****ty exchange rate, any place in europe worth visiting?

AZ Nomad wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:47:46 -0700, EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:


AZ Nomad wrote:
My wife and I wanted to visit possibly Spain or Italy from here in Arizona US,
but have been hearing horror stories about the current exchange rate.
A while back we visited California, and I really got tired of being ripped
of on everything. I can't imagine how Europe would be right now.

What does the "exchange rate" have to do with California vis a vis
Arizona? (A year of living in AZ has shown me that Arizona resembles a

Visiting california means paying 50-100% more than I would at home, exactly
as is the case when the exchange rate causes me to pay 200-500% more when
traveling overseas.

I don't understand why you find this such a difficult concept. I only used
the california example as an example of vacationing and getting tired of
being ripped off.

I suppose you don't mind paying 5-10 times more for everything while
traveling. You seem to have money coming out your ass. Not all of us are
so blessed.

No, I simply prioritized - living frugally at home so I didn't have to
pinch pennies when I traveled! I realized when I retired that my
European travel would have to be a casualty - c'est la vie. (At least I
have my memories, and a host of photographs.)

On Jul 21, 10:50*am, AZ Nomad wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:20:15 +0200, Colin McGarry wrote:
AZ Nomad wrote:
A while back we visited California, and I really got tired of being ripped
of on everything. *I can't imagine how Europe would be right now.
What's the exchange rate between Arizona and California?

Everything on the coast between LA and SD was 50-100% more expensive.
A smelly motel room was $120. *An omlette at a chain restaurant that would
normally be $5 was $11, etc. *Entrees at restaurants were $20-40 that wouldn't
fetch $15 at home.

It's tolerable for a little while, but after that, one get's tired of being
ripped off.


It may be expensive to you but how's that a ripped off? Cost for
doing business in an expensive area (between LA and San Diego along
the coast line, which include the very expensive areas of south orange
county and north san diego county) is more than elsewhere.

On Jul 21, 11:12*am, AZ Nomad wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:58:16 +0100, tim..... wrote:
"AZ Nomad" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:20:15 +0200, Colin McGarry
wrote:
AZ Nomad wrote:
A while back we visited California, and I really got tired of being
ripped
of on everything. *I can't imagine how Europe would be right now.

What's the exchange rate between Arizona and California?

Everything on the coast between LA and SD was 50-100% more expensive.
A smelly motel room was $120. *An omlette at a chain restaurant that would
normally be $5 was $11, etc. *Entrees at restaurants were $20-40 that
wouldn't
fetch $15 at home.

It's tolerable for a little while, but after that, one get's tired of
being
ripped off.
How is paying the local market rate, being "ripped off". *To me, being
ripped off requires the place to charge me well over the odds.
Rates in such areas are dependent upon the cost of supply which can be
heavily influenced by the cost of property (both the building you are
staying/eating in and the ones that the staff have to live in). What is the
difference in cost of property between AS and CA? I bet it more than the 50%
uplift you are complaining about.

That's only reasonable when one can only vacation at such rates which
is simply not true. *If I have a choice between two equally interesting
places and one has a run rate of $3000/week and other is $500/week, the first
is a ripoff in comparison.

The advice about eastern europe looks the most promising. *


But no one is forcing you to go to an expensive location for your
vacation. You chose to go to southern Calif. No one pointed a gun at
your head and made you go, right?

Besides, even in the very expensive area of south orange county and
north san diego county, you can still find relatively inexpensive
places to eat. Cheap hotels can be found also, but you'll have to
stay away from the coastal area.

You can find a cheap motel in AZ, but can you find one that's near an
ocean beach?

On Jul 21, 1:00*pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:
David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) wrote:

With its mediterranean coastal climate, don't forget Croatia! I find it
a tad cheaper than Poland or Hungary as well.

However, unless one is a genuine red-neck, Arizona is practically
bi-lingual. *The OP might find it easier to get along in a
Spanish-speaking country - especially outside the tourist areas.

"It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak
English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to
Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup." - Barack Obama, July
2008

Martin wrote:

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:55:19 -0700 (PDT), Mister B
wrote:

On Jul 21, 4:33 pm, (David Horne, _the_ chancellor
(*)) wrote:

Around here it is- but you can always order a half!

Half? That's for women and queers.

B(igot);

Around here is it sold in 25cl glasses half of which is froth.

I'd assumed they'd left washing up liquid in the glass.

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net
(email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the
onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about.
Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins

Martin wrote:

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:19:58 +0100, (David Horne, _the_
chancellor (*)) wrote:
[]
Don't forget Croatia, which has hundreds of miles of beautiful coastline
replete with Roman ruins, Venetian palaces, even Habsburgian mansions.
It's telling that so many Italians take the ferries across the Adriatic
to spend their summer hols there!

You have been watching Francesco having a BBC funded yachting holiday.

Has he been? Bloody hell, I'm going off Croatia now.

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net
(email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the
onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about.
Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins

Martin wrote:

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:22:03 -0700 (PDT), Mister B
wrote:

On Jul 21, 4:18 pm, Martin wrote:

EUR 3.50 in 2006 EUR 4.50 in 2007 EUR 5.50 in 2008. In the meantime the
place has gone from being packed to empty even on a hot sunny day.

What is this "sun" of which you speak, Earthling?

What we had from the beginning of May until the end of June.

But certainly not May 25!

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate -www.davidhorne.net
(email address on website) "If people think God is interesting, the
onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about.
Otherwise they should just shut up about it." -Richard Dawkins

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:54:03 -0500, AZ Nomad
wrote:

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:15:50 +0100, Mike..... wrote:
Following up to AZ Nomad

Paying $300 minimum a night instead of the local rate of $30-90.

you mean the locals pay 30, the tourists 300?

No. I mean a cheap motel room is $30 at home. If I have to come up with
$300 for the same room overseas, it might not be worth it.

Instead of alarmist exaggerated guessing, do a little
research:

www.venere.com
www.hotel.de
www.priceline.co.uk

The most expensive places I stayed on my trips were New York
City and London.

If you can't wander Europe for an average of less than 60
euros a night for the better than those $30 motels you're
not really trying when searching for accommodation. As an
American you also have the advantage of bidding on
www.priceline.com ; using bidding in '04 I averaged less
US$60 at Marriotts in Munich, Vienna and Brussels. I'm sure
you could do similar now, certainly less than US$120 per
night at those 5*.


Cheers, Alan, Australia
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_s/
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com
Latest: The Taj Mahal

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:56:52 +1000, Alan S wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:54:03 -0500, AZ Nomad
wrote:

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:15:50 +0100, Mike..... wrote:
Following up to AZ Nomad

Paying $300 minimum a night instead of the local rate of $30-90.

you mean the locals pay 30, the tourists 300?

No. I mean a cheap motel room is $30 at home. If I have to come up with
$300 for the same room overseas, it might not be worth it.

Instead of alarmist exaggerated guessing, do a little
research:

www.venere.com
www.hotel.de
www.priceline.co.uk

Thanks. I really appreciate it. I have no ****ing idea why I didn't try
the .uk and .de domains of those sites.

PeterL wrote:
On Jul 20, 2:39Â*pm, AZ Nomad wrote:
My wife and I wanted to visit possibly Spain or Italy from here in Arizona
US,
but have been hearing horror stories about the current exchange rate.
A while back we visited California, and I really got tired of being ripped
of on everything. Â*I can't imagine how Europe would be right now.

I was wondering if anybody might have some advice on visiting europe on the
cheap? Â*Stuff like renting a room with kitchen access and getting local
groceries instead of paying for restaurant meals, etc.

Also Buenos Aires is a very European city, and Argentina has great
exchange rates with the US dollar. And they speak Spanish, just like
Spain.

....or Arizona.

:-)