International Travel for Australians has become more expensive in recent years.
Strong consideration and research should be done when travelling abroad.
This is the aim of Optimise Travel, to help Australians optimise all aspects of their travel experience.
During 2015, the Australian Dollar (AUD) has drastically dropped in relation to the US Dollar (USD) and many other currencies.
It has not recovered. This trend has impacted Australians’ expenses when travelling abroad.
In late 2013 the two currencies were evenly balanced, offering basically the same value but since then the USD has rapidly gained momentum. Consequently, your trips today to any country where the USD is the main currency will be close to 30% more expensive than they were 4 years ago and at least 20% more costly than in 2014.
The 25% decline in currency is not entirely bad news. Business Insider Australia indicated national tourism will intensify as international tourism agencies will be encouraged to promote Australian holidays at more advantageous prices, but also because domestic holidays will seem more attractive to locals compared to high-priced overseas travelling.
The AUD vs EURO has also suffered in a similar way to the USD making most European cities even more expensive than they previously were. (and some weren’t cheap to begin with!)
Not all European countries use the Euro and some of these destinations offer excellent value for money. More information on where you can visit in Europe to maximize your AUD can be found in here in our comprehensive article.
On the other hand, the AUD is not the only currency that suffered from the up-swing of the USD, meaning the best value in terms of international travel for Australians lies in travelling to the other countries that experienced the same effects.
The AUD gained almost 31% in relation to the Russian Ruble and approximately 20% against the Brazilian Real, both within the last 12 months. Other hotspots for 2018 include South Africa, Turkey, and Colombia.
Optimise Travel Hotspots for 2018
1 AUD Equivalent of Foreign Currencies
Country | 2013 | 2017 | Approx. % Change |
| Brazil (Real) | 2.00 | 2.50 | +25 % |
| Russia (Ruble) | 30 | 45 | +50% |
| Turkey (Lira) | 1.80 | 2.85 | +50% |
| Colombia (Peso) | 1700 | 2300 | +30% |
| South Africa (Rand) | 9 | 10.5 | +18% |
International travel for Australians has clearly become more expensive than previous years and statistics from the global economy indicate the same thing will continue to happen in 2018.
For this reason, Optimise Travel aims to provide factual, up-to-date information and advice so that Australians can benefit and get the most value possible when exploring the world.