Nov 15, 2007
Buy a European rail pass in the next several weeks, and you'll pay the dollar amount that was chosen prior to the recent rise in the value of the Euro
The dollar has recently sunk to appalling depths -- but all is not lost. Remember that for some European services, the prices charged to the American market were set as much as a year ago. So even though the greenback has weakened, the price of some items hasn't changed all year.
Take rail passes. As long as you buy over the next few weeks, you'll be able to secure the earlier-2007 rates, despite the fact the dollar has slid dramatically downward all year. Wait too long, though, and price levels will be re-adjusted.
For example, a four-day Britrail (www.britrail.com) pass, which buys you four days of unlimited train travel over two months, costs $293 for an adult right now. Bought without a railpass, a one-way ticket from London to Scotland can cost as much as £100 (US$210) if you walk up to the ticket counter on the day of travel, so it's clear that as long as you're traveling substantial distances on your vacation, a railpass can save you money. But when the sellers of these passes re-adjust their prices to make sure they maintain the old profit margins, you can bet the price of a railpass will soar higher. The same math applies to Eurail passes (www.raileurope.com).
Many hotels, too, re-adjust their dollar rates as of the first of the year. So for the next month or so, you can still secure the lower prices set an earlier date in 2007.
It may seem obvious, but in this brutal economic climate, every little thing helps.
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Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
