Where to Travel While the Dollar is Strong

Summary: Where to Travel While the Dollar is Strong

• Low airfare this summer is driven by increased competition on international routes, and downward price pressure from low cost carriers entering markets around the world. 

• A strong US economy is driving up the value of the US Dollar compared to many other countries, meaning travelers can stretch their travel budgets further while on vacation.

• The best value is Argentina, where the dollar buys 80% more Argentinian pesos than in summer 2018, and where airfare prices are down almost 11%.  Other high value destinations include Uruguay, Australia, Sweden and Norway, where the dollar buys 8%-15% more of the local currency than last summer. 

• Europe is a popular summer destination, and with 3.5% growth in the value of the dollar compared to the Euro, and airfare down 6%- 20% compared to 2018, it’s the perfect summer to cross off those bucket list destinations!

Quick Tips for wallet savvy travelers

• Set up your trip watches in Hopper now so you can get notified about flight deals. The shoulder travel season (late summer/early fall) is the best time to score international flight deals.

• Notify your bank and credit card companies before leaving the country to ensure you’ll have access to your funds, and understand any fees associated with using your cards or an ATM abroad.

• When possible, pay in the local currency when making purchases abroad to ensure you’re getting the best prices and deals.

• Plan ahead! Many banks will allow you to order local currency before a trip, and will usually offer a better exchange rate than an airport cash exchange service and won’t charge additional fees you might incur using ATMs abroad. 

Summer is here, and millions of Americans are making use of their vacation days and heading out on trips both near and far. Many travelers are packing their passports and heading out on international getaways, taking advantage of record low international airfare and a strong dollar to stretch the travel wallet further. 

This summer, travelers can take advantage of record low airfare to many bucket list international destinations such as Argentina, New Zealand, Fiji, Croatia and much of Europe. Prices to these trending destinations are down anywhere from 5% to 20% compared to 2018 and 2017 levels. Low prices this summer are driven by increased competition on international routes, and downward price pressure from low cost carriers entering markets around the world. 

Airfare costs are a huge part of the travel budget, but wallet savvy travelers will also be able to take advantage of the strong dollar (USD) this summer stretch their travel budget. In the past year or so, the dollar has been on a great run against many international currencies, so there are many new countries to explore where the dollar will go further. 

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, Hopper’s got you covered. We analyzed billions of flight prices and exchange rates to bring you the ultimate ranking of top destinations to visit this summer where airfare is reaching record lows, and the value of the dollar has grown.

The best value is Argentina, where the dollar buys 80% more Argentinian pesos than in summer 2018, and where airfare prices are down almost 11%.  Other high value destinations include Uruguay, Australia, Sweden and Norway, where the dollar buys 8%-15% more of the local currency than last summer. 

Europe is a popular summer destination, and with 3.5% growth in the value of the dollar compared to the Euro, it’s the perfect summer to check off those bucket list destinations.  There are still great deals available to visit Spain (prices -21% vs ‘18), France (-15% vs ‘18), Italy (-17% vs ‘18) and many more top European destinations this summer. 

Money Saving Tips for International Travelers

Traveling to a foreign country can often involve the hassle of changing your hard-earned dollars into a different currency, and constantly having to “do the math” when making purchases abroad.  In an increasingly digital world, many travelers also have to be aware of fees associated with using credit/debit cards abroad or accessing cash through international ATMs. 

Before traveling, notify your bank and credit card companies to ensure you’ll have access to your funds, and understand any fees associated with using your cards or an ATM abroad.When possible, pay in the local currency when making purchases abroad to ensure you’re getting the best prices and deals.  Plan ahead! Many banks will allow you to order local currency before a trip, and will usually offer a better exchange rate than an airport cash exchange service and won’t be associated with additional fees you might incur using ATMs abroad. 

Methodology

The data presented in this analysis comes from Hopper’s combined feed of Global Distribution Service (GDS) data sources which includes billions of trips per day. Demand is represented as the number of queries not actual ticket purchases. We analyzed year over year exchange rate data from https://openexchangerates.org/.  “Summer” prices reflect expected good deal prices for leisure travelers departing in July, August or September.