When I was travelling in the USA, the Canadian dollar exchange rate of hovered around 40%. My Canadian dollar did not go as far as I thought since my budget was based on my Canadian dollar.
Food was a little less expensive in the US but for every $100 in groceries it came to $140 on my visa bill. This definitely added to my final food expense. Entrance fees, campsites and general purchases were all more expensive when exchanging my Canadian dollar.
Gas is considerably more expensive in Canada vs USA. Gas is one of my major budget expenses. Even with the exchange rate my gas expense was pretty much the same as it was in Canada, which worked out in my budgeting.
Note to self, remember to budget in US dollars when travelling from Canada to the USA. Since retiring in 2021 and travelling full time, budgeting is something I am having to get a handle on.
