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Post by firsttiminit on Dec 5, 2008 15:13:34 GMT -5
I'm going to Europe for about 35 days to France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium. I plan to do quite a bit of camping and stay in hopefully pretty low cost hostels. How much can I can get by on? Excluding only Air fare, Rail Pass and Ferries (which will be about 2,000) how much money will I need to survive?
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Post by Eagle on Dec 8, 2008 2:18:59 GMT -5
firsttimeinit, first of all, Welcome! Even though you're planning on low cost accommodations, as Jack mentioned it's still a good idea to allow for at least US$75-100 per day for lodgings, food, sightseeing, souvenirs, local transportation, etc. (in other words, "incidentals"). This doesn't include air fares or rail passes.
It would help to know where you're located, so that we have some idea of what currency you're working with? Also, one point to mention about "camping" is that often campsites are located a ways out of the cities, so there's a time and cost factor in getting back and forth. Hostels are probably your best low cost option.
One thought that occurred to me in reading your Post, is that you have a lot of destinations listed for a 35 day trip. It will probably be difficult to visit eight countries in that time frame, especially Greece which is a bit "distant" from the others. You'll need to allow extra time and money for getting around Europe.
In order to provide useful information for you, it would help to have additional information on which cities you most want to see in each of the countries you listed, places you want to visit in each city, where you're flying from, etc. I suspect you'll need to pare down your list somewhat to a more realistic level. As usual I would highly recommend "open jaw" flights for best efficiency.
Good luck with your planning!
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Post by excited4europe on Jan 30, 2009 9:08:06 GMT -5
Hi there, I'm going to be going on my first european adventure this summer during july and august. I was calculating out my budget, and since my flight is going to cost like 1,200 dollars, I allocated 5 dollars a day to local transportation as well as my railpass, it's all going to barely leave me with a thousand to go for 21 days. Will around 55 dollars a day be okay and that is including hostels? In Paris in Berlin we don't have to pay for hostels though, so that may save some money. My friend and I are okay with eating cheap and not really doing all the touristy stuff that sucks cash from peoples pockets on a daily basis. We really want to get to know Europe from a locals perspective not the stereotypical things everyone always sees (although we really do want to see some of that haha). But anyways, back to the point, do you think we will be able to survive on this amount per day? We'll each have credit cards in case we need money, and can always contact our families to have us wire us some in an emergency.
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Mikul
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 82
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Post by Mikul on Jan 30, 2009 12:17:40 GMT -5
$55 a day is not much at all for Western Europe. Is it possible to survive with that amount? yes. I would recommend about $100 USD per day. Some days you might spend more, others less. Transportation will probably cost more then $5 USD, as that is only 3.9 Euros. Riding the metro in Paris costs 1.50 Euros. Hostel prices can be calculated on sites such as HostelWorld or HostelBookers. Dorm prices varied, but $20 was probably average for a low quality, good location hostel. If you don't plan on drinking any alcohol, going to any museums, take any taxis, or buy any souvenirs, you might just make it.
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Post by Eagle on Jan 30, 2009 23:58:13 GMT -5
excited4europe, I have to agree with Mikul on this. I assume you're referring to US dollars in your calculations? A few comments on some of the points you mentioned in your post.
Do you mean in addition to your Rail Pass? In any case, I really doubt that U$5.00 will be adequate, as that's only about €3.90 at the current exchange rate. On the same topic, your daily expense limit of US$55 is only about €42.80. I really doubt that will be enough to cover Hostels, food and incidentals in any western European city. I would suggest that it would be better to start with adequate funding, rather than relying on having money "wired to you in an emergency".
Your estimate for the flight is probably close, but I don't know where you're flying from?
As this is your first "European adventure", I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as it will provide you with a lot of information on travelling inexpensively in Europe, as well as good tips on Itinerary planning, rail skills, etc.
One other thing to mention is that you'll be travelling during July and August, which is the peak travel season in Europe. It will likely be hot and crowded, so pre-booking Hostels would be a really good idea.
Good luck with your planning!
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