It is surprising how many people are embarrassed to ask how much somethings costs when it isn't clearly marked. It is an essential question.

Think about it, if you bought that $1 coke in Croatia, they wouldn't let you take it on the plane anyways, so not like you'd have it at CDG airport!!!

I'm partly teasing and think your tips and style are great. Really I do!
:-)

BUT for me there are also times I will gladly spring for that overpriced sandwich in an airport if I'm hungry, not just eat a candybar to save $7.

No I don't need spacious hotel rooms and I never rent cars, big, comfy or otherwise. But if I don't have the money to pay for incidentals to make a trip enjoyable, I'll wait and save a bit more money before I travel.

suze

Thanks for pointing out the weakness of the Coke plan. It was really all about getting a Coke fix, which would have worked before going through security in Zagreb at 5:30 am.

Instead my friend and I drank a bottle of Asti Spumante for breakfast and then spent the rest of our Kuna in the airport bar on Croatian Plum Brandy. Does that sound hard core? You need to know that this is not normal behavior. On this trip we only drank beer and we had the good sense to wait until 8:30 to start doing that! :-)

FWIW My interest in saving money was based on three things: First, spending 5 weeks in Europe and $6 Cokes and $8 sandwiches could easily blow my budget.

Second, I think $8 airport sandwiches is blatent exploitation. I only allow myself to be unwittingly exploited while traveling!

Third, my wife went back to the US after the first two weeks of our trip (someone's got to work!) and she left me to meet an old friend, who traveled with me for the last 3 weeks. She let me engage in this self-indulgence on the grounds that I wouldn't enjoy myself too much. Thus, living the life of the ascetic, I carefully limited myself to warm beer, cheap pasta meals, restless nights in one night cheap hotels, and 1 gelato ice cream cone per day. Life's a bitch, as they say.

Good story. Nice style!

I indeed recommend supermarket shopping for a lot of items when you want to save money. This may not quite be as charming as shopping at street markets, but it really allows you to control your costs much better -- the price of everything is marked, and the full array of products is there in view, rather than making you hop from place to place and losing track of your purchases.

In any case, the real price of a can of Coca-Cola is about 0.40€ in France. Major savings can be made by buying the big plastic bottles, of course. (A can of no-name cola is more like 0.25€.)

I don't drink coke or other soft drinks, however I too like my beer. But I am not going to buying it warm and drinking it in my room or on a park bench. However, if that is what you like I don't have a problem with it, but I sure enjoyed my cold Stella in a pub in Berwick.

Guess it's all about where people draw the line to save money. I don't get to Europe often enough myself to have to drink warm beer to pay for the trip
;-)

I hope I haven't made myself sound too pathetic. I never said I sat on park benches and drank warm beer. Generally, I ducked into an alley.

"Warm" and "cold," like "expensive" and "inexpensive," are relative terms. I have stepped into many convenience shops in Italy, reached for a soda or beer in their cooler and discovered that it is only a few degrees cooler than the same product on their non-refrigerated shelves.

I don't want to sound defensive here or to be contentious, but I'm told that Americans seem singularly devoted to refrigerating not only their beer and soda but their cars, their malls and their restaurants, as well.

The fact is that when the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians went to the kitchen to get a beer, they didn't get it out of the refrigerator.

I'm guessing that the same people who might think that drinking unrefrigerated beer is an act of desperation would never think of drinking their Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1995 at a temperature low enough to make beads of sweat appear on their wine glasses. I've learned that cold overpowers flavor in most beverages. That's why great wines of the '70s, like Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill, said "serve very cold" on the bottle.

We learn to like cold beer and hot coffee; we aren't born with those preferences.

But having said all of this, ask me if I'm drinking warm beer on this hot South Dakota summer day as I sit in my highly air conditioned house. You can ask, but I'm not telling. :-)

Suze I really see this the same as you. I am making the most of my trip with dd in the fall and definately will be watching my pennies, but if we are hungry we are going to eat.

We ate and generally ate well.

Oh I am sorry.. I did not mean to make it sound like you did not. (at all). I appreciate the time you took with your advice and am sure to use some of it.

I appreciate the pointers and it seems that these are helpful to some people. However, I just do not subscribe to this penny-pinching style of travel. I eat good sandwiches, drink soda, and sleep in a nice bedroom at home, and if I could not do the same while on vacation, I would rather stay home.

Anna Roz

Yes, airport food is expensive as is the same thing in tourist spots but it's not exploitive. The rents are such that they have to charge high prices unlike places off the beaten path.

sshephard, thanks for the tips. Since everyone has different travel styles, they will come in handy for many.

Personally, although I have a nice home with a very comfortable bed, I will happily stay at a 2 star hotel with a less comfortable bed if it means I can see beautiful architecture, enjoy amazing art, and experience different cultures. I will sacrifice somewhat if need be, rather than stay home and miss out on having the experiences that travel offers.

travgina I am with you. I doubt most places that dd and I are going to stay will be as "nice" as home - but to "experience" is what I am after... the history - the world, the learnings - as the mastercard commerical says "pricelss" to me.

that was priceless of course...

MomDDTravel

I kind of liked the economy of your first spelling of pricelss. Two "e"s seems extravagant to me.

Yes - it's true that Americans like drinks - and hotels cold.

We're used to AC - which everyplace has had here since about 1960 (earlier in really hot places) - since we prefer to be comfortable, rather than sweating all the time.

As for cold drinks - soda should be full of ice and icy cold to be refreshing. Many Americans drink beer icy cold as well, since they're often drinking lager with very little taste - so cold and wet are the primary sensations desired. I think you'll find that those who prefer beer with more definite taste also prefer it chilled but not frozen.

"appreciate the pointers and it seems that these are helpful to some people. However, I just do not subscribe to this penny-pinching style of travel. I eat good sandwiches, drink soda, and sleep in a nice bedroom at home, and if I could not do the same while on vacation, I would rather stay home."

totally agree!
Traveling like the OP would be my nightmare.

Gee, "a nightmare."

Danon, you really don't know how I traveled the last 5 weeks. In this thread I haven't said much about the hotels stayed in, the restaurants I ate at or the places I visited. I'm sure you didn't mean to condescend and it must be my jet lag that makes me touchy.

I will say that my trip was far from a nightmare.

(A little secret: I don't always practice what I preach when it comes to my "6 rules," but saving money while traveling is a bit of a game. Another little secret: I am actually a multimillionaire who has gotten filthy rich by teaching English and European history in a public high school for the last 33 years. I've got money to burn :-) )

Happy travels!