hey i was wondering what you guys thought on only haveing 1500 bucks to travel with around europe. how long do you think i'd be able to stay? figure that i have alot of family members there so it would cut board prices, but only somtimes. im very nervous with putting myself on a budget. anyone else go to europe with little amounts of money? what do you all think?

your advice is greatly needed!
<3
gaby

Hola Gaby and [font=Impact][size=14][color=green]WELCOME!!!

Well, 1500 might not be as small as you think. There are many ways to strech your dollar... for starters.. have you already purchased your flight?? If not check to see the prices to fly into Amsterdam and Brussels.. Alot of the time, they are the cheapest citys in Europe to fly into (at least from Florida).. I would try www.travelocity.com and use the "flexable dates" option... in europe you can fly around useing www.ryanair.com and my fav www.easyjet.com they are cheap as hell and can get you alomst everywhere.

I would try to keep in mind the bigger more popular citys are going to be a bit more expinsive (Paris, London, etc) I'm not saying don't visit them! I'm just saying keep it in mind (especially in the UK useing the Pound vs the Euro). Eastern Europe is a bit cheaper!

Next, research! research! research! Look up hostles in the areas that you will be going to, this way you get an idea on how much you will need to spend... also this lets you weigh your options and see what is out there... this is better then showing up at the train station and being left at the mercy of the somethimes-pushy sales people trying to get you to their hostle and not knowing your options.

Now, with that in mind. I set a daily budget (I know I'm a tool!) for cash.. I know it sounds anal but it gives you a good basis to manage your limited fund. So you need to decide how much you want to allow yourself to spend daily and devide it into your 1,500 and thats how many days you should travel for... keep in mind you need to buy meals, hostles, transportation, and FUN!!

(A loose example)

30 Hostle
10 Transportation
10 food
30 FUN
---------------
80 Daily

80/1500 = 18.75 days

I hope this helps,
Lee

i hope your right! and i hope i get to stay more days, yes my ticket will be paid for as my grad present so this i dont have to worrie about, and im mailing all my crazy family that lives in europe.. so this might buy me a few days! i will take your advice and research right now. i think thats one of my biggest fears, being stuck with no money. eeep

you might also want to check out some of those sites that offer free board for a few hours work each day.
i forgwt the web address or i'd post it.
:unsure:

www.helpexchage.net - - -

That's the site I believe zylah is referring to. I had to do some backtracking on other forums, hehehe - the memories. Seems decent, a lot of work on farms and such.

ohno! try to remember. that would help ALOT! think think think

ah thankyou, perfect i will look into this. thank you SOO much.

Does that include airfare? Or is it pure food/board/party/shopping money? A lot of it depends on what countries you'll be visiting, as there's a huge disparity in prices. Another is what kind of lifestyle you lead - personally, I'm a heavy indulger (food, drinks, etc.) so $1500 can last me from two weeks going all out, or three weeks being moderate.. but if I had to stretch it, I could go a long time, as living off of Pot Noodle and cheap beer just reminds me of the joyful college days ;)

1500$ is that US/CAN/AUS ???

If its US your in good shape, AUS or CAN its going to be tight, but with family your already one step ahead, Stay with them as much as you can, as good families will not only put a roof over your head but also keep food in their belly, those are to big costs that you'll be able not to worry about. if you do day trips, bring food with you or stop at open are markets, thats where your find deals. If you do not care what days you will be moving to between cities, cheap the cheap discount airline sometimes you can get flights for as low as 1 Euro or 1 Pound. If you are staying in hostels, pick the largest dorm room as it will be the cheapest. Day passes for trains and transit will be a way to save money when your on your day trips.

Just be careful and dont go nuts in one place and start spending like a mad person...and stay away from the booze, besides transport that will KILL ur budget in western Europe, Eastern Europe not so much.

:cheers:

ok i can't remember the exact site :unsure: but if you type in "free accomodation" into google you will find heaps of sites. You may want to also put in the country/ region you want to stay at to narrow it down.
you could also try "homestay"

hope this helps

zyl

ok now i found it,
try:
http://deutsch.hospitalityclub.org/indexdeu.htm

its sorted by country and if i get it right most of the members can offer free accomodation.
I've only had a quick look around but it seems like there are lots of members (about 400 in austria) etc.
:wine:

wow thanks guys I just signed up for that website and it seems pretty interesting, I'm excited to start browsing and see what that's all about, even though I still would enjoy a few hostel nights.....

Has anyone in this forum used the services from Hospitality Club, are you guys member?? What do you think about them?? Any input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

JiveTurkey:

When you take the services from RyanAir or EasyJet, how do you get to/from the airports, according to a lot of places they are kinda far from downtown, is the public system good in Europe? Does London and Paris and all those places have public buses besides the metro? I know it sounds stupid but what can you really see inside a tunnel for30-60 minutes back and forth??

Oh wow, and I was going to have 4 grand in my pocket.... Good info guys, thanks!

Id definatly give hospitality club a go, there seems to be loads of members, i have joined but not set it up yet, i know loads of people that are on it and have had people to stay, they said it was a good laugh and no very crazy people yet