The Joys of Vacationing in America: Disneyworld, BBQ and Rhinoplasty

Travel Blog  •  Elyse Franko  •  07.11.08 | 1:46 PM ET

imageThe weak dollar is quickly making the United States a popular destination for Europeans in search of tighter tummies, wrinkle-free foreheads and pert derrieres. Though Europeans have admired American plastic surgery for decades, many have viewed it as a sign of extravagance. But now they’re taking advantage of the dollar’s diminished value and heading across the Atlantic for face-lifts and tummy tucks, often adding a few days or weeks of sightseeing to round out their trips.

One plastic surgery consultant told the Wall Street Journal: “There’s no question this is a trend now. The psychological cachet of having something done in New York or L.A. carries weight with many Europeans.”

Related on World Hum:
* Meet Laura Moser, Medical Tourist

Photo of Mount Rushmore by jimbowen0306 via Flickr, (Creative Commons).

Tags: North America, United States

Elyse Franko is a Long Island native, a graduate of the American University School of Communication in Washington, D.C., and a former World Hum intern. During her time at university, she wrote and edited for several campus publications and fostered her love for traveling by spending time abroad in Istanbul, Turkey, and Berlin, Germany. She currently works as a teaching assistant in Vienna, Austria.


4 Comments for The Joys of Vacationing in America: Disneyworld, BBQ and Rhinoplasty

Ling 07.12.08 | 11:32 PM ET

Hey, I thought medical tourism meant that people go ‘out’ of the U.S. for treatment unavailable or too costly here. Far as I know, they still do. Since when did people start coming in?

Elyse 07.13.08 | 2:53 AM ET

Since New York shops and D.C. bars started accepting Euros….

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/24/AR2008022401642.html
http://dcist.com/2008/03/10/were_turning_eu.php

Allison 07.14.08 | 1:14 PM ET

I think it is that Europeans come here for their plastic surgery needs now and Americans go to area such as South America. I’ve also heard of Americans going to the Carribean in order to get better prices.

Dave 07.14.08 | 7:37 PM ET

I guess its good for the U.S. to build back up the dollar.  It always a good idea to save money in both euros and U.S. currency.

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