Ron Gleason <<email>> sends:

Today's column offers a rare "travel tip" to our readers... pack your bags for Australia!

Our "tip" comes down to purchasing power. You see, for much of the past six years, the Australian dollar was one of the world's strongest currencies. Australia's economy is dependent on commodity exports... so soaring gold, copper, oil, and uranium prices gave a huge boost to the country's prosperity, profits, and real estate. The Aussie dollar followed suit and almost doubled in value against other currencies from 2002 to 2008.

The strong Aussie dollar was fantastic for natives. Their dollars simply grew and grew in value for years. On the other hand, it was awful for Americans who wanted to go see kangaroos... The strengthening Aussie dollar vastly increased the U.S. dollar cost of a vacation.

But the past few months have been a classic "live by the sword, die by the sword" story for Australia. Commodities have had one of their worst quarters in history. The Aussie dollar has plummeted 30%... a colossal move for a developed country's currency. As you can see from today's chart, the Aussie dollar hasn't been this cheap since 2003... and "all things Australian" are on sale. Make sure to have a Vic Bitter and think of us.