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What The Falling Australian Dollar Means For Travellers

What The Falling Aussie Dollar Means For Travellers
Snowy mountains overlooking glacial lake
Ron Bambridge via Getty Images
Snowy mountains overlooking glacial lake

Brace your travel wallets. According to Adam Boyton, Deutsche Bank’s chief economist (and the same guy who predicted a fall in the Australian dollar way back when everyone was all like "pffft that’ll never happen" -- only it did), the AUD isn’t out of the woods just yet.

In fact, Boyton is now saying the dollar could keep falling to US60¢ by the end of next year -- and possibly even further after that.

So what does all this mean for the average Aussie traveller?

According to Managing Director of Expedia Australia and New Zealand, Georg Ruebensal, it's not going to deter our lust for adventure just yet. At least, he hopes not.

"It’s not a completely new scenario -- we've had the Australian dollar at similar levels previously," Ruebensal told The Huffington Post Australia. "The demand for destinations in the U.S., like Hawaii, is still growing by double digits on a year-to-year basis, though maybe it's not as strong as in the past. We're not anticipating seeing a drop."

"I think we have a bit of a love affair with the U.S. -- it's always been a popular destination for Australians."

Aussies love the U S of A.

For those jetsetters booking their future holidays, Ruebensal has some tips to help keep the costs down.

First of all -- at least consider a package deal.

"I know some people are wary of packages but it really does provide a great opportunity for hotels to provide discounts without making them public," Ruebensal said.

"We do actually pass on the savings we get in the package to the customer. You can also build your own package -- you're not going to end up doing anything you don't want to do just because you bought a deal."

Secondly, check if there are any mobile discounts -- you could save some serious cash by booking using an app rather than the same trip on your desktop.

"There are plenty of mobile exclusive deals that offer 10 to 15 percent off," Ruebensal said. "That's something I would definitely suggest travellers looking at before they lock anything in."

If you're committed to travelling to the U.S., Ruebensal suggests looking at slightly cheaper accommodation (a process he refers to as "de-starring") and if there's the option of paying now or later, now is best.

And if you're not fussed about the U.S.? There are plenty of other places to go where you can get significantly more bang for your buck.

Why not make some new woolly mates in New Zealand?

"Australians going to New Zealand will find it's cheaper than it was last year," Ruebensal said. "It was not too long ago that we were talking about the New Zealand dollar reaching parity with the Aussie dollar which was a scary thought for us. However, it's reversing now."

Canada, Colombia and Northern Europe are also good picks if you want your dollars to stretch further.

"The Canadian dollar has been falling in the exchange rate, following the AUD, which makes it more affordable to go to Canada than the U.S.," Ruebensal said. "You could even base yourself in Canada.

"Now in the Indian Summer, when many people go to the New England states, you could travel around while based in Toronto as opposed to New York. The Indian Summer in the eastern part of Canada is as beautiful as the U.S.

"The European market -- especially the northern European markets not in the Euro -- is a good bet. In Russia and also Colombia the Australian dollar has gained in value, which is something different. Why not go off the beaten track?"

All in all -- don't let this pesky financial predicament ruin your holiday plans. Do your research, pay now rather than later, or just throw it all in and head to Canada. Beware of the moose.

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