Europe on a Budget Tips
or How do I make one I can Stay On?
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Making a budget is easy. Staying on IT is the real challenge!
And in Europe it's like being on a diet during the Christmas Holidays.
Whether you are traveling on a tour or independently, you want your money
to last as long as your trip without coming home to a huge charge card bill.
Doing some research before you go and having an itinerary will help you avoid
this dilemma.
The following expense list includes a couple of dozen items that will consume your money quicker than the arrival of the end of your trip if you don't plan ahead.
An Itinerary listing the things you want to do and see each day is the first tool you need to anticipate your trip expenses. The list may include theatre in London (can get costly) or a stroll around a Medieval ruin on the Rhine (which may be free). I can hear Tour Travelers saying, "I don't have to be concerned about that because sight seeing is all taken care of by my tour." Is it? Check your Tour Itinerary for Free Time and Options. Whoops-- maybe it's not. With a little research before you leave home, you may discover an Option which costs you $50+ can be done for $10 and a $2 bus ride. And with additional research you may find discounts you can use such as Student, Senior, Family, or group rates, giving you some extra money to splurge on a Gelati sundae. CURRENT guide books are your second set of important tools. They are useful in estimating cost of both sights and accommodations. Again, Tour Travelers are saying, "Taken care of." But like the independent traveler, the Tour Traveler will want to have the addresses of their accommodations so you can locate them on City Maps--your third set of tools. (Get these free from Tourist Information Offices before you leave) Knowing ahead of time where your hotel is located and finding out where sights are in relationship to it can save you money and time there. Many maps for large cities have their transportation systems mapped out on them. High light the bus or metro stations near your accommodation and near your sights. This step will make it easy for you to get to the things you wanted to see during your free time as well as pre-determine what it will cost. As an independent traveler you have allot of flexibility for budgeting in the accommodation area. If you have little or no money to spend, you can look into Hostel-ing, College Dormitories, or using SERVAS or House Swapping--the latter two being almost free. With the help of good guide books or a trip through TERC you can spend $50 or less a night for a double to sleep in a castle or convent one night and in an Austrian LocalÕs home another. You can locate yourself near the sight seeing or festival action or stay in a village getting closet to local people, thus experiencing more of your European dream trip while paying less. The Independent traveler can eat well and healthily for $15--25 a day ($5-7 lunch & 10-15 for dinner--less if you picnic!) If you read up on how to do it European style. Rick Steves' EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR is an excellent guidebook on this topic. Since some meals aren't included in most tours, Tour Travelers can add some control to their expenses by shopping at open markets and delis. Find out before you leave where these might be located. All travelers beware that beverages are $2.50+ "in cup or can" and will sabotage your spending plans! Plan ahead and start learning how to get your thirst quenched as cheaply and healthily as possible. And if any traveler needs a special diet-- a little research re. how and where you can find the types of foods you need in various countries will definitely make your trip smoother, on budget and more interesting. (TERC has some good literature on this topic) Transportation costs are an area most travelers need to research carefully and may need some outside guidance with beyond the guide books. All travelers need a Travel Agent who knows European Air transportation. Having a finished itinerary can save you alot of $ and make it easy for your Travel Agent to find the best price. Making changes in your arrival and departure locations can get costly and have your agent loose interest in servicing you well. The independent traveler needs a well planned itinerary to determine what type of ground transportation is best for their group and sight seeing agenda. The number of people in your traveling party as well as the distances and number of days you are traveling will play a big roll in determining which is the best deal. Most good guidebooks can give you costs for local transportation in the cities you are visiting. Mele and TERC staff are specialists in itinerary planning and ground transportation and can help you determine how much this major expense will be. They will point out some flexible train-car-boat-bus combinations that will save you money and get you to sights you would have missed. As a bunch-- the twenty miscellaneous items can add up to a sizable sum which will make your "biggies" look petit in comparison. Here again there are guidebooks that provide information to help you make realistic budget estimates as well as teach you how to avoid "Waikiki" type tourist prices. I recommend that Hawaii tourists to Europe buy their film here--film is twice as expensive in Europe. Check the guidebooks for guidelines re local customs for tipping, how much to expect to pay for admission fees, how to get Sr., Student, and family discounts. If you plan to SHOP, learn about getting 17% of your money back on purchases over a $100. (This is a Value Added Tax--VAT) You might find it useful to research out where to find reasonable laundries and shops for souvenirs (sometimes with prices and shop names). To reduce your inevitable loses when changing money, study up on exchange rates. Decide early on in your planning how you will carry your money--ATM card, Travelers Checks, Cash, and what credit cards you want to use. Check if your ATM card will work in the locations you are going to. With this homework behind you, you will be able to create a realistic estimate of what your trip will cost as well as be prepared to cut some corners if the need arises. You will likely find out that by spending less you get closer to the Europe you came to see. But the real test is staying close to your budget once you are in the enchanting atmosphere of Europe. One method I have found effective is to go on a weekly cash draw system. For example, every Wednesday morning I allot the travelers checks or cash that will carry me through my Itinerary and budget that week. Remember the Old Envelope System? If I'm running out of $ on the following Tuesday morning, I just "picnic on the Seine" or do a "walking tour" instead of the boat tour of Amsterdam until Wednesday morning. Not following my Itinerary 1 day a week beats running out of money 7 days before the trip is over or coming home to a charge bill I can ill afford. If I don't use my "unexpected expense money" I reward my self with a fantasy splurge at the end of the trip. Please Drop TERC a Note if you have any suggestion to add to this topic. Mahalo, Mele Fujiwara, Travel Consultant Check out these TERC articles and web sites for more information:
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