Travels With Rupee

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When in India, do as the Indians do. That is the advice Mon Valley Travel, a Pittsburgh travel agency, gives its clients who are booking trips overseas. By taking advantage of the strength of the U.S. dollar abroad, the travel agency obtains substantial air-fare savings for its clients going on international trips.

While air fares are generally calculated in the currency of the country in which the travel originates, Mon Valley Travel issues only the outgoing portion of the ticket in dollars and books the return flight in the weaker foreign currency.

Travel agent and vice-president Marc Zelenski explains that corporate travelers who are unable to take advantage of international supersavers because of last-minute scheduling and time limitations, have saved 5% to 18% of overseas round-trip coach fares, depending on the strength of the currency involved.

One of the agency's clients recently took advantage of this method, saving $229 on a flight from Madrid. One-way coach fare from New York to Madrid was $781, but the return trip was equal to $552 when paid in Spanish pesetas. A New York-Milan one-way coach fare was $1,017, but only $816 when paid for in Italian lire. And if you are thinking of going to India, one-way business-class fare from New York to Bombay is $1,368, but a return flight, when paid for in Indian rupees, would cost you $1,070. Remember, however, that currency exchange rates and airline fares constantly change.