than the U.S. Often someplace in South America will be in the doghouse, or Mexico, or maybe Indonesia.
Dec 2, 2006, 11:31 am
#35
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Business class, aisle seat, in Bangkok, Thailand
Posts: 161
First, I moved my U.S. dollars out of the U.S. and into other investments.
Legal, legitimate, investments.
Then, I moved myself out of the U.S. and am living abroad.
With a proper visa and all paper-work in order.
As a result, what happens with the dollar is largely irrelevant to my traveling experiences.
Simple.
But not easy.
The U.S. dollar -- long term -- is on a slippery slope downward.
I want nothing more to do with it.
-- Peter
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Last edited by Peter4; Dec 2, 2006 at 11:38 am
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Dec 2, 2006, 4:22 pm
#37
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The CAD has been up over 30%, against the USD, in the past few years. It's still up over 10%, against the EUR, from last year.
Dec 3, 2006, 9:48 am
#38
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The Bush peso, aka weaker USD, has been a mixed blessing. The USD getting closer to late 1940s and 1950s exchange rates vis-a-vis certain European currencies isn't something I invited with open arms but it's sort of something for which I had planned in the past few years; and its adjustments with such in mind that have been quite rewarding.
However, for the many, the weakening exchange rate and more US-based credit card foreign currency surcharges have been a sort of double-whammy.
However, for the many, the weakening exchange rate and more US-based credit card foreign currency surcharges have been a sort of double-whammy.
Dec 3, 2006, 9:52 am
#39
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Exactly....it is such a small difference that I am not going to cancel any trips based on the currency fluctuations....this is normal and one should be able to handle the samll fluctuations if you want to travel the world....
Dec 3, 2006, 9:55 am
#40
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This is a dumb question. Sorry. It is. Either it costs more to buy things or it doesn't. Either you're rich enough that it doesn't matter or you're not
Here are the answers:
1) I am an American who travels overseas. But I am rich so I don't care.
2) I am an American who travels overseas. I am poor, so it hurts.
3) I am a foreigner with a strong currency who travels to the U.S. So it helps.
4) I don't travel abroad/I don't understand currency/my currency is pegged to the dollar/I have no idea what you mean
Please improve.
Here are the answers:
1) I am an American who travels overseas. But I am rich so I don't care.
2) I am an American who travels overseas. I am poor, so it hurts.
3) I am a foreigner with a strong currency who travels to the U.S. So it helps.
4) I don't travel abroad/I don't understand currency/my currency is pegged to the dollar/I have no idea what you mean
Please improve.
Dec 5, 2006, 1:45 pm
#42
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Agree with RustyC
tho some comments there are possibly OT. The OP mentioned the euro, so techinically any reference to other currencies is probably tangential...
But Thailand remains a bargain even though the baht has strengthened (or the Bushdollar weakened) ~10% over the past year. I presume the HK$ is still very stable at around $1US : $7 HK
But R and I and are definitely NOT pulling our 8-plays-in-5-days hops to London any more. A) there's London prices to begin with, and B) the dollar vs pound sterling thing. >sheesh<
But Thailand remains a bargain even though the baht has strengthened (or the Bushdollar weakened) ~10% over the past year. I presume the HK$ is still very stable at around $1US : $7 HK
But R and I and are definitely NOT pulling our 8-plays-in-5-days hops to London any more. A) there's London prices to begin with, and B) the dollar vs pound sterling thing. >sheesh<
Dec 5, 2006, 1:51 pm
#43
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Since the very first day of the full transition to euros for retail transactions, there's been a c. 50% decline in the value of the dollar vis-a-vis the euro. I don't consider a decline in the US dollar from c. $0.88/€1.00 to c. $1.30/€1.00 to be small peanuts.
Dec 5, 2006, 2:07 pm
#44
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The Euro was quite weak at the transition time, and it's rather arbitrary to pick this date as measure for comparison. When looking at the past performance of some of the Euro's stronger components, the current $ exchange rate looks quite acceptable (we're at about DEM1.46/USD1.00).
Dec 5, 2006, 2:26 pm
#45
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The Euro was quite weak at the transition time, and it's rather arbitrary to pick this date as measure for comparison. When looking at the past performance of some of the Euro's stronger components, the current $ exchange rate looks quite acceptable (we're at about DEM1.46/USD1.00).
Looking at this from the arbitrary perspective of travel since FT's launch date, the USD has taken a hit when it comes to US travellers wanting to visit the main tourist destinations in Europe today compared to FT's start date.