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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Getting to Europe is cheaper this summer — but everything costs more when you're there
A last-minute summer flight to London or Rome costs less than it did a year ago, but the good news ends at the customs checkpoint. U.S. travelers to the U.K. and Europe are finding their dollars don't go as far as they did just months ago. Exchange rates haven't been kind to Americans abroad this year. The dollar index — which tracks the greenback against a handful of other major currencies — has plunged 10.3% so far this year, its worst half-year performance since 1973, largely due to President Donald Trump's ongoing global trade war. While some analysts expect a partial rebound later this month, €1 now buys only about $0.85 today, versus $0.93 a year ago. In Britain, £1 fetches some $0.73, about 6 cents less than in early July 2024. Some of the currency swings have been quite recent. A ticket to a London play that cost £100, or about $135, at the beginning of June would cost $137 now. A three-night Barcelona hotel bill of €850, about $965 a month ago, will set you back $1,002 today. Fortunately, cheaper airfares are cushioning the blow. Tickets to Europe and Asia are down 10% and 13%, respectively, since last year at this time and have returned to pre-pandemic pricing, according to the booking platform Hopper. And travel experts at recently found some of the lowest-ever deals for certain flights to Sydney, Rio de Janeiro and Dublin this fall. Many consumers appear to be taking advantage of bargain tickets. Even as international travelers pull back on visiting the U.S., Americans are venturing abroad. Travel volumes among U.S. citizens returning home at major airports' passport control were up about 2% over the 28 days through June 21 since the same period a year ago, according to Tourism Economics, a market research firm. While budget considerations are affecting who's deciding to vacation abroad and how to spend when they do, consumer finance experts and travel industry analysts say broader economic uncertainty is playing a bigger role. 'If you're going to cancel an international trip, it's not going to be because of the dollar,' said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. 'It's going to be because you're worried about getting laid off, you're worried about geopolitical issues, or don't have the money saved up and the only way to pay for it is to put it on the credit card and finance it at 20% interest.' For any travelers with heartburn over the weaker dollar, McBride noted that it 'still compares pretty favorably to levels we saw in 2021, and it's still better than pretty much anytime between 2003 and 2014.' Indeed, Tourism Economics found travel spending by U.S. residents abroad rose 8.6% in the first four months of the year from the same period a year earlier. 'This indicates continued U.S. outbound demand,' the firm said. While the economy and household finances always influence travel demand, 'today those factors are looking to have more of a negative impact than positive one,' said Nicki Zink, deputy head of industry analysis at the market research firm Morning Consult. In the group's recent survey, 31% of consumers said both the state of the U.S. economy and personal financial pressures are reducing their interest in leisure travel in the next three months, 'higher than any other factor we survey about,' said Zink. For its own part, the tourism market research firm Future Partners found 47% of American travelers are likely to venture abroad in the next 12 months, but 35% said uncertainty around U.S. policy changes had already caused them to reconsider or delay those plans. And in a NerdWallet survey last month, 11% of consumers said they'd scrapped international travel plans this year over global relations or economic uncertainty. Plenty of Americans are still packing their passports, though. Millennials, for example, 'are increasingly considering international destinations, despite the higher cost compared with domestic trips,' said Zink, adding that interest in destinations across South and Central America, the Caribbean and northern Europe have risen this year. Wealthy travelers are also still traveling with gusto, extending a trend that has intensified since the recovery from the pandemic. 'Our affluent clients are still going after those bucket-list adventures and once-in-a-lifetime experiences,' said Mandee Migliaccio, CEO of the New Jersey-based agency Stepping Out Travel Services. 'While they're definitely keeping an eye on the headlines, they typically won't change plans unless a destination really becomes unstable.' Migliaccio acknowledged she has seen some subtle shifts lately, with some clients asking to trim flight costs or deciding to skip a stop to keep things more efficient. 'It's not so much 'I can't go' as it is, 'How can I make this work for me?'' she said. 'People are being strategic, spending where it matters most, and opting for curated experiences over excess.' This article was originally published on
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Ewan McGregor And Charley Boorman On ‘The Long Way Home', Friendship And Unexpected Detours
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in 'The Long Way Home' The final episode of The Long Way Home is now streaming on Apple TV+. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman spent the entire summer traveling across Europe on their bikes and they visited about 17 countries, from Scotland to Sweden, Austria, Finland and France. We often say that going on a trip with a friend can become a great friendship -and personality- test, especially when the trip in question might include perilous situations and weather hazards. McGregor and Boorman have been best friends since the 1990s, so I asked them if they had learned something new about each other and about themselves during this fourth trip together. McGregor said, 'We started our first trip in 2004, 21 years ago, and we didn't have any idea, and in a way that's the beauty of it, of what we were doing. We wanted to do a round-the-world trip and film it. We wanted it to be really simple, one camera, we didn't realize we were doing something that would be so hugely part of our lives.' He added: 'We often talk about what we've learned is about the fact that you can travel down the same stretch of roads, even the same motorbikes and have two entirely different experiences. I might be in a bad mood, feeling tired or missing home, and Charley can be having an up day, and when we did the first trip, when that would happen, it would feel like something was wrong. And what we learned through doing four trips now, is that it is right, Charley is having his experience and I'm having mine, and they should exist together. But it takes you a while to learn that. And also to be more understanding of each other, those early trips were four and a half months, it's a long time to be side by side, 24 hours a day. Now we read each other better, if Charlie needs a minute I can recognize that, or if I need picked up, Charlie will pick me up. It's nice, we allow ourselves to have our own experience I guess.' 'The Long Way Home' During their trip across Europe, the two friends have had to overcome technical difficulties with their bikes and different kind of obstacles on the road. But some of these obstacles sometimes turned out for the best, as they allowed the adventurers to find a solution, wether it was a new path or a new camping site, which resulted in an even bigger adventure. During their stay in Finland, McGregor and Boorman drove to the lake region of the country, and simply by talking with locals there, they ended up finding their new camping site on a small island. This last minute decision led the two men to one of the most breathtaking locations of their journey. Another day, a closed road led the two friends to a new path, which resulted in McGregor and Boorman meeting new people and discovering new sceneries. I asked them if they had a favorite memory of an unexpected detour from this trip. Boorman said, 'You mentioned the road closure, there was some building work going on and we were delayed. Max and Claudio, who are two cameramen who shared a bike together, well Max had dropped a glove, and he was bummed out about that because it was getting cold. Anyway the road was closed, we were pulled over and the guy said, 'Oh just so you know, the car behind has found your glove, and if you wait there, you'll get it back.' We went somewhere else to get food while Max waited for the glove, we set up camp, Max turned up because these people had given him a lift, and they said they could get up the hill but that they couldn't get out, they were going to stay on top of the mountain, so they invited us for a coffee.' McGregor added: 'It was as high as you could be in this valley, right in the wind, we got there, took our helmets off, they gave us a coffee from their RV, lovely, but by the time it went to my lips it was stone cold. And then I heard Charlie saying 'I'm gonna put my helmet back on' because it was so cold!' 'The Long Way Home' Little gestures and improvised moments like this one made for some very precious memories during this road trip. McGregor then remembered an anecdote from their 2004 trip to Mongolia. He said, 'We had GPS units and maps. And in Mongolia, there's no road, it's just tracks. So on the GPS, all it showed were lakes. So we had to look for the right shape of the lake on the map. There was a lake up to our right, a huge one, and we were going to cross where the lake turns into a river but the bridge had gone or it was too deep, whatever. Nobody could cross, and they said it could be days, so we went around the lake.' He added: 'We rode off road around this lake, it took us all day to get around it. But I remember crouching in the shade of my bike, you just put your hand on the stand, and that was the only shade there was, it was baking hot. It's funny because Mongolia was also very cold and rainy other times. But that was an amazing detour and it sticks in my mind because we were never quite sure we had made the right choice.' All episodes of The Long Way Home are now streaming on Apple TV+
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
10 holidays in Europe for people who hate the heat
Sizzling sights and sunbaked beaches. A heatwave gripped large parts of Europe this week. Spain was among the nations baking – where a record high of 46C was recorded in the town of El Granado on June 28. If recent years are anything to go by, this won't be the last of it. It looks likely that we are in for another long, scorching summer in Europe. Fine, if you like your holidays hot. But if you'd prefer to seek out a cooler corner of the continent, where to go? The obvious answer is to head north to explore the scenic shores and lakes of Scandinavia, the glacial landscapes of Iceland or the intriguing Baltic cities. The alternative is to head high, perhaps to the Spanish Picos or the French Alps, where there'll be plenty of high-altitude sunshine but none of the enervating heat and humidity. Whether you are looking for an active, cultural or fly-and-flop break, here's a selection of ten great ways to avoid the worst of the heat in Europe this summer. Lifts serving the Grande Motte glacier, which rises to a lofty 11,995ft above the mountain resort of Tignes, stay open for summer skiing until July 20. Lower down, in the resort, peak temperatures hover at around 17C and among the cooling activities are kayaking, paddle boarding and visits to the Acroland water park, where adults and children aged 10 years and over can plunge down slides into the icy lake water below. Peak Retreats (023 9283 9310) offers a seven-night stay in Le Nevada, Tignes Val Claret, from £317, self-catering, based on four staying in a two-bedroom apartment, including ferry crossing for car and passengers, departing July 12. The lakes, rivers and forests of eastern Finland offer a vast playground for active families who want a sunny outdoor holiday without excessive heat. Temperatures rise to a pleasant 21C in child-friendly lakeside resorts, which lie within a two-hour drive of Helsinki and offer canoeing, swimming, paddle boarding, fishing and local trails. Discover the World (01737 428 406) offers a five-night Taste of Finnish Lakeland from £525, including car rental. Excludes flights to Helsinki, based on two adults and two children under 12 years. Departures until September. Zealand, Denmark's largest island, offers peaceful backroads and uncrowded cycle paths, long hours of daylight and gentle sunshine. Relaxing itineraries loop through shady woodland, past sandy beaches and scenic fjords, and through small fishing villages, with a foray into the coastal city of Roskilde. Freedom Treks (01273 977961) offer a seven-night, self-guided Zealand Bike Tour from £1,033, including luggage transfer, maps and route information. Excludes bike hire (£86 for a hybrid with pannier; £205 for an E-bike), flights to Copenhagen and rail transfers. Departs weekly through July and August. The Côte d'Azur can see summer temperatures nudge 30C or more in July and August, but northern France enjoys a more temperate 20 to 22C. Hop across the Channel to stay near the sandy beaches of Normandy, the a chance to tour the wartime sights, sample the seafood and explore the rocky island of Mont-Saint-Michel. Brittany Ferries (0330 162 5457) offers seven nights at four-star Hotel Le Grand Hard-Domaine Utah Beach from £1,266, self-drive, including return Portsmouth to Caen ferry crossing, departing August 5. While temperatures sizzle in the Costas, the mountainous areas near the Cantabrian coast of northern Spain offer a welcome refuge from the summer heat. The Picos de Europa are best explored on foot with a network of well-marked paths through peaceful rural backwaters, the medieval town of Potes and the bucolic Valdeón valley. Pura Aventura (01273 676712) offers an eight-night, self-guided Rural Life and Mountain Hikes tour from £1,650, including four lunches, six dinners and luggage transfers. Excludes travel to Bilbao. Departures throughout July and August. In the nothern Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, temperatures barely reach 7C in July and August and nights can dip to 2C. These islands are home to walruses, whales and polar bears, which gather in the fjords near the capital Longyearbyen. Try dog-sledding on wheels for views of the glacier at Nordenskiöldbreen. Regent Holidays (01174 537640; offers a five-night Svalbard Summer Break from £1,750, including four excursions. Departures throughout July and August. Iceland's summer season is as short as it is cool. July and August see temperatures barely reaching 13C, but the long days (up to 20 hours of daylight), make this an ideal season to explore its unique inland and coastal scenery. From spectacular waterfalls to spouting geysers and from black-sand beaches to naturally heated lagoons, it's the perfect antidote to the muggy Mediterranean. Trailfinders (020 7368 1317) offers a seven-night Southern Iceland's Geysers, Glaciers and Waterfalls package from £1,899, including car hire and entrance to the Blue Lagoon, departing August 25. A Baltic Sea cruise is a great alternative to the sultry Mediterranean in the summer months, and although you can expect plenty of sunny days, you may also need to pack a jumper for cooler days. Highlights include shore excursions to see the mix of medieval and modern architecture in the region's cities, and the variety of coastal scenery. MSC Cruises (020 3426 3010) offers a seven-night Baltics and Scandinavia Cruise on MSC Poesia, from £2,559, full board, including children's clubs, on-board entertainment and excursions to Klaipeda in Lithuania, the Latvian capital of Riga, Stockholm and Copenhagen, based on an interior cabin. Excludes flights to Hamburg and transfers to the embarkation point at Warnemünde. Departures on July 27 and August 10. Snow-covered peaks and glaciers, which circle the Upper Engadine Valley in south-east Switzerland, provide an alluring backdrop to bucolic mountain pastures and larch woodlands, where mild conditions are ideal for a huge variety of alpine flowers. Spring comes late to this region and in July you can still expect to see orchids, primroses, glacier jasmine and foxgloves at their best. Naturetrek (01962 733051; offers a seven-night Switzerland - Alpine Flowers of the Upper Engadine from £2,595, full board, departing July 2 and 9. The clear, azure-blue seawater and sandy beaches on this far-flung Norwegian island may look reminiscent of the Caribbean, but the temperatures are quite a contrast. Averaging around 15C in summer, its scenic landscapes of moorland and mountains offer a range of spectacular walking terrain, with comfortable accommodation in small fishing villages and long hours of daylight. Inntravel (01653 617000) offers a seven-night Hike Senja - An Arctic Island from £2,510, half board, including car hire and walking notes. Excludes flights. Departures throughout July and August. Prices quoted are per person including breakfast, transfers and flights, unless otherwise stated, and are subject to availability. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
