A trip to Western Europe will still cost a bundle, of course, but the euro just dropped to $1.53, marking an eight-week low against the dollar. We’ve been decrying the weakening dollar around the globe for months—in March, we noted that even officials at Taj Mahal had stopped accepting U.S. currency because of its declining value—so we happily note this small bit of good news for American travelers.

Related on World Hum:
* Three Travel Tips: Ways to Save Money in Europe
* Ask Rolf: Given the Weak Dollar Overseas, Any Tips on Long-Term Travel?

Photo by jopemoro via Flickr (Creative Commons). 

It’s White-People’s-Excuse-to-Let-Loose Day! (Or, if you’re NPR, it’s your excuse to go completely loco and play some Nortec Collective.)

Amazing. Despite a lagging economy at home, a tanking U.S. dollar across the planet and increasing use of the ridiculous verb “staycation,” more American are expected to travel abroad this summer than last. 

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Interesting conversation going on at the Sydney Morning Herald travel blog about the good and bad about traveling within the United States. Ben Groundwater started it with a mostly-positive defense of the U.S. as a travel destination. The CliffsNotes version of the conversation so far: Rocky Mountains, New York, New Orleans, clam chowder, pizza and people who are “generous to the point of being overbearing” are good. “[L]oud-mouthed, rude, arrogant, and ridiculously insular” people and getting fingerprinted upon entry are bad.

Related on World Hum:
* Why the World is Avoiding America

Photo of the Rockies by joiseyshowaa, via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Up until recently, we figured one of the most serious threats facing the American road trip was the demise of the indie motels and family-run diners lining the likes of Route 66. But now that we’re entering the age of the $4 gallon, will even more people bypass the classic routes in favor of the interstate? Or will road-trippers just stay home entirely?

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"Today, the Peace Corps remains a Peter Pan organization, afraid to grow up, yet also afraid to question the thinking of its founding fathers,” writes former Peace Corps country director Robert L. Strauss in Foreign Policy.

The “I’ in question here is Seth Stevenson, so I’m pretty sure it’s so he could mine the Mouse for laughs and cultural insight. And, typically, he does so in an entertaining Well-Traveled series this week at Slate. In his own words, though, he says he decided to spend five days entirely within the Disney universe basically “to figure out what the hell’s going on in this place. Because America has clearly decided it’s hallowed ground.”

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I’ve often felt frustrated that most of my favorite music was recorded years before I was born, and that instead of going to live shows, I have to visit museums. Not much of a substitute, right? But this week, one music history museum came close to filling that void. 

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Terry Ward wonders why so many people overseas complain they never hear from American guests after they leave: “Because we are so transient, do we have a more fleeting view of friendship than, say, Europeans, who tend to stick closer to home?”

Related on World Hum:
* The Last Days of the Postcard?

Gallup surveyed Americans to find out which countries they liked best, with Canada taking the top spot. Ninety-two percent of respondents had a favorable view of their northern neighbors, with Great Britain (89 percent), Germany (82 percent) and Japan (80 percent) in the next three spots. Iran was the least favored nation, with only 8 percent of respondents giving it some love.

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We recently noted that fewer Americans are spending their free time camping, hiking and fishing in our great outdoors. But while our parks are losing human crowds, they may are gaining some people-produced troubles—contaminants such as pesticides and mercury. 

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Americans who’ve traveled overseas know well that the U.S. is more loathed than loved in many quarters. But for students traveling abroad for the first time these days—and fortunately, there are many—that realization can be startling and eye-opening. I recently asked Erin Granat a few questions about her experience.

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