Interesting idea.
We used to be 2 but as we get older moving on up to 3 - life gets shorter all the time.
Wouldn't mind trying 4 though .... sigh

Any volunteers to tally up the results?
:-)

Hi suze, it appears julies has forgotten about her "survey", lol.

Category 2 with occasional splurges. I don't need room service or other amenities. I prefer smaller guesthouses and family-run hotels to 4 star hotels.

Actually LI she did tally up the results... but put it in a new and separate post... let's see... it's around here somewhere
;-)

the tally is at
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35109715

2.5

((H))

category 3

I guess I am a Cat. 2 but I am a 27 year old grad student with a LIMITED budget, but who tries to get to Europe every 2-3 years. I'm going for 2 weeks in May, so here are my personal guidelines which tend to be the same:

Hotels: I never spend less than $50 or more than $75 per person for a room (I usually go with one other person). Breakfast MUST be included!

Flight (roundtrip from Chicago): No more than $700: I look at a variety of cities to fly into, variety of dates, and because I am more flexible, I can get cheap rates. Although, my flight this time is $766 into Munich, but not too much over my limit!

Food: No more than $35 per day (why I must have bfast in hotel), especially since I eat a light lunch and have free bfast, no need to go over

Transportation within Europe (depending on how many cities I visit): generally I keep it to $200-300. In May I am going to Munich, Salzburg, Venice, Florence, Rome by train, then flying to Amsterdam, then flying to Munich--flights curtesy of my father's frequent flyer miles (which he gets from work travels). In order for me to use them, this is my "birthday" or "Christmas" present (or both) since I'd rather travel than get gifts anyways. Looking at rates, I am going to be spending around $280-$300 this time.

Shopping: I try to get one item for my house to display, I'm not big on spending money on clothes, etc--I'd rather use the money to go to another city if possible--but one thing I get in EVERY place I go to is a patch that I sew onto my bookbag. It's a conversation starter no matter where I travel, it's a fun collection, and it's more meaningful than a purse or shoes.

Sights: No more than $20-30 a day, depending on where I am. Since my birthday is a week before I leave, for my birthday presents from family/friends, I am asking that they purchase tickets/passes for me, which I will be technically using around my birthday. Since you can get tickets online now, to save money this is a good idea of what to ask for, especially if you cannot think of things you want/need for birthdays/holidays/etc.

I recognize this is INCREDIBLY cheap and yes, if I had more money (which I don't) I'd probably have more fun or could take more confortable flights/trains/hotels. However, my priorities are SEEING as many things as I can for a CHEAP price. It's doable, but takes A LOT OF TIME to search for deals.

I look at it this way, while my friends are spending their money on houses and cars and expensive trips in the U.S., I've been all over Europe several times and have seen more things than they have in their lifetime. It's all about what you value more!

Goferfan, you sound identical to me. Exact same budgets and priorities: seeing as much as you can w/the allotted budget and time. So far, this has never hindered my enjoyment of a trip, but it does often take several months of planning and countless wed searches.

ack, "web* searches," rather.

Rachellia, Yes I cram in a lot, which a lot of Fodorites don't approve of, which I understand, but I've never been able to sit still and "stroll" anyways (I am sure it will catch up to me when I am older). My view is, you never know what the future brings so I may as well get in as much as I can now rather than regret not seeing a place later! :)

topping a previous post that i think shows WHY a Budget Travel forum would never work on Fodor's.

first you'd have to all agree on the definition of the word budget. second what it applies to: air fare, hotels, eating, transportation, some or all of these categories.

For all those who took issue with the original post here, I beg to differ. Upon reading the responses, seems like it has been quite worthwhile. Most of those who argued that it was too simplistic provided interesting feedback, even though it did not fit neatly into one of the OP's numbered categories.
BTW, I am 2-3, with, as many have indicated, occasional splurges when I deem it a good value or it suits me.