10 Budget Tips for Your Trip to Europe

April 10, 2008

Above: Europe Map

Whether you’re single or married, with kids or without kids, a man or a woman, lesbian, gay or metro sexual, if it’s your first time to travel in Europe and you’ve always dreamed of going here, then now is the moment to sit back and plan. You may not have the money to go on a world tour but you can definitely plan your European tour on a budget. It’s the excitement of traveling without the heavy burden in your pocket. Planning ahead will always get you to jump start a fine trip of what is found in Europe.

There are the 10 budgeting steps it making a great trip to Europe:

1 ) First find a great deal in Airfare

Airfare is the first thing that you would have to look up. If you are sure just when you’ll be booking your flight or having your vacation, the earlier you book the greater the deals that you’ll be able to find the best ones especially if you will book ahead for an off-peak promotion, you’ll be surprised on how much you’ll be able to save. If it’s also possible for you to find at least a very reasonable trans-oceanic airfare, you will be taking a big leap towards a journey of an affordable European tour.

2 ) Take Advantage of Cheap Airfares within your European tour.

Once you place your foot in Europe there would be the need of transport between cities. There was a time that it was unthinkable to tour Europe unless you are in line with the wealthy and the rich. But now airlines like easyJet have made it so much affordable to book flights within Europe and making a major boost in money saving.

3 ) Get a Good Guidebook

People waste time buying a guidebook that doesn’t seem essential enough for new travelers of Europe. Make sure that you actually bought yourself a user friendly Guidebook containing the places and maps of places that make it easier for you to make an itinerary of activities in Europe. Another important thing here is the maps and directions. This guidebook should also give you Web addresses that are important for tourists to give further information and more.

4 ) Budget your Food Cost well

Usually when you go out traveling, most of the money that is spend goes to the food that you buy when you travel. Food is necessary especially when you want to have a taste of the culture and the best way is to taste their food. Yes it’s true that usually food breaks the budget. So planning ahead is the reason why you don’t want to fall for this trap. Research the places you want to try and eat at and take down the prices.

5 ) Look for Reasonable Hotels

When you research on Hotels online on where to stay in Europe, you will automatically be led in 4 star hotels where they provide comfort and have English speaking receptionists. However, don’t be mistaken as this comes with a price. A heavy bill that will rip your pockets apart, in other words, this is expensive. You didn’t go to Europe to feel like you’re just near your home; you go out of the country having a sense of adventure and actually experiencing something new and that included speaking in other languages. So opting for a family owned hotel that maybe be smaller and may require you to learn to speak their language is not so bad at all.

6 ) Try to Save per Destination

Research again regarding where to find cheap and clean rooms in roam. Try to avoid restaurants that prey on tourist and give them overpriced food. Find out what is a very good but cheap snack in Berlin. It is very important to create a detailed itinerary per place in all the places that you’ll be going to in Europe so you’ll make sure that what you’re availing of is within your means.

7 ) Go to Places that are Less Traveled

Although it is a must to go to most of the highlights places in Europe, but the if it seems too expensive, we suggest you consider mixing your itinerary with a the not so usual places that tourists go. Not that usual but at the same time still interesting. For example, you can go to “The Unknown Germany”, it is a place found in the northwest corner where the pace is slower and the prices are cheaper. In those places, you can trade a token for a subway to a bike rental. You can also consider biking eastward for some good discoveries.

8 ) You can Sleep on The Train and Save on Hotel Expense

Train service in Europe is incomparable than what can be seen in North America. This is the reason why first time visitors invest in rail passes to be able to save on time and money. The costs that accumulate in these overnight travels by train cannot exceed a hotel room bill. Once you wake up it’s a new city and you’re ready for the day. This is only advices for those who can sleep in moving vehicles and not so huge spaces. Not all people can sleep in trains.

9 ) Buy A New Car and Travel for Free

It may seem crazy at first to ever thing that you would buy a car have an initial delivery to Europe and use it to travel there. Once you compute just how much you’ll spend for Airfare and other travel expenses you’ll see that this will actually save you more as well as give a new car to take home although it may take sometime before it reaches your parking space.

10 ) Off Season is Less Expensive

The off season in Venice is in March and Paris in January. It may sound unconventional but it’s true that most of the airfare and hotel accommodations are waiting for unconventional travelers as they are more often than not, decrease their prices generously.

So before you pack your bags and head to Europe, step back and look at this list of possible things to do that will make your stay in Europe all the better since you know you’ve maximized your budget and better yet you know you’re getting a European tour at a good deal.

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