europe_bound

Hello,
My boyfriend and I are leaving October 16th to spend 2 months travelling around Europe. We have purchased our plane and eurorail tickets and now have about $4000 between us. Will this be enough or should i start selling my valuables ADVICE PLEASE
thanks so much

Anonymous

$4000 divided by 60 days is $67 per day, or $33 per person per day. Honey, you probably can't even stay home on that budget! Even hosteling and picnic-ing will cost more than that. Unless you have a free place to stay, that budget won't remotely work.

bettyk

Well, that averages out to about $67 per day -- not much. Even B&B's can cost you almost that much per day. Plus you have your other transporation costs, meals, etc. Might be time to sell the family silver!

Rod

The answer really depends on what yuo plan to do, how you like to live, where in Europe you will be going, and where you are prepared to stay. I think that with most (excluding local) transportation covered with airfare and rail tickets, $4,000 might well cover it if you were willing to stay in hostels or small hotels/pensiones, particularly outside (even a little bit off "downtown&quot city centers, and focused mostly on "free" things. BUT $4,000 for 60 days works out to only about $66/day, which will be rather limiting for two people. I'd be more comfortable with more money, or the same money and half the time.

As good as this board is, you might also check Lonely Planet and/or Rough Guides.

Pilchard

Hi.

I'm afraid I must agree. You'll barely have enough for food and lodging (even at the cheapest hostels and eateries). You'll never have enough for the museums or even for the occasional beer at an outdoor cafe.

You'll need a LOT more cash or perhaps you could scale back on the time; go for a shorter visit.

If you try to do this on the super-cheap you'll have a miserable time and the trip will have been a sad waste.

Finally, no matter how carefully you plan for saving money, you'll STILL need about 20% more money than you think. No one ever returns from a trip spending LESS than they anticipated.

Good luck.

You're welcome.

rex

This feels like piling on - - but I have this terrible feeling that you plunked hundreds (thousands?) of dollars for those two rail passes (admittedly, you say "tickets", not passes - - but I fear that you mean passes).

With some guidance, you could have planned to see MORE of FEWER places. Not burnt up so much money thinking you have to see Europe by constantly moving, barely able to afford to eat anything.

Where do the plane tickets take you? and from where do they bring you home?

Hope we can help you salvage this, and that others learn that rail passes are a good way to clean out your wallet.

Best wishes,

Rex

kismetchimera

Good Luck europe_bound!! You need it..

europe_bound

OK--well i thank you all for your responses--i should probably explain myself a bit better.
We fly in to Heathrow on the 16th od Oct and will stay there for 3 weeks (or so) during this time we will be staying with friends, therefore eliminating the cost of having to stay in hostels. The only time that we will be staying in hostels is when we leave the U.K (for one month). Also the pass we got, was not as expensive as i had anticipated and gives us a month of travel to and from each place we will be-therefore i see that as more of a benefit then a waste. So basically we have $4000, for one month of traveling and yes this is a big budget trip--we arent shopping or doing anything fancy--basically we are going to rough it for a couple of months. Once again i thank you all for your input and if you have any more advice that would be great

Kaneohe

Have you tried working up an estimated budget of what your daily expenses will be? Since your lodging is taken care of in England, you should be able to save significant money there provided you don't plan on clubbing, etc every night. I assume you've given thought to what sights you want to see...how much is admission to these places? What about meals---is breakfast included at hostels? Will you picnic, and go to markets rather than eating in bars and restaurants? Will you require local ground transportation, such as a tube pass? I think if you do the math on these items, you'll have a better idea of if your budget will suffice.

leslie

e_b, although you've provided more details, I still see funds being tight. Although, you won't have lodging expenses for the first 3 weeks, you will still be out and about and need to pay for local transportation, entrance fees, food and beverages for you and your boyfriend. And, then you'll want to take your hosts out a few times to thank them for their hospitality, besides making a monetary contribution to the groceries that your hosts will be paying for.

To top all of that off, you may need some extra cash for emergencies. Don't be penny-wise and pound foolish. Make sure you have credit cards with you or at least an additional $2000 in your checking account which you can withdraw via an ATM machine.

Here's a little trick that I've learned on how to avoid service charges from your bank when withdrawing funds. Don't use ATMs if you can help it. Those $2-$5 charges add up along the way. Instead, make purchases in grocery stores or retailers - use your debit card and withdraw additional cash over and above your purchase. Point of purchase sales ("POS&quot do not incur bank transaction fees.

Pilchard

Hi.

Another thought: Please be advised that Great Britain is VERY expensive...much more so than the Continent. If those pound figures were dollars, you'd think it all a bit costly. But when you multiply it by 1.6 or so, oops! there goes the budget.

Anonymous

It's the food and lodging in GB that are expensive, and the OP has taken care of at least the latter. In London, most of the museums and plenty of other interesting things to do are free, and a transport pass for central London for the week is about US$30.

elaine

Hi
here are some ideas

Look into hostels (some have age limits) or staying in convent or monastery guest houses

Plan on picnics for breakfasts and lunches--sandwiches, bread and cheese, etc. Plan not to buy Cokes or American- style foods, they will be very expensive. You could try bringing your own jar of peanut butter if that interests you--good bread is easy to find.
Pack some paperplates and plastic utensils and paper napkins in your checked luggage. A corkscrew as well.

London has a lot of free attractions, but avoid the overpriced tourist traps like Madame Tussaud's or the London Dungeon. There are transport passes that include some admissions to some sites--figure out if you will be getting maximum value. If not, just get transport passes without the admissions. The London Transport website is helpful.

I don't know where else you are going, but if Italy is included, be aware that in some snackbar/cafes, if you stand and eat inside, you pay a low price. Once you take a table and sit, the price increases a lot.

You should be looking at guidebooks by Rick Steves or Rough Guides or Lonely Planet, or Let's Go, or Frommers, and go on their message boards--they specialize in low-budget travel.

beachbum

You probably won't like this either, e_b, but years ago hostels had separate quarters (dormitory style) for male and female. Those that accommodated couples (usually in larger cities), charged close to pension rates, which you won't be able to afford. Not sure if that's that case today, but it makes sense that it would be.

WillTravel

Many hostels today do have coed dorms, but in practical terms, that will not be very helpful for couples seeking privacy.

beachbum

Another thing to consider, e_b. Most responses assume USD. If you're talking CAN $4,000 (appears you're Canadian from a post in another thread), the budget becomes significantly more restrictive.