Dollar Drops Versus Yen

Now that we are in a new month and the summer vacation season has started, it is time to take a peek at how the U.S. dollar is faring against the Japanese yen. This, of course, is of major interest to Americans traveling to Japan.

According to MSN:

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The U.S. dollar weakened on Tuesday, falling the most against the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc, as President Donald Trump's massive tax-cut and spending bill stoked fiscal worries and uncertainty around trade deals weighed on sentiment.

Investors have also started wagering on a quicker pace of monetary policy easing by the Federal Reserve this year ahead of a slew of U.S. economic data this week, headlined by Thursday's nonfarm payrolls report.

That spurred dollar-selling, which slipped 0.33% to a new 10-year low and fetched 0.790 Swiss francs, while the greenback dropped 0.64% to 143.08 Japanese yen. The yen capped the first half of the year with a 9% gain - its strongest performance since 2016.

To read more, go here. 

7 Travel Mistakes Every RV Owner Has Made

Above, West Entrance KOA in West Yellowstone, Montana. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Whether someone is a new owner of an RV or is renting one for the first time, there are mistakes that common to them.

I had made one during a 2015 trip to Yellowstone National Park, and that was forgetting to close the awning before driving off. Luckily, I only got as far as the next campsite down the drive before I was flagged down by another camper. I never made that goof again. That was the first time I used the awning, by the way.

This sort of thing is covered (item number 6) in an photo article by MSN Money of seven common mistakes every RVer has made.

They begin it with:

Whether you’re renting or buying your rig, preparing to hit the road is a super-exciting time — but also one rife with opportunity for error. While you’re all caught up in fantasizing about your next destination (don’t worry, we all do it!), you can easily forget about some surprisingly basic stuff. Like, um, not driving away while still hooked up to the sewer connection.

The thing is, no matter how well you prepare, RVing mistakes are going to happen. But just in case you’d like to minimize the level of “Oh, no” in your vacation, we put together a few of our own errors from experience, so you can hopefully avoid running into them.

Here are seven super-easy-to-make travel mistakes that the majority of RV owners have made … usually more than once.

To see what they are, go here. 

Retire In A RV

Above, The Beast at Camp Okihi. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One major thing that makes me prefer staying in my own RV than in a hotel room is that the DNA in one's own RV is their own. Whereas, you don't know what's been left behind in hotel rooms (especially ones who have poor cleaning staffs) by prior guests unless you check out the room with your "handy" CSI forensic testing kit that includes a blacklight.

But, that aside, there are reasons why retirees should retire into the RV lifestyle and MSN Money gives nine of those reasons.

They begin with:

Retirement is in sight. You’re ready to begin new journeys, hit the open road — and travel the blue highways in a recreational vehicle. 

And why not? You’ve earned it (literally), and with a comfortable cushion of retirement income, you can satisfy your yearning to roam the country, visit children and grandchildren — and, of course, hit the big sightseeing destinations. 

You won’t lack for fellow travelers. Approximately 10 million U.S. households own RVs, according to the RV Industry Association, and roughly 1 million Americans live in one full time. 

Even amid the uncertainty and gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic, current and future RVers are ponying up for wheels. Earlier in May, shares of Camping World Holdings (CWH) surged 35% after reporting first-quarter earnings that blew past analysts’ estimates. Sales of RVs are rocking, likely fueled by pent-up demand to go vacationing, along with interest from “covid campers,” people no longer willing to stay in a hotel or motel and seeking a self-contained way to travel.

To read more, go here.