Comments on: Where is the U.S. Dollar Still Strong in ‘08?

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:13:11 +0000

Also…any thoughts on Russia?

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:10:56 +0000

I just returned from 3 days in Iceland. Cold, yes. But also VERY cheap. $72/night for a 3-bedroom apartment. Great food, clean country, and loads of things to do. Highly recommend it. I am looking for my next trip and am not crazy about south america….any suggestions of somewhere that is a little out of the ordinary where I won’t go broke?

By: chuck kuhn

chuck kuhn — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:41:06 +0000

Just got back from a week in Scotland and Paris. The Euro in Paris was worth 70 cents to my dollar. Used the Metro for transportation, loved it. Scotland was 50 cents UK to my dollar. 4 hamburgers at $11.00 UK = $44Uk in dollars $88 bucks, It was terrible. Vietnam is a bargain having traveled there 2 yrs in the last 3. I’m really to go again.

By: tim

tim — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:12:18 +0000

Under Republican rule, we already have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, though of course all the smart companies have moved offshore already to get around it. A low dollar is great for exports though, so they're loving it.

By: elinoe

elinoe — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:57:47 +0000

I think we should elect Obama and then tax the heck out of the corporations and then complain that all the jobs are all overseas and we have no money to travel!!!! How’s that for a runon sentence?

By: tim

tim — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:02:12 +0000

ML – I agree. The U.S. is going to be far better off starting in ‘09 no matter which candidate wins. Unless the current bonehead does something else to cause a further dollar decline before November. The funny thing is, Europe and Japan have a bigger problem than the U.S. when it comes to long-term government expenditure pain: more old people. So 10 or 20 years from now we could be looking at the U.S. being in a stronger fiscal position than the others because of all the immigration happening here now. That would be delicious irony.

By: ML Harris

ML Harris — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:09:13 +0000

I hate to stump for one candidate or the other (it’s tacky), but you have to figure either one of them will improve the currency situation over the incumbent. I suspect that one (the tall thin guy) will promote a stronger monetary policy while the other (the short old guy) will be somewhere in between (although, maybe the solution to illegal immigration is to ruin the economy even further, so that Americans will go to Mexico for the good jobs?)

By: tim

tim — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:46:34 +0000

Joe – thanks for sharing your experience with us. I have had that same great feeling throughout much of Latin America. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to stay in an interesting and comfortable hotel and eat well without worrying at all about the budget. I can only remember one restaurant in Cusco that seemed unaffordable and overpriced and that was inside the most expensive hotel in town.

Of course much of Southeast Asia offers the same kind of value, but with a lot more distance, jet lag, and airfare coming from this hemisphere. And you can’t get there using just 35,000 miles round trip on your frequent flyer program…

In Europe, on the other hand, I’m gasping at the prices on almost every menu I see, even the little neighborhood places on a back street, away from the tourists.

By: Joe Alexander

Joe Alexander — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:57:50 +0000

Tim: I just returned from a week in the Lima, Peru area avoiding as much tourist based activities as possible and still found it an absolute bargain. I had a vacation like I have had not had in years: while I chose to stay in a (relatively) bargain priced B&B, I ate in the very best restaurants, took private taxis everywhere, and shopped for beautiful handicrafts at excellent prices and STILL did not spend half as much as I did for a week in London. I know some readers still yearn for that European vacation (and I am one of them, ) I can’t stress enough that everyone should take your advice and head south. If you were like me and had never been, it’s a great experience and one you won’t forget.

By: tim

tim — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:29:12 +0000

Chileno – pizza in Austria? Pizza is more expensive in rural Korea than in Seoul too. A burrito is cheaper in Prague than in Moravia, but so what? Compare local meals, hotels, apartment rentals, beer/coffee, and food staples that are commonly consumed by everyone to get a fair picture of costs.