I have a trip jar, too! I empty it into one of those CoinStar machines in the grocery store the week I leave. I use the money to pay for the airport shuttle and to tip the driver both ways, tips for the sky cap guy at the airport, food and drink in the airport etc. Those costs can easily add up, and I am thankful for the trip jar when the time comes!

Don't buy souveniers is a good tip.

This post is so depressing! I am going to retaliate against budget travel by putting on my Prada sunglasses and mink coat and drinking a few bottles of Krug.

But, if you really want to save money, don't order beluga caviar at breakfast, Anastasia Beaverhausen.

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Good, good, good ideas - I've used most of them. (Trip jars rule - the proceeds usually cover a couple of nights in a hotel for us).

Here are a few more:

If you haven't already, invest in a reasonably priced digital camera to eliminate film costs. Then, if you have an iPod, invest in the necessary cables to alllow you to download your photos to it. You'll eliminate the need to have CDs burned while on vacation, and the need buy and carry along extra memory cards or thumb drives (which are easy to lose and expensive).

Start an inexpensive collection to guide the souvenir bug. Fridge magnets are cheap, tacky fun and available everywhere. Matchbooks, bar mats, Christmas ornaments, fake pashminas, etc., all work, too. Or just mark up your stops on your maps and keep them as momentos. On a trip to London, we photographed the sign of every pub we hit as our souvenirs.

DON'T RENT A CAR if you can possibly avoid it.

Don't buy travel gadgets. I used to go on a buying spree before every vacation, just out of sheer anticipation. I ended up with document holders, packing "systems," little gadgets, travel locks, travel clocks, every kind of money belt known to man, travel candles, etc., etc. Ask around here about what works for people, then get it. Then stop.

Use a library for initial research into what travel guides you might want for a trip. Then buy the one or two you really want.

Take AA batteries with you. They're WAY expensive anywhere you might decide to buy them 'cause the ones in your camera have conked out.

Don't buy so much bottled water. Refill your bottle at the hotel. At a euro or more a pop at streets stands, you'll go broke in a hurry.

Try finding the cheapest trans-Atlantic flight you can then taking a low-cost European carrier to your final destination - consider your hassle and time in the equation.

Sometimes, booking a package makes sense. I don't like the idea of air-hotel trips, but they can be great deals.

Learn to love quirkly little hotels and B & Bs.

A really interesting thread. I think everything has already been said, but at risk of repeating.

Avoid hotels in favour of rented apartments (Obviously comparing prices first!). I use sites like homelidays.com and holidayrentals.co.uk for my trips to Italy. I normally pay around €300-400 for an apartment for a week, and have only been disappointed once in about a dozen trips and never a "horror story".

Public transport - if possible with weekly season ticket. The Rome integrated transport ticket cost me around €14 a couple of years ago - unlimited bus, tram, metro and train travel within the city limits. It proved an absolute bargain - when you get tired, hop on the next bus heading in the right direction.

Between some cities, buses can be quicker and cheaper than trains. (Siena is a good example)

Eat and drink as the Italians do. Lean against the bar with your €1.80 worth of cappucino and cornetto, rather than paying €6 to sit outside with them.

Street markets - some of the best food I have eaten has come from stores in these markets (In particular €5 worth of mixed fried seafood next to a lake in Lombardia).

Airfares - I know most on this list are from the US, but it may be worth flying into the UK then onward. I subscribe to the mailing lists of airlines like Ryanair so that I know when cheap flights are available.

This is a balance - personally I would rather spend the extra $150 than have to transfer between London airports and extend my travel time by 8 hours.

Finally, splurge at least once on a trip - there is no point going if you cannot enjoy it.

Switzerland:

Weekly apartment rentals are good deals.

Swiss hostels are very good. You'll meet all ages of people. Breakfast is usually quite good too.

Eat at self-service restaurants in Migros, Coop or Manor stores.

Go to local fests for culture. Go to the hotel receptionist or tourist center for info.

Use trains and get swiss passes. Many towns have 2 -4 daily train passes (Tageskarte) available at SFr. 32.-- These are mainly used by the locals and need to be reserved. http://www.tageskarte-gemeinde.ch/KarteReservieren/SZ/

Buy one bottle of water and keep refilling it.

Go to the grocery store for cheese, bread and meat and make picnics. Our fruit and vegetables are reasonably priced too!

Remember: Beverages in restaurants are quite expensive.

Priceline in the larger cities.

I mentioned some of my tips earlier, but the "depressing" comment got me thinking. I have never been depressed or felt limited on any of my trips. The planning, and work I do in advance ensures that we don't have to think about costs too much when we are away. For me, budget travel is not shoe-string travel, but smart prioritisation of what to spend $ on.

I research city transit/attraction passes etc at home. When we get there, we simply buy them, then don't have to think about costs for these items again. I find we go into a lot more small and lesser known museums that we really enjoy when we have these passes. Even if I figure we'll only break even, I always buy one, as it is easy and flexible.

I mentioned eating an included breakfast and a quick street vendor lunch. I can't think of a better option for us. I like having breakfast included, as it is most convienient. Quick casual lunches suit us perfectly, we pack a lot into a day and don't want to spend hours in the middle of the day eating.

One other tip, I didn't mention is spend a day here and there at a Park or garden, this costs nothing and is a very enjoyable restful way to spend a day.

As we do save in some areas, we see all the sites we want, and eat wonderful dinners every evening. Due to ff points, we have flown in business class, and thanks to hotel points from business travel at home, we have stayed in some of the nicest hotels around.

I am far from depressed about any of my travel compromises. On the contrary, I am thrilled that we can create such wonderful vacations on relatively small budgets.

Really good advice so far. I was thinking about the advice to spend time in parks and gardens, which I think is excellent. Esspecially on really warm days.

When we were in Munich last summer, we took a train out to Freising one day, had lunch, planned to tour the brewery, but didn't get the times right, so that was a bit of a bust. Nice town, but it was just so hot we were pretty miserable. Took the train back to Munich and decided to go to the English Garden and cool off in the river. We stopped at a store to buy a couple towels, got a snack, and were on our way. Perfect way to spend the rest of the day. We agreed that we should have skipped Freising that day and gone straight to the park - LOL. It turned out to be one of our favorite times in Munich.

What I find depressing is spending more of my hard-earned money than is necessary or useful or enjoyable. So it's all a matter of balance.

I think planning ahead is the best way to save money, especially on lodging. Both Fodor's and Rick Steves have great recommendations for lower price ranges. Find your best deal and make the reservation.

On food, we only eat one real meal a day.
Saves money and keeps us from coming home with our jeans unbuttoned!

In a way, you could say that NOT planning ahead is a key to budget travel. When you say "we're going to Italy next year in July", you've right away locked yourself into an expensive situation that's hard to make less expensive. We seldom book a trip more than a couple of months ahead of time; instead we look around and see what amazing deals are being offered to interesting places. As a result, we've been visiting South America and SE Asia more than Europe in recent years when prices in Europe have been high.

I posted earlier that research (which I consider pretty much the same thing as planning) is the key. saltymuffin just stated my feelings really well. JP has a point though, if your goal is just to travel, not to travel to somewhere specific. But I think most people do want to go someplace specific - or at least semi specific - like a country or a region. I guess sometimes I do a combination. For example the last few years I've wanted to go to a certain place (last year was Portugal) for a couple of weeks, but then while I'm over in Europe, add on another destination for my third week. So I looked up where I could easily and cheaply get to from Portugal. I had originally wanted to go to Luxemborg but there were no cheap flights from Lisbon so I picked Copenhagen instead, but Copenhagen was also somewhere I wanted to go. I wouldn't have gone there just because it was cheap.

I guess I'm saying I still think planning is the best way to go where you want and not spend "excess" money. Alot of people like the idea of the flexibility of not booking hotel rooms ahead, but the decent inexpensive places usually do book up and if you don't book ahead I've found you're often stuck with either crappy places, or places in a much higher price range than you'd like to be in. Planning ahead really can save you money.

Adding to USNR's tip about finding the place where lawyer's eat...for the slightly more adventurous, in Italy,in urban areas, we discovered that following the chaps from the local construction site was fool-proof. They broke for lunch at 1'ish and always knew the best tavalo calda or ristorante in the neighbourhood. And then order what they are having: the owners have come to know their schedules and appetites and feed them well.

topping - always nice to hear about budget tips

It is not a "movement" per se....you either are a budget traveler or you aren't. IMO, if one isn't too particular about a hotel and a room (with bathroom inside) and a decent bed -- considering you are only spending 8 hours of your day there -- than you should be able to manage just fine. Many American travelers expect American style comforts (quality, every amenity, etc) as in U.S. hotel chains, and European accommodations are often very different and sparse. This doesn't make them bad, they are just different. I have found staying in 1 or 2* hotels to be very sufficient and comfortable, so I don't end up paying more than 150 euros a night for a double room. Likewise, small, family owned trattories, cafes, etc that are not on the Zagat and Michelin guides are not going to be the over-priced experience you would have elsewhere. This doesn't mean one has to compromise on quality.
You can do everything you want and even more if you pinch and save in certain areas. I love every trip I have taken to Europe and have never felt deprived. In fact, I feel many times I am traveling like the locals themselves: taking public transportation, walking everywhere, staying in comfortable, not over-the-top lodging, etc. Also, I am certain you can manage to be a savvy budget traveler if you research the areas you are interested in. Then you don't have to spend the money hiring a guide or taking a tour group once you are there. Happy travels to all!

€150 a night! Holy Huitres batman... I don't consider us budget travellers but we don't spend two thirds of that even in Paris and I don't consider that we settle for budget accomodation. I think that €100 a night hotels are easily doable anywhere in France... and very fine they are too.

Hi robjame: I agree with you 100% re: finding inexpensive accommodations throughout France and Italy at 100 euros a night. I do NOT spend 150 euros a night for a room. On the average, I can get a double room for 60-78 euros. My point was that 60-78 euros for a room/night is much lower than the "average" American would want to spend on a hotel room, as most like the amenities that come with higher priced, higher * hotels. (There was another recent poster on this site that asked whether they could get a room for 200 euros in the Cinque Terre. I almost died as that is completely overpriced for the area, unless one wants to be in a several ** hotel). I have a great hotel in Paris that I stay in that is only 78 euros a night - right across from the Eiffel Tower.

My husband and I went to Italy for 5 weeks in July 2005, and I believe our total outlay inlucing airfare was under $3200. And we had a car the whole time. Our method probably wouldn't cut it for many or even most Fodorites... We camped!

Now, hear me out. If you are looking for budget hotels in tourist hotspots in high season, I've found you often end up with opressive rooms, smoky interiors, uncomfortable beds, etc. Not always - I've stayed in some great small hotels and B&Bs in Europe. But often. In our tent, we had a really comfortable air mattress and slept great every night except that one really cold one in the Alps.

Americans may have an image of campgrounds as rustic, backwoods kind of places, but in Europe they are different. There are nice, clean, convenient campgrounds everywhere, and we never paid more than 25 euros a night. Many have laundromats, and the bathrooms of almost all of them were better than those at some hotels where I've paid 3x that rate. And it didn't feel like roughing it at all (to me) except for one kind of remote farm in Tuscany.

Admittedly, campgrounds are usually a little less convenient to center city areas than budget hotels, so maybe you have to ride a bus or ferry or whatever. But since our mode of travel allowed us 5 weeks (instead of the 9 days our budget usually allows) we didn't mind a little added time in transit.

We bought lots of groceries, which was a lot of fun, and ate breakfast and dinner at the campsite most days. I think we had 3 really nice splurge dinners out the whole time we were there, but my husband is a great camp chef and I ate better from our tiny camp stove than I often do at home. Italian produce and groceries helped!

Our car was a tiny Renault lease/buy-back, which is a great money saver if you will be needing a car for more than 21 days.

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One other hint for any traveler - some attractions (museums, etc.) have a free or reduced price day every week. If you plan ahead, you can save quite a bit that way. Some of those entrance fees are pretty steep!