Student Budget
 

Firstly, I apologize for this thread's similarity to another, but my situation is a bit different and I believe merits its own discussion. And here it is:
My friend and I are looking to take a trip to Europe next summer, and thus the budgeting starts now, so that we may get enough money in time.
That said, here is the basic plan: 3 weeks in Europe, spent in 5 cities in 4 countries: Madrid, Paris, Hamburg, Berlin (we know each other from German class), and Rome.
Now, I've already figured out approximate budgets for transportation (plane and rail), and lodging in hostels.
Now, it is much harder to approximate costs for food and general costs.
My question is whether we can run on $25/€20 per day after lodging and transportation. Keep in mind that we are students and thus aren't going to be very demanding, but we do want to eat and see the basic sights. And ideally we want to get that up to at least €30 or €40/day, but I don't know if that is feasible.
Anyways, as far as food goes, breakfast is provided at the hostels we would be staying at, and we could generally just go with basic stuff for lunch (doener kebab, how I love thee.)
But, would we be able to have a good time in Europe on such a modest daily budget?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

If you really want to cut costs, you don't eat lunch, and you walk everywhere that you can!

I myself never eat lunch, and when abroad I never do public transport when I can walk. There's no rush! Both of these will keep your figure trim, and if you're overweight to start off with, you'll come back fitter, and slimmer!

I always travel with a low budget spending 20-25 Euros per day. Contrary to m_kingdom2, though, I do eat lunch because, in most restaurants, noon meals are usually a lot cheaper than dinner (besides, I do not sleep well with big evening meals). Some suggestions:
- eat a good late breakfast;
- eat a good late lunch (stay away from fancy places, but do get a full course meal);
- soup and sandwich for dinner;
- walk instead of taking public transportation (take good walking shoes with you);
- check for "freebies" and days and times in which you can get lower admission rates to sights;
- try to stay away from souvenirs (the hardest part for me).

Believe me, you don't have to spend a lot of money to have an enjoyable trip.

Hi ana,

As noted, you can get a good, filling lunch for less than the price of dinner.

Stay away from soft drinks in restaurants. Keep the wine and beer budget low.

Buy as much as possible in grocery stores.

Is there a compelling reason for going to Hamburg?

((I))

I believe it can be done. But you may not get to see and do everything you wanted to.

Because I am not a museum or exhibits person and would rather sit in a park, I rarely spend anything on admissions. I know this is unusual for most travelers in Europe. Also I try to walk everywhere which saves even the small costs of public transportation.

As you say, if you can get your daily allowance to 30 or 40 euro, well obviously you can see and do more and eat a little better. If you are willing to skip a couple of the cities, that could bring costs down saving on train fare. I believe 3 cities in 3 weeks would be cheaper than 5, for obvious reasons.

Definitely look into finding out about anything free. Free days at museums, free concerts in the park, open air markets, any town festivals that coincide with your trip.

Watch out for beverages costs. Soda is expensive. Wine is cheap but can add up quickly on such a shoestring budget.

Yes, you can make it work if you pay strict attention to where you spend. The suggestion about grocery store vs restaurants is a good one, as is avoiding soft drinks in restos. Another thing to remember is that when you ask for water be sure to specify tap, not bottled water as that is a pricey item, too. If you will be staying in hostels, they are often a great souce of info on economical local spots.

Do not skip meals.

Picnic out as much as you can buying food at the local grocery stores - it's fun and money saving.

Before you go to Europe invade your parents' pantries for non-perishable snacks like cookies, energy bars, nuts and pretzels. My son did that! He's still in college.

Every bit helps! Make sure you have enough toothpaste, shampoo, etc for your whole trip.

Do you plan to bring cameras? Use only one at a time to print a double-set later - another money-saver.

Thanks, this is some good information.
Ira- we do have a reason for staying in Hamburg, I have a friend there from an exchange program I was involved in.
There was one thing I forgot to mention- this would most likely be in June or early July of next year, which just happens to coincide with the World Cup being hosted in Germany. Could this prove to be a problem with making things pricier? I have heard stories of all the hostels in town being sold out for football games, could this be a problem?
Thanks!

I only ever eat once or twice a day, forget the money, that's not important. You only need to eat once or twice a day, it's much, much better for your body, and a side effect is that it's cheaper on your wallet.

I can never stand full lunches (at home or away, I have a very light tapas style affair at the very most) as in fine dining places they're for people who can't afford or can't get a dinner reservation, they're somewhat depressing really. They're utterly uneccessary too - have an icecream instead!

I really do not want to go into an argument with m_kingdom2 above, but any nutrionist will tell you that it is much healthier to eat several, light meals a day, then to skip meals, eating only one or two meals a day. As to having larger lunches than dinner, the matter is certainly cultural - this is what is done in most parts of Brazil, for example - but nowhere in the world doctors recommend that you have a big meal at night, before going to bed. And there is nothing depressing nor shameful about eating a good lunch at a nice restaurant for half the price you would pay for dinner.

I rarely have heavy dinners, I always have something light...how else would I be able to fit into Dior?

OK, I'm sure I can figure out frequency of eating, but thank you for your respective opinions.
Anyways, has anyone had any problems with travelling to the host country of a World Cup while it is in progress?

You might also want to post on the www.lonelyplanet.com 'Thorn Tree' for general budget info (hostels, transport, food, etc).
It's a backpacker messageboard and you should be able to pick-up quite a few good tips between now and next summer. Regards, Walter

Yes I would definitely take into account the World Cup. I have no experience with this specific event, but certain things CAN in fact book up an entire town, leaving you stranded, having to move on to the next place sooner than you planned, or stuck paying for a much more expensive room than you had in mind.

p.s. I'm a big fan of The Thorn Tree, the BB mentioned above over on Lonely Planet's website. Loads of shoestring travelers there, not all backpackers BTW. Check it out!

Ana, World Cup games are not all held in the same city, meaning that you should check to see if there are any games planned for the cities you will visit at the time you will visit. The World Cup takes place during July; maby you could plan to go to Germany after the finals.
Being a Brazilian, I love the soccer World Cup, and would love to be able to go to Germany next summer!

To cut your food budget, rely as much as possible on bought food rather than restaurants/fast food joints. For that, you'll rapidly spot the super cheapo supermarket chains:
- in Germany : Aldi, Lidl, Penny Markt
- in France : Aldi and Lidl too, Ed, Leader Price

Rely on the local "fast food", cheap and not as unhealthy (up to a certain point! ) as international brands: in Germany, Currywurst stands; in France all the combos offered by sandwich chains such as Pomme de Pain or Brioche dorée: for € 6-7 you get a full, balanced, good meal, with a fresh sanwich on baguette, a salad, Evian or Badoit.

Finally, I would join BrazilNut in emphasising the need not to let yourselves go foodwise. Travelling, especially on a shoestring, is quite demanding physically, you don't always sleep well on trains and in youth hostels, you haul around heavy backpack, walk a lot. It's easy to cut on your food budget, but in the long run you'll pay for it. So, OK, be reasonable, but don't cut corners, and factor in the pleasure factor: food is good and relaxing, and comforting.

E para Alemanha 2006: que ganhe Brasil mais uma vez!

..I was in your shoes years ago! I think you have some good advice as to how to save on meals though lugging stuff from home is a bit extreme. We found the entry fees not bad. There are often certain days that a museum might be free and almost all of them had very substantial discounts with a student card (and I cant remember whether we had some funny international student card or just our own college ID card). ..same with entertainment. We had rush seats just for students for an opera and again the cost was very low. Post this querry on the Lonely Planet site. Their talk board is the thorntree. If you really want to stretch your budget consider eastern Europe or REALLY stretch it in S. E. Asia.

I traveled to France during the World Cup, when they won. I made a point not to be in the particular city where they were playing the finals while that was going on (Paris), but of course, there was lots of celebration/partying anywhere while those games were playing and when they won. I didn't have any particular problem traveling because I didn't stay in the towns while games were there, and I had my reservations well ahead of time.

I disagree that is healthy to limit meals to one or two a day; as aleady mentioned, any nutrutionist will tell you that is healthier to eat several small meals each day for optimum energy and health.

I visit the local grocery stores and markets and keep my room with fruit, water, wine, cheeses, etc. I often enjoy breakfast in my room or outside, weather permitting.

I prefer a simple lunch and then a nice dinner with wine.

I think 30E a day will allow you to enjoy the local foods quite well.

I second the recommendations re free days in museums, metro cards, etc. There are also many bargains for students with proper ID.

In summer, there are wonderful local markets in many areas, as well as outdoor free concerts, etc.

And, people watching is always free and cannot be beat!

I was IN Paris when France won the World Cup. It was no big deal, except that there were people riding and walking around making loads of noise well into the early hours of the morning. I did make my hotel reservations plenty early.