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Honey, I'm home --- and maybe soon YOU'LL be gone . . .

© Diane Goldberg under the original topic name

Well, I am back from my most recent wander and ready to tell my US readers (and others) about an absolutely brilliant bargain.

Currently the dollar looks better to the pound than it has in a long time. Someone through the alchemy of currency --- those money things that are well beyond the ken of wobbly writers like myself --- the pound is strong against the drachma, lire, and franc.

Which means that sun seeking Brits and tea seeking statesiders are both in line for some brilliant bargains. With the pound at less than $1.60 and shoulder season airfares still en force the time for a dream trip to blighty (that's England for folks in the colonies) is NOW.

But, for the frequent flyer who's been through Gatwick often enough to know exactly where the restrooms are in all terminals it might be the best time to move beyond Britain . . . whether you are starting from Seattle or Surrey spring in the Mediterranean may be your cup of tea.

I'm really really sorry, I know I should not have done that. If any of you wish to beat with a copy of the most recent edition of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, have at me. I deserve it.

Let's just blame all of that on jet lag and move on, shall we?

In American a Mediterranean vacation seems out-of-reach, expensive. The keyword is seems. It isn't. It doesn't have to be. Brits book their two weeks in Malaga or Malta without dropping wads of cash --- and with the dollar strong against the pound, Yanks can as well.

American's who've been to the UK are doubtless familiar with the cluster of travel shops advertising air-inclusive breaks everywhere from the Antilles to Zanzibar. But, what's a Canadian or American to do? Call directory assistance in London and ask for the number of a travel shop selling a week in on the Costa Brava for less than five hundred dollars?

No.

Surf on over to http://www.cheaperholidays.com where a long list of choices await you. You can book ten nights in Malta on half-board --- room, breakfast, and dinner--- including round trip airfare from London for around five hundred dollars per person. Using frequent flyer miles or an apex super saver airfare to get to England makes this an affordable alternative to independent bookings.

Booking your vacation over the Internet when it involves hotel, transfers, and meals might seem a bit daunting. Cheaper holidays offers an alternative to the expensive transatlantic phone call or the anonymous Internet booking. At their site you'll find a form that enables you to ask them to call you --- they really do call. Just specify when you'd like to hear from them and you can plan your trip with the nice folks in Wales as easily as you could access a local travel agent.

The copyright of the article Honey, I'm home --- and maybe soon YOU'LL be gone . . . in Traveling on a Budget is owned by Dr. Tami Brady. Permission to republish Honey, I'm home --- and maybe soon YOU'LL be gone . . . in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.