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Ah, Rome, home of the gladiators, the Forum, the Pantheon, thousands of years of rich, ancient history and some of the greatest food in the world. Many a soul with wander lust dreams of travel to the "City of Love and Romance". But, for those of us with budgets wilting under the strain of a sagging economy and inflation, European vacations are just that..........a dream.

But take heart, longing travelers. A Roman vacation is not as impossible as you may think and you don't have to be "The Donald", Angelina Jolie or the latest girlfriend of roguish George Clooney to do it. With some ingenuity, fortitude and plain old financial planning, you can be on the streets of Rome in no time.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES

Since we want to save money, let's start with how much money you actually have. Sluggish economies and rising inflation weakens currency. If you're one of the unlucky stiffs whose currency is the dollar and you are not aware of the exchange rate for Euros - brace yourself.

Currently, the exchange rate for dollars to Euros is about 63%. This means, that for every dollar you exchange, you will receive 63% of its value. Yeah, I know. It could be worse though, you could be holding pesos or rupees.

Before you go, check out several online currency exchange calculators. They're a dime a dozen (pardon the pun) so just Google one and get the current rate.

TRANSPORTATION

Let's face it, flying is not cheap these days and with airlines doing everything they can to extract yet another dollar from our pockets, it's likely the bulk of your expenses will be tied up in flying. Unless you already live in Europe, have a private jet, or want to make like a pilgrim and sail over, you are going to have to fly.

With the advent of Expedia, Orbitz & Travelocity, gone are the days of calling up your travel agent and having them take care of these pesky details for you. But, the fact is, this can actually save you a ton of cash.

The more flexible you are in terms of flying days and times, the better your chances of cheap seats. If you can fly on off days (like mid-week) and aren't averse to flying gawdawful hours, you increase your chances of getting decent airfare. Most travel sites have calendars that allow you to compare flying days and hours. Take advantage of it.

And speaking of cheap seats, unless the "First-class Fairy" touches you on the head at the ticket counter, don't expect to fly first class. This absurd notion probably hasn't entered your mind - but, I'm just sayin'.

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