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A recent study has revealed that jetting off on an international trip this summer could actually be cheaper than heading away on a domestic vacation. The study is bound to come as a big surprise for travelers, having heard for several months about how expensive flight tickets and hotel stays are at present – but it could well have travelers scrambling to find their passports and book a trip overseas for the coming few months.
Having been made possible by a range of different factors, the study shows that an affordable international vacation isn't just a thing of the past like many think it is right now, but a feature of travel today as well. Here's which destinations the study claims American travelers can save money by visiting this summer – plus a look at which other international destinations represent good value for money at present.
International Travel Not Always Extortionate
Despite frequent news stories telling travelers otherwise, international travel doesn't have to break the bank – or at least that's what a recent travel study is telling us. A study carried out by the travel booking platform Hopper found that several top destinations for American travelers could be well within budget – and, in many cases, even cheaper than going on a domestic staycation.
The reason why? The strength of the dollar compared to other currencies. Today, one US dollar can purchase ~0.94 Euros, making it one of the few occasions that the two currencies have almost reached parity – all whilst flights and hotel in the US are rising in price. In layman's terms, that means a traveler's budget in Europe will stretch 15% further than last summer and 6% further than at this time in 2019 thanks to the strength of the dollar – which will more than help offset the expensive air fare.
The survey also reveals that whilst flight tickets have generally risen across the board, that isn't the case for every destination. Despite a general increase of almost 15% for international flights and more than 30% for domestic air travel compared to 2019, there are some destinations in Europe that have actually seen their ticket prices fall over the past few years.
Airfare to Portugal has fallen by 11% compared to 2019, with tickets to Croatia also falling 8.4% over the same period. Other countries, such as Ireland and Greece will cost more or less the same they paid for back in 2019, with airfare increases below 1%. Outside of the EU, key countries to target for cheap vacations include Chile, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, where both flight prices have fallen and the dollar is performing well against the local currency.
Despite low overall price rises, travel to Europe can still be expensive for travelers. Flights to Mexico and the Caribbean are cheaper, and have also seen a much lower rise in airfare prices compared to domestic flights and flights to Europe, meaning that trips to top destinations such as Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are even more attractive now than they were before.
The study also offered some general money saving tips both before and during a vacation. These included ordering currency from a bank before a trip to get the best exchange rate and, when abroad, paying in the local currency where possible to get the best exchange rate and price. Travel abroad may still cost a penny – but it may now cost less than you were previously expecting.
Read More:
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Top 10 Destinations Americans Can Travel To Without Any Testing This Summer
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Wentian Chan
Tuesday 14th of June 2022
A month ago I bought a one way air ticket from US Northeast to Bangkok - and the price was about the same as what I paid before a year before the pandemic. Plus accomodation in Thailand is significantly cheaper now, in US dollars and possibly overall. My holiday in Asia might end up costing less than what people are paying to stay in the US or Mexico.
Sunny
Monday 13th of June 2022
Getting from the US to European countries is ridiculously expensive now. Build back better NWO prices are kicking in folks. Buy silver.
James II
Monday 13th of June 2022
"Today, one US dollar can purchase ~0.94 Euros..." Make that 0.96 as of 2:00 today. IMHO $ could get even stronger, maybe up to $1.30 by year's end so the longer one can delay travelling the better for $ holders.