When it comes to thrifty alternatives to Western Europe, there's good and bad news.

The bad news is that a partial list of countries where the dollar gained value between December 2003 and December 2004, looks like the "Tour de Travel Warning."

Indonesia (up nearly 10 percent), Kenya (about 6 percent) and Pakistan (about 4 percent) were, as of late last month, nations that the State Department urged Americans to avoid. Besides terrorist activity, Indonesia is suffering from the earthquake and tsunami that killed tens of thousands on the island of Sumatra.

Venezuela (up about 20 percent) wasn't on the warning list, but the State Department noted that its capital, Caracas, "has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America" and described its airport as "dangerous."

The good news is that some thrifty destinations hold more promise for tourists.

Among them:

Eastern Europe

The dollar has lost 12 percent or more against some currencies here in the last year, but Eastern Europe is still a better deal than Western Europe, said Steve Loucks, spokesman for Minneapolis-based Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates, an international network of travel agencies. That's partly because prices started out lower in those countries.

A hotel room in Paris that commands $179 per night might cost half that in Budapest, according to Runzheimer's Travel Management Network, a Web-based resource in Rochester, Wis., that benchmarks travel costs.

In Budapest and Prague in the Czech Republic, "you have fairy-tale settings that survived war after war," Loucks said.

"We're getting a lot of requests for Romania and Bulgaria," said Pamela Lassers of Abercrombie & Kent in Oakbrook, Ill. The charms for clients of this luxury adventure company, she said, include recently restored historic sites.

Mexico and the Caribbean

"There's so much bang for your buck in Mexico," Loucks said. The dollar held steady against the peso last year, after gaining about 10 percent on it the year before.

Loucks said Carlson-Wagonlit agents had been booking more vacations to Mexico and, to a lesser degree, the Caribbean.

"In Jamaica and Barbados," Frommer said, "the dollar — for some strange reason — has improved in value against the local currency."

Southeast Asia

It's still unclear what effect the tsunami will have on longer-term tourism, particularly in Thailand. But the dollar held its own against the Thai baht last year.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a taxi ride downtown from the airport costs about $9 and lunch averages less than $6, according to Runzheimer. Hotels are inexpensive too. And both Vietnam and Thailand offer historic sites, exotic cultures and breathtaking scenery.

China

The dollar remains stable, since the Chinese want to keep their yuan, well, to encourage Americans to buy their goods, said Robert K. Ryan, managing director of foreign exchange at the Bank of New York.

Prices vary widely in this increasingly popular destination.

"You can spend $2 for a sumptuous meal," Loucks said, "or pay over $100 at a five-star hotel that is Western." To save, eat like the locals.