It will be exactly 4 weeks from today when my wife and I leave Dallas for our trip "Down Under" to Australia and then New Zealand. That's the good news.
The bad news is that I have been watching exchange rates with the type of nervousness that Morne` Steyn would have trying to tackle Sonny Bill Williams. I am glad that most of my major purchases while I am in-country in New Zealand are already paid for, like the flight from Wellington to Nelson, the bus ride from Nelson to Picton , the ferry from Picton to Wellington and my housing in Wellington and Auckland. The reason for my happiness has nothing to do with being organized, it's just that with the US Dollar getting hammered by every major currency(And the game of chicken going on between Republicans, Democrats and President Obama is not helping to fuel confidence in the US Dollar), I am breathing a sigh of relief that those purchases were done before the US dollar has lost even MORE value. What should worry Americans is that if the European Union has bailed out Greece, Portugal and Ireland, and the Euro is STILL gaining value against the greenback, what does that say about confidence in the US and our economy?
I know more than a few of my fellow American rugby tourists going to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup have been watching the shrinking value of the American Dollar with visions of having to re-think purchases in New Zealand. I know for me and my wife, it's going to mean maybe fewer restaurant meals and going to the grocery store to prepare food at the homes where we will be staying.
The saying goes that you cannot worry about things over which you have no control. In spite of the shrinking value of the US dollar compared to it's Aussie and Kiwi counterparts, I still plan on having a great time on this trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment