Reply #23: One Interesting Possibility [View All]

[Vogon_Glory]

One interesting possibility for this country's future might be that the US will become a cheap place to visit not only for wealthy Europeans, but also not-so-wealthy Europeans and Asians--provided that the borders aren't sealed tight.

Think about it. Why did Hemingway and Fitzgerald set so many of their novels in places like France, Italy, and Spain right after World War One? Why did American school teachers used to visit Italy before World War II? Because their currency exchange rates were pitiful and because those places used to be dirt cheap to live in, that's why.

Nowadays, the Euro is heading towards an exchange rate of two dollars to the Euro and Europe is hideously expensive. The shoe is on the other foot.

My advice to anyone seeking a career in the hotel, resort, or associated industries is to start learning French, German, and rudimentary Japanese and Mandarin. Learn how to speak the respectful forms (Inferiors to superiors)--you'll be using it a lot. Learn to understand how superiors speak to inferiors--you'll be hearing it a lot.