Start Saving Your Pennies

If you're planning on making it to Austria and Switzerland next summer, you'll need to start saving some of that hard-earned cash right now, or take out a loan. Money quote:

By now, five summers after the dollar began its long swoon against the euro and the pound, American travelers are used to $5 cups of coffee and triple-digit dinner checks in Europe's great capitals. But the dollar's latest plunge - to record lows of 72 cents to the euro and 49 pence to the pound - has turned mere sticker shock into a form of suspended disbelief for many tourists.

Throw in the regular gouging that goes on at events such as the Euros, the prices will be steep indeed. Oh well, I guess I don't really need health insurance.

For Americans in Europe, sticker shock [International Herald Tribune]

-ac