Dollar Smart

[Croatia123]

Poor, measly American dollar.

It's shriveling against the euro. It has been overtaken by the Canadian "loonie." It's even starting to waver against the Indian rupee and the Thai baht.

Is there anyplace in the world that the dollar is still almighty? Sure. You just have to know where to go.

"Rural Spain and Portugal are not so bad, but the rest of Western Europe is so expensive now; everyone I talk to is flabbergasted at how much they are spending. They are not prepared for the actual shock of spending $100 on lunch," says Tim Leffel, author of "The World's Cheapest Destinations" (Booklocker, $13.95).

Instead of Europe, look in our own hemisphere, he urges.

"I advise people to go to Latin America," he says. "It is easy to get there, there is a steady exchange rate, there is almost no time change and it is a bargain."

Places like Nicaragua, El Salvador, Ecuador and Argentina all are cheap for Americans. El Salvador and Ecuador actually use the dollar as their official currency, plus the cost of living is low.

A taxi ride that might cost $30 in London may cost just $3 in Nicaragua. A hotel with breakfast might be $60 a night. (Of course, there's no Big Ben or Buckingham Palace to visit in Nicaragua, either.)

Leffel also says Mexico is a bargain when you get away from the big tourist areas. He also likes the Middle East. Value spots are Morocco, Jordan and Egypt.

Bruce Beattie, owner of a foreign currency exchange service in Michigan, is seeing a lot of movement among his customers to Asia, where they are findingvalue in Vietnam, Laos, Bali (Indonesia), Cambodia, Malaysia and Nepal. That does not mean all spots in Asia are cheap.

"Hong Kong is really pricey now," he says. "I had a customer who came back and said they couldn't afford to buy anything." Japan is also expensive, but the yen is at a four-year low against the dollar, which helps American tourists.

Beattie's wife hails from Thailand, where he says a five-star hotel with breakfast can still be had for $83 a night. However, a recent rise in the Thai baht against the dollar (now 31 baht per $1, down from 42 in 2005) means prices are rising. So far, high-end travelers still will find the country a bargain. But travelers on a shoestring budget will likely feel the pinch, Leffel says.

Dollar-wise spots

Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Croatia: These nations are a good deal — for now. All may someday adopt the euro as members of the European Union.

"Romania just joined the EU in January. It is only a matter of time before their prices rise," says Leffel. Bulgaria also just joined; Turkey and Croatia have applied.

China: Economists estimate the Chinese yuan is about 40 percent undervalued against world currencies, including the dollar, which makes its products ultracheap abroad. The good news? It also makes visiting China still incredibly cheap for tourists.

"For now, the hotel building boom and the huge spike in demand are off setting each other," says Leffel. "Their currency is still the same it's been for years (now about 7.5 yuan per dollar). But the 2008 Olympics are coming, so that will drive up prices."

So might international pressure on China to raise the value of the yuan.

Affordable still

South Africa: "It's actually gotten better in the last six months because their exchange rate has gone down (7 rand per $1)," says Leffel. You are not going to get sticker shock anywhere in Africa."

Israel: Lack of tourists makes it affordable.

New Zealand: Not as expensive as Australia for Americans.

Getting pricier

Canada: The Canadian dollar has risen dramatically against American currency. Five years ago, you could get a whopping $1.50 Canadian for $1 U.S. and buy a lot as a tourist in Canada. Now, the two nations' currencies are nearly identical in value, says Beattie.

"The combination of that, plus the fact they got rid of the GST visitor tax rebate, makes Canada more expensive," he says.

India: The rupee has risen more than 8 percent against the dollar this year (you now get only 40 rupees per $1 instead of 44), but the main thing driving higher tourist prices is demand.

"It's getting more expensive at the top end," says Leffel. "In the budget and midrange, you are fine. But it's not unheard of to pay $350 a night at a good hotel in Bombay or Delhi."

Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary: Though they don't yet use the euro, these countries are so popular with European tourists that prices in Prague, Krakow and Budapest have risen — not to Western European levels, but a lot. Leffel's advice is to get out of the big cities, because the countryside in these nations is still very affordable.

Costa Rica: The ultra-popular ecotourism spot in Central America is not expensive by European standards, but "they are a victim of their own success," says Leffel. "But you still get a lot for your money there."

Australia: The Australian dollar hit an 18-year high against the U.S. dollar last month, making a trip Down Under an increasingly upper-crust pursuit.

Through the roof

Which countries are the most expensive for American tourists? The popular ones, naturally:

Austria, Germany, Belgium, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain: These 13 countries use the euro, which means "ouch" for Americans. The euro started in 2002 at equal value to the dollar but has risen dramatically in value (now 0.73 euro per $1.) Get out of the big cities and you still can find affordable attractions.

England and Scotland: The British pound sterling is hovering sickeningly at the $2 mark. In addition, London was just ranked the second-most expensive city in the world to live (after Moscow) by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.

The last prolonged time the pound cost $2 was in the early 1970s, Beattie says.

"The exchange rate has really clobbered us," Leffel adds.

Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway: None uses the euro, and prices may not seem high when you are Swiss, Dane, Swede or Norwegian, but Americans will blanch at the costs.

"It is super-expensive," Leffel says.

So, Cambodia and Ecuador, here we come.

[billy holiday]

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been accused of going over budget on its 20 largest projects by £2.6 billion.

A report by MPs also claims the department has re-classified £448 million as expenditure in separate budgets in order to meet its cost-saving targets.

"These re-allocations have achieved cost reductions for the individual projects but do not represent a saving to the department as a whole," a statement from the public account committee (PAC) report explained.

"By transferring the costs elsewhere it may potentially have to forego activities which could otherwise have been provided."

The Conservative party says the PAC's findings are a classic example of the government "spinning the figures to try to portray savings".

According to the report from the influential committee, the MoD is 11 per cent over budget overall and behind schedule by a cumulative 433 months on its 20 largest ventures.

"The Ministry of Defence is confident that its performance in implementing big defence equipment projects is improving. Fourteen projects have been reported as incurring no new delays in the last year," the committee's chairman Edward Leigh commented.

"But the truth is that the department's track-record in managing these projects is pretty dire and it is too early to say whether its confidence is genuinely justified.

"For years this committee has urged the MoD to live within its means," Mr Leigh continued.

"We are pleased to see efforts by the department to control the costs of projects, but old habits die hard. More than half of the sum which the MoD has claimed to save has simply been loaded on to other budgets.

"We have no idea what cuts will have to be made to other activities of our armed forces as a result of this massaging of the figures."

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox today accused the MoD of "horrendous overruns".

"Our troops should not be paying the price for bureaucratic incompetence and waste at the MoD," he elaborated.

"A full and radical review of the procurement process will be an urgent priority for the next Conservative government."

[billy holiday]

Dental tourism is booming as thousands of Brits travel abroad for treatment every year. But is foreign dentistry any better than what is available at home? Cardiff-based dental hygienist Alison Lowe reports

ABOUT 50,000 people from the UK travel abroad for medical treatment every year – dentistry accounts for roughly half of the medical tourism industry.

It is easy to see why, as you can have just about anything done more cheaply. And whether you want porcelain crowns or a facelift there’s seldom long to wait.

But, why do people go abroad? Treatment costs are cheaper, standards have risen and investment in some countries, such as the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia, have helped them to retain top medical staff.

And travel costs have fallen due to the expansion in budget airlines.

It used to be wealthy foreigners who came to top clinics in the UK for treatment. Today seeking trips for treatment is very much a two-way traffic, which is quite bizarre when you consider the number of dentists from Eastern Europe working in the UK.

So, where are the top tooth-trip destinations? It is trendy to go to Turkey for teeth whitening and many are tempted by Bulgaria where a trip to the dentist often means you get to be chauffeur-driven from the airport.

Other prime destinations include Hungary, Latvia, India, Cuba, Cyprus, South-East Asia, Poland, Romania and Croatia.

Although much has been made of the fact that visitors can take advantage of dental treatment at an affordable price without compromising on quality, I must confess that I am slightly sceptical about such holidays and I think it is worth remembering the saying that you only get what you pay for.

While dental practitioners’ skills and equipment may be up to date abroad, it is not really any different to what you would find in a good practice at home and the training they are given is just the same – not better.

Also, if like many people you suffer with problems with your gums, you will need regular visits to the hygienist – if you’re travelling abroad for these appointments, it will not prove so cost-effective in the long run.

And what will you do on Christmas Day when you bite into your pudding and one of your veneers snaps on a sixpence? A trip to the Continent to get it repaired might not seem so appealing then.

But if your destination is dental, here are some tips:

Check the country’s healthcare regulations;

Think about how the process will work and what to do if things go wrong. BuyAssociation offers unbiased information, or visit treatment.abroad.net;

Make sure that you get a written agreement guaranteeing the work for a number of years, and a written guarantee that, should you need to return, your travel costs will be covered;

Initial consultations may be by phone or email. It is unlikely that you will get a chance to meet your dentist until you get there, so be careful language barriers don’t lead to misunderstandings;

Check the aftercare. Neither NHS or private dentists in the UK will be obliged to correct mistakes made during cosmetic dentistry overseas, so you could face a hefty bill for getting any errors corrected.