Why You Shouldn't Use The Euro

In addition to causing a country to lose a good deal of control over its own finances, the Euro also takes the fun out of traveling. In Eastern Europe many counties, if they are in the EU at all, are not yet eligible to adopt the Euro, or have simply chosen to keep their national currency in circulation. This makes traveling much more interesting. So far I have used the Romanian Leu, the Bulgarian Лев, and Moldovan Leu. This has definitely kept things interesting from an economic standpoint. Every place I go seems to have completely different price levels, thanks to having completely different amounts of the local currency in circulation. It can also be confusing at times; it can be hard to keep the fluctuating exchange rates straight. Sometimes I have difficulty remembering what currency I am using. This is made even more complicated by the fact that many larger priced items such as hotel rooms are quoted in Euros or Dollars, but paid on the receipt in the local currency. If nothing else it puts some of the mystique back into international travel that the Euro Zone has taken away. Also the lack of Euro, in most cases, means that your dollars go farther. This is especially true in Romania where the government has been printing money to stay solvent. The exchange rate has gone up from around 3.3 to almost 4 lei to the dollar, but businesses have yet to feel the impact of inflation and raise their prices. Some items at the store remain relatively expensive. The results of all of these currency fluctuations were clearly shown in my most recent telephone call with the person who owns the apartment I’m living in. The price of the apartment is quoted in Euro. In the months before my arrival he told me that I could pay in dollars, but was totally disinterested in Lei. Recently the Euro has slipped greatly against the Dollar, but has improved slightly against the rapidly inflating Lei. As he knows I am not paying in Euros, he told me that would rather be paid in Lei as the Euro is now worth much less against the dollar. I sternly informed him that I was still going to pay him in U.S. currency.