TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  -- Gov. Charlie Crist kicks off an 11-day international trade mission, amid criticism that it's a costly and ill-timed trip.

The Republican governor is meeting with several businesses at the Farnborough International Air Show in England on Monday. Also on his itinerary are a nuclear waste processing plant in France, and meetings with officials in Spain and Russia.

Crist says he hopes the trip will generate economic opportunities for Florida.

But Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff says it's irresponsible to spend taxpayers' money jet-setting around Europe while the state budget is tight and people are feeling the pinch from high gas prices.