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American Backpackers Forgo European Travel

by Jarrett Martineau | May 15, 2008 at 10:20 pm | 180 views | 2 comments

As prices for food, accommodation, fuel, and flights are all going through the roof, would-be North American backpackers are being left stranded at home, unable to justify the high cost of having that clichéd summer of self-discovery: tripping one's way through the well-traveled roads and well-used hostel beds of romantic Europa.

Europe on the cheap? Not anymore.

The good old days of Arthur Frommer's "Europe on $5 a Day" are long gone. With exchange rates this month reaching a high of $1.59 to the euro, American travelers are paying more than 50 percent more for hotels, food and other expenses throughout Europe. That's if they can even afford to get there. Depending on the destination, international travel tickets are as much as $350 more expensive than last year, according Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, a discount travel site. The reason for the rising ticket prices: fuel surcharges and international travel taxes, both of which have increased this year.

That may explain why STA Travel—the largest student and youth travel organization in the world—has seen an initial 20 percent decrease in students traveling to Europe. "There is no doubt that the impact of the economy, fuel prices and exchange rates have affected travel," says Kristen Celko, vice president of marketing and e-commerce for STA Travel North America.