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European Vacation Package Deals, cheap holiday travel packages - Europe. Home Package Deals Europe Package Deals Travel Directory Search Travel Directory Notes From the Editor Travel Blog Travel Photography Travel Photos Package Deals Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East North America Oceania EUROPE VACATION PACKAGE - HOLIDAY DEALS Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia-Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia and Montenegro Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City Popular European City Destinations Algarve Alicante Amsterdam Athens Barcelona Belfast Berlin Bilbao Bologna Brussels Budapest Copenhagen Cork Costa Del Sol Dublin Edinburgh Florence Frankfurt French Riviera Geneva Glasgow Hamburg Hannover Istanbul Lisbon London Lyon Madrid Mallorca Manchester Milan Munich Naples Nice Paris Prague Reykjavik Rome Seville Stockholm Tenerife Toulouse Venice Vienna Zurich Thomson Holidays U.K Site Package holidays, flights and travel ideas from Thomson. Thomson offers access to great value holidays, direct from the UK's No1 supplier of air inclusive package holidays. Book Cheap Holidays Online lastminute.com U.K Site Find the perfect holiday with lastminute.com. Choose our database of thousands of special offers and exclusive rates for city breaks to Europe. Europe holidays baholidays.com U.K Site Baholidays.com offers hotels, cars, sightseeing and transfer options in over 250 destinations around the globe. All our hotel properties are hand-picked with great locations and specially negotiated rates. Europe Holidays Expedia.com U.S Site Current vacation packages and specials. Travel for the best vacation package prices available. European Package Deals Expedia.co.uk U.K Site Expedia combines negotiated hotel, flight and hire car rates to offer high value trips to almost 400 popular destinations worldwide. Europe Holiday deals Priceline.com U.S Site Get the Guaranteed Best Price on your Airline Tickets, Hotel Rooms and Rental Car with the new and improved Priceline Vacation Packages. Now - instead of Naming Your Own Price, we'll show you the best available prices before you buy. Air, Hotel and Rental Car packages Travelocity U.S Site Travelocity has the power to negotiate thousands of great travel deals with the world's most reputable travel providers -- top airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and other destination attractions and services. European Vacations Portland Holidays Direct U.K Site Portland Direct provides cheap package holidays across Europe. Portland Direct can offer the lowest prices by cutting out travel agents costs. Direct holidays at cheap bargain prices. Hotwire.com U.S Site Just a simple search gets you all your travel needs - flight, hotel and car rental. Book all-in-one vacation packages for one low price. Site59.com U.S Site Site59 provides one-stop shopping for spontaneous, affordable weekend getaways. Flight and Hotel Packages CityBreakaways U.K Site City breaks by Eurostar to Europe including hotel accommodation in Paris, Amsterdam, Brugge, Brussels and more. Great value packages include discount hotels and eurostar travel from London Waterloo or Ashford international station. European City Breaks Orbitz U.S Site Find the best package deals on the Internet, make vacation reservations online, and research package destinations at Orbitz.com European Vacation Deals bdtravel.com We provide all types of discount vacation deals and packages, escorted tours and luxury and affordable cruises. B & D Travel will arrange all the details and accommodate you. B & D Travel lowcostcitybreaks.co.uk Specialist travel operators in European short break holidays and weekend city breaks from the UK. Low Cost City Break Holidays iexploregreece.com iexploregreece offers package, private and vip tours to Turkey and Greece, specialized in Ephesus, Cappadocia, Istanbul, Pamukkale and Anzac Day Tours. iexploregreece senkrontours.com Providing customized tours in Turkey, Turkey and Greece combined tours, hotel reservations for all major cities, including Istanbul, Athens, Bodrum, Marmaris, etc. Turkey and Greece Tour Operator Airfares | Car Rental | Hotels | Rail Europe | Travel Insurance Home | About us | Contact us | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Add a travel site
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South America Travel: Deals and travel information for South America, World Mobile site | Security | Your account | Help find - find.html -- Travel to South America Home > World > South America Travel lastminute.com offers a fantastic array of incredible South America travel deals. Whetherbooking a hotel, flight, holiday or car hire, lastminute.com is your one stop travel shop. So, either check out our special South America travel deals below,use our search box to find the perfect trip or browse through our vast list of destinations to see all we have to offer. Let lastminute.com help you plan the most rewarding journey you've ever had. 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South America Hotels (116) South America Holidays (14) South America Flights South America Car rentals (31) South America Short breaks South America Guide Deals Attractions Events Deals Today's Top Deals Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel 5, 7, 10 or 14 nights in Dazzling Rio de Janeiro choice of 3*, 4* & 5* accommodation from 799 InterContinental Santiago Explore the Grand Pacific onboard the 4* MV Discovery 35 nights Santiagofrom 4495 Attractions Amazon Rainforest The Amazon Rainforest contains thousands of different species of birds, hundreds of reptiles, mammals, insects and countless plants and trees, many of which are unique to the region. Huge, lazy rivers flow into secret lakes, untouched over thousands of years and surrounded by the dense green vegetation of the jungle. It is the most breathtaking natural wilderness on the planet. 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Events Feast Day of Saint Sebastian 20 Jan 2006 (annual) Yumbel Santiago LoveParade Jan 2006 (annual) Santiago de Chile Umbanda - Festival of the Goddess of the Sea 31 Dec 2005 (annual) Copacabana Beach Cali Fair (Feria de Cali) 25 - 30 Dec 2005 (annual) Cali New Year in Rio Dec 2005 (annual) Copacabana Beach ; Part of the lastminute.com group. lastminute.com , travel4less.com , travelselect.com , holidayautos.co.uk , medhotels.com , holidayhotels.com , onlinetravel.com , ifyouski.com , exhilaration.co.uk , gotofrance.com Holidays Hotels Citybreaks Gifts Experiences Entertainment Flights Site map Search site Skip navigation links Home Travel World In South America... 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Start: Today Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Thru: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Adults (18-64) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Minors (2-17) 0 1 2 3 4 5 Seniors (65+) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Minor ages at time of travel. -?- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 -?- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 -?- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 -?- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 -?- 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Search Flights - or - Search Flights + Hotels One-way , Multi-destination , More search options From: To: Depart: 12:00am 1:00am 2:00am 3:00am 4:00am 5:00am 6:00am 7:00am 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm Morning Afternoon Evening Return: 12:00am 1:00am 2:00am 3:00am 4:00am 5:00am 6:00am 7:00am 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm Morning Afternoon Evening Travelers: (Max 6) Rooms: 1 2 3 4 Room 1: Adults (18-64) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Children (2-17) 0 1 2 3 4 5 Seniors (65+) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Room 2: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Room 3: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Room 4: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Search Flights + Hotels Hotel in a Different City , Last Minute Deals Pick-up / drop-off the car: At an airport Near an address Near a place of interest Pick-up City or Airport: Place of Interest (US/Canada only) State: --- AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY AB BC MB NB NF NS NT ON PE QC SK YT Pick-up: 12:00am 1:00am 2:00am 3:00am 4:00am 5:00am 6:00am 7:00am 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Drop-off: 12:00am 1:00am 2:00am 3:00am 4:00am 5:00am 6:00am 7:00am 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Car Type: 5 basic types Economy Compact Intermediate Standard Full Size Premium Luxury Convertible Station Wagon Van Sport Utility Pickup Truck Specialty Search Cars One way, coupons and other options , Flight+Hotel+Car Country: All Other Destinations Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bolivia Bonaire Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Chad Chile China Colombia Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Grenadines Guatemala Guinea Guyana Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kenya Kuwait Laos Latvia Lebanon Liechtenstein Lithuania Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Monaco Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Netherlands Nevis New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Northern Mariana Islands Norway Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saba San Marino Saudi Arabia Scotland Senegal Seychelles Islands Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Korea Spain and Canary Islands Sri Lanka St. Barths St. Eustatius St. Kitts St. Lucia St. Martin/St. Maarten Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turks and Caicos Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands US Western Samoa Yemen Zimbabwe All Other Destinations City or Airport Code: State/Province: --- AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY AB BC MB NB NF NS NT ON PE QC SK YT Check-in: Check-out: Guests: Rooms: 1 2 3 4 5+ Room 1: Adults (18+) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Children (0-17) 0 1 2 3 4 5 Room 2: 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 Room 3: 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 Room 4: 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 Search Hotels Search by: Address, Points of Interest, Specific Hotel close [x] See highlighted element below Need ideas? 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Chicago Vacation
Chicago Vacation Rental All Vacation Rentals North America United States Illinois Chicago Luxury Living - Executive Retreat - CHICAGO Property Information Indian Trail, a serene and peaceful retreat that offers the finest touches for an executive away from home. An alternative for executives looking for an extended stay of 3 months or longer. It has all the comforts of home while overlooking a quiet pond and a nearby golf coarse. * Optional Amenities: Personal concierge, private chauffer, personal chef, massage therapist, personal trainer, nanny services. Smoking : No Pets : No 2 Bedroom(s) 1.5 Bathroom(s) Rates Info Eamil for rates.... Property Notes Availability Year Round Property Amenities Recreation/Activities Shopping Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Other Unlisted Amenities Kitchen: Refrigerator with outside water and ice, oven range, dishwasher, coffee maker, blender, toaster, cookware, dinnerware, and linens. Living Space: Great Room, Dining Area, Eat in Kitchen, Private Patio with table and chairs for alfresco dining Electronics: Unlimited local phone calls, Home Theatre System, stereo, Cable TV, DVD/VCR, fax machine and Office. Property Resources Reservations Information Tammy Jo Day Phone: 630-455-9877 Fax: 630-455-9878 Click Here to send an email directly to owner/manager Mention Property #11539 at Findrentals.com Click Here to View Photo Slide Show Owners Login | About FindRentals | Customer Service | Legal Notices | Advertise | Privacy Policy © 2005 findrentals.com | All Rights Reserved Number of Visitors to the Page this Month: 31 Total Number of Visitors to this Page: 594 Property # 11539
European Vacation Planning Map
Your European Vacation and the Tumbling Dollar - Should you go this Year? You are here: About > Travel > Europe for Visitors Travel Go Europe Essentials European Vacation Planning Map Europe Travel 101 - Before you Go European Distances The Best of Europe European Photo Gallery Articles & Resources Europe Travel Planning What to do In Europe Lodging - Hotels and More European Travel Maps Sex and Nudism Travel Photography Transportation Benelux Countries France Germany Austria Switzerland Greece Italy and Malta Travel Info Scandinavian Travel Spain and Portugal United Kingdom and Ireland Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Italy Travel Guidebooks Europe Travel Guidebooks German Travel Guidebooks Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Europe for Visitors newsletter! See Online Courses Search Europe for Visitors Central Sardinia, where viewing ancient "Giant's Tombs" is free. James Martin Stay up to date! Central Sardinia, where viewing ancient "Giant's Tombs" is free. James Martin Email to a friend Print this page The Euro Guide to the Euro Using your Credit Card in Europe Using your ATM Card in Europe Recent Discussions Need Help Planning a Trip Accomodation in london Mediteranean Feries Planning your European Vacation European Vacation Planner Map Europe Travel Basics Most Popular Europe Map - Distances Between Cities in Western Europe Europe's Best Nudist Beaches Europe Picture Galleries Italy Pictures Europe Travel 101 - Before You Travel to Europe for the Firs... What's Hot Power Adapters Noord-Holland - Delights of North Holland Travel Visiting Pompeii Italy Guidebooks Naples - Getting There Related Topics France for Visitors Greece for Visitors United Kingdom / Ireland for Visitors Eastern Europe for Visitors Italy for Visitors Your European Vacation and the Tumbling Dollar - Should you go this Year? From James Martin , Your Guide to Europe for Visitors . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Feb 12 2004 Will my vacation be too exensive? Maybe not as expensive as you think! A reader asks: "Should we wait until the Euro gets weaker to plan our European vacation?"
While I am certain to be viewed as a biased source of information on this topic, and considering the fact that no one I know has a crystal ball able to predict exchange rates, I will nevertheless plunge ahead and give my reasons and justifications for taking that vacation to Europe this year.
Exchange Rate. No one can predict what the future will hold, but some "experts" have surmised that the dollar may fall to as low as 1.5 Euros before the bloodbath is over. At the time of writing, the rate seems to have stabilized in the short term at around 1.25 or so. It's hard to see the dollar strengthening anytime soon, given the huge deficit and slow economy. Waiting for the dollar to strengthen may leave you waiting a long time. But maybe things aren't as bad as you think.
Historically, Things Average Out. I've been traveling to Europe since the mid 1970s, and it's always seemed to me that prices have slowly risen as hotels adapted higher standards and the economy reacted to general increases in living standards, especially in Southern Europe. These changes seemed slow and steady, and largely independent of major short-term fluctuations in the exchange rate. See the next argument for a free market reason why I may not have noticed currency fluctuations much during my travels.
The Equal and Opposite Reaction. With the sharp decline in US visitors to Europe we've seen over these past couple of years, hotels are finally lowering their rates, recognizing that their excess supply of rooms may continue unless something is done to entice visitors. For example Arthur Frommer reports that London "hotels of five-star quality (are) charging less than $150 for a double room that would normally cost $400." This is how the Free Market is supposed to work; when things get too expensive for people to buy, prices must drop to "incent" them. It's happening for hotel rooms, airfares, and other tourist-only items right now. The effect may be that your vacation cost won't be as high as you might think compared to previous years. Just don't expect to buy standard European goods at a discount--shopping at home is recommended when the dollar is week.
Last year I walked into a great looking hotel in Chaves, Portugal, only to notice the sign on the desk proclaiming that all rooms were 90 Euros. When the clerk asked to help me, I pointed out that the room was too expensive and turned to leave--but fortunately not before she offered the room at 60 Euros, a price she quoted as standard for these tough tourist times. While still expensive for Portugal, the room offered 4 star, air conditioned comfort with a great view of the castle from the balcony, and the most elegant bathroom we've ever bathed in.
Things Change. An argument put forth by Carol Field and others is that European traditions are fading quickly in a multi cultural, easily traveled world. While independent of exchange rate, this argument, for me, is a compelling one, especially as Starbucks and McDonalds replace small, family run cafes and restaurants and Europe starts to look more and more like main street USA. I don't travel to experience the same things I can at home, and it's why I have to dig deeper and deeper to find places that celebrate those rapidly disappearing cultural differences.
The price of gas and the doomsday scenario. Many experts suggest that the price of gasoline will have to rise sharply to cover the cost of recovering oil from the neglected wells in Iraq (yes, oil wells go bad, I've read) and this increase is likely to spike after the elections and continue on an upward trend. Europe, it seems to me, is in a much better position to weather these increases in the short term, as they offer alternative modes of public transportation.
Even Worse: There is no doubt that oil is an increasingly rare commodity in an energy hungry world, and steadily rising prices will effect most of us around the globe equally. (Studies of Peak Oil and Gas ( pdf ) have predicted the production of Oil peaking at the end of this decade, and slowly declining thereafter.) This is my doomsday strategy, "go while you can, who knows what economic nastiness lurks around the next corner as we run out of energy sources."
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How to offset the dollar's weakness without sacrificing your vacation Fun? Read on to Page Two: Saving Money on your European Vacation - 12 Frugal Vacation Tips . Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2005 About, Inc., A part of the New York Times Company . All rights reserved. Around About New Video iPod - Review POLL: Must-Have Gadgets VIDEO: Portable Gaming VIDEO: Choosing a TV Hugh Hefner's Life What's Hot Power Adapters Noord-Holland - Delights of North Holland Travel Visiting Pompeii Italy Guidebooks Naples - Getting There