Taking Advantage of Exchange Rate

Not necessarily; it depends on what YOU want to see. Forget the cost; disregard the country and choose the sights which interest YOU.

I found Italy and Germany just as expensive as any other European country.

London is probably the most expensive city in Europe right now, even with the GBP pound falling, but it really has nothing to do with whether the country's priced in GBP or Euro. If cost is a factor, pick a place like Spain. But if you have your heart set on England and Ireland, sacrifice some things to get there for your holiday....downgrade your hotels by one category (after all, you don't spend much time there anyway) and get tips on inexpensive restaurants in and around the larger cities (like London). If you're planning to spend a week in London, you may want to consider an apartment rental. People on this board can offer you all sorts of tips on cheaper accommodations, transportation, and entertainment that, while it may not make the holiday as inexpensive as a similar itinerary in another country, will probably surprise you with the ways you can make your holiday more affordable.

The public transporation in the UK is awesome. We find getting a tourist travel card (or using an Oyster Card) convient and realatively inexpensive way to travel in London. It is one of our absolutely favorite places in the world. There are ways to cut your expenses. If you stay at a hotel- see if you can get breakfast included in the rate- then have a large breakfast and just "snack" for lunch (fruit from a market stand, etc.)You can spend LOTS or a little on your rooms- just look at the alternatives. Apartments make a good compromise if you are going to base yourself in a city and do day trips (again London is perfect for that). The UK has MUCH to enjoy.

London is a world capitol, like New York. Going to big cities like that is always going to be expensive. I agree that it's not about pounds or euros, just the size and expense of the particular city. Rural areas are always cheaper in any country. But you have to decide what you want -- do you want to go to England and not see London? If you go to Italy, would you want to miss Rome, which would cost almost as much as going to London?

I was just thinking it would be better to take advantage of the better euro exchange rate. Also, I believe I could rent a car in Italy (19). Would it be cheaper for me to rent a car in Italy then use public transportation everywhere in England and Ireland?

we went to England, Scotland and Wales a few years ago, and found that once you get out of London, the prices were very reasonable. In the small villages or towns, we got great meals and stayed in B&B's and thoght the prices were good. In any large city in Europe, its going to be expensive. We always mix it up, because the large cities can be so tiring and the countryside is a welcome change.

Well be thankful that the dollar is trading at 69 cents to the pound. Last year at this time it was at 48 cents on the pound.

For those of us traveling in the next few months I don't see a huge change in the exchanges rates. Later on in the year who knows. Unless the dollar tanks in the next few months the exchange rate is not to bad.

I would encourage you to go wherever you want to go the most!! I have always wanted to go to Great Britain, and recently I decided to go to London for a week in April. I have been planning for about 2 months now. There is so much that you can do ahead of time, and there are many good deals to be had! I know the exchange rate isn't that great, but it's better than it has been. I've taken advantage of that by booking tickets ahead of time (ex: you can purchase a London Pass, attraction tickets, and RT transport from Heathrow online). That way you are buying at the current rate, of course, and not chancing that it will be much worse when you actually travel. Generally speaking, what I've done is figure out what my budget is in dollars, and work that out into what I can afford in pounds. From what I can gather, there are many things you can do to cut costs (my small hotel offers a full breakfast each day, for instance), and still have a blast. I'm a first-timer but I'm feeling more and more confident about this trip. Just give yourself lots of time to read reviews, do the research, and read the guidebook! :)

Sorry Kent your right

1 US Dollar buys .69 pounds. But last year 1 US Dollar bought .48 pounds a significant jump. In fact last year 1 US dollar bought .69 Euro when I went to Ireland.

I knew what I meant to say but I didn't type it right.

=)

Well in June, 2008 in London and other parts of England, the dollar was $2.07 to the 1.00 pound. Our trip was quite expensive even though we scraped and watched our spending in eating. The B&B's were reasonable but...because the dollar was up to $2.07, it made the 50 pound/night B&B's more but go....
We did and LOVED it.!!

^ So you're saying the cost of going to London would equal the price to go to Rome and Milan combined?