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Best way to travel with lowest expenses possible ??

Best way to travel with lowest expenses possible ??

Old Jul 20th, 2012, 01:23 AM
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Best way to travel with lowest expenses possible ??

My husband and I are planning our first ever big trip from new Zealand to Europe! Have no experience in this kind of thing. We start off going to Kenya and Tanzania with a top deck tour and then onto England for another tour for 30 days. Either contiki or top deck, undecided - both have great trips but we dontnwant to hangover out way around Europe which is the contiki reputation. But then I don't want to be on a couples trip with settled people not keen for adventure. We are only 23!! So what we are wondering is: how much would we need to survive on a day, what is a good way to lower accommodation costs as we go around? We will prob train around as it looks like the cheapest and easiest option. We want to focus on western Europe mainly the Adriatic. We figure the contiki type tour will eliminate the countries we don't want to go back to, and back t the ones we like with having due the tourist stuff. Fitting into small villages and towns is going to be the ideal with work a bonus if it works out. Any websites people recommend for this?
Thanks for your help!!
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Old Jul 20th, 2012, 02:47 AM
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Hi vv,

The Thorntree Forum at www.lonelyplanet.com is where younger and less affluent travelers gather.

They might be able to give you more help than us settled people not keen for adventure.

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Old Jul 20th, 2012, 03:05 AM
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You are probably wise to take tours for a good bit of your travel as they usually provide good value for money on transportation, lodging, and admissions at the cost of a certain amount of herding about. Though people on this forum are mostly sort of pat the tour stage, it is a good way to see the classic tourist sites painlessly, particularly in situations where culture and jetlag mean you are not at your best.

Here are some ideas for when you are traveling independently.

1. Food: buy in shops or street markets or in supermarkets when you are in a larger town. Eat restaurant meals at lunch time, picnic in the evening. Seek places to eat slightly off the tourist path, certainly no plastic multilingual menus if possible. Eat local food whenever possible, not in the locavore sense, necessarily but foods eaten by local people in their cafes. The biggest problem you may run into is arriving in a town on an early closing day or arriving anywhere between roughly 1 PM and 4, when much of the Mediterranean and Adriatic world shut down. Have snacks in your bag.

2. Transportation: use public transportation, which might be bus or train in Italy and will certainly be bus or ferry in Croatia and Montenegro (and probably Albania since I ma focusing on the Adriatic). Fast Eurostar trains are expensive unless booked in advance, which will be difficult for you since you are exploring with a loose schedule. Take local or regional trains. From country to country, one of the budget airlines may serve you well IF you are packed lightly enough to meet their stringent luggage regulations.

3. Lodging: hostels, rooms in people's homes found through the local tourist authority, and in Croatia, certainly, sobe or zimmer or camera, which are all names for rooms or small apartments that people rent in their homes, either by signs on the wall or by standing at the bus station or ferry stop holding a sign. Prices are somewhat negotiable. Many are very nice, but look before you hand over money. It is accepted.

4. Packing: carry as little as you possibly can. If you are moving on every couple of days, only you will get bored with your clothing. Laundry facilities are available everywhere that is a town rather than a village. Inexpensive clothing is available in markets (they are not all vegetables and quaint handicrafts) and notably in charity shops in the UK, which can be outstanding.

5. Working: certainly in my experience the more rural hotels of Scotland are full of New Zealanders making beds and washing up and waiting tables. Is it legal? I don't know. You may be able to find farm work during harvest season on the continent when the need for labor overcomes the need to hire legal employees. It is hard, dirty, work. Don't romaniticize it. In the US, you could sell your blood or blood plasma or participate in medical experiments or pharmaceutical trials. I assume such things could be done in larger European cities, but I don't know. You NEVER EVER want to suggest to an immigration official in any country that you will be seeking work unless you have a work or training visa. Unemployment among people your age is often 20% or more albeit there are still some jobs local people won't do, just as in the US, that are left to immigrants and migrants.

In sum, tours are a good way to see a lot at a fixed price. You don't have to do everything the tour does as long as you are at the bus when it leaves for the next hotel. You are the right age to travel independently, once you have seen the famous places.
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 01:16 AM
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AckIslander: Thank you so much for all your information - it is highly valuable and given us things to think about for sure. The working side really does not appeal to me as much as 1)I don't want to get into any legal issues haha 2)I want to see the world not be stuck in a hard working job not enjoying the places I'm in! Will just take is as it comes! (Im such a planner so this will be a challenge - Just as well I have my laxed Kiwi bloke)

ira: Thanks for the Lonely Planet recommendation - Ive been looking at them too!

I would like to thankyou two for your kind replies. Ive read some forums (few on Lonely Planet) where comments get really nasty and sarcastic. Ive been scared of posting for fear of being treated nastily. Its scary for an inexperienced traveler such as I whose only been to the islands.

Take care and enjoy whatever travels comes your way!
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 02:14 AM
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Accomodation, the zimmer thing is a good answer but don't forget monestries and hostels. Hostels can be run for profit, for religious reasons (as on the camino) or under the international youth hostel umbrella. The benefit of staying in hostels is you get to meet other young people who can pass on the local news etc. I would recommend the IYH organisation as a good blend of sensbile at low prices.

Loads of Kiwis end up "working" in UK for historical reasons, not sure how that works down in the Adriatic.
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 02:39 AM
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Most young people in the US take their first trip to Europe without a tour. You sound adventurous.. I think you might enjoy being on your own more than a tour. It is not difficult to travel on your own. The book Let's Go Europe is used by many young people in thie USA for low cost travel tips. It is compiled by Harvard University students.
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 04:16 AM
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"They might be able to give you more help than us settled people not keen for adventure."

LOL, Ira, ain't it the truth?
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 09:57 AM
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Strongly suggest you organize the trip yourselves. Yuo can get budget accommodation - that is still central rather than at the end of hell and gone as with ConTiki - in hostels and/or convents (the latter if you can live with a curfew). Hostels run by Hosteling International are typically good quality (not booze, drugs and theft) but do check on each one. (I know young people sho stay at the one in NYC are happy with it).

Also you can probably travel at lest as cheaply as with a tour - since the tour price typically doesn;t include many meals or extra tours that you would want to do. There re many discount train fares and budget airlines - useful i fyuo can purchase far in advance - and at your age you may still qualify for student fares (typically under 26).

My younger D (then 19) and 2 friends spent more than 5 weeks last summer and loved doing their own thing - with an evening focus on student pubs and cafes (with inexpensive drinks as long as you avoid hard liquor - which is massively taxed).

But do be prepared for the weather - north of hte alps can be more moderate - but summer in much of europe will be MUCH hotter than you are used to - assuming you are talking summer. Spring and fall are better in terms of weather, mobs of tourists and the options to get discounts.
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 10:07 AM
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generally (not always but most of the time) tours are more expensive than the same quality/level done independently.

And the cheapest tours will have awful accommodations, usually well out of the city centers.

I definitely would not do a tour of the UK.
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 10:43 AM
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Get a guidebook or two. They always have some listings of less expensive places. Besides that, they are a great aid for daydreaming. I always get one or two guidebooks before a trip and spend a lot of time reading through them.

I discovered some of my favorite places (e.g., the Spreewald and Quedlinburg) solely by reading guidebooks.
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 11:34 AM
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This may be too much adventure but the first trip my husband and I took to Europe as adults was on bikes. We biked across Europe, camped in fields and woods and rarely ate in a restaurant. It was cheap, fantastic, interesting and gorgeous. We were 21 and 22. We rode around England and Wales, then took the train to Paris. We biked across the continent and rode around Greece.

If that's too much adventure you can still do better by not going on a tour. Transportation is costly so if you stay in fewer places, it will cost less.
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 11:46 AM
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Temp in Central Italy will be similar to Auckland in summer. Greek islands and Turkey will get hotter
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Old Jul 28th, 2012, 04:54 PM
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Sorry - summer temps in Italy are much higher than in Auckland. You can expect high temps from 30 up to 35 and perhaps even higher along with high humidity. Spain will be hotter than this and southern Greece island will be similar.

(We were in Madrid in early May and the temp was 39 or 40 - really hellish.)
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Old Jul 29th, 2012, 02:35 AM
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Nytraveler, you are right, strange because both times I've been there it has been in the 30s. Maybe I got lucky.
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Old Jul 30th, 2012, 01:42 AM
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BILBOBURGLER: Thanks for all that insight into other accommodation options! I’ve looked into the IYH organisation and definitely something to do while we are over there.


DIGBYDOG: Sounds like a great book! Ordered  We are looking forward to travelling on our own, I think doing the tour will be great to do the ‘must do’ and touristy things and then going off the track on our own!


NYTRAVELER: That’s a good perspective on the individual vs. tour idea. The tour is 3,000 for 30 days. So a little under 1000 a week. I would be depressed to think we would spend that much a week! Our money wouldn’t get us very far haha. But the tour would give us some confidence to begin with as we navigate our way around! The summer temperatures really seem extreme don’t they! Id love it  husbands a hunter who loves the snowy bush he’s a good guy for taking on this adventure  Might do the UK, Ireland in July/August to avoid the heat.

JANISI: The one thing I am not skimping on is the tour – have friends who have done the camping side and I couldn’t think of anything worse! We are doing a mix of accommodation – hotels and hostels to ensure we get a good nights sleep! Plan on travelling theUK on our own – maybe a cheap tour of Ireland or Scotland – don’t plan on spending too much time here.


PEGONTHEROAD: Half the excitement of the trip is researching im finding! Got a few books for my birthday so the highlighters and the flags are out in full force!

ROSETRAVELS: The bikes sounds amazing! Pushbikes Im assuming?? We would like to hire bikes for a few days around some places to go touring and exploring on our own. Husband is def fitter than me and I would struggle the whole trip like it! Sounds like you had a great time though!


Just curious: Where is everyone from?
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Old Jul 30th, 2012, 08:43 AM
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If you want to do a bicycle tour, large parts of Europe have some very well developed long and short distance bike paths (car free), supported by many low density car-roads. You could for example ride from Brest in the West of France and tide to Kiev in the Ukraine on one path (about 2k km) while the Danube to the Black Sea is relatively short there are some nice short ones like along the Mosel (flat wine infested country) or Alsace (similar) . There are some 200 pages of guidance at http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk

Bike hire is relatively easy near these major paths with the highest density of bike hire (and bike paths) in Holland, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland and to a lesser extent UK, France, . Unlike your own benighted country (and Spain) helmets are not mandatory in these countries but can often be hired at the same time as a bike (as indeed can tandems etc etc).

If you want to know about other areas, come back to me and I can suggest options
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Old Jul 30th, 2012, 08:50 AM
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Check out Servas and Couchsurfing.com for home stays with locals.
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Old Jul 30th, 2012, 09:40 AM
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That tour for under 1000 per week doesn;t include a lot of meals and other expenses you will have. Not sure whay your budget is - but I would go to Thorn Tree and use their number for a zero based budget - for 2 - including transit between cities, inside cities, sights, meals, etc. Not sure if you are thinking 1000 euros a week for 2 people - but that will barely cover lodging and very basic meals (unless you're like some poster I saw who had bread and instant noodles for dinner - ick!)
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Old Aug 1st, 2012, 11:58 PM
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NYtraveler - The tour is in NZ dollars and includes every breakfast, 18 lunches and 15 dinners. Its through Top Deck - seems like not a bad tour all round. I'm assuming its because they use their own accommodation some times, do picnic lunches and there's so many people on the tour that the price can be reduced. Noodles and bread that is just wrong! haha

Tentek: Thanks for that! Didn't know about Servas

bilboburger: Cycling sounds great - will definitely be checking out that website!
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Old Aug 2nd, 2012, 12:15 AM
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I would not go on a tour - you might be stuck with people you get fed up with after a few days, or be obliged to go to places where you do not really want to go. Also tours are there to make a profit, so I do not think you would be saving much money by joining one.

If you plan your holiday well, researching on the places where you might be most interested in, you can tour England or wherever on your own You will manage to find very affordable B&Bs anywhere in Europe, I would certainly prefer them from hostels, for security reasons, cleanliness, attentiveness, etc.

Just go to a booking engine like booking.com, and type in name of town/area you want to visit, click price low to high (so that the cheapest will be shown first). It might be better then that you email the owners of the B&Bs directly on their website as usually they give you an even better deal when you ask for it. The better the score of high reviews they have on the booking engine, the better.
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