Been planning to travel within the next couple of weeks to break the monotony. What do price-conscious, frugal, cheapskates loony like me do when they have plans to travel? Check out the internet for bargain deals. I have been looking at cruises, all-inclusive vacations, plan-your-own-vacation both for domestic and international. Package tours and Web sites offer excellent rates when combining air with hotel arrangements, which can bring vacation costs almost into the bargain category.
What I didn’t anticipate is the cost of domestic travelling as opposed to going to Europe. I tried Expedia (I love Expedia!) to get a feel of how much it would cost for a European tour against taking a vacation to, let’s say, NYC. Was I surprised! Airfare and a 6-night stay in NYC will cost 3k more than if we go to 2 destinations (Barcelona and Paris) in Europe. Take a look at this for comparison.
Europe Tour 
NYC stay
Forget that Broadway nonsense, Honey! We’re going to Gay Paree!
With good planning, one does not have to break the bank travelling to Europe. It is actually affordable. From reading newspaper headlines and watching the news on TV these days, one would believe that the cost of traveling to Europe has gone through the roof. It just ain’t so. Traveling in Europe will not cost you an arm and a leg, nor put you in the poor house, any more than a vacation closer to home.
To be fair, there are exceptions. For some reason, newspapers will cost 2 to 3 times more in Europe. (I can do without. Hey! I’m on vacation). London is a pretty expensive city to visit. Not just London itself, but everything in the UK is off the charts.
But as far as I can see, the prices in continental Europe are similar to those in the United States, if not lower and more than affordable. True, in the past, Europe was always a bargain for American tourists, and it isn’t any longer. But it ends up costing about the same as a vacation in our own country. Moreover, package tours and Web sites offer excellent rates when combining air with hotel arrangements, which can bring vacation costs almost into the bargain category. Another thing to consider is it’s no secret that travelling off-season is the way to get the biggest travel discounts. Please note airfare prices drop in the fall and winter.
For some bad news:
Are the prices in Europe higher than last year? Yes. Is the dollar-to-euro exchange rate worse than ever before? Yes. Check out image for today’s USD conversion rate to the Euro:
To get accurate exchange rate conversion, go to www.xe.com.
Does it cost more to stay overnight in Rome, Italy, than it costs to stay overnight in Rome, New York? No. Does the average meal at a good restaurant set visitors back more than the same meal in their hometown? Probably not.
One way to up your travel budget: Fishing coins from the Trevi Fountain 
Will it stop me? Probably not. (My husband mumbling in the background, “Because if you really wanna go to Europe, you’re gonna do it no matter the price tag”). This fall I’m cancelling any domestic travel plans we have and head to Europe. Airfares are cheap, hotels are cheap, and with the naturally lower hotel taxes, the trip is going to cost less than any domestic trip I would want to do. Figure it out yourself, you might reach the same decision I did! Paris, here I come…
[...] chibi’D added an interesting post today on Why is US domestic travel more expensive than going to Europe?.Here’s a small reading:Airfares are cheap, hotels are cheap, and with the naturally lower hotel taxes, the trip is going to cost less than any domestic trip I would want to do. Figure it out yourself, you might reach the same decision I did! … [...]