How Much Does Backpacking in Europe Cost?
Nov 14th, 2003, 05:47 PM
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How Much Does Backpacking in Europe Cost?
Next summer, My friend and I will be backpacking through europe from June 1st to July 5th. We plan on visiting Spain, Italy, and France. We are trying to decide how much money it will take to go. We are prepared to take many measures to save some bucks, but in general how much will it cost us?
Also, does anyone have any ideas or ways on how to save money?
Thanks very much
Also, does anyone have any ideas or ways on how to save money?
Thanks very much
Nov 14th, 2003, 05:57 PM
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I don't know if you live in a household that is over-full with books, as mine is, but my 13-year-old son has made more than $3,000 selling used books on Amazon.com since July of 2003.
It's a great deal as far as I'm concerned - we rid the house of excess stuff, he makes his own money, and he learns how to be a responsible business person.
It's a great deal as far as I'm concerned - we rid the house of excess stuff, he makes his own money, and he learns how to be a responsible business person.
Nov 14th, 2003, 07:43 PM
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(i suggest) Post on Lonely Planet's website, their board called Thorn Tree & read Rick Steves website or guidebooks. For the type of question you ask (backpacking, budget) there's other websites & BB's that will help you more than this one.
How to save money ~ stay in cheaper places, are you willing to do 'hostels' or really cheap local hotels or B&B's, use public transport, shop from the local grocery stores, don't eat in restaurants, etc.
If you care for beer/wine/alcohol, buy it and mix it up in your room instead of out at bars.
How to save money ~ stay in cheaper places, are you willing to do 'hostels' or really cheap local hotels or B&B's, use public transport, shop from the local grocery stores, don't eat in restaurants, etc.
If you care for beer/wine/alcohol, buy it and mix it up in your room instead of out at bars.
Nov 14th, 2003, 08:07 PM
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www.eurotrip.com is a site dedicated to backpacking through Europe. The message boards are chock full with info.
The first thing I will tell you is to book a few days in advance, as far as hostels. I am all for fly by travel (in fact that is what I mostly did in my four months in Europe), but I traveled in the winter. If you travel in the summer, you are traveling with the zillions of students that are too. Therefore, it wouldn't be rare to get into a city and find all the cheap lodging taken up, and be pretty stuck on lodging. Backpackers in a bind then have limited choices: Find someplace to hang out all night, find a night train to somewhere, go to another town, or fork out more money on accommodation. Cities like Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Paris will book up fast in terms of popular hostels.
In general, the average budget seems to be 40-50 euro a day. This will get you lodging (between 15-25 euro) food (picnic style) and a museum or two. Some days are more than others. Spain and Italy will be cheaper than France, and towns cheaper than cities.
In Spain, if there are two of you, consider a pension. A double room at a nice pension can be 35-40 euro...only 20 a person. Some hostels have double room options as well.
If possible, go to a hostel that serves breakfast (usually a roll and butter). It will tide you over. The best deal in Italy is the Archi Rossi Hostel in Florence. This place does not take reservations, and if you don't show up by 6 or 7 am in the summer, forget it. The place is in every single guidebook, and it shows. But it is central in Florence, and actually serves a hot breakfast, made to order. Won't be the best thing you ever tasted, but it's real eggs, toast and what they call bacon (ha!). It will definitely help tide you over.
In Italy, if you can, take slower trains. Sometimes they are available a couple times a day, even on Eurostar routes. They will be cheaper than Eurostar routes.
Save a water bottle and fill up on tap water to save money. It will be hot, and you will need water. I drank tap in Italy and was fine. It was kind of gross in Spain, but I didn't get sick. Ask other backpackers where the water is drinkable. Believe me, they will know. (The water in Switzerland is excellent!)
I know you are going to France, Italy, and Spain, but I will put in my two cents and say if you want to live in style on 40 euros a day, the Czech Republic is the place to be. 9 euro a night lodging. Dinner is 2-3 euro, and 50 cent beers. You'd be hard pressed to spend 30 euro a day (I'm giving the equivalent of euro here, but of course, they are on the crown).
Have a great time!
The first thing I will tell you is to book a few days in advance, as far as hostels. I am all for fly by travel (in fact that is what I mostly did in my four months in Europe), but I traveled in the winter. If you travel in the summer, you are traveling with the zillions of students that are too. Therefore, it wouldn't be rare to get into a city and find all the cheap lodging taken up, and be pretty stuck on lodging. Backpackers in a bind then have limited choices: Find someplace to hang out all night, find a night train to somewhere, go to another town, or fork out more money on accommodation. Cities like Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Paris will book up fast in terms of popular hostels.
In general, the average budget seems to be 40-50 euro a day. This will get you lodging (between 15-25 euro) food (picnic style) and a museum or two. Some days are more than others. Spain and Italy will be cheaper than France, and towns cheaper than cities.
In Spain, if there are two of you, consider a pension. A double room at a nice pension can be 35-40 euro...only 20 a person. Some hostels have double room options as well.
If possible, go to a hostel that serves breakfast (usually a roll and butter). It will tide you over. The best deal in Italy is the Archi Rossi Hostel in Florence. This place does not take reservations, and if you don't show up by 6 or 7 am in the summer, forget it. The place is in every single guidebook, and it shows. But it is central in Florence, and actually serves a hot breakfast, made to order. Won't be the best thing you ever tasted, but it's real eggs, toast and what they call bacon (ha!). It will definitely help tide you over.
In Italy, if you can, take slower trains. Sometimes they are available a couple times a day, even on Eurostar routes. They will be cheaper than Eurostar routes.
Save a water bottle and fill up on tap water to save money. It will be hot, and you will need water. I drank tap in Italy and was fine. It was kind of gross in Spain, but I didn't get sick. Ask other backpackers where the water is drinkable. Believe me, they will know. (The water in Switzerland is excellent!)
I know you are going to France, Italy, and Spain, but I will put in my two cents and say if you want to live in style on 40 euros a day, the Czech Republic is the place to be. 9 euro a night lodging. Dinner is 2-3 euro, and 50 cent beers. You'd be hard pressed to spend 30 euro a day (I'm giving the equivalent of euro here, but of course, they are on the crown).
Have a great time!
Nov 15th, 2003, 08:22 PM
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Well, ultimately the responsibility is mine, but my son signed up under his own screen name and has conducted his own business since last July. He has a five-star rating, and I doubt Amazon has a clue whether he's 5 or 75.
Ways to save money once there include staying in hostels, sharing accommodations with others, eating stuff you buy at grocery stores instead of at restaurants, traveling in the off-season, and maybe a railpass of some kind.Oh, and don't buy soft drinks - they cost a fortune in Europe. It's cheaper to drink wine or water.
Ways to save money once there include staying in hostels, sharing accommodations with others, eating stuff you buy at grocery stores instead of at restaurants, traveling in the off-season, and maybe a railpass of some kind.Oh, and don't buy soft drinks - they cost a fortune in Europe. It's cheaper to drink wine or water.
Nov 15th, 2003, 11:13 PM
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When you sign up to sell on Amazon they make you agree to all their rules but you could probably be 5 and never get caught if they don't check if each person is telling the truth about every rule. Most people who backpack in Europe are probably 18 or almost 18 so this is not a problem to them but I just wanted to mention the information.
Nov 16th, 2003, 08:32 PM
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Here's what a sample budget day in London (one of the most expensive cities in Europe) might look like in the off-season:
10 pounds hostel
2 pounds bus pass (or get one of the 7-day travel cards, which I think works out to a similar rate. Just try to avoid tube rides that aren't on some sort of pass)
3 pounds breakfast (say roll, juice, cheese purchased from supermarket)
4 pounds lunch (purchased from supermarket or kebab place)
5 pounds supper (takeout or supermarket)
5 pounds for an attraction
7.5 pounds for a cheap theatre option
36.5 pounds = $62 US
You might be able to cut the food budget by 1/2 if you were very spartan. You could leave out the 12.5 pounds for one paid attraction per day and one theatre ticket, but that's part of what I think makes London worthwhile to visit. There are many, many free things to see in London, of course.
I think this budget would work pretty well in France and Italy also.
10 pounds hostel
2 pounds bus pass (or get one of the 7-day travel cards, which I think works out to a similar rate. Just try to avoid tube rides that aren't on some sort of pass)
3 pounds breakfast (say roll, juice, cheese purchased from supermarket)
4 pounds lunch (purchased from supermarket or kebab place)
5 pounds supper (takeout or supermarket)
5 pounds for an attraction
7.5 pounds for a cheap theatre option
36.5 pounds = $62 US
You might be able to cut the food budget by 1/2 if you were very spartan. You could leave out the 12.5 pounds for one paid attraction per day and one theatre ticket, but that's part of what I think makes London worthwhile to visit. There are many, many free things to see in London, of course.
I think this budget would work pretty well in France and Italy also.
Nov 17th, 2003, 05:50 AM
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I backpacked across 13 countries with a friend during May and June. Just prepare to spend nights on trains, hostels and eat LOTS of bread/cheese. We spend about 3500, including rail pass, lodging, food, museums and air from Boston-Amsterdam. Its so much fun!!
Nov 17th, 2003, 12:43 PM
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I second Quebec's suggestion for sleeping on trains. If you buy a rail pass, an overnighter can be included on that. There's your lodging and you wake up in the next city! This is ideal for when you move from one country to the next or between cities far enough apart to warrant the overnight (i.e. Naples - Venice or Madrid - Barcelona). Grab some cheap food at the station or even on the train (definitely on the Madrid to Barcelona) and you're set.
Nov 17th, 2003, 11:47 PM
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First of all, you chose the right season: summery enough, but still the shoulder season for accommodation, hostels shouldn't be too crowded. Second, you asked about travel passes: do take an InterRail pass. Since you intend to travel quite intensely, you'll amortize it fairly quickly and, yes, you'll be able to sleep on trains (be careful though, certain high-speed trains such as the AVE in Spain and TGV in France may require a supplement). OK about the advice on eating on the cheap, but one month is a long time, and the conditions you'll be travelling under can be quite tiring, so don't let your diet go down the drain: from time to time, find yourself a cheap cafe/ restaurant, and "indulge" in a proper, balanced meal. A Canadian friend of mine had to be hospitalised after having backpacked in Europe on a yogurt diet!
Nov 18th, 2003, 12:02 AM
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That sounds scary, Vincent. What exactly did he eat? Yogurt at all meals?
I would suggest buying fruit or veggies to eat for at least two meals. I remember a box of very tasty red currants in London that I bought for one pound. Other options are oranges, tomatoes, heads of lettuce (provided you wash it carefully), and so on.
But I agree with the general principle - don't have such a spartan diet that you suffer for it.
I would suggest buying fruit or veggies to eat for at least two meals. I remember a box of very tasty red currants in London that I bought for one pound. Other options are oranges, tomatoes, heads of lettuce (provided you wash it carefully), and so on.
But I agree with the general principle - don't have such a spartan diet that you suffer for it.
Nov 18th, 2003, 04:31 AM
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I agree, eating properly is very important. But my number one tip for budget travel is to take a jar of peanut butter with you and you'll never go hungry. In a pinch, you can buy bread or a roll and with the peanut butter , you've got some carbs and protein. IT will fit nicely into your backpack. We ran out when we were backpacking and were desperate to find more!
Good luck.
Good luck.
