Recent statistics released by the US Department of Commerce showed a drop in US travel abroad.  The drop of 1% is the first decline since 2002,  Travel to Canada declined by 7% and increased to Mexico by 4%.  Interestingly enough, though the number of travelers was down, spending was up by 7% setting a new record for the fifth consecutive year.
The top five countries for American spending are:

Mexico
United Kingdom
Canada
Germany
Japan

We set new spending records in Germany, Japan, Italy, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Netherlands and Argentina.
Since I’m currently traveling in Europe, I found these numbers interesting.
I think they indicate that …read more

Are you immune to the measles? It’s an important question to ask before traveling abroad. Since January 2009, there have been several measles outbreaks worldwide.
Some affected areas are the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Lucerne, as well as Victoria and Queensland, Australia. An outbreak was also reported in Vietnam. According to the CDC, there have been nine imported cases of measles in the US since December 1, 2008. Six of those were from the UK.
According to the CDC’s website, “Because of the risk of measles in both developed and developing countries, all international travelers should be up-to-date on immunizations, regardless …read more