Home SwapLodging is by far the biggest expense when traveling abroad, and the weak dollar isn't helping it get any cheaper. The average daily hotel rate in Western Europe, for instance, increased 22.5% from December 2006 to December 2007, according to a survey by Smith Travel Research, a lodging industry data provider, and U.K.-based research outfit The Bench.
That's made the idea of house swapping all the more attractive. Exchange your apartment in
New York for one in
Paris and all you have to worry about is
airfare and meals. Ed Kushins, president of HomeExchange.com, one of several online home-swapping clubs, says his site has seen its membership double to about 20,000 since April 2006.
"Especially now, we're hearing all kinds of stories from members saying they couldn't do a
Europe trip this year if not for home exchange because the dollar is so bad and hotel prices are so high," says Kushins. And since
the U.S. is such a bargain now -- for Europeans in particular -- Americans itching to stay in the English countryside or
Siena, Italy for a week won't have a problem finding takers. "People over there can't wait to get to
the U.S.," he says.
Broaden Your Travel HorizonsTravel experts agree on at least one thing:
Latin America offers the best overseas value for American travelers. Since most
Latin American currencies are tied to the dollar, either officially or in practice, the greenback goes at least as far as it did before it started declining.
"I think this year Americans are going to discover the western hemisphere," says Chris McGinnis, editor of the Expedia Travel Trendwatch. Expedia's bookings to
Latin America were up 8% in 2007, compared with 2006. The average roundtrip airfare to
Latin America on Expedia is $489, says McGinnis; for
South America in particular, it's $800.
The big cities in
Chile,
Argentina and
Uruguay are known for their European-like feel, so even though they're the most expensive to get to -- compared with, say,
Mexico -- the payoff is big for Americans eager to get that sitting-in-a-cafe-sipping-espresso-for-hours experience. For adventure seekers, South America has fjords, glaciers, trips to Antarctica and wine country, as well as skiing in the summer.
Also, some lesser-known parts of easy-to-get-to places like
Puerto Rico and
Mexico feature more than just a nice beach. The colonial region of
Mexico, north of
Guadalajara, for example, has old Spanish towns built by the Conquistadors. "It's relatively unknown to Americans. It has plazas, churches. It's a cultural experience," says McGinnis.
