For the past several years many Americans have put their next European vacation on hold. With the US dollar in the tank and the cost of flights skyrocketing, a trip to Europe has felt like an extravagant and unnecessary luxury for much of the last decade. Gone are the late 1990s when the dollar reigned supreme, airline tickets were only a few hundred dollars, Eastern Europe hadn’t yet adopted the Euro, and half liters of beer could be had in the heart of Prague for less than a quarter. However, in the last year the dollar has made some modest gains against the Euro, and a slew of cheap airfare options have entered the market. All inclusive family vacations and travel destinations such as Paris, London, Vienna, Berlin and Barcelona remain difficult on a modest budget; but there are plenty of cheap travel destinations in Europe where one doesn’t have to live the life of a miser. (more…)