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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!
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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