Given my love of European travel, I fortunately had the chance of spending the last school year working and earning my salary in euros.
For several months I had the luxury of forgetting about the stress of traveling in Europe with a weak dollar.
A month ago however, when the European bank account had run its course, but my travel lust had not, I pulled out the American ATM Card and went to the bank.
Life was great until I checked my account several days later when the only words I could get out were, “70 euros equals how many dollars???”
My heart rate went up and I realized I would have to get back to the basics.
I wracked my brain and managed to come up with several key-pointers that helped me refresh my memory on how to keep Europe inexpensive:
1. Take advantage of public transportation
If on a budget, it is easy to assume that you will not be taking a taxi. What then are the options for public transportation?
Most cities offer various passes for their public transportation, ranging from day-long to month-long. If you’re spending a week in a city, a week-long pass may be worth the investment. The more you ride, the cheaper your ticket!
2. All-in-one city passes
If you are planning on a tourist-intense few days in a city, with visits to museums, cultural sites and a lot of bus riding, consider an all-in-one pass.
Tourist offices in many European cities offer these, which often include admission to most major attractions, a day (or week-long) public transportation pass and even reductions at participating stores and restaurants around the city.
You may even end up visiting some places that weren’t on the itinerary.
3. Picnic!
European cities are often known for their well-maintained parks and communal areas. On clear days, take advantage of them by bringing your own picnic.
When shopping for your picnic, try and buy at a local market, where regionally grown produce is often cheaper. You save some euros while supporting the local industry at the same time.
4. Bring the kids
Who said traveling as a family was expensive? From museums to movies, Europe is a wonderland of family reductions.
Family packages can range from three people with the same last name (regardless of age) to a combination of two adults plus a minimum of two children.
Across Europe, there also tends to be a wide variety of reductions for students, allowing you to travel inexpensively with teenagers.
5. Travel on weekdays
Skip the weekend crowds and protect your pocket book by traveling on weekdays. For trains and flights, tickets tend to be cheaper Monday through Thursday, meaning if you can travel on these days you may be able to score a good deal.
6. Do your research
Before embarking on your big voyage, visit the websites of some of the big attractions you plan on seeing. Many museums offer free admission one or more days a month. Plan accordingly!
7. Grab a local culture guide
The advantage of big cities, especially in the summer, is the selection of community cultural activities. Many of these are sponsored by the city or cultural organizations – meaning their free!
With everything from outdoor movies to concerts in the park, local culture guides give you a good idea of what is going on and what residents of the city spend their time doing.
Be ready however to partake in foreign language adventures; the outdoor movie with free admission may only be in French, but isn’t being immersed in the language part of traveling?
8. Stay hydrated for cheap
Certain items are necessities when visiting major sites of Europe. Water is one of them.
Don’t fall into the “3 euro per bottle of water trap” that often happens to those caught thirsty in a tourist filled square.
Instead, make a morning trip to the local grocery store and buy a liter of water at a fraction of the tourist price.
Anna Brones has a love of culture, foreign languages and good food. When she is not on an adventure she spends quality time in her native Pacific Northwest. Her writing has appeared in Transitions Abroad, A Woman’s World Again and Matador Travel. Her personal travel writing endeavors can be found at Intercrossings. Any more tips you would add to the list? Share in the comments!
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13 Comments... join the discussion!
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Actually ‘travel in the week’ is not always true. If you are taking trains, weekends are often cheaper, with advantageous ’saver’ deals in the UK, for example, or on Belgian railways.
Be aware that UK railways charge more for peak hour travel in many cases, and each railway sets its own times for peak hour.
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I just found this site and have begun pouring over it! One tip that we have had great success with is staying at hostels. We found that in Europe they were generally clean, comfortable and some even came with breakfast!
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Andrea is spot on with trai travel in the UK often being cheaper on a weekend…as is booking 2 singles rather than a return fare (which never used to be the case in the UK).
I have also just posted some tips on “London on the cheap” on my blog at lipliving.com with a couple of additional great tips on the comments, like how to get internet access in London.
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Good points all. Especially the ones about all-day passes, meuseums, and water.
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There are many fun things to do that are free or very cheap, even in a city like London that is known for being pricey (I know – I live here!) Many people may not be aware, for example, that all major UK museums are free (apart from the special exhibitions). Also, there is lots of free entertainment, e.g. along the South Bank, in Trafalgar Square, etc during the summer months.
And, if you want to stay really cheaply, consider arranging a home exchange (through Home Base Holidays for lots of London homes!)
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thanks for all your comments and further tips!
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Or just use a reusable water bottle. buying one at the beginning of the day is wasteful. just keep the same one and fill it up. this should be safe in europe.
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Brilliant, great practical information!
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Very helpful for traveling on the cheap. We’re researching backpacking through Europe for our eldest son in three years and your blog has been very helpful. Keep up the good work.
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Walk!
Most European cities are relatively compact, and can easily be explored on foot, cheaper even than public transport. Especially in the more historic ones, just wandering aimlessly will often lead you to places other tourists don't see. It's also a great way to stay fit while away.
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Love the tips!! You should check out cFares too…it provides below market rates for airfares. It has saved me major $$$ flying round trip to London. It especially cuts costs when doing international travel! Every penny counts these days and sometimes Europe aint cheap, especially with the dollar-pound exchange rate.
Cheers!
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I am so happy to see someone talking about taking kids along on a trip. I have an 11 and 14 year old and I want to travel Europe with them over the next few years. We have three countries picked out that we’d like to see before my eldest finishes high school. They are both excited about it and very apt to want to save and plan. I need help though. Tips, ideas, tricks… we aren’t going for the ’show’ I want to take them for the ‘experience’. We plan on saving and planning for the next year and want to travel sometime in the spring or summer of next year.
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