Food and Drink

Food and drink, especially if you drink alcohol, are probably the all-time European budget-busting champions, with food taking overall honors by a nose. Whenever possible, buy food in stores, head for the nearest park, and chow down. This can lead to a somewhat dull diet of bread, yogurt, cheese, and fruit (the four basic European travelers foods), but you won’t spend much money and you will eat fairly well.

Most Europeans (the English and Scandinavians are notable exceptions) have a different idea of what breakfast means than do most of their visitors - typically some form of bread and coffee - so be sure to ask what you are going to get before buying that hostel breakfast. In Scandinavia, hostel breakfasts are typically fairly elaborate affairs of yoghurt, muesli, fish, and so on, and are usually very good deals. Whenever you have a chance to all-you-can-eat in Scandinavia, you should - and eat until you are bloated like a beached whale. Food is very expensive in those countries. In England, the cholesterol assault known as the full English breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, beans, cereal, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, and tea) can keep you going until dinner if you adopt the same tactic of scarfing until you can barely walk.

The McDonald’s factor

You will go to and eat at a McDonald’s when you are in Europe. If you’re an American, yes, I know that you wouldn’t be caught dead in one while in the States, and, yes, if you took a date to one in your hometown, you would face a hurricane of ridicule and abuse. Yes, I know that you are going to Europe to experience authentic foreign culture, not transplanted American fast food.

Museums

Don’t try to go cheap here. By all means, skip a museum because you’re sick of them and don’t want to see another painting for the rest of your life, but don’t skip a major museum just to save money. For example, there is a copy of Michelangelo’s David in the main square of Florence. Since there is usually a line, and always a charge (about USD 8 without a discount), to see the real thing, some people are satisfied to see the copy. They are making a huge mistake. I agree that USD 8 is a lot of money to pay to see one statue, but when you get home you will regret not seeing the real, honest-to-God David for about the price of a movie. (You should regret it, by the way. The copy is nothing like the real thing.) If you are going to a large number of museums, however, this can cost some serious money: five or six dollars here and there can add up. Some hints:

- Going to Europe without an International Student Identification Card (ISIC) or a youth or teacher card if you are eligible, or not using one if you have one, is simply throwing money away. See Chapter 3, “What to take,” for more on these.
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Saving Money

While in Europe you will obviously want to spend wisely, and not blow money unnecessarily. The most flexible budget items are museums and attractions, and food and drink, and the amount spent on either is entirely a matter of personal preference. My thoughts on these follow; as always, take them for what they’re worth in your situation and on your trip.

Older Travelers

Older travelers shouldn’t be deterred from touring Europe independently or on a budget - believe me, there are plenty of other people your age doing it. “Youth hostels” have renamed and reinvented themselves as places where anyone can stay, regardless of age (except in Bavaria, which clings to a limit of 26 and under). There are even “elder hostels” if you can’t stomach the idea of youth hostels. Make inquiries of tourist offices if you are interested in these, both before you go and while you’re abroad. The only real age penalty I can think of is with some train passes and tickets, which must be validated before the user’s 26th birthday. However, there are passes specifically designed for seniors. And if you are fifty or older, bring proof of that fact. There are hundreds of discounts in Europe for seniors as well as for the young. Other than that, I’ve just made a few special notes throughout the text that relate specifically to older travelers, and remember, I’ve managed to fill an entire book with advice for travelers of ail ages.

- If you are a student, you may have surprising rights in your country of choice, such as financial assistance with school costs, books, and so. on - France, for example, will help buy your textbooks. You may have to do some checking, but it could be well worth your while.

Longer Trips

One of my readers (Cathy from Montreal) wrote me a letter a few months ago, and said that I should have included a few words for those who are going to Europe for a long while, say for a semester or a year abroad. She was quite right and you may thank her for the following advice:

- For those who are going abroad to live, rather than travel continuously, “travel light” should be modified to something along the lines of “travel smart.” Since you will have a base to store your things, you can bring a bit more stuff, but as always, bring what you need, and need what you bring.

- The normal airline limit of two seventy-pound bags plus carry-on should be enough to last you for quite some time, although if you are bringing books you may need another bag (at a cost of roughly one to two dollars a pound).

- I assume part of the reason you’re going abroad is to get a better understanding of the country you’re visiting. Don’t try to re-create home by bringing it with you. (For example, don’t bother with ten extra bottles of shampoo - Europeans wash their hair too and you’re sure to find a new brand you’ll like.) On the other hand, products like Walkmans, running shoes, cameras, and other consumer goods will cost much more in Europe (not to mention they use different outlets and voltage, discussed on p.69). They will be available of course, but at a stiff price. Bring these with you along with LOTS of film.
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Shorter Trips

If you are working, rather than a student, teacher, or person of independent wealth, spending a whole summer wandering around Europe is probably not possible. For someone who has only two or three weeks to travel, the priorities change. Planning ahead to make the most of your limited time is essential, and a trip can and should be planned out day by day. Not very spontaneous, I know, but two weeks just doesn’t allow for that. On the other hand, two weeks is plenty of time to see some truly wonderful places in Europe, and is a heck of a lot better than not going at all. Also, the short-term traveler has one huge advantage over the summer traveler: the ability to go before June or after August. If you have a choice, by all means avoid the summer crowds and heat and go in spring or early fall. Between October and April, however, you should expect some fairly cold weather, even m southern Europe. Some thoughts about a two- or three-week trip:

- Decide whether you want to explore one or two cities, or see the most famous bits of three cities. Anything more than three cities or (two regions) is going to be too much.

- Traveling by night train is recommended, especially if you are able to get a decent nights sleep in a somewhat noisy environment. More on this in the section on trains in Chapter 6, “Getting around.”

Working Abroad

Here’s a hot tip: there is one country where working to earn money for a European trip is better than any other. There are no language problems, no problems with taxes or laws, and the wages are relatively high. On top of that, prospective European travelers are welcomed wholeheartedly by the locals. This wondrous country, for Americans, is called the United States of America. Another profound truth learned at great pain. The best place for Americans to work to pay for a European trip is right at home. Why go to Europe and get some miserable low-paying job that barely covers food and rent when you could sacrifice some free time in the States and then travel without the need to work? Oh, yeah: “But I’ll be in Europe while I work.” True, but you will be working, possibly illegally, probably very hard, and probably for low wages, and all the while your vacation will be ticking by. Why not sacrifice some time at home and earn the money here, with housing, transportation, and all the other life issues already settled? Just my opinion.

If you have a great job lined up in Europe, that’s different. If the money earned is secondary to the purpose of being immersed more deeply in the culture, by all means, go for that job. But to earn money efficiently, there’s no place like home.

For Canadians, Kiwis, Aussies, and those from other Commonwealth countries, the picture is slightly different. Britain has a policy of grudgingly allowing descendants of its former colonists back to the motherland to work, though with many restrictions. Commonwealth citizens with one or more grandparents born in Britain may not need a work permit at all, though they must apply for entry. Commonwealth citizens between ages 17 and 26 can apply to be “working holiday-makers” and stay for up to two years, though working no more than half the time of their stay. Be aware that these policies may have changed since this book went to press, so call the embassy of your country of interest for more information.
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Extra Money, you say?

Not everyone is on the strictest of budgets. For those fortunate few of you who are not, realize that your extra money can go pretty far in Europe. If I had, say, USD 1000 to add to my “realistic budget,” my first priority would be to buy more rail travel power. As I detail in Basics #2, an unlimited pass is more than worth the money it costs. The next upgrade would be for accommodation - an occasional hotel to break up the hostel routine. After that would come food, then some truly nice souvenirs. Last on the list would be getting around in cities and upgraded air travel. I’m not mentioning museums because, as I will discuss in a few pages, museums, monuments, and other cultural attractions should never be scrimped on in the first place.

For those of you with no limit to your budget at all, you will find plenty of places in Europe that will be happy to take as much money as you can spend, and provide you with exquisite surroundings and impeccable service in exchange. A large resort is a large resort anywhere in the world; where Europe truly shines in upscale travel is in small, old, family-run hotels and inns that offer a level of personal service and hospitality that can’t be found anywhere else. If you’re going on a trip that includes these kinds of places, all I can say is: take me with you!

Don’t Overeconomize

Those are the numbers. They may not be exact, but they do represent a realistic estimate of what a trip to Europe will cost. Remember that some of the expenses listed, such as food, would also have to be paid for if you stayed home. If you consider that you may not be paying rent while you travel, nor driving your car if you have one, the cost picture may look a lot better. Subletting or moving out of your apartment can obviously save a great deal of money and can mean the difference between going and staying for many people, especially students. I recommend subletting, but this is difficult in most university towns, so try to arrange it as early as possible.

At the risk of driving you into debt, here’s my philosophy on spending on a European trip. If this is going to be the trip of a lifetime, spend a bit more and have the kind of trip you want. Students, trust me, USD 300 buys a lot more happiness at 20 than at 30, even if you could afford to take the whole summer off to go travel at that age. Since many students are graduating with a pretty hefty debt anyway, a few hundred bucks on top of that pile is not going to seem like much, especially when viewed from the distance of a couple of years. For both students and non-students, if you have the money, there are few better places to spend it than in Florence, Dublin, Barcelona, or Prague.

If you Think you can do it cheaper

I’m sure there’s some go-cheap commando out there who claims to have been traveling since 1995 on less than the USD 1810/USD 2010 I mention above. If you have done that, or know how to live on less than, say, USD 30 a day while seeing something of Europe, I’d love to hear from you. I cannot in good conscience advise a lower budget for the first-timer, unless you have extensive cheap travel experience in the States or your home country; or you have contacts in Europe who would be willing to put you up when you arrive penniless at their door. Do not try the “I can get there - I’ll worry about getting back later” approach.

And don’t even think about the idea of “I can always appeal to my embassy - they won’t abandon a fellow citizen so far from home.” They will. Your nation’s embassies overseas will barely notice if you drop dead in their doorways. Providing irresponsible travelers with money to get home is not their top priority, and believe me, they have heard every sob story known to man.