traveling and saving

[sattua]

Hi, I'm planing to go to barcelona, london, paris, rome and maybe athens or berlin. I'm planning going next year, around march.

So, I'm in the univeersity, i don't have to much money, maybe i gonna get around $2000.

In london i will get home and food for free (i would go to a friend's house) so no cost.

but my question: Is it possible to go to thise cities (food, tikets, hotels, london no count) for $2000 in march...

[Eagle]

sattua,

Welcome to the Boards!

Regarding your questions, it would help to have further information. For example:

> Where are you travelling from?

> Does your $2000 include air fare and rail travel in Europe?

> What currency are you working with?

> How long will this trip be?

While the prices for accommodations and other things may be a bit "soft" in March, there are some things that won't vary such as transportation, food and entrance fees at Musuems, etc.

If you could provide more specific information, I'm sure the group will be able to offer some suggestions.

Cheers!

[sattua]

Hi!!!

yes sorry hahaha I forget alot of info.

ok let's see

I'm from Costa Rica Central America.

The $2000 it's all I have, maybe $3000, yeah let's say that I have $3000. Dolars...

And finally around 3 weeks...


Thanks for reply

[Eagle]

sattua,

I have a few more questions...

Regarding your currency, are you working with the Costa Rican Colon or U.S. Dollars (as you know, there's a big difference!)?

Have you done any research on what the flights will cost from your area? I wasn't able to find many flight options departing from San José, so not sure what route you'll be using?

It's great that you're getting an early start on planning your trip, as it will allow lots of time to work out the details (and hopefully increase your travel funds a bit).

[sattua]

hi thanks for reply Eagle.

I am working with dollar, i mean, yes you are right, here we have colons as currency but it doesn't matter coz it's easy to change colons to dolars. anyway in my job : my salary it's in dolars.

All research I have done (I used www.edreams.net as parameter for pricing, and this site always give some options to travel) It shows me around $1200 to $1300 getting to Madrid or London round trip, then going to some other location around $100 (for example Paris or Rome), do you use some other site to check prices?

And if I could go to some cities on europe, it' will be great , i have around 9 or 10 month to planning.

Again, thanks for reply.

[dumbdiety]

With 3 weeks for the trip, you chose some big cities to see! Each of those cities could easily take a week or more to see everything. Though (and boy do I know this feeling) you may want to see as much as you can!
$3000 sounds like a good starting fund. Are you planning on going with anyone? Check Eurail tickets, that's one of the easiest ways to get around. Ryanair is a nice and cheap alternative, though they hit the smaller airports!

[Eagle]

sattua,

Thanks for the additional information.

I'm assuming this is your first trip to Europe, so my first suggestion would be to read Europe Through The Back Door as soon as possible. It will provide a LOT of good information on how to travel "well" in Europe, and includes sections on Rail Skills, Itinerary planning and budget issues. However, given your location I'm not sure how easy it will be to find the book? I believe it's also available in E-book format at lower cost, should you have a compatible Reader.

For planning sightseeing and other activities in each city, see if you can find any country-specific Guidebooks (perhaps at your local Library or larger book stores). They contain a wealth of information!

IMHO, it will not be possible to visit all the locations you listed in a three week time frame. Keep in mind that you'll lose the first and last days of the trip due in flight times, so you'll only have 19-days for touring (and will be jet lagged for the first few days after arrival, so won't be up to full "touring speed"). Visiting six locations in 19-days is an average of about 3 days per location, with no allowances for travel times between them (which in some cases will be significant!). In this case, I'd drop Athens as you'll only want to spend two or three days there, and it's hardly worth the effort as it's so distant from the other locations.

I would highly recommend using "open jaw" flights for best efficiency (but of course that may depend on cost). Which cities to choose for starting and ending will depend on the availability of flights from your area. If you use "return" flights, you'll have to budget time and money to return to your starting point, so the cost may not be that much different.

As you'll be travelling in March, I'd suggest starting in Barcelona and southern regions, since it will be warmer. One route you might consider is Barcelona - Rome - Berlin (or substitute Munich) - Paris - London.

Your transportation between cities will be via rail and in some cases budget airlines. I can offer more specific suggestions once your Itinerary is somewhat "sorted". Regarding budget airlines, I'd suggest using EasyJet whenever possible, as I've found the experience with them to be very pleasant, and more importantly they usually operate from airports that are close to the cities (as opposed to RyanAir, which I try to avoid whenever possible as they often use airports such as Beauvais which is a considerable distance outside Paris).

You'll need to give some thought to matters such as how you'll be accessing your travel funds (ATM?), travelling with technology (the voltage difference in Europe may be a problem when charging Camera batteries, etc.), whether or not to use a Railpass (this will be easier to determine once your Itinerary is worked out) and what type of luggage you'll be using (if you don't presently have a Backpack).

A few more comments on your budget. If you start with US$3000 and pay $1300 for air tickets, that will leave $1700 for EVERYTHING on the trip. That's an average of about US$90 or €62 per day at current exchange rates, and assuming 19-days since you won't spend much on your flight days. That is a minimal amount to travel with and could present some challenges. If you spend €35 per night for a Hostel, you'll only have €27 for food, sightseeing, Museum admissions and local transportation. Keep in mind that we haven't yet addressed the cost of a Railpass or budget flights. Therefore, you may have to make some compromises or increase your budget. Perhaps generous friends and relatives will donate money for birthdays and Christmas!

Good luck with your planning!

[sattua]

Eagle, thanks for replying, for taking the time to write all these tips, I will follow every advice you gave me. I will report u how things go.
Thanks again, see you;)

[carox]

Train fares, flights, ferries and accommodation are often much cheaper at often off-peak times and seasons. So it’s fine to plan a trip for off peak season to reduce the budget of your trip.

[jellybelly]

you have discussed about everything but in pre planning for traveling one of the most important factor is to book your traveling medium in advance because advance booking cost you less.

[bellaj]

hi

I think $2000 will not be enough amount to hang around in london, paris or rome. You must have a big amount into your pocket for that.

thanks