Have Rates, Will Travel.

In 1988, a business traveler in Moscow could book a single night's lodging and enjoy three meals for just US $139. Today, however, that same package has risen to nearly US $400, according to the Runzheimer Guide to Daily Prices. Other locations show suprisingly small increases. Tokyo was very expensive in 1988 with average per diem rates (meals and lodging) of US $352 for the business traveler. Today's traveler pays only slightly more -- US $383. Sydney, Australia rates have risen from US $245 to only $252 during the same time span.

Many locations worldwide have doubled in costs since the late 1980s. Buenos Aires, Argentina travel costs per diem have risen from US $162 in 1988 to US $359 in 1999; Mexico City travel costs have gone from $118 to $260; and Singapore from US $126 to US $285. Most destinations in Canada, including Toronto, provide the best deal for the business traveler at US $196 per day.

"Supply and demand, the local economy, and the foreign exchange rates in effect at the time are all factors," suggests Rolfe Shellenberger, senior travel consultant with Runzheimer. "In some cases, the U.S. dollar has strengthened significantly against a particular foreign currency causing everything you purchase to be less costly.

"In Moscow, the situation changed from a state-run controlled economy to a market-driven economy where local business people establish their own prices. In high-inflation countries such as in Central and South America, travel rates can change virtually overnight. It is unwise to assume travel expenses have remained static from your last trip."

Shellenberger says that lodging expense, which comprises the larger portion of daily travel costs, tends to reflect worldwide pricing practices by that industry, independent of local operations cost.