 16Likes
-
1
Post By markharf
-
1
Post By Flipflop
-
7
Post By Tim Cullis
-
3
Post By Flipflop
-
3
Post By markharf
 |
7 Jun 2023
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Neiva Colombia
Posts: 229
|
|
|
Canadian Dollar
I have seen the fluctuations in the the past where our dollar was supreme
but now days it seems like a pipe dream to travel to countries where our dollar has no buying power.
Ecuador for a example US dollar and add 35 to 40 per cent. is this a bargain, I say no this Its a third word Country
Colombia on the other Hand Yes there's a lot of value for your Can Buck
Canada has the 9 th largest economy in the world and WTF is going on, its like our dollar is lowest in these first world nations
So where is it economical on the exchange rate to go traveling , Mexico ok its a bargain or Central America except Panama even Venezuela is going Green Back
It is not like our wages are higher than the USA or Europe
Canadian currency is at a all time low and it keeps repeating itself on the world market we have a first world status and a third world monetary pay
What a Mess we are in It gives you a real bad taste in your mouth to pay 35
or more % for the same product 5 km away if you live on the the border of USA But it is usually not the case because Americans are nice and they understand your money sucks
|
7 Jun 2023
|
|
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Posts: 3,930
|
|
|
The Canadian dollar is far far far from its all-time low. At the moment a USD is worth about CAD$1.35; in the early 2000s it hit $1.60. And you're old enough to remember ten or twelve years ago when the CAD traded above parity with the USD--it took less than one loonie to buy a US dollar. So that's just in case you're looking for facts, rather than an excuse to rant.
I'm no economist, but even I know that Canada's economy is very commodities-based, which means lots of reliance on sales of oil (prices are down) and lots of vulnerability to recessionary forces, especially in the US. Recessions mean less oil consumed, but also less minerals, less lumber....you name it. Another basic factor: if Canadian interest rates don't stay higher than US rates, people would rather park their money in the US. High interest rates tend to depress the local economy. You can figure out the rest.
Last, there is no natural law that says stuff has to be cheaper in the Developing World than it is in Canada. Sometimes it is, but sometimes it's really just not. And most often it depends on what you're buying/measuring.
As you were.
Mark
|
8 Jun 2023
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Neiva Colombia
Posts: 229
|
|
|
Canuck buck
Im just saying that we are running out of places to enjoy our later years in life its not a rant its a fact
If you have a meager social pension, Choose your Destiny Wisely
Why would you pay thirty five percent more when you shop for the same product on the shelf in any store, the same goes when traveling abroad
I work in the Arabian Gulf and its actually humorous when you go to the bank machine to get OMR currency one Rial Oman gets you a pack of gum this is 3.5 dollars Canadian OMG! Not bad considering you are buying Juicy Fruit
you just have to laugh
|
8 Jun 2023
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Oxford UK
Posts: 2,106
|
|
If the Canadian dollar is in the doldrums it’s there keeping the British pound company. 
|
8 Jun 2023
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: UK
Posts: 423
|
|
|
As a European I’ve just travelled from Canada to Patagonia and the only place I would consider cheap was Argentina and that was because of the exchange rate we were getting through Western Union.
Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, which are all accessible for Europeans, are cheap compared to the Americas.
When we were in the US the pound was parity with the dollar - it would have been cheaper to go to Norway!!!
Back in the 80s you could have gone RTW for £2K, cheap countries are disappearing - it’s the same for everyone.
BTW we met more Canadians than Americans (US) and very nice they were too.
|
8 Jun 2023
|
 |
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 812
|
|
|
This is nothing new; this has been the ongoing story since the Mulroney government in the late 80s. Occasionally the Canuck buck rises to 80-85% of a US dollar, a recession hits, and then the value slumps back down to 70%. Rinse, repeat.
__________________
Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250
|
8 Jun 2023
|
|
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Posts: 3,930
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by brclarke
....this has been the ongoing story since the Mulroney government in the late 80s. Occasionally the Canuck buck rises to 80-85% of a US dollar, a recession hits, and then the value slumps back down to 70....
|
As I posted above, this is not true--or rather, it's true only if you take a very short perspective on history.
The USD/CAD exchange rate hovered around 100 for about 25 years throughout the time I was growing up (with family on both sides of the border). In ~1978 the CAD started sinking, bottoming out in ~2002, almost a decade after Mulroney left office. It then began a rapid rise, culminating in a couple of years during which it was worth *more* than the USD ~2011-2012. After that, it sank again to approximately where it stands now.
I'm not pretending I understand the underlying reasons for any of this, but I do like to check my assumptions and beliefs against reality. Google makes this remarkably easy. C.f., https://fxtop.com/en/historical-exch...DD2=08&LANG=en
|
9 Jun 2023
|
|
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: London and Granada Altiplano
Posts: 3,081
|
|
From a moderation viewpoint I'd like to politely point out that it's never a good idea to derogatively generalise about a country and its citizens. I am sure there are many extremely hardworking Argentines amongst the 45 million population.
Other more positive stereotypes of Argentines are that they are passionate, noble, honest and kind. But the reality is that all countries have a mix of good and not-so-good.
__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
|
9 Jun 2023
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 212
|
|
Seems to be pretty normal.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
|
9 Jun 2023
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: UK
Posts: 423
|
|
|
We didn’t miss Colombia and it was one of the highlights of the trip. Whilst it was one of the best countries value for money wise, in the Americas, it was not cheap, for us, when compared to countries like Bulgaria, Slovakia, India or south east Asia.
What I’m talking about is what I said, and you quoted, the reason Argentina was so cheap for us was the exchange rate we got through Western Union - we paid less than half, for everything, that the Argentinians paid.
Our experience in Argentina was fantastic, the people were so nice and any one we had dealings with went above and beyond.
Last edited by Tim Cullis; 22 Aug 2023 at 07:43.
Reason: Edited to remove quote of post that has since been moderated, i.e. removed!
|
10 Jun 2023
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Neiva Colombia
Posts: 229
|
|
|
peso peso !
1981 I was in Peru and the Sole was devaluating every day and it was a bargain for a traveller
Argentina was at a all time low they were printing million peso notes that was worth a bottle of wine and a steak sandwich
then all hell broke loose the guerra de Malvinas the falklands war
Argentina was a country that thrived on Canadian dollar back then because Canada was building a CANDU reactor for electricity for the nation
During the 80s canada was a country helping everybody The Caribbean was basically bailed out with Canadian dollars + Brazil and many places in SA
we Canadians have contributed a lot in the americas
and its hard to find a place to where your dollar is worth anything
id guess our leaders are to blame
US rules but I dont make that buck
|
10 Jun 2023
|
|
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Posts: 812
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by markharf
As I posted above, this is not true--or rather, it's true only if you take a very short perspective on history.
|
As you wrote yourself, since 1978, the Canadian dollar has generally been worth quite a bit less than the US buck.
Sure, for about 18 months it flipped the other way, but for most of the last 40+ years, the loonie has been weaker, and usually by a fairly wide margin.
__________________
Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250
|
11 Jun 2023
|
|
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Posts: 3,930
|
|
|
Yes, that's what I pointed out--that for most of the last 40 years the CAD has been trading below the USD. I also pointed out that for the preceding 25 years they stayed more or less equal.
In my book, "never" doesn't mean "seldom," "always" doesn't mean "usually," and "since Mulroony" doesn't mean....well, you get the idea. I'm ok if all of it means something different to someone else, in which case there's not really much point to arguing about it.
I notice that gasoline on your side of the border is only marginally more expensive these days than down here on mine. Might be time I played tourist...
|
11 Jun 2023
|
|
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Posts: 3,930
|
|
|
With moderator hat scrunched tightly down around my ears, probably cutting off blood flow to my brain, I've taken down a couple of posts in this thread. To review: insults aimed at an ethnicity or nationality are not ok here. Insults aimed at other members, individually or as a class, are also not ok. Resist the temptation!
If you find you've got a problem with another member's post, please feel free to use the little red and white button at the top right corner of every post to signal your displeasure.
I can't wait to get rid of this hat.
Mark
|
11 Jun 2023
|
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Neiva Colombia
Posts: 229
|
|
|
wow currency
What you make in your country is the bottom line How you make it is nobody's business the issue is how much value you get for what you have when you show up in a foreign country and use a bank machine and get money in the Country you are in
This is irrelevant to your agenda who cares, its your money. You can't put a price on a good experience that you will think I am glad I did this, in your life time
Easter island is a good example for me and all the indigenous cultures in the Andes back in the 80s with out a moto
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
|
|
|
helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
Linear Mode
