I love travelling. I especially love going to Europe. Why? Because, for someone on a budget, the interconnected countries and the transit systems make it much easier to enjoy a multitude of experiences. Traveling to Asia and Africa are more challenging because of natural terrain and lack of modernization in places. Europe does not have this issue.
First, as an American, I love my country. However because of my military brat upbringing, I’ve seen much of it and frankly – we’re a pretty young country. Europe is steeped in history of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of years of life, death, and all the lessons in between. They’ve rambled through ages of art, music, and philosophy to get where they are today. I am fascinated by that journey and in many places, you can still see it firsthand.
“But it’s so expensive”
Nonsense. It takes some forethought and planning along with some concessions for common sense to have a great trip without breaking the bank. In 2006 I went to France for 3 weeks and spent (travel, lodging, food, gifts, etc.) a total of 1800 dollars. 3 weeks. In 2008, my sister and I went to Spain for a week but spent a bit more (I’ll explain in a moment). In 2013, my husband and I went to Paris for a week and spent almost 4000 dollars total.
Why the differences? Timing, expectations, and planning.
In 2006, I spent months researching how to get around France; how and where the locals stayed and the seasons when it was most affordable. I put the airfare watch systems on searches for flights that dropped below a certain price point, and when it happened – I pounced. I researched lodging and the various cities I wanted to possibly visit.
End result: Fabulous trip
1. Traveled for the week before, during and after Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving is an American holiday. In Europe, it’s just another day. A day their kids are in school and there are few tourists. The weeks before are the end of wine season, you can still take tours and the weather in the south is lovely. The weeks after are the beginning of the preparation for Christmas, sales abound and the decorations are going up in Paris – it’s beautiful. It’s not peak season, so it’s the lowest rates for just about everything. Lines for the tourists sites are low to non-existent and there are deals everywhere to encourage people to visit.
2. I did not want to be an “American tourist”. I speak French and was more interested in relaxing and enjoying the country like a local. Eating at the small out of the way places and shopping / cooking my food when I was able. Because of that, staying in a chain hotel held little / no appeal. I looked into small neighborhood B&B style places and hostels – but the reputable chain hostels with memberships and security (I’m not crazy!). I found that many of these places were full of students traveling between secondary school and university or other American and Canadians trying to vacation during non-peak season on a budget. It was great – I found places that were semi-private rooms, reasonable bathroom facilities, super cheap (why waste money on the storage facility for my clothes and where I sleep, when it can go to food, wine, and gifts?), safe (register in and out with 24 hour staff monitoring entrance), with on-site food if needed and laundry. Perfect. My expectations were basic – I had no illusions of “living large” in Paris, but in my own way I very much did.
3. The planning came in knowing where I wanted to go at which points of the trip. I wanted to take a “train” vacation where I bought the country-wide pass and traveled from Paris to Bordeaux to Lyons (which later I changed to Nimes on a whim). I could stop when/where I wanted along the way or change my destinations if I wanted. I preplanned my time in Paris and the hostel stay there, simply to make getting to/from the airport simpler and to have set plans for arrival and getting home. I found a lovely little hotel in Bordeaux and booked a night, with the intention of adding nights as needed. Nimes was a very interesting stay in a hostel that while very nice involved walking up a mountain about 2 miles. I did it, but I didn’t stay there past 2 days. By taking the time to make those plans, I was able to know when I could best take a full day for Versailles. I knew that Lyons wouldn’t be a good choice for that trip because I would want to go to Geneva from there and didn’t buy the multi-country train pass to keep within my budget. (Next time!) I knew to buy certain types of tourist passes in the US because they were actually cheaper than buying them on the ground in France. I picked neighborhoods with Metro, local grocery, and a nearby hospital to stay in while not staying in the general tourist district.
4. Note: This trip was much manageable because a: the dollar was better valued then, b: I was traveling alone, and c: I didn’t have a daily agenda of “sites to see”
Now, on to Spain…
For me, this trip was harder. My sister speaks Spanish fluently, while I’m conversational at best, and I had done little planning for the trip. (I rather expected she had and the lesson learned there is, do your own work – always.) Because of this, I didn’t know much about how things worked in Spain specifically – though I learned that the train system there was much more challenging than in France. We stayed in a nice hotel in Madrid, but it turned out to be much farther from the city center and I wasn’t feeling well at all most of the trip. We took a day trip to Barcelona (which I loved!) and while impetuous, it was a great city. We both realized we would enjoy the Spanish coastline cities much more. Madrid was a little too much modern city for me and had lost the old-world charm of Europe I adore. We did eat at the best local restaurant with shared tables and later that night a Parade del Morte – so that was wonderful.
I feel like we chose poorly on time of year to go, it was tourist heavy and because we only had a week – it wasn’t relaxing trying to figure out what we “had to see” before we left the country. I would love to go back with more time and more planned cities to visit. Luckily, my husband is of a like mindset. Pricewise, we still did well by searching online in advance for sale websites and Spanish run hotel companies.
Back to Paris…
While 4000 seems like a lot of money, most of that was the flight. The cost of travel and gas really hurt the budget. Late winter is actually a decent time to go to Paris, it’s normally mild (though this year it was freezing cold!) and still not quite warm enough for the major tourist travel. We stayed in a decent hotel near the Metro and RER train stations . A hotel because we’re married and don’t want to share a room or bathroom – so knowing that we would have to pay a bit extra. It wasn’t that bad and the location was key to being able to do more in a week. While this was a bit more “sightseeing” planned, we still slept in and ate at little cafes while relaxing. We only did one “thing” each day. Including seeing a Worldcup Qualifier Match (France v Spain)… so that was pretty good, in my opinion. My husband loved the city and especially enjoyed Versailles. We walked and just soaked up the time together and the immense culture around us. Next time we go back, we’ll do the countryside and possibly visit other countries as well. So, I’m going to say that with the economic conditions – the trip cost us about 1000 more than I would have liked / think is necessary but the late winter-early spring timing also played into our final numbers.
Now, on to your trip:
If you’re traveling in a group or solo, research and don’t fear hostels. There are several highly commended companies globally that you can join. You pay a membership fee but that gives you a lot of perks. (The fee is not much at all.) Otherwise, look for vacation homes to rent, small hotels and B&Bs to use for lodging. Chain hotels will cost more. Modernization and extras will cost more. You’re going to a foreign country for the experience – do you need a elevator (and if you do, that’s fine – just be aware there are limited places that have them in what are mostly historical buildings), a private shower, do you need room service, laundry services, a large spacious room, a pool or hot tub, or a host of other amenities that are more standard in the US because we have the space and newer buildings to accommodate them?
Know yourself and health needs. There are plenty of public transportation options throughout Europe from trains to buses, and flight hops between countries actually can be affordable if you research it. If you can’t walk long distances, that’s ok – just arrange for tourbus passes before you go to the country. Know where the Metro stop nearest your lodging is located and how to use the local transit system in the most economical way. Understand how the pharmacy works in the respective country and what, if any, medical needs you may have that could require a visit there or to a hospital. Learn those words in the native language!!
Lastly, study up on the cultures. You’ll have an easier and much more pleasant trip if you’re able to observe the cultural niceties expected by the local population. You don’t have to learn the language, but know some of the greetings and pleasantries that convey common courtesy. Practice the patience you would want if someone who didn’t speak your language were trying to communicate. Finally, and this will be the last thing most people think of, research how the locals dress. If you can blend with the locality more, you reduce yourself as a target for thieves, con artists, and those salespersons that like to adjust the price for tourists (I see you Spain!).
A lot of work? Yes – but totally worth it. Once you’ve done it, you’ll see it’s not actually hard. As for resources, start with Google. Airfarewatchdog.com, lastminutetravel.com, vacationhomerentals.com, hostel sites, and other budget travel sites.
Bon Voyage!
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