4 Simple Tips to Travel Cheap in Europe
- Jul 7, 2015
- 8 min read
The first time I ever set foot in Europe was 14 January 2008. It was the 1st day of a study exchange (Erasmus as the Europeans call it) in Dublin, where I spent 4 full months training my beer belly, interspersed with weekend (and sometimes weeklong) trips on RyanAir.
That was where I got hooked on backpacking: I did my first 16 day backpacking solo (86 cents Euro left in my pocket), and completed the half a year abroad with a 6 weeks backpacking trip. That year in 2008, I explored 13 countries and 40+ cities across Western Europe, spending approx $18k.
Sounds like a lot? Not when you take away the return flight, my dorm, and the living costs in Dublin. I would say the travelling around probably cost me around $4-5k.
Ever since, I travelled to Europe again in 2010 (18 days, 5 countries, $2700 incl air fares), and 2014 (18 days, 4 countries, $4000 incl air fares). Based on these experiences, I dare say that the following tips will come useful when if you are planning to travel there (especially if you are an exchange student!)
P.S This does not include how to get cheap tickets to Europe. It's really easy actually, and its all about timing. I will probably talk about it in another post on Airlines in the future.
1. Plan Your Trip by Geographical Area
This is probably the most important point I have. If you disregard everything else, at least remember this tip. Many people think Europe can be done in a few days, or that “since I’m flying to Europe, I better maximise the number of countries I can go to and see them all!” This is how you waste the most amount of money.
Europe IS BIG, and IT WILL NOT RUN AWAY. Unlike many other places that could disappear soon (think nature and disappearing ruins), Europe’s key attractions are mainly its historical and cultural monuments which have been there for centuries, and are extremely well maintained. In other words, you still have a whole life ahead of you to revisit Europe in the future. The only possibility that any of these attractions disappear is if there’s war, or that some dumb lameass politician thinks that all these preservation is a waste of money and destroys them all. Of course, there’s also the beautiful European countryside, and awesome islands which similarly will not disappear because the most naturally disastrous thing that will happen on your trip is you falling sick and missing out on that one day.
La Sagrada Familia
You probably have 1001+ places in Europe you must visit, and you may have prioritized them according to the top 10 things you should see per country. Its not a race to see them all so that you can brag take photos and brag to your friends (I find it more satisfying to brag about the unknown places, and of course the value of my trips). So if you are planning to visit Europe, plan your itinerary by geographical area, because flying or crossing borders and long distances are not only a waste of time, they are a huge waste of money. More importantly, you miss out the essence of each area’s culture. It is fascinating when you realise how 2 cities, just one hour apart, can differ from each other, even though they may even be in the same country. Many European countries can bring you through a myriad of cultural experiences across their different cities without crossing any border! Take for example Switzerland’s 3 uniquely different areas, Germany’s Berlin and Munich, and North and South Italy.
There are actually 2 ways to do this, one is the more common loop itinerary that brings you back to your arrival city, and the other one is the open jaw mono-direction method where you travel pretty much in a straight line and depart from a different airport from where you arrived from (better for longer travel periods of 1 month of more). Then again you can combine both, but you will have to dedicate a day of travel to your furthest destination from your arrival/departure airport and work your way backwards (so that you minimise the risk of missing your flight).
If you cant decide where to start, do this:
Consider the amount of time you have, and decide how much time you want to spend per country (suggest 5-10 days).
Prioritise the most important country or city you want to visit first,
Check out its neighbouring countries and cities and pick the next favourite,
Plot the cities around that area, or in one direction, and then draw a line to connect the dots.
On the first 16-day solo backpacking during the Easter break in 2008, I used Paris as my point of reference, going west to end in Portugal. I then used Paris again on my subsequent 6 weeks post exchange trip and headed southeast to Greece before turning back to Germany for my return flight to Singapore.
This point is already getting a little long, so I will end off by reiterating this: You can always come back to Europe; you would rather miss an entire country, and still have that desire to come back, rather than miss a particular city and know that you will never return just for that one city.
2. Take Overland Transport (A.K.A Buses and Trains)
This is closely related to the point above. European budget airlines may sound awesome, especially if you are based in Dublin. You also think that by flying you save quite a bit of time, but the truth is that you need time to check in, time to get through customs, and you probably have to pay a hefty fee for airport transfer, which would then take at least half an hour to get to the city centre.
Trains and buses are awesome for the following 7 reasons:
They move you from City Centre to City Centre, which is a hell lot more convenient, and could also be much faster and cheaper than flying.
The networks across Europe are established, timely, and very reliable, meaning you have numerous options to get from one place to the other.
Prices are pretty fixed and don’t really fluctuate too much so you can always buy a ticket on the spot, or the day before if you know it’s a popular train.
You get to witness the diverse landscape and people of this wonderful continent, which will amaze you tremendously.
You can stop along the way, whenever you feel like it. With numerous trains and buses running similar routes, you could probably explore some towns for an hour or two and still be able to continue your journey, especially if you have a pass that grants you unlimited travel over a period of time. Spontaneous decisions are sometimes the most rewarding ones.
Trains, being slightly more spacious, also allows some breathing and walking space to stretch out. The communal cabins also provide you with an opportunity to meet other interesting people. I have had the most interesting conversations and lessons about life and love with totally random people.
Its obviously less risky than flying, and getting stuck at the airport doesn't exist in your dictionary.
3. Source for Free Accomodation (not for the really private people)
It pays to be thick skinned, literally. Accomodation is probably the second, if not the most expensive consideration on any trip. I don’t fully understand why people fork out tons of money on hotels that may cost even more than their entire day of spending out there. It may be important to have that private safe haven to fall back on, but its still just a place to sleep and freshen up. The whole point of travelling is to get out there and explore anyway. So why pay the extra amount for that luxury, of which some of it goes into the facilities you won’t bother using (gym, swimming pool, etc).
Hostels are often good and cheap too, though as you grow older, you do tend to not want to mix in with the young and wild crowd. I must say that AirBnb is a pretty awesome invention, but why not take it a step further and stay for free?
Couchsurfing is an online platform to host and surf couches around the world for free. It is a great way to meet people and understand cultures as well! Ok not exactly free, because you have to reciprocate the kindness with your attention and friendship obviously, plus maybe a gift or something else in return. In my requests, I will always offer to cook, clean or offer to pay for dinner/drinks and share some experiences. Whether it be a couchsurf request of my own friends, I ensure that the host does benefit somehow from this exchange, or otherwise when they visit me in Singapore. So, its never free, but I always think it’s a win-win situation as I get to meet new friends with open hearts and build on old relationships!
Having a local host also provides you with lots of local information about the culture, their lifestyle, and how to get around the city. So if you haven’t, go build yourself a couchsurfing account. The most important thing about it it to be genuine about who you are. Always remember to make an effort to build a good profile, check through your hosts profile, and write a good request. Always ask yourself if you would host yourself if you received that request before you actually send it. Lastly, like I said earlier, you gotta be open minded and open hearted to be truly a global citizen. Make sure you are always considerate to your host!
The awesome people we met through Couchsurfing. (Awesome host not in picture)
4. Go for the Free Walking Tours
I make it a point to find out and participate in a free walking tour in every city I go to, and I make sure I do the tour once I have arrived and settled in. These are the reasons why:
They are free (duh!?). Well, these 3-hour walks aren’t exactly free as they are tips based, and you are more often than not obliged to give some, but you pay what you can afford and based on how deserving you think the tour guide deserves. In other words, it still saves you a hell lot of money compared to an official guided tour of the city.
You learn about the entire city in 3 hours, even the stuff you don’t get in guidebooks. Even if you do not remember everything the guide says as he or she rattles off, you have a pretty good understanding about the history and culture of the city folks, and some rules to abide by before you start truly exploring the city on your own.
The guides are normally young chaps; students or part timers with interesting backgrounds. As a result, they are normally more energetic and entertaining, and will give you interesting tales of the city, including those based on their own experiences. This also means that they are much more approachable and will answer questions as honest as they can.
Lastly, and most importantly, the guides provide excellent tips on directions (they give out free and useful maps), transport options, restaurants, and all the places worth going to. These companies often have discounts for certain attractions as well. This will gve you an excellent headstart in deciding where and when to go to certain places.
Sandeman's free walking tour at Berlin, Germany. The guide is a History student.
All that advice for a really cheap price also means that slots are limited. Check online to see if reservation is required. I personally prefer Sandeman’s free walking tours http://www.neweuropetours.eu/ but I think all these walking tours are about the same. Of course, there is no stopping you from having your own walking tour with a guidebook in hand.
Conclusion
Once again, albeit a long post, this is not an exhaustive list, but rather the 4 main money saving tips I have that can be easily applied. I have other tricks up my sleeve that you can ask me about, but they are small little strategies.
Feel free to contact me for more tips and location suggestions in Europe. Like I said, things dont change much, so I still remember and can point you to some places that are really worth your time.
I hope you enjoy Europe as much as we both did!
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