Char
Full Travel Member
Posts: 22
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Post by Char on Mar 11, 2003 1:58:35 GMT -5
Hello, my name is Ryan and im planning a backpacking trip to Europe withint the next year. Im wondering how far i would get with 2000 us dollars and what kind of plane ticket i should buy, because i dont want to buy a one month round trip ticket then end up having alot of money left over. I'm definitely looking into starting off in Amsterdam then making my way to Switzerland. I found this place called Altdorf that looks especially beutiful, and im also wondering if it would be hard to reach by train since im going with a train pass. Thanks for your help  |
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Post by LHR02 on Mar 11, 2003 6:07:50 GMT -5
Hi Ryan,
Will the cost of your plane ticket and rail pass be coming out of the $2000 or is that the amount of money you will have 'after' the transportation costs?
Daily budget costs vary depending on your travel style....Kim always gives $50 a day as a doable budget if you are going very bare bones cheap.....hostels only, cooking a good bit of your food, etc. I use $70 a day if you want a private room now and then and rarely ever cook your own food....
Using Kim's numbers, your $2000 would leave you with a bit of money left at the end of a month, however Switzerland is one of the most expensive spots and you will be very unlikely to manage on $50 there.
That said, your funds should last you just about a month.....assuming your transportation costs are not coming out of them....in that case, I doubt if you have enough for more than a month so no need to worry about it.
ginger
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Post by Kim on Mar 11, 2003 9:41:06 GMT -5
Yeah, my $50 a day won't work in Switzerland that's for sure. Pretty much every other country (maybe not the UK) but definately not Switzerland. Incredibly expensive.
Kim
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Post by nitsansh on Mar 11, 2003 15:25:57 GMT -5
What did you find special about Altdorf?
This town of 8000 inhabitants is the capital of canton Uri, near the southern end of Vierwaldstatersee (aka Lake Luzern), at the point where the Reuss river enters the lake. The main attraction there is the statue of Wilhelm Tell, a Swiss national hero who, if you believe the legend, shot an arrow into an apple on his son's head. Canton Uri, which extends further south to the upper Ruess valley, is one of Switzerland's founding cantons. Ruetli, where the pact that mark the birth of the Swiss confederation was signed on August 1st 1291, is a bit to the north, near the "bend" of the lake.
Getting there should be no problem: Altdorf is on the mainline between Central Switzerland and canton Ticino.
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Char
Full Travel Member
Posts: 22
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Post by Char on Mar 11, 2003 17:25:48 GMT -5
I dont know to start i saw these pictures on this website www.ebong.org/gallery/altdorf/index.htm . Those pictures sparked my interest but if theres not much there then i wont bother trying to find it. Ryan |
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Post by Kim on Mar 11, 2003 17:58:49 GMT -5
Beautiful scenery in those pictures!
There are tons of places that look similar to that in Switzerland though, with the mountains, scenery etc. I wouldn't necessarily seek out Altdorf just for that.
The places like that that have been talked about on these boards lately are Interlaken, Gimmelwald, Gryon.. am I missing any, guys?
Kim
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Post by nitsansh on Mar 11, 2003 18:32:09 GMT -5
This is what Alpine scenery is about... mountains, lakes, valleys, waterfalls, glaciers... there are hundreds of places like that throughout Europe...
Those places named by Kim are favored by backpackers, mainly because backpackers go there and tell their friends about them... this doesn't mean other places are not as scenic...
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Char
Full Travel Member
Posts: 22
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Post by Char on Mar 11, 2003 19:23:43 GMT -5
Yeah im just exited. I just need to save up 2 more grand and im there . I would of been there now but i hit a curb with my car in the snow and it ended up costing me 900 bucks, plus i got layed off a week ago. So for the meantime im just going to school waiting for the day i can leave -Ryan |
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Post by LHR02 on Mar 11, 2003 20:01:59 GMT -5
Well if you wait to save up 2 more grand then you will for certain have plenty! $4000 for a month, even to include transportation costs is way more than enough, even for me! ;D Or, is that not $2000 'more' but the initial two you started this thread with?  |
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Char
Full Travel Member
Posts: 22
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Post by Char on Mar 11, 2003 23:42:49 GMT -5
Thats what im wondering ... will i be able to stay for longer thana month with like 2000 to spend after my transport is taken care of ( euro pass and a plane ticket that allows me to leave whenever i run out of money to live). Actually im hoping to meet someone so i can stay longer and maybe get a job...is that at all possible for a 20 year old american male? - Ryan
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monique
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 74
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Post by monique on Mar 12, 2003 6:36:45 GMT -5
You can forget about working while in Europe. If you want to stay longer, consider heading to Eastern Europe where everything is much cheaper.
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Post by nitsansh on Mar 12, 2003 11:01:13 GMT -5
Thats what im wondering ... will i be able to stay for longer thana month with like 2000 to spend after my transport is taken care of ( euro pass and a plane ticket that allows me to leave whenever i run out of money to live). An open-date plane ticket that allows you to leave whenever you want is quite expensive. You pay a lot more for flexiblity. Same is true for rail pass. If you make up your plans and buy more restrictive transport products, that could add up to 2 weeks of travel. |
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Post by Kim on Mar 12, 2003 15:03:58 GMT -5
Agree with Monique about working-unless you speak the local language and have a working visa for that country, it's next near impossible.
$2000 on an extreme budget will give you just over a month. Plan for at least $50/day, not including a rail pass and plane ticket.
It's well worth it to save up enough so that you can really enjoy yourself. I've had friends that thought they would just go and wing it and were home a few weeks later.
Kim
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Char
Full Travel Member
Posts: 22
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Post by Char on Mar 12, 2003 18:10:44 GMT -5
Kim, when you say extreme do you mean living it large or meagerly? Because i wouldnt mind eating sparingly or anything like that.Hell id even sleep outside if need be. Today my step mom told me that i wouldnt go and that i wouldnt leave within 3 years... she is the first one on my list to recieve a post card ;D -Ryan
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Post by Kim on Mar 12, 2003 19:17:51 GMT -5
I'd say $50/day (with the exception of Switzerland and the UK) would get you a dorm bed, some cheap food (pack your lunches from the grocery store) and a bit of sightseeing. Things like going out at night, drinking, shopping-that sort of thing adds up. You can live on $50 a day-it's just a matter of watching your money. Some days you will spend less but others you will spend more on. I wouldn't want to lead you astray by saying you could do it for less than $50 a day. I wouldn't recommend sleeping outside-due to safety factors. As far as dorms go, it's pretty much a rule the bigger the dorm, the cheaper the beds. As in a 6 person dorm will be cheaper than a 16 person dorm. Things add up-like making a reservation on a train, taking the bus, renting a sleep sheet in a hostel that sort of thing. If I was you, I would either go for a month with the $2000 and accept that it will only last you that long or postpone your trip a bit and save up some more cash. Trust me, it would be harder on the pride to have to come back after a few weeks than it would be to save up some extra money.  Kim |
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