natlove

So far I've saved up 1000 us dollars. I really want to go to France with my daughter for about 10 or 12 days. What can I do with that and where can I really go. Airfare is Not included in the 800. I'm sure I can save a little more by the end of August of 2010 which is when I want to go. We both like museums, castles, beaches and such... She's 8 but really likes to see new and exciting things and she Loves vacations. I just want to go for the experience and see whatever I can see on that very small budget. I like cheap restaurants and we can survive on sandwiches and soup.
Accepting any suggestions. Thanks all in advance.

Luisah

If you could go off season it would save on airfare and hotels. Summer is high season so there won't be many bargains. If you could go for a week on your daughter's school break in winter or fall you might get better prices.

Keep saving and you'll find some way to do it.

yk

Some money-saving ideas are:

1) Limit yourself to 2 destinations max. The more you move around, the more money it costs (on transportation).

2) Try to rent apartment instead of staying in hotels. That way, you can buy food from supermarkets and eat-in as much as you want. You can definitely eat breakfasts and dinners at the apartment; as for lunch, you can make sandwiches in the morning and take them with you.

3) Central Europe in general will be cheaper than Western Europe.

4) Off-season is a great time to go. Fewer people and better deals.

illnative

I would recommend starting a budget and see how many days your $1000 will last. Possibly your biggest expense would be lodging - so start there. For example - if you have done some research and know hotels in France for 2 will cost approximately $100 per night (which I don't think is realistic, by the way) then you will chew through $700 of your budget in 7 nights. Then is 300$ enough to do what you want to do for those 7 days (including eating, transportation, museum entrances, etc. etc.) ? My guess is you are looking at a 5 day trip at the max on that budget - assuming the airfare is outside of that.

Sharpen the old pen and pencil (or excel file!) and see where you can get on the money you have saved.

Luisah gives good advice on traveling in the off season so save money.

Also keep in mind fluctuating exchange rates can play havoc with even the best planning

Good Luck.

yk

I want to clarify:
Renting an apartment will be a lot cheaper than staying at hotels, cost-wise, if you're not needing a luxury apartment. In addition, you can save money on meals since you'll have access to fridge, stove, microwave etc in the kitchen.

Just as an example, we are heading to Berlin soon and I found a studio apartment for 315 euros/week. There is NO WAY I can find any hotel that is comparable in rates, unless we stay at some fleabag places outside of the city; or a dorm room at hostels.

blh

At the present exchange rate, $1,000 is only 684€. That doesn't buy much. You could probably pay for an inexpensive hotel for a week(or preferably a studio apartment) - but that would be about it. You would still have transportation costs, food, etc. You could find enough free things to do in Paris to keep you busy, but you still have to eat even if you buy your food at the grocery. You may be able to get a break on a rental as August is supposed to be slow in Paris.

I think I would start by trying to find an apartment. I don't think you will have money for transportation to other countries as that would really add to your expense. Also, although you might find a cheaper rental in the outer areas of Paris, then you would have the transportation to pay for. But a week's metro cost might be cheaper in the long run.

See what you can find - and good luck!

lincasanova

You and your daughter could stay at the youth hostel and even have some meals there to help stay within budget in Paris.

http://www.mije.com/index_individuels.asp

Another destination that would be very interesting and is well priced is the Rhein -Mosel area. Tons of castles to see and bike and ferry rides. B+B's are VERY reasonable and meals abundant and cheap.

suze

I think you need to stay in one place only, and rent an apartment as inexpensive as you can find. Try to locate it so you can walk to things. I would try for Paris, since it would be easy to get to and offers the most to see and do in one place. Basically if you locate centrally you can walk to everything. That said, your budget may be prohibitively low.

(I assume you want to go to France since that's how this post is tagged.)

worldinabag

Hi

Pheow, tough ask! As suggested, getting an apartment and doing your own cooking is a good start. I also suggest going in the second half of September - prices are easing and crowds are thinning. What about Tuscany? For eg. http://www.rent-holiday-homes.com/Ho...taly-d283.html. What about Andalusian Spain? Check out www.vrbo.com. What about homestays? In Spain try http://www.venamicasa.com. Try - http://rentals.loquo.com/english or http://www.idealista.com or http://www.easypiso.com. Check out Greece and its islands and Turkey - maybe start with VRBO. Good luck

janisj

The best way to meet your budget -- go for ONE week. I don't think you could manage anyplace in Europe for the 2 of you for 2 weeks. Rent a studio apartment, and eat most meals in.

One week would be doable in lots of places - but $500 a week for 2 (even though she is young, shes will still eat) would be totally impossible.

blh

Here is an apartment that looks nice and rents for 550€ for a week: http://www.vrbo.com/43745

And a hotel for 51-60€ per night: http://www.parisluxhotel.com/

natlove

Thank you everyone for your help. As I am a teaching assistant I can only go in the summer months. Cant really do Christmas, however I do have until August to save some more money. I really want to visit Europe so I will make it work by saving and eliminating some other bills. I also have a cousin in the area of Hethrow London so I might look into that. I will looking into studios. Worldinabag thanks for the ideas. I might just go to Spain or Italy, sounds good. I am still trying to figure things out.
Thanks everyone.. Keep the suggestions coming, thanks

natlove

Thanks blh

Apres_Londee

I think you can eke out a week in Paris on a very small budget. Your daughter will have free admission to the museums and there are plenty of nice parks and public spaces.

An apartment is definitely the way to go, like others have said you can eat breakfast and dinner at home and even pack lunch if you had to. Neighborhoods that are slightly off the major tourist track- like arr 11, 12, 14- will have cheaper apartments, shops and cafes.

There is one super low-budget apartment where I stayed about a year and a half ago, where I was quite happy- another poster has stayed here as well....It's in the 11th, a very small simple studio and it's on the french 6th floor with no elevator. That means there are about 80 or 90 stairs to climb- a big winding staircase with shallow, low-rise steps. It's very close to a metro station and there is a discount grocery store nearby. The owners are wonderful. It may not be suitable for you but I thought I'd suggest it - price is 300 euro/week.

http://www.slowtrav.com/cl/detail.asp?l=1208

http://www.vrbo.com/201433

(it is much brighter than it looks in those photos- but it is small and simple make no mistake)

amsdon

Do participate in any rewards programs through your bank or CC ? It may help on the flights or even hotels.
And it sure would help if family members would think of gift cards that apply to travel.

janisj

homelidays.co.uk is a good site for budget flats. They list a LOT of apartments in Paris. It is sort of like vrbo - you make the first contact w/ the owner through homelidays and after that you deal w/ the owners directly.

They have a lot of lower price flats that still have nice amenities/locations.

Some agencies recommended on here for Paris tend to be fairly posh/expensive.

Cries_Van_Notebook

How are you getting to Europe??

Because you have not figured airfare into your budget.

For the hell of it, I went to Expedia and plugged in two tickets from JFK to Fiumicino (Rome) for August 6-13, 2010 and the cheapest flight was Swiss Air at $2130 for both tickets.

Now, who knows if the airfare will drop the closer you get to buying the tickets, but you get my drift.

You are worrying about a $1000 budget when you haven't even figured out what your airfare will be (and could be TWICE your budget).

Thin

zeppole

If you have a cousin in the vicinity of Heathrow, I would definitely see if you can come to an arrangement to visit -- perhaps during the time they are off on holiday and you'll promise to water the plants? Although it's not an idea spot for touring London, it's a pretty good base for castles and other fun things -- and London is not out of reach. One great thing about London over Paris as a destination is all the museums are free.

You and your daughter can make an adventure of being super-budget picnic travelers.

You don't have to answer this question publicly but: Is there a grandparent anywhere in this picture who might kick in $100 for treats?

I live in Europe and travel super-cheaply all the time. Still, I can't think of any way you are going to be safely, cleanly located in a major European capital for two weeks on that budget.

Also, depending on your location, this may not work but: Have you checked out going to the French-speaking parts of Canada? Sounds less romantic, I know, but you won't get killed by the exchange rate and the food and art offerings can be remarkably good.

bertrand

Hi my name is Bertrand,
Try these hotel-chains :
hotelformule1.com
etap'hotel.com
b&bhotel.com
premierclasse.fr
They are similar as motel6, cheap and not too far from the city center. Present in the major european countries.

bertrand

It's me, once again.
Cheap but very good and safe airlines : easyjet.com and airberlin.com