Is Going to the U.K. or France on your wish list? If you have a hankering to visit Britain or France, this may be the best time in years to go! The U.K. vote to leave the European Union (“Brexit”) has caused a large drop in the value of both the British pound and the euro. Currently a euro costs $1.11 and the pound is $1.31. (These are today’s prices, August 31, 2016.) The recent terrorist attacks in France and Belgium have caused a significant reduction in the tourist numbers in those countries resulting in some lowering of hotel prices. For much of the past ten years the euro has cost around $1.35 or more and the pound has been between $1.40 and $2.

London and Paris are among the world’s top tourist destinations and I think everyone should see each of those magnificent cities at least once in a lifetime. I enjoy them but I find that exploring the countryside and the small cities and villages in those countries more pleasant. Not only is that kind of travel less expensive, but it’s also more relaxing and it allows you to really meet the people in those countries and to discover how they actually live.

In today’s issue of The Guardian, a major British newspaper, there’s a terrific article about non-hotel places to stay in “back-to-nature” places where you can enjoy a stroll, a bike ride or a leisurely drive in a rental car. Here’s the link.

Also from today’s news, the Washington Post has an article about one family’s discoveries for seeing Paris cheaply. Here’s that link.

If visiting England or France (or both, which is easily done via the Chunnel) has been on your wish list, this autumn may be a less expensive time to go than we’ll ever see again!