The pound goes down, but holidays keep going

I have had the same conversation with so many people returning or planning their holidays recently: What on earth is happening to the powerful Sterling? It is becoming more and more expensive to travel to the continent. It became most evident to me on my last trip to Greece about a month ago, when I suddenly realised that the amount I was given in Euros was very close to what I had just given them in Sterling. Surely that can't be right. I remember the tenner my grandmother gave me in my birthday card when I was 11 made me feel like a millionaire in Greece. Not any more...

And so it has been for many of my friends who for years have been used to getting at least 50% more punch from their pound. Nonetheless, Reuters reports that the Great British public has not followed the American trend of the "stay-cation" (thankfully, because I would go crazy if one of my mates mentioned his stay-cation while we were in a bar). There has been just a 1% decrease in bookings abroad in comparison to last year, and that is also down to another talent the English have: bargain hunting.

So what if the GBP is at a low in comparison to the Euro? All you have to do is simply avoid destinations in the Eurozone. That is not to say that it is expensive everywhere in the Eurozone. There are still countries that recently joined where you still get more for your hard earned money (take Poland for example). At the same time this can be viewed as an opportunity. An opportunity to take a trip to a place you hadn't thought of going in the past. Leave the continent behind and embark on a trip a bit further East, North or South. It might even be worth it to try further West (the dollar is not doing great).

So maybe you won't be "following the herd", like the Blur song says, but pick a more interesting destination...