Budget Travel Advice for Europe
June 19th, 2009 Posted in Cheap Europe Travel, Vacation dealsI’ve been focused a lot lately on parts of the world that are both cheap and close, but the fact is many travelers are taking advantage of some of the best flight prices to Europe in years. They’re cashing on a high season that’s not feeling so high in this global economic funk. As the New York Times’ Frugal Travel Guy says, the 3-month trip he did last summer would cost a whole bundle of euros less this year. So here’s some advice from around the web on how to travel more cheaply in Europe.
Ed Perkins runs down the budget motel options in Europe. These mostly only work though if you’re renting a car and you don’t mind being very cramped. U.S.-style motels they are not. Budget Travel has a rundown on tiny rooms in better locations from Yotel, Qbic, and CitizenM.
EuroCheapo has a great rundown on the cheapest place to buy rail tickets for Europe. Hint: it’s not an agency.
Budget Travel has some good advice for a couple heading to Dublin, Ireland. Don’t forget to check out their tourism site as well for loads of free activities and attractions.
The new Transitions Abroad webzine has a quickie advice piece on traveling around Europe while studying abroad.
Lonely Planet has a rundown on the best strategies for beating the queue at Europe’s packed popular sites in the summer. (My advice, skip them altogether and head to rural Hungary, rural Czech Republic, Romania, or Bulgaria instead.)
This article of mine came out last year, but it’s still mostly applicable today. Stretching the dollar in Europe.
Don’t forget, if you’re going to travel by plane within Europe, you had better learn to travel light. Really light. Here’s an older post on the subject: Buy lightweight travel gear—or pay up.
If you care about having choice in your life, boycott the W.H. Smith bookstores in Great Britain: they are only going to carry the travel books from one publisher—Penguin. As Arthur Frommer says, their excuses for the move are really lame. It’s really all about a huge payment for exclusivity. Support an independent store instead.
5 Responses to “Budget Travel Advice for Europe”
By Renato on Jun 20, 2009
Being in London at the moment, I would not even call W.H. Smith a bookstore. It’s more a convenience store selling as well books among panini, soft drinks and lottery tickets. The main issue is that they now have an exclusivity agreement for all the BAA’s airports. This is a said day for readers and independent publishers as this scary (yap) business model can easily be extended to other publishing areas and stores around the country as well.
By travel on Jun 20, 2009
Europe is the best place to be if you are traveling and you can get cheap hotels or cheap air tickets also.
By Jeremy on Jun 20, 2009
Thanks for the tips, I’m on a budget and taking my wife and four kids with me, I found an EXCELLENT deal through your budget motels link article.
thanks a million!
By Cristina on Jun 21, 2009
Yeah, I agree too that Europe is a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing this travel ideas here. I am planning to take a vacation too. You can also visit http://explorertravelblog.co.uk/ for more.
By Nina on Jun 29, 2009
Thanks for the read. I’m still trying to put together a realistic budget for indy travel in Europe beginning in September. Not so much for tours and museums and massive travel, but slowly making my way through Greece, Italy and Turkey, eating lots of local food, low-mid range, with some self-catering, sleeping in intimate lodgings, and doing as locals do. This makes me more hopeful.