Traveling to Europe does not necessarily mean breaking a bank. Often, wise choices in the time you go, place you stay and eat could save you thousands.  Make you sure you do an extensive research before you plan your itinerary. Here are a few tips that will make your trip enjoyable without leaving you broke.

• Decide when to go: Air fares to Europe are generally more expensive during mid-June and early September (as well as during December/Christmas holidays). So, if possible, try to leave in May or early June. You will not only save money on airfares but also get accommodation at cheaper rates.
• Commuting within the city: It’s best to travel by metros, buses and ferries within a city as cabs are very expensive. Pick up free, city and metro maps available at railways stations and airports. Get tourist transport passes for travel by train/buses/ferries that entail unlimited travel within a particular region, valid for one, two or three days. These work out much cheaper than buying individual tickets each time.
• Traveling within Europe: You could take a Eurail (trains operating between countries throughout Europe) pass if you plan to travel extensively. You also need to keep in mind that ticket prices, as well as rail passes, do not include the cost of reservations or anything extra beyond permission to get onto the train. So research extensively since even minor changes could translate to a lot of money. Eurail passes are available online or through travel agents (Try RailEurope.com or RailPass.com). There are discounts available for students and people under 26 years of age in some countries so carry relevant papers along.
• Museum and monuments pass: Most tourist cities have a monuments/ museum pass that offer free entry. So make the best of it.
• Eating Cheap: Non-vegetarians would have no problem at all in Europe with the endless varieties for them. There are eateries and bakeries in every nook and corner. For veggies, choices are limited. Point to be noted is that eating in a restaurant is more expensive than take-aways.

• Get the best airfare: Scan around for cheap airline deals. Many airlines come up with last minute budget fares so wait for them. If you can’t find an inexpensive flight to your destination city, fly to a nearby city in that country and then catch a low-cost connecting flight.

• Look for cheap accommodation: You could save bagfuls of money by opting for Hostel / Bed & Breakfast joints. They are comfortable, cheap, include breakfast and offer a kitchen facility, where you can cook or warm up your meal. Opt for an accommodation close to the metro to save the cost of traveling from your hostel to the metro. Check if the payment includes breakfast, the use of showers, toilets, towels and blankets.  You could also consider staying in smaller, family-owned hotels. These are not usually advertised for and hence are difficult to find, but if you do they are definitely value for money.There are buffets with pastas, lasagnas, salads and meat platters, where you can get an authentic taste of local cuisine. Value for money meals is available in Chinese and Thai restaurants too. Water in Europe is costlier than wine or beer. So it’s absolutely ok and safe to fill water straight from the kitchen tap as all Europeans do.

• Buying Beer and Wine: Beer and wine are cheap if bought from supermarkets, but scotch, vodka, champagne and the like are expensive. Irish pubs are an exception though, where you can get your stuff for much less.
• Shopping: Supermarkets and discount shops offer good stuff for far lesser prices than souvenir and museum shops.

A weak currency needn’t prevent you from planning your dream vacation in Europe. With appropriate research and planning you can successfully go and explore Europe on a limited budget.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 am and is filed under Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.