My advice in past posts is to buy some Euros in advance at your local bank. (When I last wrote my la

How low can the dollar go? I wish I could bling my magic wand and tell you that by summertime the dollar will soar like an eagle, but sadly, I have no such promises for you. Remember this is reality here and now in January, 2008 not reality TV.
So, here s my advice to any Parislogue readers contemplating an upcoming trip to Paris: Buy as much of your trip as possible in dollars i.e. dare I say this? Consider las vegas hotels downtown package tours. I know for those of you who are freewheeling types, this may come as a shock, but considering the cost of airfare to Paris , which is going to be one of your major expenses, why not combine airfare las vegas hotels downtown with a fixed hotel room rate? I noticed Air France s site offers a Bon Appetit five day trip which includes, airfare, airport to hotel transfers, hotel accommodation, daily continental breakfast, a walking tour, a cooking class, and a hand-made chocolate class with a French host. All this for under $2000, depending on your hotel choice. Their second option, the Paris Affair includes a Bateaux Mouches river cruise and a night on the town at the Paradis Latin.
My advice in past posts is to buy some Euros in advance at your local bank. (When I last wrote my last Buying Euros post, you could buy 700 Euros with 1000 U.S. Dollars. Today, Jan. 15, 2008, you can t even get 650 Euros.
HSBC is one bank that I questioned about buying Euros. HSBC does sell Euros to its bank customers. Be sure to ask your bank about any fees and make sure they re competitive (and convenient) with such services as AAA (American Automobile Association) which charges a 2% fee based on the amount of the transaction. AAA offices can get the money to you overnight some banks take, would you believe a week?
The common las vegas hotels downtown advice is to use your credit las vegas hotels downtown card for most transactions while in France. Fine and good if you have a credit card (some of us travelers don t) Paying on credit also means that you ll come home from your dream vacation with a whole bunch of bills to pay. So, I ll be unorthodox here and suggest paying as much up front as you can. Splurge on one really good meal (where you might want to use a credit card) Note: American Express is less and less used in Europe these days. Mastercard and Visa are both accepted practically everywhere. Discover Card is not accepted in Europe. If you re using a credit card at cash machines, you ll need to know your four-digit pin number, however at restaurants and shops, you can still authorize with your signature las vegas hotels downtown in most cases.