Wait! The sky is not falling! Europe is actually still 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.
OK, I admit that when I travel to the United Kingdom or to Ireland I feel sticker shock at the cost of hotels, meals, wine and pints at a pub. Frankly, I don't know how the locals manage to live with the sky-high prices. To say nothing of Scandinavia, which has always been a relatively expensive destination.
But as far as I can see, the prices in continental Europe are similar to those in the United States, if not lower. 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.
Are the prices in Europe higher than last year? Yes.
Is the dollar-to-euro exchange rate worse than ever before? Yes.
Does it cost more to stay overnight in Rome, Italy, than it costs to stay overnight in Rome, N.Y.? No.
Is beer more expensive in Munich than in Milwaukee? Not necessarily.
Does the average meal at a good restaurant set visitors back more than the same meal in their hometown? Probably not.
A quick look at Hotels.com in the third week of July showed that hotel prices in London were about the same as in New York City, and there were more low-cost options in London. It cost far less to stay at a hotel in Madrid, Spain, than it did to stay in the center of Chicago. Boston hotels are far more expensive than hotels in the middle of Paris. Low-cost hotels in Munich, Germany, cost about the same as Econo Lodge or La Quinta hotels here in the United States.
I just spent two weeks in Pamplona, Spain. I was there at the height of the city's fiesta, when some prices are jacked up to take advantage of the crush of tourists. The bottom line is that costs there, even in the middle of fiesta, aren't any higher than here in the United States. And in many cases they are lower.
Here are some examples from my receipts.
- A cup of café solo, the equivalent of an espresso here, costs 80 to 90 euro cents or about $1.10 to $1.25.
- A glass of good wine or beer in a bar costs 1.50 euros, or about $2.10.
- A six-pack of beer in the supermarket costs 2.64 euros, or $3.65.
- An eight-pack of Pepsi Light in the supermarket costs 3.20 euros, or $4.40.
- A pizza in a restaurant costs between 10 and 12.50 euros, or $14 to $17.
- A platos combinando meal of chicken, French fries and peppers, right on the main walking street of town, costs 14 euros, or less than $20.
- A full dinner at one of the better restaurants in town, Amostegui Restaurante or Restaurante St. Ignacio, just off the main Plaza Castillo, costs about 35 euros, or $48; this includes a starter, main course, dessert and a half bottle of good wine.
- An Irish coffee for dessert costs 3.90 euros, or $5.40.
- T-shirts range from 6 to 12 euros, or $8.25 to $16.50.
- Three rolls of paper towels cost 1.65 euros, or $2.25.
- A box of 25 British tea bags costs 1.53 euros, or $2.10.
- Six wine glasses cost 4.20 euros, or $5.80.
- A chocolate-covered ice cream bar costs between 1 and 2 euros, or between $1.40 and $2.80.
- A bus ride from the airport to the center of town costs 1 euro, or about $1.40.
- A taxi ride from the airport to the center of town costs 10 euros, or about $14.
These prices are not at all outrageous by American standards. In fact, American travelers can live just as well on vacation in Europe as they do at home.
I'm headed to Venice next month. Last-minute tickets cost less than $1,200 from Boston to Venice purchased through 1-800-FLY-EUROPE, where agents helped me maneuver through the low-cost options. I have rented an apartment so the admittedly high hotel costs are avoided, but the other prices I will face will be about the same as I have noted above. It will be a great, affordable time in Europe.
Who wouldn't be happier spending the night in a bed and breakfast near the Colosseum in Rome than staying at the Econo Lodge in Rome, N. Y.? It's nice when travel dreams cost about the same as back-home reality. So, don't let Chicken Little travel writers rattle your dreams of traveling to Europe this summer. Go ahead and enjoy yourself.