It can be easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of a Eurotrip and forget the important considerations. Europe is accessible for US travelers. If you are not careful, you could end up shelling out more money than you intended, and spending your last few days penny-pinching instead of enjoying that long-awaited cappuccino on the Piazza di Spagna. European travel experts gave us advice on how to travel Europe on a budget.
There are a lot of common mistakes travelers make when traveling to Europe, from not understanding the local tipping culture to not having a phone plan. The experts advise avoiding these common financial faux pas.
The quotes have been edited for clarity and length.
Annie Erling Gofus, a travel consultant who specializes in Central and Eastern Europe, does not recommend buying Euros in the US before leaving for Europe. Travelers will get the best exchange rate if they wait to withdraw their money.
International plans from major US mobile carriers make it easy to use your cell phone abroad. The process takes less than 15 minutes and will cost less than $50.
The co- founder of España Guide,Patricia Palacios, agrees with this recommendation.
She says that if you are going to spend more than a few days in Europe, it won't work. $10 a day for internet usage is what the company charges. It can be cheaper to get a local sim card. It is very easy to get a pre-paid sim card in Europe. You can get a sim card at the airport. In the Netherlands, you can get unlimited international calls for as little as $20 or as much as $30 with Lebara. You can use that card all over the EU, not just in the Netherlands. All over Europe, those prices are the same. This means that you can have internet in your phone for the whole trip for the price of two or three days of roaming.
Matthew Bowley is the marketing manager for Solmar Villas, a European resort rental company. On a recent vacation to Paris, Munich, and Venice, I took two train excursions, one high-speed (TGV and ICE) from Paris to Munich and one Intercity train from Munich to Venice. The first ticket purchased on the official train websites cost $81, while the second cost only $75. I traveled for only$157 in first-class fares. The rail pass would have made these more affordable.
Spending money on hotels is one of the biggest mistakes people make on a trip. Europe is home to some of the most beautiful house rental getaways that you can imagine, and they typically come at a fraction of the cost of a hotel. Not only will you save money on the actual stay, but they typically come with their own kitchen, meaning you won't have to rely on spending every meal at a restaurant.
Richards acknowledges that we all like to treat ourselves on a holiday, but that being able to save for some of the meals will definitely be a blessing that you didn't realize you needed.
Most European cities have great public transport networks that are easy to navigate, affordable and convenient. Public transport is a great way to get around in a city. You will see a different part of the city, away from monuments and landmarks, but still an important part of everyday life for locals.
She suggests that you can save money by foregoing planes for trains or buses from one country to another. Did you know that you can travel from Paris to Amsterdam in less than two hours? Or from Munich to Vienna in less than four hours?
In Europe, tips are seen differently than in the US. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get people to stop tipping, but the standard 18-20 percent US tipping is too much in Europe. In some places, 10 percent is a good tip, while in other places, just rounding up one or two euros is enough. Checking in with the front desk of your hotel is always a good idea.
Karen Rosenblum, founder of Spain Less Traveled, says that travelers are spending more money than necessary on popular attractions in Europe. Mistakenly buying advanced entries from third parties. Most of the first results that come up are ads for third-party retailers. Travelers believe that they are buying directly from the source when these websites look very official. These websites are adding additional fees to the cost of the tickets because they aren't. You should always buy attraction tickets from the official website, or even better, work with a travel advisor who will take care of this for you.
A lot of people have a dream of doing a multi-country road trip, renting a car in one country and then dropping it off in another. Unless you rent and drop off in the same country, expect a high return fee. We recommend moving by public transport or private transfer, then renting within the country for a few days.
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