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A new place to spend euros: Estonia
One of the greatest boons to travelers in recent years is the expanding eurozone. Gone are the days when you spent a few days in France, then wasted money getting your francs exchanged into lire in order to visit Italy. There were always a few odd coins left over that ended up sitting useless in the sock drawer.At the start of 2011, Estonia has become the 17th country to join the eurozone. The kroon will soon become a memory as the old currency is phased out.
While this is good news for travelers carrying euros, it could carry a hint of future trouble. Many countries that adopted the euro saw prices rise as shopkeepers rounded up in the exchange. This is what happened in Spain, and prices never stopped rising. What used to be a budget travel destination soon became almost as expensive as the rest of Europe. Living in Madrid I'm constantly hearing Spaniards complain about how much more expensive things are these days.
Estonia has also become a budget travel destination in recent years. The Baltic republic may be small with only 1.3 million people, but it has an interesting history, some beautiful countryside, and a distinct culture. Hopefully it won't get too expensive to experience all that.
Filed under: Europe, Estonia, Budget Travel, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mikeachim Jan 3rd 2011 7:38AM
Alas. Yes, I hear more and more from friends in newly-Euro'd countries how it's hiking prices. Spain in particular....
And there's the culture thing. I know the unified currency is (in theory) a more efficient way of doing things - but there was something thrilling about handling and learning different kinds of money. Money is like language - it tells you a lot about a country, in all sorts of sly ways. And it feels excitingly wrong - too heavy, too light, the wrong shape, the wrong size. It's yet another part of feeling like you've truly gone Elsewhere.
Estonia has been experiencing an information technology boom for the last decade. For example, it enjoys perhaps the most extensive WiFi coverage of any European country. I wonder how all these I.T. startups feel about the arrival of the Euro.
Bah humbug.