Posted by Maria Dimitrova

Read this if: You’ve been dreaming about making  a trip around Europe but you are on a tight budget

If you’ve read the book “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert or watched the movie with Julia Roberts, it’s almost certain that you’ve felt the urge to pack a suitcase and embark on a life-changing adventure [ed. unless you are a man ]

Unfortunately, traveling is often connected with significant expenses and not everyone can afford it as often as they would like.

Here are some ideas how to travel around Europe when you are on a tight budget:

Transport

Transport costs are the first to be considered when planning a trip.

*Travel in the off season. Transatlantic airfares are most expensive in summer (Jun-Aug). If you are planning to travel late May/early June, or late Aug/early Sept., be aware that shifting departure date by just 1 day can sometimes save you hundreds.

* Travel midweek. Most airlines charge more for departures Friday-Monday.

* Pick the route less traveled. If your budget is really tight, leave luxury destinations like Paris, Vienna and Switzerland for some other time and opt for Mediterranean marvels and Eastern European beauties like Dubrovnik, Krakow, Prague and Budapest. Non-euro countries like Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania are the ultimate money-saver options.

* Compare fares . The three major online travel agencies (Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity) are good places to start your comparisons, as are meta-search websites that that search the airlines and the online travel agencies (including BookingBuddy.com, Kayak, farecompare.com, Mobissimo, and Yahoo! FareChase). If you are a student or under 26 years of age, take advantage of the discounts many companies are offering. Try student ticket agencies such as statravel.com ,studentuniverse.com travelcuts.com. Lufthansa has their own program for students: GenerationFly.

* Check low-cost airlines such as Easy Jet (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). They offer cheap daily flights all over Europe. If your travel dates are flexible, discount flights can save you time and money. The drawbacks you need to consider are that not all of these airlines offer a refund in case of a canceled flight and they use airports that are far from city centers so you have to plan some transport costs from the airport to the location of your accommodation.

A satisfied traveler shares about the cheap fares he paid using low-cost airlines:

“It cost me 20 pounds to fly from London to Amsterdam, 25 Euros to fly from Paris to Germany, and 60 Euros to go from Stockholm to Amsterdam. Book early, and you’ll scoop up great deals.”

* Book an open-jaw flight . If you’re planning to visit two countries in Europe, book a flight that arrives in one city and departs from another. Flying into London and out of Vienna, for example, saves you the hassle of returning from Austria to England for your return flight.

* Pack light. Checking in luggage is an extra cost. Aim to carry around 10 percent of your body weight. You can buy whatever you need upon arrival.

* Choose ground transport according to not only the budget but also the time you have to spend on traveling and how much you value comfort. Buses are budget-friendly but a very slow way of transport. If you don’t mind the long time spent in a bus, pack some good books and check the offers of the industry leader Eurolines. They have cushy seats and frequent pit-stops. Megabus is a cheap way to get across the United Kingdom, as fares can cost as little as one pound. You’ll need to book at least a month in advance on popular routes to get the one-pound fare.

A traveler shares about traveling by bus around Europe:

“One drawback to bus travel is that it’s a very slow ride. At one point on a bus trip I took to Toulouse, I recall looking out the window and watching a bicyclist pass us and ride off, disappearing over the horizon. “

* Get a rail pass if you choose the train for vast distances and you save a few hundred dollars. Italy is still known for its extensive rail network and low ticket prices. If you are traveling around Italy, a rail pass may not net you much savings. Just buy your tickets as you need them at the ticket window or the ticketing kiosks. Eurorail offers a cheap ticket for 22 countries

See how a traveler saved a large amount of money:

“If you’re getting your tickets in advance, ask at the window if there are other trains that might be cheaper that day – you never know. I’ve saved up to 60% of the price of a ticket just by taking a slightly slower train an hour later than the one I’d originally chosen. “

* Rent or lease a Diesel. For the confident traveler, renting a car can be one of the best ways to see parts of Europe that you’d never get a chance to experience otherwise. Some regional companies such as Pepe Cars (Spain and Italy) only allow travel within the pick-up country, but in turn offer great deals. Other larger international names such as Avis or Europcar, give you the freedom to pick up in one country and drop off in another for a slightly higher price.

In many countries, diesel fuel is subsidized, and costs far less than gasoline. It is also widely available, no need to worry about finding it. Many turbo diesels get great gas mileage as well. Leasing, or buy-back deals, can also save you money if you’re renting for more than 17 days.

* Walk. Don’t waste your money on cabs, gondola rides, carriage rides or any other form of transportation on the ground. The beauty of Europe is how walking-friendly it is. Bring comfortable shoes and enjoy discovering places while immersing in the city atmosphere.

Accommodation

* Hostels. They are usually the cheapest accommodation option. For much less than a hotel room, hostel goers get basic shared accommodations and a bathroom down the hall. Many hostels now also offer private single or double rooms for those willing to pay extra. Before booking a hostel, check its customer satisfaction rankings on Hostelworld.com to make sure it meets your standards. The YMCA and YWCA also offer cheap accommodation Europe wide, and you don’t need to be religious to stay there. Couples, however cannot share a private room unless they are married.

* Budget hotel chains. They are suitable for travelers who only use a hotel room to sleep. The least expensive of these hotels (including Etap and Formule 1) offer small rooms, shared baths, and minimal service. A step up from these “super-budget” chains, Europe’s other budget hotels (including Holiday Inn Express, Ibis, and Premier) are on par with budget chains in the U.S.

* Vacation rentals. Staying in an apartment, a townhouse, or a villa can be a cheaper alternative to hotels. Vacation rentals tend to have more space for living and sleeping than hotel rooms, and also feature kitchen facilities, which can cut down on food costs. Sites like apartmentsapart.com, Vacation Rentals by Owner, CyberRentals.com, and VacationHomes.com list properties by destination, complete with photos.

What a traveler shares:

“We found a cozy little apartment on Ile St. Louis in Paris that worked out to about $150 a night, including all fees; the least expensive hotel we could find in the same neighborhood was more than $200 a night, not including taxes. The apartment had a kitchen, which saved us money on meals, and a washer/dryer combination, which allowed us to pack exceptionally light. Of course, it was on the fifth floor of a building that had no elevator, but we figured the exercise was good for us.”

* College areas . If you’re visiting a city with a strong college presence, you may be able to save by staying in the area surrounding the university. Since these areas are often off the beaten path, you’ll be able to find cheaper accommodations, as well as less-touristy restaurants, cafes, and shops.

Food

* Shop for food at the local market. These daily or weekly markets offer produce, bread, cheeses, and other picnic essentials at inexpensive prices. A few picnic meals and bagged lunches instead of restaurant meals can help keep food costs down.

* Cook in the apartment you’ve rented.

* Take advantage of the lunch bargains some restaurant offer. In countries like Spain, restaurants offer full three course meals, often with wine or beer and coffee, for a set price at lunch time, often for less than 8 Euros (service is included). You’ll see the notice on restaurant windows. [ed. check out the all-you-can-eat salad buffets in Spain too. Fresh food for amazing prices]

Dealing with money

* Use your ATM card for cash. Banks charge higher fees for overseas transactions, but you’re still better off using ATMs than most currency-exchange kiosks. Withdraw large amounts – $200 to $300 at a time so that the $1.50-to-$3 fees your bank charges don’t add up. Also, make sure you know your numeric PIN as European keypads usually don’t have letters on them and try to make your withdrawals at a bank during business hours, in case your card gets eaten. If you use a currency-exchange service, choose one that posts the rates at which it buys as well as sells currency. Avoid currency-exchange kiosks that have more than a 5% gap between the buy/sell prices and watch out for “commission” which is just a way to sting you for more fees. You can always get the latest rates from Oanda.

* Keep your receipts with a tax free shopping voucher for each item and save up to 25% of what you’ve spent by getting a refund of the value-added tax (VAT) you pay in European countries. You can do this at the airport on your way out of the country. Follow the instructions in your guidebook for claiming your refund.

Attractions and shopping

* Check for discount cards for museums and other attractions when you go to the local tourist information center and find out whether the museums you would like to visit have free days. They can also be purchased online at a website like EuropeanCityCards.com, hotels, and museums. Beware that many discount cards have a time limit and if you are not a museum lover who plans to see lots of museums in a couple of days, then it might not be worth buying such a card.

* Avoid shopping from (or eating at) places near tourist attractions as the prices are highly marked up there. Real flea markets are a good place for bargains.

Another tip from a traveler:

“In Florence, I found great deals on secondhand pottery, antique fabrics and old lithographs, along with headless Barbies and enormous vinyl record collections, at the flea market on Piazza dei Ciompi; it’s held on the last Sunday of each month. Prices are negotiable, so you’ll need to exercise your haggling skills.”

* Take advantage of the phone applications that provide information about all aspects of a vacation – attractions, maps, transport, etc. Such apps include TripIt, TripDeck, FlightTrack, OffMaps 2, Evernote, Currency Convertor, etc.