Dave225 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 The Pound is dropping so it must be the time of the year when people are looking at their holiday plans. The best rate I see today is €1.1495 to the £ as long as you buy a large sum. The nay sayers are stating it has a further 20% to fall which suggests a value nearer parity or even less. Mind you on the high street it is about par now from the greedy banks etc. The pro sayers feel it will bounce back before the high season of summer, so you takes your choice. Word is the economy is heading backwards, QE is on the cards again and both the euro and the dollar have managed to escape much of their poor history, for a while at least. So, the pound is getting battered from all sides. So, what are we poor holiday makers supposed to make of it all? Buy now and hope? Wait and panic? Stay at home?? Of these the last has a lot of downsides. One it is expensive to live in the UK at any time and going on holiday here is always a drain on the wallet, plus if past experience is anything to go by, the weather will make staying at home a wet wet experience. Plus, you get to read every day about how things are getting worse, so guaranteed to make you spend the last of your money on putting on the gas oven for your head. If you are like me and prefer warm seawater, warm beaches and the bonus of wine at €1 a bottle or even less, then it has to be the Med. Don’t get me wrong, one year in a similar situation we decided to stay at home ‘to save money’ and it cost more than double our normal overseas trip, and no, we did not go 5 star. Plus if the nay sayers are correct then things here will get even more expensive and we will need to keep the last few lumps of coal for the winter. So, heading over the Le Manche it is, clutching a few euros in hand. What do they say? Live your day as if it is your last. Well, it probably will be at this rate. What I think we will do is spread our options. Buy a few euros now and some later, if it drops well we got some at a higher rate, if it rises then we get some more. The other plan is to keep some spending back for a credit card and pay it all off at the end if the rate was favourable. The last option is to get a large piece of cardboard and sit outside the supermarket in Spain showing this with ‘ Wife, van and holiday to support, please give generously’, written on it. So if you see a tanned expat squatting on the pavement outside Lidl, please be kind and allow me to get a bottle of plonk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 If it's any help - we bought a large dollop of Euros for this year a month ago when rates were well over 1.20, using cash in the current a/c which was earning nowt anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Tracker - 2013-01-28 12:25 PM If it's any help - we bought a large dollop of Euros for this year a month ago when rates were well over 1.20, using cash in the current a/c which was earning nowt anyway! 'If it's any help'???? Does that mean you are willing to send me some?? Much appreciated. What do you mean you want paid for them?? Aw!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I'm welling up Dave :'( ........................and you've got the cost of the fuel from Scotland to the Chunnel :'( :'(..................which is going up 4 p a litre 8-) 8-) I've just opened another bottle of 1 euro Rioja to help cheer myself up on your behalf;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Some of us don't have these big decisions to make. The money for our holiday builds up gradually - even more so this time as a big chunk of it went on the new SatNav - so there won't be enough of it far enough in advance ot be worth botherign about exchange rate fluctuations! Usually we just bung it into the Nationwide as we accumulate it, then take the cards with us. I know it's not completely free anymore, but mostly they give us a better rate than most others, so to be honest (for the amounts involved) we can't be bothered trying to "play the market." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Unfortunately it is a 'big' decision however you look at it. As we like to hide away for several months that costs money somewhere along the line. Tried cutting the housekeeping but after several days sleeping in the barn, thought maybe not a good idea. We cut costs to the bone but a man has gotta eat....and drink. Don't scoff all the Rioja and leave some for us. Twas a sad day today, we opened the last bottle we had brought back from last year. Now even the wife is counting the days to get some more. Sad people we are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Dave225 - 2013-01-28 7:22 PM Unfortunately it is a 'big' decision however you look at it. As we like to hide away for several months that costs money somewhere along the line. Tried cutting the housekeeping but after several days sleeping in the barn, thought maybe not a good idea. We cut costs to the bone but a man has gotta eat....and drink. Don't scoff all the Rioja and leave some for us. Twas a sad day today, we opened the last bottle we had brought back from last year. Now even the wife is counting the days to get some more. Sad people we are. Thus thus is our woes Dave..................... decisions....... decisions will be your foe...............Yon Man of Scotland ;-)...........should thee bring back wine or diesel?? :-S...................but the wine will win 8-)...............and you will mumble to your youngsters that you fought hard and well against the EU foe :D................ Yet succumbed under ..................the issues of the day ;-)....................to accept their inheritance...... as a fait accompli just as Brian would have as accept the EU (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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