So the last few months we’ve went on ad nauseum about how excited we were to be going to Australia. Well, since we’ve arrived home, our bank account is depleted compared with how it was a year ago.

Don’t get me wrong, the experiences on the trip were truly once-in-a-lifetime events, but I can’t help feeling a twinge of regret. Did we spend too much? Was it worth it? How does taking this vacation position us to meet our future goals?

I think that before the trip we were both thinking that the stronger US dollar versus the Australian dollar would have softened the blow. In reality, I think that we also subconsciously told ourselves that we could buy and do more since the exchange rate was favorable. We definitely turned a blind eye to the fact that when we were in Australia, the currencies were almost of equal worth.

We also did not account for the fact that things are just more expensive in Australia. For example, during the first part of our trip we stayed in a resort town which definitely took advantage of the fact that most of the people there were tourists. Prices were extravagant, with $10 per person meals at a McDonald’s being the cheapest we could get. Basic sundries were 50% higher than they are in the US, which negates any advantage of a favorable exchange rate.

Next time we take a vacation, we’re going to do a little more research on the prices in the areas that we’ll be in. We’ll also plan a vacation budget…maybe.

(thanks to Cayusa for the image)