Traveling Europe On The Cheap

Nobody is going to debate the fact that a European vacation is going to be rather expensive but there are some incredible ways that you can save literally thousands of dollars on this trip. Transportation, accommodation, food, souvenirs and activities are all going to add up rather quickly so having a budget and strategy is a great way to keep yourself from going overboard. In addition to that, there are also a number of great ways to knock off thousands of dollars from your total bill penny by penny.

1) If you travel during the off-season you are bound to get that her deals on basically everything you do. Hotels are as much as 50% cheaper during the off-season which can add up even if you're going over for just a week. Crowds tend to be thinner during the spring and fall seasons and produces almost everywhere reflect this. Transportation costs, accommodation and tourist attractions are usually much cheaper to visit during the spring and autumn seasons.

2) Pick a road less traveled. If you plan on going for a vacation, maybe it would be best to skip cities like London, Paris and Rome. Granted, these are some of the most incredible cities in the world and the tourists flock there for a reason but prices there are often twice as much as they are in the Eastern European countries. I have to say that on my trip I had the best time in Poland and the Czech Republic. Both of those places sold me a 750 mL bottle of beer for approximately $.20 American.

3) If at all possible, try and book holiday apartment rentals. Hotels are rather expensive and you have to stay in one basically every single night. There are various online repositories for you to use to try and find somebody renting out their apartment to travelers. Often, it can be much more economically viable to stay in somebody's house than at a hotel. I also found that staying in accommodations like this was much more personable and actually gave me a feeling of what it would be like to live in the city.

4) take your lunch to go. Eating at restaurants is absolutely something that you need to do while on your European vacation but grabbing a sandwich and taking it to go is often much cheaper than eating it at a table in the restaurant and you get to enjoy some of Europe's best parks. Go sit down on a park bench and read a book or people watch whilst eating your lunch because those are some of my most treasured memories of Europe.

5) Buy local. You will find that produce at farmers markets and all sorts of other products made in the area are much more affordable than imported goods. Always try to drink the beer that is made in that city so that you get if real taste of what the culture is and save some money along the way. One specific to the region you are currently in our usually less than half the price of imported wines because there are no transportation costs associated. It is a great way to actually taste what you are visiting and still get everything out of your trip.

6) Basically everybody and their grandma has a discount program, you just have to find out how to use it. If you are under the age of 25, a lot of the museums and tourist attractions will have discounted rates for you. Same thing goes for seniors and people traveling in groups. A lot of the time I found that simply talking to the person at the ticket booth about discounts would get you a discount even though you were eligible for them. Always ask for a discount, never demand and make sure that you have a smile on your face whilst doing so. But we surprised at how much money you can save because of a smile.

7) You are planning on seeing a number of tourist attractions in a single city, there are often packages that combine all the sites in one ticket price. Obviously, this ticket price will be much lower than if you had bought the tickets individually and they usually give you a pretty healthy time frame to see all the stuff in.

8) Don't be afraid to use public transportation. Granted, the operators of public transportation are less likely to speak English then somebody on a train, but still, it is really not that difficult to figure out and vocals are usually very friendly. For it sketchy cab drivers and take public transportation.

9) Try and follow locals around. Instead of going to every restaurant listed in your tourist book, perhaps you should follow the locals around and see where they like to eat. A lot of the time, the local tourist traps are labeled traps because they are just that. They know that you are not used to the prices in this area and will charge you an arm and a leg for something that is only worth of fingernail down the street.

10) Get a Eurail pass. I was in Europe for three months all by myself with only my backpack and a Eurail pass, and I could get on the train whenever I felt like it and go wherever I wanted. I never had to worry about booking train tickets but sometimes did have to think about missing trains with required reservations or actually getting a reservation. I ended up traveling basically every third day and at the end of the trip I calculated that my Eurail pass probably safely in the neighborhood of $1200.

With all of these things in mind, you can make the best out of your European vacation and still save a lot of money. Always be thinking about new ways to save money because, effectively, you are extending your trip every time you do. Try to create a budget at the beginning and stick to it so that can see everything you want to and still have some change left in your pocket.