-Submitted by Michelle Farhang, Abroad101’s Global Ambassador in Florence, Italy

The euro is the currency used in Italy, and it has definitely made an impact on most students on the trip. A euro roughly equals 1.306 American dollars. It doesn’t seem like that big of a difference, but when you are making travel plans, a two hundred and fifty dollar trip quickly becomes over three hundred and twenty five dollars. Around Italy, the biggest issue is shopping, eating and drinking. A fifteen dollar meal is really almost twenty dollars. My classes are six hours long, so we have a lunch break during which I usually get a panino for around five euro. It’s not a bad price at all, but it’s really around seven American dollars. Throw in a cappucino, and that adds up for an everyday expense. Continue reading →