imcanadian

Are you a frugal traveller? Or do you like to be pampered where you stay & eat?

Do you prefer to spend as little as possible on sleeping arrangements, in order to be able to spend more on other activities?

How much do you find you end up spending on places to sleep only, say in 3 wks time?

Do you prefer 4 star hotels or are B & B's fine for you?

Does it matter if you have meals included in your rate, or do you prefer to eat at the local places?

Do you feel more secure booking way ahead, or do you find it fun & exciting to 'wing it'?

Just curious....some might say nosey, lol

Kellye

A hotel has to be clean and safe and centrally located if I don't have car (which I wouldn't in Europe). B&B's would be fine so long as I can check it out ahead of time through reviews, etc. to know that it meets the criteria above. I prefer to find local places to eat for most meals, although breakfast might be nice at the location. I definitely book ahead--I'm not a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of gal.

TexasAggie

DH and I are pretty frugal, at least we think we are We definitely eat cheap (although we both wish we had a more refined appetite), and we prefer B&Bs over multi-star hotels. That said, I kissed the hostel lifestyle goodbye at age 25 so I suppose we're not as frugal as others.

WillTravel

There is some relationship between what you pay and what you get, but it's not so simple as that.

For example, on our last European trip in August 2007, our hotel rates for twin rooms ranged from $50 USD for a 5* hotel to $100 USD for a student residence with a shared bathroom.

I do like to have breakfast included, although it's not always possible. If it's a bad breakfast, I'd rather not, of course. My general focus is to find the perfect combination of cost and comfort and activities that lets us enjoy the trip.

Travelnut

We fall in-between but closer to the 'frugal' end I suppose.
<> 2-3* hotels, 80-150Euro/night
<> enjoy it if breakfast is included
<> we do our own booking, restaurants, sights, trains, etc.
<> I would never (ever) 'wing' it
<> I'm anti-social, so we don't do B&Bs.

simpsonc510

My DH and I enjoy traveling by the seat of our pants. We like to "discover" new places when possible. We always have a car, so we can make a quick choice at the fork in the road, so to speak. Our stays during the business portions of our trips are always booked way ahead, to make sure we have a room! It's those "in between the business portions" that are interesting and more spur of the moment.

We like places that are pobably 4* once in a while and will splurge on a 5* for something really special. We prefer breakfast to be included, but it isn't all the time.

Location is important. Weather is also a factor, when we are winging it. If it's too rainy in Switzerland, for example, we'll head south to a sunny place in Italy.

Travel is always an adventure for us. We very much like to go with the flow.

irishface

I know there are those who travel on less than I do, but I guess I fall at the frugal end of the scale. I enjoy B&Bs, but generally prefer to have my own toilet these days. I enjoy an occasional splurge for a meal, but tend to find something near wherever I am when I am hungry. Sometimes it's a ready made sandwich or cheese and fruit from a shop which I eat in the car or on a park bench where I can watch the people going by. sometimes it is a cafe or pub.

I go with a rough itinerary, but no prebooked rooms. If something looks better than what I planned, I can do it.

I generally travel by myself and find that it is easier to make conversation with others on trains or busses or in B&B's and restaurants/cafes. Being single I am used to being able to do what I want when I want. I love to get up really early and take off while the day is young.

However, my nieces and nephews all got trips to Europe with me when they were in the 10-13 range. Sometimes it was a pair of siblings; sometimes, cousins.
And those were all fun trips. They still talk and share their adventures with their spouses. Looking forward to taking the next generation which soon will be old enough.

nytraveler

We like luxury and a hotel with full services - but also like to get a bargain. So - if we're paying we try to do good deals at 4*. (Occasionally we'll do a splurge 5* for a special event.) We have stayed at a few chateaux, and like that - but don;t like the idea of a B&B - we don;t need new friends - and want a decent anonymity to our comings and goings.

For lunches we do casual local cafes or whatever - but we almost always do real dinners (changing beforehand to nicer clothes/shoes) and we generally do one splurge dinner in each city. We just grab the continental breakfast at the hotel - since that's what we do at home.

In terms of planning we organize hotels, a list of what we want to see/do (and what days they're closed) and perhaps a splurge restaurant or two. Then we play each day by ear - depending on weather, how early we want to get up (did we stay up late the night before) and mood. BUT - to do this you have to spend 4/5 days in most places - if you're rushing from one to another it's hard to work it this way.

When we have the time we do road trips - if the trip is shorter we usually do one city and day trips - or two close cities.

travel2live

Not frugal but careful. We stay in B&Bs just because that is our preference. And we, too, are introverted and somewhat antisocial but thus far have had very few occasions where we've shared a table with anyone else. Whew! So far we have been able to find B&Bs (4-5 star) for around 50 euros per double room. I am a homemaker so have time to spend researching like crazy. I usually start out with about 200 choices then start eliminating.

The reason we choose B&Bs is for charm and they are often located in areas inaccessible by buses and such. We love to have breakfasts included but would not necessary choose to have other meals included. We love breakfasts with freshly-laid eggs, home-baked breads and preservers, freshly squeezed juices from owners' trees, and so on.

A couple of times B&B owners have offered to make us local fixings for dinner which has been fantastic. We far prefer eating locally to anything else. An all-inclusive would be my idea of a nightmare. If I were to win an all-inclusive trip I would give it away. I hate beach holidays, too. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy walking on an isolated beach in Northern England or Italy but could never, ever lie on the beach day after day. I feel as though I would be missing out on something.

Food is extremely important to us so we will normally do 1-3 fine dining situations (local, though - unlike what we can get at home). For example, one of the best meals we have ever had involved truffle hunting and then going to a truffle restaurant in Croatia.

We often book some things in advance (i.e. that perfect B&B, Open tickets, theatre tickets, etc.) but we leave a few nights open each trip to "wing it". We normally do one or two theatre/arts productions, a symphony, play, opera per trip. We love adventure. I am super organized and a born planner so I record what I want to see/do but do not adhere to a daily schedule. Plans so often change, too, so we have certain flexibility.

We are thankful that money is not an issue with us BUT we still choose to spend wisely.

tuscanlifeedit

I am fairly frugal out of necessity, or self-imposed necessity: I would rather go twice a year than save for two years, so I go for less expensive accomodations. However, I do like a little comfort in hotels and apartments, so I research a lot to get the best we can for our money.

I don't like to "spend as little as possible" on rooms. As little as possible is not enough for the comfort I require at my age. However, we do luxury. Would if I could but I can't.

We don't take three week trips but I try to go 90 - 150 euro these days. Have spent a little more and a little less per night.

I don't care for B&Bs because I like anonymity on vacation. I would "prefer" four star hotels but settle for nice 2 and 3 stars, and even the occasional 1 star with great ratings.

We much prefer to eat at local places, but have had wonderful luck with offered meals at an agriturismo in Umbria.

Never wing it. Too tired and old to go looking for a room and too nervous to stay and spend someplace I haven't researched. Also too frugal: I can't spend a lot just because nothing else nice is available.

yk

Yes, I'm frugal. I'd rather spend more $ on one meal than one night's hotel.

I usually aim for < €120 for a double. The cheaper the better, but without compromising location. I'd rather pay €10-20 more to stay near the center of things, than to stay in the 'burbs.

If I'm traveling by myself, I usually aim for <€70.

Private bathroom is a must at this point of my life. I don't really care if I stay at a hotel or a B&B. I prefer B&B when traveling alone - easier to meet others.

I don't eat breakfast here at home, just coffee; so whether the hotel provides breakfast or not is not a big deal. Of course, if the rate includes breakfast, it's a plus and I'll actually eat breakfast. DH does eat breakfast, so it matters a little more if we travel together.

I'm way past my "winging it" days. I like to know that I have a place to sleep at when I'm traveling, and that it's a decent place rather than a bedbug-infested last-minute dump.

Lastly, in the US though, we're kind of spoiled by Priceline. We tend to stay at 4* hotels at 2* prices. Deals like this are not so common in Europe except for big cities.

nanabee

when my dh and i were younger we loved to travel frugally and see as much as we could of the country we were visiting. we loved to moped rather than rent a car, or stay in B&B's (when they were really a bargin),or college dorms during off-seasons, etc.

but as we've gotten older, we enjoy nicer accommodations, and expensive restuarants.

things change over time i guess!

willit

I'm in the "not quite as nice, but can afford to go twice" group. I am not a fan of hotels, preferring to rent apartments for a week at a time. Normally I would spend between €300-500 a week, but have spent more in Rome and Venice.

Living in Europe I have the advantage of budget airlines into most continental destinations, so tend to look for Ryanair's silly offers or similar.

Depending on destination, I am quite happy to use public transport, thus saving on car rental costs.

I don't scrimp on meals, but don't tend to eat out at expensive places anyway. Particularly in Italy, I have rarely found a poor restaurant.

isabel

My theory: the less you spend on hotels and meals means more days of travel (longer trips, more trips).

However, it has to be clean, safe, reasonably pleasant and well located. Absolutely no sense saving €20 or €50 or even more and having your trip ruined by really horrible hotels or something so far away from what you are going to see that you spend more on transportation getting to and from.

The soloution - planning! Do research, check reviews here and on tripadvisor, and map it. I've made 14 trips to Europe, averaging a total of a month a year, and can honestly say I've only stayed in a couple of places I wouldn't go back to (and they were both in London). I do believe you need to book ahead in order to be assured of nice places for less money.

I'm finding it interesting that so far about three quarters of the responses to this question are at least semi-frugal. It seems so many posters on this board (especially lately) have been asking about accomodations "under €300 a night" or similiar. I don't do hostals with shared rooms, and generally tend to prefer ensuite rooms (but will consider shared bathrooms in some places) but just can't understand why someone would spend hundreds for a room when it's so easy to get a clean, safe, pleasant, centrally located room for much less.

As far as meals that seems to be much more personal a decision. I'm personally not a foodie but have lots of friends who are and I'd never suggest they eat like I do (picnics, street food, less expensive restaurants). It's fine for me and it saves me tons of money, but for some people the eating is the main event and they need to (and should) spend more.

tripgirl

We are not frugal travelers, but we are very fortunate to have high enough incomes to justify it and its all paid in cash only. We love the pampering, we just love luxury; our own lifestyle at home is filled with alot of luxury and we see no reason to change that while on vacation.

That said we usually go for the luxury properties and if we can get a deal all the better. Not at all into B and B's, but smaller boutique properties are fine too. Once we did an apt in Cannes for the summer, really enjoyed that, we will do more of that in future. The apt was really nice and so we'll find luxury apts when we retire.

We spend alot on accomodations, but it is SO much a part of our experience, we really don't care.

Breakfast is nice to have included, but don't need the rest of the meals to be.

We never wing it. always plan, plan, plan; its half the fun. But we have made reservations for such and such place for dinner, only to cancel it because something else interests us. But I am glad we arrange alot in advance as it takes the pressure off and in our opinion we don't have to waste time hunting down accommodations and restaurants. But that said, we are all for exploring and don't need to know what we are doing every second.

cafegoddess

We are not frugal traveller. We are like tripgirl, we love room service, luxurious sheets and all the pampering that goes with a full service hotel. I guess for three weeks we want to feel like king and queen.

Nikki

I would say that I look more for value than for a specific budget. I don't generally look for luxury or pampering, although if I come across an especially good deal for something luxurious I would take it. I end up this way with quite a variety of accommodations, although almost all of them cost between 70 and 150 euros per night for two people (except in London, where I have paid more).

I have enjoyed 2, 3, and 4 star hotels as well as B&Bs. All depends on the specific place. In cities, my chief concern is location, and I am more likely to select hotels or apartments, depending on the length of stay and who I am traveling with. In the countryside, smaller inns and B&Bs.

I do book all accommodations ahead. Winging it sounds frustrating and exhausting at this stage of my life. Although driving across the US on the interstate with my daughter, we just saw how far we got and then looked for a motel, I don't want to do that on a European vacation.

Except for breakfast, I'd rather not have meals included most of the time. Occasionally, however, we have stayed at B&Bs in France that offered a table d'hote dinner, and those have been wonderful.

GUfruf

We go for luxury. When we are on vacation we want to be pampered. Nothing less than the equivalent of a 5*. We compare everything to the George V in Paris which is our favorite hotel. We don't mind spending a lot on a meal, but have often had good meals for very little also. We've worked hard(and still do)for what we have and luxury travel is our reward

kismetchimera

I am in between but I like to stay in a nice central located, clean hotel with all the amenities.
When I travel I never worry or research where to eat,I could be happy with a simple meal or a good panino and a glass of good Prosecco.

The main reason is that I know that when I visit various members of my family that live in different countries I am going to have delicious gourmet meals at their house.. So is not a big deal to eat frugally..

hetismij

It depends on the trip. If we are touring in Europe we will wing it, stay at any hotel or B&B that takes our fancy and has room. Breakfast is nice but not essential. We eat out in the local area.
Or we rent a cottage. Then we eat in a couple of times and eat out the rest.
If we are touring the US we have only the first night booked, to meet the immigration requirements, and because it's easier. There after we wing it. Then we do a couple of nights at a cheaper motel, and then a night at a more luxurious hotel.
If we go to Africa again (which I hope we will) we will go again for luxury tented camps.
To be honest in Europe I prefer to rent a place so we have a base and the freedom to stay at home for a day if we want to, and to cook for ourselves if we want to also.