“Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.” – Lisa St. Aubin de Teran
To point out the obvious, traveling is not cheap! We all have wishes of where we want to visit and make memories, but when you’re a college student ballin’ on a budget it can be extremely difficult to travel to the places we want to. I have a job, I budget my priorities and I see what I have in the bank leftover to make my traveling dreams a reality. This is the main reason I am able to travel and this could be your starting point when thinking about if you’re able to start planning a trip.
So, to begin with, this May I am going to travel to Europe for two weeks visiting three different countries. The excitement I have is beyond words! But, the best part of it all is how little I spent on my entire trip. Drum roll please…I’ve spent $1,300.00 in total! This is not including anything I am doing while I’m there such as food, transportation, activities, etc., just my flights to and from here and my other destinations and all of my sleeping arrangements.
Now, some of you might be thinking that this sounds like a lot of money. But, if you’ve ever done research on how much it is to travel to Europe—it’s not cheap. Needless to say, spending two weeks there without proper planning could possibly break the bank at our age. However, how much I’ve spent is very reasonable for two weeks in Europe. Here are some of my tips and tricks to save you money and still be able to go on those trips you’ve been daydreaming about.
- Plan ahead! I cannot stress this enough! Planning ahead will literally save you SO much money with the deals you can find and make the total amount of your trip seem less scary. I started buying my flights and Airbnb’s in October and just finished buying the last place I am staying this month. That’s almost half a year of planning for just two weeks. But, I’ve been less stressed about where I’m going to come up with the money and I’ve had something amazing to look forward to.
- Airbnb is literally the most amazing thing ever created (maybe just my opinion but it really is amazing!). For three nights in Madrid, Spain, split between my boyfriend and I, we each spent only $100. Unreal. Now, hostels are also an extremely affordable option when traveling, especially in Europe. They’re great for groups and for meeting new people. Personally, after doing my research, I didn’t think it was the option for me, considering how much more you can get with an Airbnb for a little bit more money. **Side note: In case you didn’t know, Airbnb does have gift cards. For Christmas this is all I asked for and I got an entire three nights paid for in another city. This is a great option if you have a birthday coming up or a special holiday your family gives gifts for.
- Upgrade your plane tickets. Most airlines base tickets do not include your luggage, so when you get to the airport you have to pay an astronomical amount to check in your bags. The flight seems really cheap, but that’s where they trick you. For most airlines, if you just upgrade to the next level (usually called economy plus, but differs for all airlines) you can check in a luggage and bring a carry on for less than it would cost to check one in and get the cheaper flight ticket.
- Fly everywhere. Yes, airports can be annoying with their security and all that comes with traveling, but I found this to be the most affordable and fastest way to travel between each of the cities I’m going to. I heard from a lot of people that trains were cheaper, but when doing the math paying for your luggage on a train was almost the same price as taking a flight, only you’d get to your next destination much faster.
- Make an outline before you buy anything. And I mean a detailed outline. My boyfriend and I did this when we were still in the planning stages of where we wanted to go, when and how we were going to do it. We looked around at different cities and how much it would be to fly there and stay during a time we knew would be best for us. We then found flights for the exact times we would want to leave/arrive at certain places and wrote them down with their prices, then did the same thing for possible Airbnbs. Basically, we planned an entire trip on paper. By doing this, we were able to get a rough estimate of how much it would all cost split between us and how we would budget for it. This helped so much! It’s ok if things change along the way, but at least you have an idea of how much you’ll be spending.
These were just some of the main things that have helped me when booking/planning for my Europe trip. This could differ from other destinations and you might find things that work better for you. But, along with simply saving for a trip, these were my key points to planning Europe on a budget! Hopefully they work for you the next time you’re ready to start planning a trip!
Xoxo,
Adri