preppy20 asked:


I’m turning 30 this summer and I am starting to plan a trip to London, maybe a few side trips to nearby countries. I’ve been dying to go for a long time, but so many people have said that I should wait until the US dollar gains strength, otherwise I’m going to be spending way too much money. Also, do you have any suggestions of good websites with reasonably priced travel packages that will tour you to multiple regional destinations? London, Paris, Frankfurt, etc?

5 Responses to “Would you wait to take a trip to London until the US dollar improves?”

1. rivasj27 on May 11th, 2007 8:43 am

   No..I might be dead by then..might as well go while I am breathing.

2. leena_070586 on May 12th, 2007 10:55 pm

   No. The day my husband says “let us visit Europe” I would pack my bag

3. joker on May 13th, 2007 3:28 pm

   Yes. I just got back from Belgium and Paris. It got old paying 50% more for things there than here in the States.

   If it were me at your age, I would travel south to Central or South America. Your dollar will go further and there are alot of interesting things to see there.

   But weigh the cost of airline tickets and hotels too. If you save enough on those, maybe spending more on food and city travel will even out.

4. 2 dance 2 breath 2 love on May 14th, 2007 8:12 pm

   No, because I’m Canadian. LOL.

5. skokiesam on May 15th, 2007 5:09 pm

   Holy crap, yes! I went to Edinburgh and London last November, and it was WRETCHED. You just spend the entire time thinking about how much you’re actually paying for stuff. To give you an idea:

   London Tube ride (1 way!): 4 pounds (8 USD)
   Dinner at Wagamama (great noodles, btw): 46 pounds (92USD–seriously? for noodles?!)
   Entrance to British Museum, special exhibit: 19 pounds, with audio tour (38 USD)

   I spent almost 4 grand on that trip, and I went as cheap as I could go and I was gone for 12 days.

   I don’t think you should wait forever; you’re never going to know WHEN the dollar would improve. However, you can, at least, go when it’s not high season in Europe, to at least better your chances of staying there affordable. (Just note: I went in the low season!)

   You can try tripadvisor.com, where you can read reviews by travelers and see their actual travel photos of hotels and attractions. You can also do a search for flights and hotels on the site, or you can try kayak.com or last-minute.com. I’ve also found that if you find a hotel you like on those discount travel sites, you should also go to the hotel’s website and see what kind of special discounts you can get. I do it all the time. They often offer specials, or include breakfast in the price of your stay (that’s what I did and got breakfast for the week!), or even have rates that are better than what you’re finding on those sites–and without the processing fees. You should also check with your human resources department, if you work for a company. They often have employee discounts for personal travel although they may not necessarily advertise that you do.

   Hope you have a great trip!