Budgeting

Budgeting is a touchy subject. Some people are going to have more money and/or different standards than others, some people are going to get lucky and find a great deal, while others may not. Also, everyone has an optimum point where they feel the trade-off between saving money and spending money is going to result in the best trip. On one hand, you really do want to save money, but on the other, you have spent quite a bit just to get to Europe, may not be back for years, and want to get as much out of the trip as possible. If you have a fixed amount of money, and I mean really fixed, the task is easier - you have to stick to that budget no matter what. For everyone else, that “rock-solid” budget may prove alarmingly expandable.

The brutal truth is that most of Europe is expensive. I took a seven-week trip to Europe specifically to prepare for writing the fourth edition of this book, and saved every receipt, logged every expense, and tried to note every pound, mark, krone, or franc I spent. It was an eye-opener. The minor expenses - tram tickets, tube tickets, museums, phone calls, ice cream, newspapers, and so on - really do add up. Don’t be surprised if you go over even the most carefully planned budget. Aussies and Kiwis should add about USUSD 400 to the budgets that follow to account for the higher airfares, while Brits can pretty much deduct the airfares altogether.