Retirement Oz - best way to save money on European vacation...?

best way to save money on European vacation...?

A couple of my friends and I (fellow poor college students) have saved up enough money for tickets to England and a hostel for a week this summer, and possibly going from there on another flight from London to Barcelona for a few days. What is the best way to stretch our weak American dollars (beyond packing suitcases of powerbars, which we're already considering to save money on food...) Thanks =)

Public Comments

Don't go
Don't get any room service.
dont bring any.
dont hang out from now on, save all the money by eating at home and stuff
Yikes! A hostel! lol j/k!
Eat where the locals eat and avoid tourist traps. The locals know where to find the best food for the least money. Don't stay in an hostel, check out cheap end hotels. There is too much theft in hostels. It's worth the extra $$$. If you plan on traveling, use public transportation. The underground is great and the trains are wonderful. Watch out for pickpockets in London. Check out Benjy's (they are all over London) for cheap sandwiches. There are also lots of soup chains that are really reasonable and healthy. I think one was called Soup Opera or something like that.
Why not look at doing a working holiday with the National Trust? Go to their website.
Try doing chores or stuff for people and saving your money up or taking some money out of your bank account P.s.- Since I answered your question can you answer mine- can you make me your best answer for your question please and thank-you... Good luck
check out Rick Steve's website: www.ricksteves.com You can probably check out his books at the local library. He's has great suggestions for staying at cheap places (like hostels, monastaries, etc) and eating cheap food.
Bring a jar peanut butter. You can pick up bread at a local market, and their jams and jellies are way better than ours (try the red or black current ones - yum). Make yourself peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to take with you when you go out to see public buildings like say castles. There is almost always a picnic area. My wife and I did a study abroad in college, and we did this. The resturants around these touristy places are usually a bit of a walk, have slow service, etc. You end up paying through the nose and killing like an hour and a half for lunch. The Brits, on the other hand, would bring picnic lunches, and 20 minutes later, they're sight seeing. We started making PB&J's and did the same. Bring your student IDs. Often places (like theatres) have student rates that are cheaper, if you can prove you are a student. PS: Can't buy peanut butter over there. Well, you can, but you have to go to a "health food" store; it's the kind with the oil on top that has to be mixed in, etc. and it is very expensive. Just bring a jar of Skippy or Jiff from home.
1. Don't Eat Big Meals in Touristy Places 2. Look for Local Entertainment and Avoid Big Names (Some London Theater is good and inexpensive.) 3. Walk A Lot 4. Plan Out Everything Now, so you won't have to resort to spending money getting lost 5. Make Friends with the Locals and Eat at their Houses
It sounds like you're already aware of the pitiful purchasing power of the dollar these days.That's a step in the right direction. Your best bet is to steer clear of touristy-type areas. But you list London and Barcelona as your stops. Good luck with that. Racheal Ray has a show on the Food Network where she goes around to tourist cities on $40 a day. I forget the name of the show , but the $40 a day is in the title. She tells you the best places to get good chow on the cheap.Try looking that up on Foodnetwork.com. Good luck! Happy travels! Be safe!
There are ways of cutting corners the biggest I can think of is accommodation,. try crashing on the sofas of complete strangers! I know, eek how appealing!? but see links, [do read the Guardian one, it was in the paper the other day and if v.good!!] Also I think some London University's offer good rates for dorm-type rooms out of the academic season, but no idea how "strict" these are,. so might cramp your style! (if this sounds appealing I'll research it for you, sure I've seen an ad somewhere....) Also travel expenses within London can be shocking, Central London itself is very walkable, but getting a day/weekly/monthly travel ticket might be beneficial... See TFL link... Also if you intend to visit any of the wonderfully gorgeous places (shock horror) *outside* of London,. then again pre-booking is vital for bagging cheaper prices...See national rail link... Also on a cautionary note here,. wherever you end up staying (be this youth hostel or whatever) and where you'll want to visit this covers huge distances,. you'll absolutely kick yourself if you're too far out!! For a tourist /as a rule of thumb I would say don't go beyond zone 3 / a lot of cheap deals can be found in the typically Australian places such as Earls Court and Shepherds Bush, as they travel a hell of a lot and therefore finding either a flop house or a short let deal could be perfect.. see "Gumtree" link... Food/eating out, can be ridiculously expensive in London. but sniffing out a bargain isn't that hard once you get your bearings... good chain called Stockpot - very basic food, but so incredibly cheap!! Ohhhh research any/all extra European travel such as your Barcelona trip before arriving, can save you a lot of money, there exists a Euro rail ticket,. x-amount of journeys within all of Europe for one price, but think you have to pre-arrange or something... see link... Also do not let your travel agent bully you into using crap airports that are too far out to use (Stanstead, Luton - trust me they're shite) do try and get something from either Gatwick or Heathrow, there are trains/fast trains and tube respectively to these airports... ...cant think of anything else right now, but feel free to drop me a line,. happy to help... Cat xx
Maybe check out EF College Break. Its packages, so it covers round trip airfare, hotels, breakfasts, and transfers ect and other stuff for cheaper. I just booked a trip with them, so I still have the discount code I used, its hesseln1188 and its saves you $50. But definately buy your food at grocery stores. Um, use public free restrooms (haha, ya some places seriously charge...) and use public transportation, the metro. Good luck and have fun on your trip.
Well, I traveled Europe for 2 months on $5,000, and that included all airfare, transportation there, food, lodging, and EVERYTHING. Go to www.lessno.com for your plane tickets. I've researched numerous plane ticket sites back when I did my trip, and this site had the cheapest tickets by far. Flights and trains in Europe to anywhere in Europe are very cheap, making it very simple to see just about anything you want. When buying your plane ticket to Europe, make sure it's round trip, as flights originating from Europe are extremely expensive (upwards of $2000). Hostels get a bad rap. Just be smart and you'll be fine. Most hostels have a curfew (usually midnight), and they keep the doors locked during the day. Theft is rare. Naturally, though, only bring things you don't mind losing. As far as food goes, but it at supermarkets. Avoid restaurants (unless you truly want to experience a good foreign meal, which I highly recommend doing at least once). Avoid street vendors at all costs; prices are high, and food poisoning is common. One final piece of advice. A lady earlier mentioned pickpockets. they are quite prevalent everywhere in Europe. i recommend wearing a money belt. You can find them on www.ricksteves.com. Costs about $12, and it goes on under your clothes. It's nearly impossible to pick, well worth the $12 spent. Also, pack VERY light. Have one backpack, and only bring what you can fit in it and carry without a problem. Have a great trip!