Now’s the Time to Take That European Vacation

Still haven’t booked your summer vacation? Here’s a tip: If you’re in the US, now is probably the best time in ages to come and visit Europe. Not only has most of the continent finally shed most Covid restrictions, but the euro is at its cheapest in about six years, too. In mid-May, it dipped below the $1.04 mark, bringing it tantalizingly close to parity with the greenback.

How good a deal is this really, taking inflation into consideration? The last summer you could travel freely — in 2019 — the euro was only a bit more expensive. The average conversion rate that June was about 1.13 dollars to one euro. In comparison, if you took off to Europe in the next week or so, some things would cost you slightly more — like visiting a Lithuanian castle or enjoying a Pils in a Berlin beer garden — but on the whole, you’d be saving money even with the post-pandemic price rises (gondola ride, anyone?).