Euros, Dollars and This Summer’s Charters
Well, it’s official: I’m now hearing from reputable charter brokers that American clients are forgoing their usual Mediterranean charter bookings for this summer because of the dollar’s weak standing against the euro.
I can’t say I blame them, what with $1 being worth about 0.64 euros as of this morning. I myself went online yesterday to purchase airfare for the Genoa charter show in May, and the ticket price was more than double what I paid to fly the exact same route last year. When I see a plane ticket price that contains a comma, I pause. No wonder Americans used to paying $50,000 for a Med charter are balking at the realization that they’ll need more than 77,000 euros to get the same quality yacht this time around.
The good news for sticker-shocked American clients (and for European clients who want to get a lot for their uber-powerful euros) is that prices have remained steady on yachts in summer destinations that typically generate less buzz than the Med, including the Bahamas, New England, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Charter yachts in these locations almost always operate in dollars, and because there is historically less demand for them than for boats in the Med, their prices are usually competitive to begin with.
I’ve done charters in all of these destinations, so if you’re curious about what you’ll find if you skip the Med this year, you can begin your research right here on CharterWave. Check out my features about charters in the Bahamas, in New England, in the Pacific Northwest, and in Alaska for more details.
And don’t fret. I enjoyed every one of these places just as much as I enjoy the Med. Just look at this beach in the Exumas part of the Bahamas:
The fact that you’ll be able to feel like you’re getting a bargain while being on vacation in a place like this is only going to make these destinations even better as charter options.