Dollar Power

St. Lucia
Currency: East Caribbean dollar
Value of US$1 today: 2.72
Value five years ago: 2.67
Percent Change: +1.9
Mountainous St. Lucia is home to the Pitons—two volcanic peaks soaring out of the sea and listed as a World Heritage Site. Discovery at Marigot Bay has 124 spacious rooms, two swimming pools, and a spa. It's a short ferry ride to the beach (758-458-5300; discoverystlucia.com; doubles, $413–$472). Accommodations at Ti Kaye Village are scattered along a lush cliff overlooking the sea and a quiet beach; some have their own plunge pools (758-456-8101; tikaye.com; doubles, $225–$380). Book a deep-sea fishing expedition with Hackshaw's Boat Charters—February through May is wahoo and dorado season (758-453-0553; hackshaws.com; half-day charter, $75 per person).

EUROPE
With the British pound worth nearly double the dollar and the euro approaching $1.50, traveling to Europe has never looked more daunting for Americans. Several countries in the region, however, have refused to submit to the euro's rule, including Switzerland. Swiss francs trade independently of the euro and have a much more favorable exchange rate—lately hovering around $1.12. So stroll Geneva's rue du Rhône instead of France's Champs-Élysées and don't worry about the credit card bills as you amble; or, instead of Lake Como, head for Campione d'Italia, a little slice of Italy on Lake Lugano that's ringed by mountain views and which, curiously, trades in Swiss francs. Yearning for a jewel box-sized principality? Say Guten Tag to the mountains and castles of Liechtenstein—which also uses the Swiss franc. Another approach is to travel to new EU member countries that have yet to adopt the Continent's currency. The dollar has slid about 30 percent against Romania's leu in the past five years, but prices remain affordable—even in tourist havens such as Transylvania. While Turkey works for EU inclusion, Istanbul is still a euro-free cosmopolitan center. It's a bit on the pricey side, but besides the stunning architecture and heady exoticism, you'll get about 50 cents more for your dollar than in capitals that run on the euro.

Liechtenstein
Currency: Swiss franc
Value of US$1 today: 1.16
Value five years ago: 1.48
Percent Change: -21.6
The principality of Liechtenstein is a smidge larger than Manhattan but has mountain peaks, great skiing, a serene patch of the Rhine Valley, and—conveniently—no euros and almost no taxes. Its 29-room Park-Hotel Sonnenhof offers Alpine elegance and glorious views in a chalet dating to the late 1800s (423-239-0202; sonnenhof.li; doubles, $345–$460). Ski powder with the locals at the 5,250-foot-high Bergbahnen Malbun resort (423-265-4000; bergbahnen.li; half-day lift ticket, $25).