10 amazing destinations where your dollars go further this year

Flickr / Khánh Hmoong

This is a good year to be a budget traveler—now is an exceptional time to take advantage of the strong US dollar around the globe.

Favorable exchange rates and overall affordability can get you more for your money everywhere, from easy-to-reach places like Canada to bucket-list destinations like South Africa and Australia.

Here’s where you can score cheap hotels, stretch your dollar sightseeing, and even indulge in bucket-list trips for a lot less than usual.

Canada

Last year, for the first time since 2004, the Canadian dollar tumbled below 72 cents. It’s slowly making a comeback, but still hovers at a bargain 75 cents, low enough to justify a cross-border shopping spree where your mental math can happily mark down everything at 25 percent off.

Canadian stores near the border fly American flags, heralding the arrival of Yankee neighbors and their strong-dollar pocketbooks. Americans are catching on—border crossings are up and cities have seen an influx of U.S. visitors.

Lower hotel prices complement the favorable exchange rate: In both Montreal and Toronto hotel rates have dropped significantly in price, according to Hotels.com.

Australia 

If Australia is on your bucket list, this is your year.

The Australian dollar took a hit in 2015, dropping to a six-year low. By December it had plunged almost 12 percent against the U.S. dollar, and is now at about 76 cents.

Although flights to Australia can eat up a sizable chunk of your budget, you’ll save once you hit the ground with the strong U.S. dollar. And increased direct flights from major U.S. cities make it more convenient than ever to get there.

Daunted by the flight time? Don’t be—at just under 15 hours from Los Angeles, it’s about the same length as a flight to Rome. In December, American Airlines and Qantas both added daily service between LA and Sydney, and Qantas also added daily nonstop flights between San Francisco and Sydney.

Russia 

A deep recession and plummeting oil prices continue to prolong the fall of the Russian ruble. The country’s currency has recently hit historic lows, losing more than half of its worth as of the end of last year. For travelers, this means paying around 50 percent less for nearly everything from hotel rooms to cappuccino.

At McDonald’s in Russia, a Big Mac costs 114.00 ruble ($1.53) compared to $4.93 in America. The Economist magazine’s Big Mac Index, comparing the cost of the McDonald’s burger in cities around the globe, names Russia as one of the world’s most undervalued currencies right now.