Why Traveling To France Is Less Expensive Than Ever

For instance, traveling to France has decreased in cost every year for the last 4 years, and the dollar has gained nearly 20 percent against the Euro since April. This means it is less expensive than ever to get to Europe, and one expert believes the best way to see the sights of the French countryside is to drive it..

Orv Strandoo, author of The Essential Driving Guide for France, knows that certain key sites in France, such as the beaches of Normandy that were home to one of the decisive battles of World Wat II, are only accessible by car. His advice is to catch a cheap flight over, rent a car and just drive.

“There are just some parts of France that are worth seeing that just aren’t within walking distance of your hotel and the cattle buses won’t take you either,” Strandoo said. “There just is no substitute for getting there yourself. In that way, it becomes less about just seeing a sight – it becomes an adventure and an experience to remember.”

Why is it so much cheaper than it used to be? First off, as recent as April, it cost $1.60 in American dollars to buy one Euro. Today, it costs only $1.36, meaning your dollars will go nearly 20 percent further. Moreover, hotels and attractions have lowered prices because Americans stopped traveling to France as much as they used to. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, travel to Europe by Americans decreased 4.8 percent in the first eight months of 2008 compared to the same time in 2007.

“The dollar is doing well compared to the Euro, and the European economy is going through the same deflationary pressures as the U.S. economy,” he said. “The price of airfare is way under $1,000 for a roundtrip ticket, and hotels are cutting deals left and right, so getting there is not the problem it used to be. However, it won’t last forever, as recessions are marked by rapid inflation after a period of deflation, so the time to take advantage of these price drops is now.”

For the visitor to France, driving around the countryside is one of the more satisfying experiences in Europe.

“The planning they put into the infrastructure over there is impressive and a joy to behold,” Strandoo said. “Signage are suoerb, and the service areas along the autoroute are the best in Europe. There is nothing like the freedom of the open road for exploring the vineyards of Burgundy and Bordeaux, the lavender fields of Provence, or the magnificence of the French Alps. France offers endless potential for unique travel escapades — by car.”

Orv Strandoo is the author of The Essential Driving Guide for France, and president and founder of AutoVenture, one of America's most distinctive tour operators specializing in individual customized driving tours covering the whole of Europe. A veteran travel professional with more than 45 years of experience, Orv has logged more than 100,000 miles throughout Europe – from above the Artic Circle to the Straits of Gibralter and all the stops along the way. His Essential Guide to Driving in Europe series presents indispensable information in an easy-to-access format that helps the serious traveler enjoy the best of each country when exploring by car.

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