Europe on sale | how to lock in your savings

London phone booths (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

While I was personally disappointed by the result of the Brexit referendum, that is not the point of this article. Citizens of the United Kingdom voted and made their decision, and the consequences are largely unknown.

One outcome is clear. The value of the Euro and the Pound Sterling has dropped significantly, at least in the short term. The Euro currently costs only $1.11 and the Pound is currently worth $1.37. Exchange rates may rebound, once the fog of uncertainty surrounding Brexit begins to clear, but for the moment Europe is on sale. This makes life more expensive for my European clients — but it means unparalleled values for the rest of the world.

Even if you don't want to go to Europe right now (and I believe that the Fall is a better time to travel), you might want to lock in the favorable exchange rate. Here's how to do it:

Make and pre-pay your hotel reservations now in Europe and in London and the UK. This will lock in the current discount. Even if the pound and euro rise in value before your trip begins, you will have taken advantage of the currently advantageous exchange rate. Should you decide to change your dates, your prepayment will still be applicable to the new booking.

copyright (c) 2016 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.