Hoping there are some fellow travelors out there with some suggestions to scale down the cost of our vacation. The plan is to go to France, Italy or Germany next summer with our two teens. I'd prefer either the former 2 but if Germany is cheaper that may be the deciding factor. Here's the problem - We're Canadian so our $$ takes a beating. I was hoping to pull off 12 days for around $6000. Cdn but am already up to $8000. with air (3200), accommodation (2400)& food/misc spending ($2400.). Still need transportation-car rental/train. Any suggestions appreciated.

I would seriously look at public transport vs. a rental car. Agreed that a car MIGHT give you more "versatility" but if you are planning to visit major sites/cities and even many smaller ones the train might be of greater value. That said, you might also consider passes depending on how much you are going to be traveling and the distances involved.
There are certainly some cities, and I suppose whole countries, that are cheaper/more expensive than others. I think Venice can be one of THE most expensive cities in Europe..and it is even more expensive than Rome or Florence often times.
Regardless of where you go and how you get there/around I also think you can save some of those oft-overlooked "hidden costs." For example, don't buy any new clothes if you can help it..your "old" ones will look new to new people.
Get as much info on line as possible..these days you can print entire sections of guidebooks out without paying for them. And don't be like me and buy 50 different guidebooks...go to the store, look through them and decide which one or two meet your needs. I'd look at Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, Rick Steves and the like forf recommendations.
Don't fall into the "can I do this?" trap we see so many times here such as:

"Can I stay at a Best Western?" "Can I eat at Mickie D's?" You can DO anything you want and stay anywhere you want. It's your money and a lot of folks here would adore spending it for you.

Do use discounters if you can if booking hotels...why pay full price?

I'm sure you've thought of all this already...but I always like to encourage those who are willing to think out of the box a little...good luck.

You could also try grocery shopping in local markets (a fun experience) and having a picnic. We did that alot, and it was wonderful!

You can save a bundle if you can live with cheap(er) hotels. Sure, using a hotel discounter can help, but only if you want a 3-star hotel anyway. With a lot of on-line research you can get decent 1-star hotels that will really stretch those CAN$. For instance, there are double rooms in Paris for 60 to 80 euro (and less). Same for Munich, Rome and even Venice, but you have to do some legwork and maybe lower your amenities expectations. Same goes for meals - if you can picnic at lunch, you have more for dinner.
If you post a tentative itinerary, I'm sure fodorites will make budget suggestions for hotels.

We just got back from three weeks in France, Germany and Swizterland. I can share our budget and what we found. There were two adults (my wife and I). All budget items are for us combined.

Budget:
Airplane tickets $1000
Transportation $1000
Food ($50 a day@ 20 days) $1000
Entertainment ($50 a day@ 20 days) $1000
Lodging ($100 a day@ 20 days)$2000

Acutal:
Airplane tickets $960 (+40)
Transportation $1000 we got a rail and drive pass for $1200 (-200). We would never rent a car again. Even around small cites traffic was very bad. The rail was so relaxing. Seats were very comfortable, you can bring your own food and beverage. Train is the way for us. In the cities the buses or subway are so easy, safe and clean.
Food ($50 a day@ 20 days) $1000 We were way over budget. Food in France seemed very expensive. More like $100 a day. Germany was very resonable for prices.
Entertainment ($50 a day@ 20 days) $1000 We stayed on budget here
Lodging ($100 a day@ 20 days)$2000 We were on budget

All total we spent about $7000

Are your estimates here in Canadian dollars? If they are American, your air fare and accommodations budget sounds high to me (if you're trying to plan for a budget trip).

Germany is one of the most expensive countries to visit in Europe. Staying in cities will be more expensive than staying in the country.

I would explore the eurrail pass choices, maybe opt for a car for only a part of the trip.
Marge

Actually, the first thing I would suggest is to travel in the off season when prices for air fares and hotels are considerably cheaper.

Or not to travel around so much- those train fares add up.

I estimate for my trip to Uk/Scotland my husband and I will spend over $600US in rail passes and other transport.

Granted we are taking 3 day trips and staying in 3 different locations in Scotland- but I still think it is really expensive even with all the travelling we are doing.

And you can bet, if I had planned my upcoming trip there is no way I would have gone in the middle of July.

Also, MSNBC.com on the travel section has all sorts of deals. A week in Italy in March of 2004 is $559US per person including airfare, hotel, and breakfast each day. That is a phenomenal deal.

Good Luck!

Michelle

I'm not sure how to do this-I'd like to respond individually to several of the replies but not sure how???? Anyways here goes: to jamikings...lunch picnics great idea-when just hubby & I were in France last year we lunched at cafes but with the kids that will double the cost.
areinert-how did you get airline tickets for $1000? is this u.s.? Your budget appears to be for 2 people-mine is for 4. Thanks bootman...some good tips but car would be essential in provence/tuscany. Voilet...travel off season not an option-both kids in high school cannot miss classes. I hope I'm not sounding difficult-Just feeling frustrated. Surely there must be other families that have travelled without spending 5+digits? Don't need fancy accomodation - last year in Paris 2* hotel was find & B&B in provence was great but that was for a double. Ever since the kids were little I've wanted to be able to do this for them-it'll be a one time deal and I'm determined to make it happen (kraft dinner for a year anyone?) but the cost is giving me gray hair! I think the accommodation is a big factor - has anyone done this & can recommend clean cheap places to sleep a family of 4?

The 2,400 for lodging is $200 a night that seems high even if it is Cdn. Currently we are planning for this fall which is still at summer rates. We are averaging $100 US night and we do have some high price Riviera and Alp locations. You can stay in some very nice Bed and Breakfasts for $50 to $85 a night depending on location and they would include your breakfast.

Also on transportation leasing can be better than renting. However the cutoff is at about 17 days in order to make the lease economical. You may want to consider rail as mentioned above if prices stay high for rentals.

Also get a good planning book with a more budget perspective. Rick Steves among others lists many places that are on the lower end, including ideas for picnics and saving money in other ways.

Another possiblility is a thread that was recently here on fodors. The person traveled and averaged $30 a night US when using the motel chains in Europe. Granted you lose some of the ambiance but if you really want to see the countries it is an alternative.

Also any chance of using frequent flyers? I know we charged all our daughters college tuition and it paid for a round trip to Europe in frequent flyer miles!

Just saw your 2nd post after I posted. The thread with the budget is "Back from Budget trip to France" I put in "motel" in the search function and it popped up. There are some comments that you may find helpful.

Good luck.

Hi Wannago,

I sympathize. Traveling with 2 kids is expensive.

May I suggest trying to find an apartment in Italy? You can save money on not eating out.

Try www.slowtrav.com.

I also suggest you stay in Fiesole or one of the other small towns near Florence. You can tour Tuscany by car or take buses/trains to other sight sites.

Good luck

Please feel free to email with more questions: [email protected]

I disagree with Marge, no disrespect intended. Germany was far cheaper for hotels, meals, entertainment, buses, etc. Paris was very expensive and breakfast was extra, 8E a person for a roll and coffee. Germany it was included and had meats and cheeses. France good wine was 40E a bottle, Germany was 9E a bottle for what my tastes said was as good.

Other then the airfare I think you could modify the budget we used and make a few changes. We traveled for 3 weeks and just returned on June 8th.

We also used the train, and rented a car, I would never rent a car again