Chilepepper

I love suze's idea of finding a firemen's bbq and markets, etc!!

Does Europe provide the opportunity of the American College Student's favorite "cheap trick"?? Go to a bar/pub for "happy hour" and get free food?????

travelbunny

I think budget is just that a budget. I use the same principles on a trip that I use at home. I look at how much I have to spend and them I look at priorities. So on a trip I select priorities- ex in a big city accom is not a priority at a resort it is. I love apts and house exchanges. I never scimp on museum admits but I do look at "special deals" or free days when planning trip. Off season is great for cities but IMO at times is not a good idea (priorites again) when the countryside involved (a week with a mistral in Provence..I was with friends so lots of wine and great company but for others might be a bust!). Transport can really eat up your $$$ so plan well. Ask yourself- do I need a car (sometimes yes, sometimes no)? I think a lot of planing and priorizing goes into budgeting a trip..There is a saying which I have often found true..things can be cheap, fast or good but only 2 of those at any given time.

L84SKY

The number one key to budget travel is research.
Personally, I would rather stay at a hotel away from the city center and make use of the metro and take the opportunity to walk.
You have to know what you're willing to do, too. Some people hate to miss the 20 min of commute that I'm willing to do. I use the time waiting for a street car to, "chat up the locals"., if I can. I don't like staying in private homes of friends and family unless I'm in that city to see them. I like to come and go as I please without hours of polite small talk.
I like Priceline and am willing to take a gamble.
Look for one great souvenir to take home, instead of a bunch of cheap stuff that you can buy world over with different decals. It's all made in China and it will probably break once you get it home anyway.

Know what you want to do. I budget my time as well as money. I don't mind relaxing but I hate spinning my wheels. A little research will tell you what time a must see museum is open and even if you can get a discount. Often the CityCard will give you some great discounts but if they don't give discounts on what you want to see or do it's a waste of money.
I'm not a foodie and there have been many times my husband and I get so carried away at a museum that lunch is over by the time we remember to eat. So we save money by going to small places.

As mentioned earlier but is worth repeating: Never skimp on what's truly important to you. My husband hates little tiny sub-compact cars and even though we can save some money by renting one, we always go up a size of two.
Happy Travels. I think most important ingredient to saving money is liking to save money. I could probably afford to spend more money when I travel but it's a thrill for me to save money.

isabel

Research Research Research

Everyone has given great advice. But no one piece of advice is always true and the hours spent researching really can pay off - sometimes in a big way. For example, the travel off season rule that many swear by. In some places, e.g. Venice and Florence, I found summer (July and Aug) hotel rates to be less than half what the same hotel charges in May/June and Sept. Now maybe the airfares will be lower then to make up for the difference, but maybe not. That's where research comes in. You just have to keep looking at airline sites, hotel sites, etc. till you find the best combination for you.

The "stay out side of city center for better hotel prices" rule is another one. In some places it really can save you a bundle, just for a 20 minute metro ride. But in other cases you might end up spending all your savings on transportation. Again, research.

And of course research here (and other travel sites) for peoples specific tips on specific places. And things like museum passes, rail passes - sometimes a very good deal, but certainly not always.

But research and planning are a big part of the fun for many travelers, especially many budget travelers. Because in addition to finding ways to save money, you'll also learn interesting facts, bits of history, etc and other things that will make your trip that much more enjoyable. Which reminds me of another budget tip - instead of booking tours of places (walking tours, hop-on-hop-off, etc) do your own. Do the research and put together your own walks - complete with the history and trivia that you'd get on a tour.

PalenqueBob

<Does Europe provide the opportunity of the American College Student's favorite "cheap trick"?? Go to a bar/pub for "happy hour" and get free food?????>

i don't think so - no never in my experience. You don't even get free refills of coffee anywhere. Dream on... just think you even have to pay to pee in many cities!

karameli

When I'm planning, my rules are:

Don't book an inconvenient hotel just to save $50 a night. Decide what location you want, then ask around (ahem, Fodors) to find a lower-rated hotel that people love for its low-key charm.

If you want to take a $100 excursion, do it -- just get breakfast at a deli that day, pizza for lunch and dinner at the grocery store, and you've got your $100 back.

Remember where food ends up 12 hours later, before you decide whether or not you NEED to eat at the top-rated restaurant in your destination.

Watch airfare rates closely. Two years ago, we flew to Aruba for $197 round trip -- friends of ours went at the same time and spent $650 because they didn't have the patience to watch fares.

And when you're making a budget decision, just think, "If I save this money, where else could I afford to go?" Always helps!

MaureenB

Chilepepper, I believe in many Italian cities they offer something like a happy hour, with complimentary hors d'oeuvres. I forget what it's called in Italian. My daughter studied in Florence, and she said they often took advantage of such free food deals, as long as you're buying drinks, of course.
>-

suze

chilepepper-
some of my absolutely favorite travel memories are this kind of thing. i saw an end-of-year elementary school kids' pageant in Switzerland. it was magnificent. also made sure i was there for the Fete de Vignorones (a winemakers celebration that happens every 25 years in Vevey). Church bazaars are good, as are 'old lady' bake sales. the firemen's BBQ was a fundraiser and street fair with excellent "sausage" (hotdogs), french fries, and of course wine. special exhibits at off-the-wall museums (not the usual guidebook fare).

PalenqueBob

<she said they often took advantage of such free food deals, as long as you're buying drinks, of course>

Maureen: thanks for correcting me. But at the price of a drink in a typical Florentine bar i think you could buy a lot of food in the supermarket.

bigtyke

start planning the trip well in advance and if possible be flexible on dates. That way you will know what a good airfare is and when one becomes available, you can grab it.

Flexibility can pay off. I delayed my flight from London to Dublin by one day and saved 40 pounds

kswl

The first step is to minimize your fixed costs (airfare and hotel), and then you will be able to play the daily budget as it comes, with meals, intra-European travel, entertainment, etc. If you can get a cheap airfare you have cut one of your biggest line items significantly, and you don't <i>have</i> to go in the off-season. Just get on every email sale notification of every airline, and, as others have noted, BE FLEXIBLE with your dates. I am still profoundly satisfied when I remember our 2004 flights to Japan from Atlanta for $437 rt. during Golden Week, a kind of national spring break for the Japanese.

Jackie

Being obsessed with finding the best airfare works for me. I check several sites a couple times of day, maybe for weeks. Found a $600 flight to Greece and a $400 flight to Costa Rica that way. I also check in here often as people are always passing information on about sales, like the flights for 19 euros to the Greek Islands.

Then I obsess over finding the best hotel for the least amount of money, mostly following advice here and checking tripadvisor. We usually move around alot and might have a high priced room balanced out by more budget-priced rooms. I also ask about discounts for cash payment and that works about 50% of the time.

I also have a separate checking account to which I make weekly deposits for the sole purpose of traveling. I've also made simple everyday changes like walking to the train everyday to eliminate the cost of parking and not buying coffee every morning. That savings alone covers the flight cost of my last and next trip.

landini

Budget for travel the way you would for the rest of your life. Know what your own priorties are and spend the most money on those things. Otherwise, seek out destinations that are less expensive to start with. Some destinations have more expensive airfares, but are dirt cheap once you arrive. You have to factor in all of the costs. Personally, I love to splurge and skimp. Meaning, if I have the opportunity to stay in a fabulous, but expensive palace one night, I might opt for something cheap the next. The same goes with food. Have some great meals in restaurants and eat street food the rest of the time. It's all about balance. Also, a note about buying things. My favorite souveniers are usually free things I've picked up along the way. Seashells, newspapers in a foreign language, ashtrays from my hotel (well, those probably weren't really free)and of course my photos. If travel is a priority, you will always find the money somehow.

luveurop

I live a &quot;budget&quot; lifestyle at home. No hefty mortgage, no SUV payments, no kids to feed.

This allows me travel without worrying about the cost (within reason, I'm certainly not buying a seat in FC).

USNR

With more than 50 years of travel experience in Europe and America, we have found many ways to stretch our funds.

Eating out shoots big holes in your wallet, so bear this in mind. Find where lawyers congregate, usually around law courts. In that neighborhood you will almost always find small eateries. Why? Because young lawyers are on call, must eat quickly, do not have money to throw away. They must eat simply, quickly, and cheaply. Eat where they eat. Same with newspaper workers. Look on side streets near law courts and newspaper offices. If the place is jam packed with customers, come back in an hour. Likely, it will be almost empty. We have found good places to eat using this system in London, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, Zurich, etc.

Clifton

Thanks for the kind words Sue. I will confess that we've occassionally not followed these to the letter ourselves and fallen off the budget wagon. But for the most part, we try to keep them in mind and not get too caught up in the moment.

Good point about budgeting &quot;on the curve&quot;. We try to figure out what the trend is for any given location and then determine what the accommodation costs would be for our usual standard of travel. Tripadvisor and such is good for this. THEN we decide if this is the right time to take that trip. It's hard not to let emotion and want determine that sort of thing completely.

But we're lucky in that there are a great number of very interesting places calling to us right now and there's no reason why we can't choose a less expensive destination when the budget calls for it. I haven't ever feel shortchanged by choosing Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe over Western Europe. These are fascinating places! And in a way, because we always travel independantly, we're glad we're getting some more challenging places in while we're still young and relatively flexible. So the next trip will be an overland stint in Morocco, with a little budget Andalucia thrown in for a breather at the end. Stockholm we will probably visit in the years to come, as the nest egg grows (as, I'm sure, will their hotel rates!).

karameli

JACKIE --

can you post a lnk to the thread with the 19-euro fare to the Greek Islands? Or do you know offhand which airline? (Sorry to piggyback, but I'm trying to plan a trip to Santorini -- on a budget as usual -- and haven't found intra-Rurope fares lower than $300 R/t!)

PalenqueBob

Base Cities can save money and time - time saved is in many ways as important as money to me.

Utilizing the great transportation system you base in say Munich and day trip to Salzburg, Fussen, rothenburg, etc. You get a good deal on a hotel in Munich and save time by not having to relocate each day.

To really save money you could base in a place like Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a cutesy Bavarian village at the foot of the famed Zugspitze and day trip to Munich and Innsbruck from there - accommodations in Garmisch are a whole lot cheaper than Munich. And with things like the bargain Bavarain day transport passes, transport costs can be very little. And personally i feel that by taking trains and buses you really feel like a local and meet locals!

LJ

Everything they said...plus start a Trip Jar.

Everyday as you enter the door of your home, empty your pockets of ALL change. You will be amazed how fast it adds up if you don't dip back in and religiously wrap and deposit in your Trip Account. Add to that all those little unexpected amounts/cheques that you used to just spend. The reimbursements for dental insurance etc can add up.

Now in Cananda it works faster because our coins include the $1 and $2 dollar units, but you could adjust for that in the US by stripping your wallet of the &quot;ones.&quot;

We vacation every year, for free, because of the Trip Jar...

saltymuffin

We have a couple of strategies:

I aim for an average of $100 Canadian/night for hotels. In some places we pay more (no choice!), but then we stay in small towns and spend under $100, to keep our average intact. I have managed this for the last 5 years, but think we may have to up the budget to $110 this year.

We always use public transit and stay in central locations where we can walk and save transportation costs.

We don't buy suff to bring back.

I try to stay at hotels with breakfast included. We eat lunch at street vendors and casual places. We save our food budget for dinner.

We never skimp on entry fees, but do look out for deals, combo passes etc.

We save ff points like fiends to try to eliminate the cost of flights.