• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Time Travel Turtle

A travel blog with stories beyond the brochure

  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • CONTACT ME
  • BY COUNTRY
    • WEST EUROPE
      • Belgium
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Liechtenstein
      • Luxembourg
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Scotland
      • Switzerland
      • Wales
    • NORTH EUROPE
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • Latvia
      • Lithuania
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • SOUTH EUROPE
      • Cyprus
      • Gibraltar
      • Greece
      • Holy See
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Portugal
      • San Marino
      • Spain
    • EAST EUROPE
      • Austria
      • Belarus
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Hungary
      • Montenegro
      • Poland
      • Serbia
    • NORTH ASIA
      • China
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Mongolia
      • North Korea
      • Tajikistan
      • Uzbekistan
    • SOUTH ASIA
      • Cambodia
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Myanmar
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • NORTH AMERICA
      • Antigua & Barbuda
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • SOUTH AMERICA
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
    • AFRICA
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
    • OCEANIA
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • MIDDLE EAST
      • Jordan
      • Turkey
  • MOST POPULAR
    • The world’s oldest backpacker
    • Orangutans in Borneo
    • The need for speed
    • Trying to get out of the slum
    • The lake swamped with tourism
    • Journey into Dreamland
    • The village where life begins again
    • Is Cambodia safe for travellers?
    • Making the perfect gin and tonic
  • UNESCO

How your European holiday has just got cheaper!

April 16, 2015 | Michael Turtle | Leave A Comment

Cheap European travel

What would you do if someone told you that they’d give you a 30 per cent discount on your next holiday? It’s a tempting offer. Perhaps, if you had been thinking about going on a trip, this would be enough to tip you over the edge to book.

Well, before you jump out of your chair and start screaming – I am not offering you any kind of discount. But you can still get one. Because the ups and downs of currency exchange mean it is now 30 percent cheaper to travel to Europe from the US.

That’s right. At the moment, a US dollar will buy you about 93 euro cents. A year ago, it would only have bought you 72 euro cents. Do the maths and that is a huge saving!

paris, paris photography, banks of the seine, landmarks

The poor euro is struggling at the moment and it means travel to all the countries in the EU that use it as their currency (there are 19 of them) has become really affordable.

If you are from the UK and would be exchanging pounds, there’s a big saving for you too – it’s about 14 per cent compared to a year ago. That means if your week away to the continent would have cost you £1000 last year, now it would only cost £850. It’s a decent saving, isn’t it?

If you’re spending Australian dollars, it’s not quite that much (sorry). But there is still a saving of about 6 per cent since last year. The reason it’s much lower is because the Australian dollar hasn’t been doing so well recently. But consider that it is now 22 per cent more expensive to go to the US or Thailand (as examples) compared to a year ago and Europe starts to look pretty good, doesn’t it?

Kvarken Archipelago, Finland

European travel ideas

There are so many options within those 19 European countries, though. Where should you go?

Well, you might like to get some inspiration from some of my stories. I’ve been doing a lot of travel in Europe over the past year or so and have found some beautiful places.

You could go and spend some days exploring Paris and seeing the sights along the Seine.

Or perhaps head north and go to Finland to see the beautiful nature there during the summer.

You could check out a vibrant young city like Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Or explore some ancient sites down south in Greece.

ancient olympia, greece, where were original olympic games, ancient olympics site

Of course, a much easier option is to book a holiday that has already been all arranged for you. I’ve been doing some work with Expedia recently and am happy to recommend some of their great packaged holidays. You can use the website to search by country, by price, or even by luxury. If you’re someone who likes to have everything booked in advance, this is a great way to get a further saving by booking your flight and hotel together. Check it out, if you’re interested.

Is now the best time?

Should you book your holiday to Europe straight away, though? How long will this kind of exchange rate last for?

Well, the good news if you’re considering a trip to the Eurozone is that the currency is probably not going to recover anytime soon. One of the biggest things weakening the currency is the economic turmoil in Greece and that’s not going to be solved anytime soon. Experts are divided on the exact future of the euro but the general feeling is that there is not going to be any amazing recovery for months – and probably for the rest of the year at least. Nobody is predicting another huge fall based on current information, though, so this is probably as good as it’s going to get for now.

Madeira Photography, Portugal

The only thing that might make a major difference to currency exchange rates is the general election in the UK. With no clear winner at the moment, that’s creating a lot of volatility in the market and there’s a good chance the pound might fall a bit in the next month or two. So, if you’re thinking of using pounds to spend euros across the channel, now could be the time to start making some bookings and get that holiday locked in.

Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Germany

Because, let’s be realistic, everyone loves a holiday. The weak euro might be a good excuse to book one and it’s nice to get some savings but, ultimately, you’re going to enjoy yourself regardless. Go get some European sun and let me know how your holiday goes!

Time Travel Turtle was supported by Expedia UK but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own.

Reader Interactions

Comments Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

Want Occasional Updates?

Sign up to be the first to hear the latest about the adventures of Time Travel Turtle. You'll also get access to special offers and exclusive news.
Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Search

  • PRIVACY POLICY