Finding Travel Deals in Pricey Europe

N E W   Y O R K, March 16 -- Texas college student Cheryl Halbert experiencedsticker shock on a visit to Rome in early March.

"We've spent so much on where we are staying and what we eatthat I'll be working all summer to pay it back," said Halbert, 19,from San Antonio, who was traveling with Andrea Schweikhard, afellow student at Abilene Christian University.

Even a half-liter bottle of mineral water cost more than twicethe 75 cents the young women would normally pay back home — twoeuros, or about $1.60.

Like Halbert and her friend, many Americans heading to Europe asprime travel season gets under way will be disheartened by howlittle a dollar buys. The euro hit a five-year-high against thedollar in February, trading at $1.29, although it was down slightlyto $1.24 in early March. But as recently as mid-2002, the euro wasworth just 88 cents. That means in two years, European vacationshave gotten over 40 percent more expensive for Americans.

But experts say there are plenty of ways to make the best of alousy exchange rate — from getting all-inclusive package deals, tochoosing destinations in Eastern rather than Western Europe, tousing discount airlines and train passes for local travel.

Pent-Up Plans to See Europe

Linda Teter, director for American Express Travel, notes thatdespite the weak dollar, "we have seen very, very strong demandfor European travel, particularly for peak travel periods in springand summer. There's a lot of pent-up demand" from travelers whopostponed trips in the last three years due to concerns aboutterrorism and a weak domestic economy. In January alone, AmericanExpress' European cruise and tour sales were up by double digitsover the same period in 2003.