It’s a long time since travelling around Europe was cheap for North Americans and Antipodeans.
Outside of the cost of all the tourist spots you want to see, and the food you want to try are the exorbitant costs of accommodation and transport. Twenty years ago, when I first visited Paris on a budget backpacking tour, I decided I didn’t have the money to be able to climb the Eiffel Tower. It took me fifteen years to rectify that, and to realize that my priorities were wrong.
If you’re planning a big two to three month ‘backpacking’ trip to Europe, there are easier and better ways to save money and there are things you really should do when travelling – no matter the cost.
Keeping Accommodation Costs Down
If you’re going to stay at hotels in Europe at least use a hotel meta search engine such as Cheap2travel. That way you can compare what all the major online travel agents are charging for the same hotel and choose the cheapest price.
In major cities like Paris, Rome and Barcelona where you might be spending more than a day or two, consider apartment hire. You’ll save a stack of Euros if you can shop for and cook your own food – and pack your lunch for a day of tourist visits – rather than always eating out.
Don’t get me wrong – eating out in all those cities is a must, but I’d prefer to save money on making my own food most of the time, so that I could afford two or three really top notch meals at classy places.
Cooking your own food will save you a bomb. Apart from apartment hire, read below to see how you can cook that most of the time, easily.
Keeping Transport Costs Down
Train travel is popular in Europe. Although one blogger has come up with an ingenious way to save money on public transport , for the most part train travel is expensive, even with the great array of Eurail passes.
What’s the best solution?
So what’s our tip that will simultaneously reduce your accommodation costs, allow you to cook and prepare your own meals , save on transport and is more convenient to boot?
Buy a Campervan!
With your own campervan or Kombi, your accommodation costs plummet. Not only are there hundreds of cheap camping grounds in even the biggest cities (and in Florence there is even a “free park”), but there are plenty of safe options to camp for free.
With your own campervan you can buy your own groceries and cook your own meals whenever you want.
And you’re not restricted to travelling only to places that trains or public transport take you.
Buying a campervan in London.
In the old pre-internet days, people used to buy and sell their campervans on Market Street in Islington in London. Nowadays, sites like Gumtree or Auto Trader list plenty, and if you’re savvy, you can pick up a bomb for under $3000.
Of course there are some risks with buying your own van, not more so than if you happen to pick up a ‘dud’ that breaks down the day after you buy it. You’ll also need to factor in insurance. American travelers might also baulk at driving a right-hand drive vehicle.
But the math isn’t too difficult if you factor in the accommodation and food savings and especially if you are able to resell the van upon your return from Europe.
