So I just looked at my bank account and not including flights or hostel/hotel stays, I traveled Europe for a week for less than 200 dollars. That includes food, all of the sightseeing we did, metro rides, souvenirs, the whole shebang. WOW! OK, so technically I spent probably around 500 with flights and hostel/hotel stays, but hey, that’s still pretty good, right? And if you want to add in all of my Spain adventures as well, I’d say I spent around $650…not to shabby! Here are some tips for you future travelers:
1) Go before you’re 26! The Euro 26 card gets you discounts on pretty much anything you want to see or do. So use it!
2) Do everything that is free, and consider what you’re willing to spend when there’s money involved. For example – we didn’t do the Colosseum because we saw enough of it from the outside, and we went to the Louvre when it was free, thus saving money when we could’ve spent waayyy more.
3) DO spend quality money on food. Hello!!! This should be obvious. If you want authentic Italian pizza or real French crepes, they will cost more. But isn’t an extra 3 euro worth it?
4) DO order alcohol instead of water. I’m sure my parents LOVE this advice, but its true. Water is so expensive there! Even if you ask for tap water, they might not give it to you or it might not be free. Most of the time wine or beer was cheaper! So buy it while you’re legal and live it up :)
5) Make sure to not be so busy that you can’t people watch and just enjoy your time. Half of the time we didn’t spend money because we weren’t in an area to do so! We sat around and soaked in the culture by not going to a bunch of tourist stops and instead sat and ate either gelato or crepes and just enjoyed. You learn a TON by people watching, by the way, and its free entertainment!
6) Understand that you will probably come back later when you have more money. This means that you don’t have to fly RyanAir and get frustrated when its an hour or two late…lovely
7) Don’t keep track of money like it’s your life. You will NOT enjoy the experience as much as you could if you worry that you can or cannot afford something. And if you really like something, buy it! You won’t ever regret spending quality money on a quality gift, souvenir, clothing item, etc.
8) Above all, have fun. Realize that this will be the only time in your life that you have the freedom to do whatever you want, see whatever you want, go wherever you want. I loved having that freedom! This is something that will always stay with me, no matter what.
So I think that’s pretty much it…I was trying to get to 10 but I think this is a good starting point! Just remember, you have one life to live, so live it. Don’t let anything else get in the way :)
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