1. Stay in a 2 star hotel...nice rooms ensuite..just don't include ballroms and business facitlites that you're not going to use anyway.<BR><BR>2. Learn to picnic. a baguette, some cheese, a jar of olives and some olive oil and a bottle of charuaneuf du pape makes for a great lunch.<BR><BR>3. Don't eat breakfast in your hotel unless its included.<BR><BR>4. Have a picnic in the room one night<BR><BR>5. Do not rent a car for the entire stay in a city...rent it only on the day or days you will use it.<BR><BR>6. Rent a standard shift car.<BR><BR>7. Stay outside the city center of a major city like London and then take the train into the city and return at night<BR><BR>US

heres one for the poor bums like me..<BR>buy a heating coil<BR>-bring along a small amount of coffee<BR>and by instent noodle at the e 7-11's <BR><BR>damn if I spend more then 5 bucks a day on food Im splerging.. <BR><BR>too make sure you don't drop dead from eating like a bangladeshi peasent bring some supplument pills... <BR>

if you stat in a nice hotel DON&quot;T get a cab that is waiting in front .. walk a couiple of feet up and hail a passing cab.. they are less likely too give you an unwated tour of the city .. <BR><BR>-buy a cheep shirt out there.. just for lounging or sleeping and when you reterun just wash it and give it too the maid as a tip.. <BR><BR>

Picnic in the room. I like that! Gonna try that one.

Look for situations in sightseeing and in transportation where a pass may save money. Just as importantly, make sure the pass WILL save you money, in the way you are most likely to use it.<BR><BR>such as - going to Ireland, the gov't has a Heritage Program where the purchase of one card will get you into many different historic sites all around the country.<BR><BR>I understand there's a museum pass for the Paris area.<BR><BR>On the other hand, don't buy a pass if you aren't likely to hit more than one museum/site.<BR><BR>Rail passes are the same sort of thing. Try to have a basic idea of where you are going and figure the rough costs of tickets before rushing out to buy the pass, which often may cost more.<BR><BR>The best place to research options is at home, before you travel.

Orgy7 wrote &quot; buy a cheep shirt out there.. just for lounging or sleeping and when you reterun just wash it and give it too the maid as a tip&quot;. <BR><BR>Would you do that instead of leaving a few euro to the maid? Has anyone else done it? Would the made appreciate it?Genuinely curious.

It sounds like he gives the shirt to the maid when he comes back home (&quot;reterun&quot;)...Orgy7, if you have a maid at home, your budget travel can't be too serious!<BR>I gave my shoes to a maid in Mexico, but in Europe I can't imagine they'd want either used shirts or shoes!

&quot;give it too the maid as a tip&quot;. <BR><BR>So this is the maid at home Orgy7 meant. You do &quot;tip&quot; your maid (if you have one)? And would maids appreciate a &quot;cheap washed&quot; T-shirt in USA? Sorry but I'm ignorant of Amrican customs and just being curious. <BR>

when in major cities, i try to find a hotel in a residential neighborhood. they generally appeal to the european business traveller and while generally no frills, they are clean and inexpensive.<BR><BR>usually they are located in close proximity to public transportation and offer the advantage of smaller cafes and restaurants frequented by locals.

Never, ever have the hotel do any of your laundry.

Day passes on buses for many European buses, like Rome, are much less expensive than a) inidividual fares or b) taxis.