A year ago, one U.S. dollar would get you about .73 euros to spend when traveling in Europe. Looked at another way, Americans would have to ante up 1.364 U.S. dollars to get one euro in exchange.
So for every admission or food item or souvenir costing 3 euros, Americans would have to pay the equivalent of $4.
Now, as of this writing, one U.S. dollar is worth about .88 euros, meaning Americans with dollars to exchange only have to offer up $1.13 to get one euro back.
That's a big difference from last year -- and for a good many years before that.
The bottom line is that it means traveling in Europe is more affordable for Americans. (The euro still has the edge, though, so don't stop coming to the U.S., Europeans!)
Even if you're an American taking a mostly prepaid tour to Europe, you're still going to need spending money. And the U.S. economy is gaining steam, allowing more people to have additional funds for travel.
Tour operators are taking notice, too, and many are lowering their prices in dollars or offering special deals to Europe for 2015.
So now's the time to take that trip to the Continent you've been thinking about, but weren't sure you could afford!
Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews
