Thinking Outside the Euro

USA Today ran a story last week about how the U.S. economic slowdown is affecting European tourism:

"Amy Ziff of Travelocity says bookings for countries that use the euro, such as France, Italy and Spain, are 15% lower than last summer. Bookings are up 16% for Eastern European countries that don't use the euro, she says."

So, for your planning pleasure, here's a list of European countries that don't use the euro, and may therefore offer you a bigger bang for your buck:

Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Estonia. (Slovakia will be adopting the euro by the beginning of next year.)

But not all non-euro countries are bargains. Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Great Britain, for example, have kept their own currencies but "hotels, restaurants, and other attractions in the major urban areas of those countries are among Europe's priciest," reported the Washington Post, adding that, "in some of the most popular destinations in Central Europe and the Balkans, a limited supply of hotels and restaurants has driven prices to London and Paris levels."

Will the economy be affecting your summer travel plans? Where are you heading to make the dollar (or euro, or the currency of your choice) stretch further?

Photo: Market Square in Krakow, Poland by Stan Baranski via Flickr

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Comments

[Eleanor W]

Well, I'm an American 18-year-old heading off to Spain in the fall for college, because despite the higher cost of living, it's cheaper than any schools that let me in here in the States . . . :P

[Roger]

I've been going on bicycle tours in Europe the past few summers, but I'm going to skip this year. Instead, I'm planning a winter trip to South America in January, both to avoid the Euro and to beat back the winter blahs.

[Craig]

Our family is about to head off on a year-long RTW trip. We started planning about a year ago, and as the dollar continued to fall, our itinerary changed dramatically. We're spending a lot more time in South America and Asia. And we're going to be hitting up our friends in Australia and NZ!

Gotta go where you can to make those $$ last.

[Nomadic Matt]

couchsurfing is a great way to see the countries that use the euro while keeping your costs down.