They say that once you’re a multi-multi-millionaire, the first thing you want is…to be a billionaire.

If so, there are now 946 people who got their wish, according to Forbes. The world’s population of billionaires climbed to 946 last year, a record. Bill Gates is still at the top, with some $56 billion to his name, while new entries include Howard Shultz of Starbucks and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. The second one is a bit galling. How out of hand has corporate CEO pay gotten when you can build up a billion-dollar fortune in an office job? That seems too much like a something from the snap of a genie’s fingers.

Meanwhile, U.S. households with a net worth over $5 million, excluding the primary home, topped the one million mark in 2006, up from 250,000 in 1996. A rising tide may not lift all boats, but it looks like the American Dream is alive and well.

If you read the financial news, you know the U.S. dollar is in the toilet. There are plenty of sound reasons for this, plus a few other reasons that have nothing to do with logic or reason. None of that really matters though when you’re planning a trip to Italy or France and you go into cardiac arrest looking at the prices.

Fortunately for U.S. and Canadian travelers, it’s still 2001 in Spanish-speaking Latin America in terms of exchange rates. Overall, things haven’t changed all that much except in Argentina, where it’s a far better deal than it used to be (though not as good as two or three years ago.) Here’s a look at how the U.S. dollar has done so far this year against other currencies.

Argentina +1%

Mexico +1.7%

Ecuador and Panama - unchanged (they use the dollar)

Peru -0.5%

Brazil -5.3% (ouch)

Euro -2.9%

Australia -5.8%

India -5.7%

New Zealand -5.9%

Thailand -8.3% (double ouch)

You better believe these costs will show up in your travel budget, whether it’s taxi rides, hotels, restaurant meals, or museums. Taking a trip to Europe this summer is akin to opening your wallet and letting someone take out 1/3 of your cash. If you go to Latin America, your wallet stays intact.

If you’re looking into retiring overseas or buying real estate as an investment, there’s another reason to pay attention to currency fluctuations. That rural castle in Romania is not looking like such a deal anymore, but beachfront property in Mexico, Roatan, or Panama? That’s a different story.

The following appeared in the South American Explorers newsletter, with the original text from the IGTOA - International Galapagos Tour Operators Association. This follows a National Geographic stewardship survey report that there has been significant deterioration in the Galapagos, mostly due to an influx of more tourists than the area can handle. If you’re heading that way at some point soon, please do the right thing and use a tour company that does more than just pay lip service to environmental protection.

“Galapagos is in a state of emergency,” states the headline in Ecuador’s newspaper, El Comercio. It was referring to a decision made April 10 by Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa, who signed an emergency decree stating that Galapagos is in crisis.

President Correa stated that he would consider temporarily suspending tourism permits and enforcing rigorous population restrictions to prevent further environmental harm. “We are pushing for a series of actions to overcome the huge institutional, environmental and social crisis in the islands,” President Correa said.

He did not give details about possible restrictions. But he ordered the Governor of Galapagos to convene an urgent meeting of the Institute Nacional Galapagos (INGALA). The objective will be to determine the state of conservation and development in the islands, with possible temporary suspension of new tourist and air operations.

In a press release, the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) indicated “strong support for yesterday’s declaration by Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa that Galapagos is at risk and is a national conservation priority.” (see full text below)

President Correa’s pronouncement comes as a high level delegation from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, led by its Director, Francesco Bandarin, visits Ecuador. Its aim is to study the state of Galapagos and make recommendations next June on whether to list Galapagos as a World Heritage in Danger. Talks between the UN delegation and members of the government are taking place in Quito and Galapagos. President Correa said that Ecuador does not need attention from international organizations, saying, “We are conscious of the high priority and importance of Galapagos for our country.”

These events follow in the footsteps of a recent assault on the authority and personnel of the Galapagos National Park, as reported in an IGTOA bulletin. Park Director, Raquel Molina, and several Park Rangers suffered injuries while attempting to stop a kayaking operation on Baltra Island.

There seems to be a growing consensus that tourism development needs to be contained and regulated.

If you’re a flower lover or a painter (or both) thinking of heading to Peru, you might be interested in this unique learning holiday from Orient-Express.

Inspired by the discovery of a new orchid in the Andes Mountains of Peru, the Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima and Hotel Monasterio in Cuzco are offering guests an eight day orchid painting course. It includes full day classes with tours and trips to collect specimens to paint, private tours of Machu Picchu, and optional hikes to see the sunrise over the mountains. Dinner on board the Hiram Bingham Train and welcoming cocktail are also included. (We assume that means the full Cuzco to Machu Picchu train ride as well, but check.) These courses are led by orchid enthusiast Carol Woodin and run from November 3 – 12, 2007.  Prices start from US$4,207 per person for nine nights. For more information, visit the Orient-Express Peru site.

ForbesTraveler interviewed me as one of the sources for this Mexico Deluxe Guide. It’s a collection of stories on Mexico’s beaches, festivals, shopping, and more. You have to skip past an annoying intro ad and as usual with Forbes’ online sections the pages are so busy that it’s like a treasure hunt trying to read anything without getting overwhelmed by all the text and images coming from every direction.

Once you find your way to the stories though, there is some solid information. If you’ve got some extra money to blow, you can check out the “10 Most Expensive Tequilas.” Or the spiciest chilis. A nice touch is how they gathered together some great quotes from past writers on Mexico, like Graham Greene, Jack Keruoac, and Tennessee Williams.

I think the best beaches of Mexico are the ones you don’t share with hordes of other people (like this one on Isla Holbox), but the slide show is nice anyway.

Check in with Luxury Latin America regularly if you’re planning a trip to Mexico. We’re adding new reviews of upscale Mexico hotels each week.