How much to bring?

[alysee]

My boyfriend and I will be travelling through europe for 2 months. We haven't finalized where but most likely Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal. How much money in Canadian dollars should we bring? Or how much should we expect to be spending each day roughly.

alysee

[me]

cash? i'd say bring none. leave it in a bank account accessible by ATM. also, get a second ATM card - in case one gets damaged.

if you wanna bring cash, or even traveler's checks (which are no longer widely accepted), i've read on here that you should bring US$, not CN$. <i was surprised by this, but that's what they told me>

[MuvverRussia]

Budget wise, I'd suggest about €50-60 per person per day. A lot of the countries you've listed are expensive. So that works out at about €6000 - €7200, or in Canadian dollars between $9200 - $11000.

Access wise, David's advice is spot on. ATMs all the way.

[Eagle]

alysee, a few more comments to add to the others.

Or how much should we expect to be spending each day roughly.

This will depend to some extent on your travel style? Will you be staying mostly in Hostels and using Deli's or local markets to prepare your meals, OR will you be using Hotels some of the time and eating in Restaurants at least part of the time? IMO, the general minimum "benchmark" for two people travelling together is about €75.00 per person, per day which includes lodgings (Hostels charge per bed), food and incidentals including local transportation (Metro or whatever). Again, most of the admissions and other charges will be on a "per person" basis. This does NOT include Air Fares or Rail Passes. At the current exchange rate of about 1.55 / Cdn.$, you will need about Cdn$116.25 / day or Cdn.$6975.00 for a two month trip. Keep in mind this is an "average" amount and will vary according to your travel style. Your costs for lodgings, local transit and admissions will be pretty much "fixed", so not too much flexibility there (although slight variables possible depending on which Hostels you choose). Food costs are about the only area where you'll be able to keep your costs down.

Your planning will be a bit more complicated as it includes a visit to the U.K., which is ALWAYS expensive for Canadians!!! Your daily cost there will be higher, due to the exchange rate. Estimating your expenses at £75.00 per day means you'll need about Cdn$176.25 per day (a "princely sum" indeed!), given an exchange rate of about $2.35 / Cdn$.

Some of the countries might be a bit less expensive (Spain, Portugal?), but from what I've seen most of the countries in the EU are a bit on the expensive side now. Reportedly, when the "conversion" happened in 2002 many businesses "rounded up" their previous home currency to the Euro, making everything a bit more expensive (something the "locals" have been complaining about).

I agree with the others in terms of "bringing cash", however I always bring some "travelling money" (perhaps €100.00) just to buy food or rail tickets until I get settled at my first stop. There are ATM's (Cash Points) at the airports, but I'm usually a bit tired after the flight and not in the mood to be worried about details like that). If your first stop is Ireland (Dublin) you can use Euro's, but if you will be going to Belfast first (or London), then UK £ would probably be a better idea.

Regarding your ATM account, I'd suggest you check with your Bank or Credit Union. In my experience, you'll need to ensure that your travel funds are in a Chequing account, rather than a Savings account, using a four number PIN. The suggestion to have at least two ATM cards is a good one, and at least one Credit Card would also be a good idea (in case of "emergencies"). Also, make sure you notify your financial institution that you'll be travelling overseas, as if they suddenly see transactions from Europe they might assume your card was stolen or "cloned", and de-activate it!!!

Good luck and happy travels!!!