FAQ clarification

[Codemonkeyken]

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a while and I am planning a big trip to Europe with my wife in 2007. We are trying to get our budget in order and while scanning the currency section in the FAQs it stated "For basic travel, budget at least $50 a day."

Is this in CDN dollars or in Euros?

As well, is this number realistic for two adults or should we cushion it up to $60-$70 a day.

Thanks,
Ken

[Jules80]

in dollars, wether american or canadian, i'm not sure. from my experience you're looking more at 60-70 CDN a day. some days are cheaper (like when you lie on a beach in nice all day) and some are more expensive like when you hit a bunch of attractions in rome. the uk, ireland, and switzerland are definate budget busters. so rediculously expensive. ireland isn't so bad for accomodation and but food and attractions are quite expensive. also, 60-70 is realistic as long as you are planning on dorm rooms in hostels. it'll be more expensive if you want privates.
Julie

[me]

edit: look here -> www.guideforeurope.com/atms_in_europe.html

i also think that figure is low, even in US$. regardless, it's meant as a per person figure - and two people traveling together are certainly able to get by for less than twice what an individual would require!

i'd plan on US$100+/ day for the two of you. that's an average for Western Europe - including some time in expensive cities.

last year, i planned US$75 - 100 per diem. and i was staying w/ friends nearly 20% of the time! but, it cost less when i calculated it on return, i think it was US$55 - 60/ day.

[codemonkeyken]

Thanks all for your advice. Taking David's suggestion into account I calculated the following:

$100 US = approx. $115 CDN = approx €79

I think we'd want our own room in either a cheap hotel or in a hostel. We'd also probably want to do something (museum, attraction, etc.) most days but food is not a priority and we'd be hitting the grocery stores for this stuff instead of eating out.

Now, exclusive of travel between cities, would this amount suffice for a typical day in Europe?

Thanks again,
Ken

[me]

codemonkeyken said:

$100 US = approx. $115 CDN = approx €79

Now, exclusive of travel between cities, would this amount suffice for a typical day in Europe?

it depends on where you go, Ken. if you stay in expensive cities the whole time <eg. London, Scandinavia, Switzerland> that won't cut it. if you stay part of the time in less expensive but still interesting places, <East-Central, South-Eastern, Spain/Portugal-but not the big cities> you should be fine.

[LHR02]

Also it depends when you are going! For example, in shoulder or low season in Italy, almost anywhere in Italy, 79 for two would be a fairly tight budget but doable if you are using hostels and eating picnic style a goodly part of the time. If in high season, that's not really going to get you much at all. And as David said, if you are hitting UK, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Austria....in summer, that's not enough. At approx 40 per person.....won't work I don't think. If you are going, even in summer, to strictly Eastern Europe, this should be enough, not for living 'large' but for good basic eats, sleeps, and sights. And if you want 'private' rooms, even in hostels, you are under budgeted by a good 15 euros a day in my estimation.

ging

[dumbdiety]

We really should update that FAQ some, huh?

[Eagle]

codemonkeyken, first of all, welcome to the Board! (Interesting handle, BTW).

As indicated in previous posts, the usual "rule of thumb" is to budget US$ 75-100 / day for expenses, not including air fare, rail pass or other "fixed" expenses. However, as David indicated if two people are travelling together, it doesn't necessarily follow that this figure should be doubled. Also as indicated in previous posts, it depends to some extent on which countries you're visiting. Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries are very expensive, but the U.K. is especially expensive for Canadians (well worth the visit though, despite the costs). As an example, if you were to stay in a U.K. Hostel at a rate of £18.00 per person per night, that would work out to about CDN$ 80.00. That doesn't leave much room for food or other things.

With regard to lodgings, some Hostels have private rooms but these often book up quickly. You'll have to decide if you're willing to accept separate dorm rooms if nothing else is available. Of course, B&B's and budget Hotels are also a good option.

You didn't indicate what time of year you would be taking your "big trip" in 2007? As you've probably found by reading other posts here, the best time to travel are the "shoulder seasons".

Anyway, good luck with your planning! Have fun!!!

[codemonkeyken]

Wow, thanks to everyone for their repsonses. I am so glad I decided to post my question on this board!!

Sorry for the delay in responding. I hope all the Canucks had a good tofurky day.

It seems I have a lot to think about in terms of itinerary. So far, all we now is that we want to leave for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales in August 2007. We want to hit those countires while the weather is still nice. We know this still part of high season in Europe but we don't want to be travelling through these areas while it's cold and rainy. (Would it pay to delay for a month and travel in September? Is the weather that much worse for the potential money we could save?)

From there we want to go through Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, Czech Republic, Greece, Belgum, Holland, and some others money depending - but not in this order.

We also plan to WWOOF in a couple of spots and we want to end our trip in Italy by renting a place for a month in Turin, Florence or Rome to get a feel for the country. I know some of this falls under the pre-planning board but it will give you an idea about what we are thinking and what type of money we need.

Is there a general guideline around that would say if you live cheaply, stay in budget locations and do one attraction a day it will generally cost this much in this country, while it will cost so much in another? Keeping in mind if we do decide to leave in September then it will be totally off-season travel.

Any and all comments are appreciated!

Thanks,
Ken

[LHR02]

I'm sure I will soon enough hit myself in the head and go.....DUH!

But I just can't seem to figure it out....what is WWOOF?

;D

[WillTravel]

WWOOF - it's an organization where people go to stay at organic farms and work in exchange for room and board. Willing Workers On Organic Farms
www.wwoof.org/

[LHR02]

WT...is there nothing you don't know about and have a handy link for??

thanks!

[Jules80]

i was in the UK at the end of august and we damn near froze! there were a few REALLY cold days (ie we had all our layers on). however when we were back in london (to fly home) in early oct, the weather was actually about 5 deg warmer... no rain at all. the uk is a big unknown when it comes to weather (my father tries to avoid it in november... he claims it rains continually). for the money extra money, i don't know if it is worth leaving in aug for the weather). how long are you planning the trip for? you mention you want to rent a place in italy for a month at the end but how long are the rest of your travels? i have no idea how warm and/or pleasant rome/florence are in the winter... so if you don't want to end up there too late in the year, you may want to leave in august anyway. sorry this post is a little ramble-y...

[codemonkeyken]

Jules - Thanks for your insight into the UK. Just to be clear, you are advocating going in Septemeber as the money saved offsets any potential bad weather?

Our plan as it stands is to go from Toronto to the UK, travel there some and then hit the aforementioned countries (France, Germany, etc.) before it gets too cold. We'd like to do the warmer countries Greece, Spain, Portugal in the colder months and then end up in the south of Italy for the longest amount of time. It's here where we'd like to WWOOF and to get an apartment to experience la dolce vita.

So, to sum up - the others countries we are planning to visit but with Italy as our destination, we plan to spend some real time there.

This thread has gone from my question on currency to a pre-planning thread. So, I know we'll need more money for Italy but does $100 US per day for two people during the offseason (Sept. - Nov/Dec.) suffice for the other countries?

Ken

[Jules80]

ken... i'm advocating the uk in sept depending on where you want to be in italy... florence, turin, and rome are by no stretch of the imagination in southern italy... which are the cities you mentioned in the first place... don't know how warm any of those would be in dec (and if there would be any operational farms)..... all i'm saying is leaving in august will not guarantee you good weather in the uk and ireland. i had to leave in august because of a wedding but otherwise i would have left in september as the ticket prices lowered by about 250$... also something to keep in mind is zoom airlines if you don't need to be there on a specific date... they don't fly everyday. but are considerably cheaper than air canada and BA...

frankly i don't know what the fuss is about italy being so expensive... i really didn't find it that bad - it was probably among the cheapest of places i went. food is excellent and inexpensive. and entrance to muesuems/historic sights was generally quite reasonable. switzerland, france, and belgium were definately more expensive (ps avoid brussels). and ireland is really expensive - particularly for food. the uk is of course very expensive too... you will easily blow 50 pounds in a day (which currently stands at about 110$) for 2 of you not including your hostel/hotel. entrance to cool things like the tower is about 10 pounds all by itself. the only inexpenxive thing about the uk is beer! once again this a ramble-y post... sorry. hope this helps.

Jules