Thetownend.com

Just a quick consensus really.  I'm off to New Pork for a bit of Pork in November and the dollar is climbing against Sterling like nobody’s business.

Should I buy now at 1.86 or hang on for a recovery back around to the $2 mark?

I’ve mixed reports and some people are suggesting holding on until mid-September before making a decision.

Ta  :)

Buy some now and some later?

This is exactly how Nick Leeson started.

Put everything in Euros and then buy dollars later*.







* Don't. I know less than nothing.

I found that www.currency-express.com had a better rate that the high street but it changes on a daily basis so worth checking for a few days to see what happens.  I got 1.94 four weeks ago from them.

I'd have bought them 4 months ago. (he said, helpfully).

If I knew the correct answer, it's unlikely I'd be reading this thread - unless it was on my solid platinum laptop in a castle of ermine.

To be honest as long as it doesn't drop much further I can live with the current rate as I've clocked on that using certain cards abroad adds a dirty surcharge anyway. 

Being a little more savy with the credit cards out there will probably negate a hefty chunk of what I've lost on the exchange rate so it's all horses and roundabouts.

Dazza,  If you get a nationwide credit card, they don't add surcharges for foreign currency transactions (I think the same is true of a post office cc). Don't take my word for it, but research may save a few bob.

Cheers, Neville.  I've got them flagged from the penny/arse pincher Martin Lewis...

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money

Decent link worth bookmarking.

I got £305 for 394 Euro today with my bank, Fortis.

The Polish Zloty is pretty strong at the moment I am led to believe.

Just come back from New York and the news was suggesting a continued rise for a while or at least staying steady due to the falling Oil, although their agreement to stick some missiles in Poland seems to have changed that a bit.  Ultaimtely it will go up and down like a yo yo for a while because they've decided not to hold the value up to allow lower interest rates as they are in a bit of a slowdown.

Whatever it does, the spending power is still heavily stacked in the UK tourist's favour compared to a couple of years ago.

Cheers Rob, what did you get up to?

I went last year and did a fair bit of the usual stuff but spent far to much time trawling the shops so it's always good to get a few ideas.

Yacht trip around the island rather than going to the Statue of Liberty.
Baseball game at Yankee Stadium - went 4 hours before it started and visited some local "taverns".  Was great fun actually, although football songs don't catch on.
Imax Cinema at 66th and Broadway, fucking huge and has Batman on right now, check for listings about 7 days before you go if you want to and buy in advance.
Subway to Brooklyn followed by a slow walk back over the bridge
Empire State at night and Top of the Rock during the day
Maize Restaurant by Ramsay - The London Hotel - fucking gorgeous food
ESPN Restaurant in Times Square to watch crazy amounts of TV's with sport on
All the usual shops etc and walked for days.

Cheers for that I'll get a few of those added to the old itinery.

Baseball game is a must this time as well as Jerset Boys, which we sacked off in London for Martha Reeves.

The new Abbey Zero credit card is the shizz. Free usage abroad, zero percent on balance transfers (with no fee) and zero on purchases, and no cash advance fees either.

From what i can tell, there's no catch (other than Abbey / Santander will try and sell you a current account etc off the back of it)

That would be just as good Neville cheers.  Bit of bludgeoning on the ice or failing that a bit of basketball.

Yep, basketball's an experience. - there's the Nets and the Knicks in NY I think.  haven't managed to see US Hockey, there's always the gridiron of course (Jets or Giants).

I think the football stadium is a bit further out in Jersey.  They are reducing the amount of time you can Tailgate, which I originally thought was a weird thing to allow anyway but turns out to the use of a BBQ and beers in your "trunk" in the car park.  Basketball would be at Maddison Square Gardens, wasn't on for us.  While you can clearly knock American sports, and easily, they are onto something by having them long enough to enjoy large quantities of beer during them.