Uh Oh, Will I make it?? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

Jaimie7777 · 05-14-2005, 05:43 PM

Ok, so I leave on Tuesday for a 29 day trip to England, Italy and France. I have paid for all flights and Trains and have reserved my hostels.
Here is my dilema, I still owe the Hostels $448. I will have to pay for local transportation, food and admission fees.
I am such an idiot and have bought too much stuff for trip and only have $500 to take with me. I get paid in 2 weeks and that should be an additional $150.
So after paying for my accomodations I should have about $200. Will this be enough for food, I get free breakfasts and want to lose weight anyway :-)
Also I will need local transportation in Paris and Rome and in Naples.
I have bought my flights from Milan to Rome and Paris to London and London to rome.
I have bought Raileurope Italy and france pass and paid for reservations from Rome to Naples, Naples to Milan. Paris to nice and back to Paris.
I have paid for a coach ticket from Rome airoprt to Termini.
I want to go to all the usual sites, eiffel tower, colloseum, vatican city, versailles.
Can I make it?? Any tips on saving money or getting in free?
Should I return some of the items I bought, I have bought loads of clothes which I love but cannot afford.
I worked my finances out wrong unfortunately, I was adding money to the budget which I had already added and just realized yesterday that I was wrong.
S

hould I cancel my hostels and just go for the cheapest ones, no matter how bad the rating?
Please tell me what you think.
Thanks

Jaimie

Jaimie7777 · 05-14-2005, 05:45 PM

Oh yeah, I stay free in England with my cousin, so 9 days i'm not paying for hostel and hopefully for food either.

foofiter · 05-14-2005, 05:55 PM

Take the clothes back and anything else you can return. You will need no more than 4 sets of clothes and if you do you can buy it abroad. Paris has great clothes from what I understand. Take a credit card with you if you have one. That can also be useful. With only $200 you will be roughing it big time. A credit card will be extremely helpful so you can charge up and pay back when you are back home working. Interest sucks but it doesnt look like you have a lot of options here. Try to beg, borrow, and save as much cash as you can before you go. Good luck!

foofiter

**Tadpole** · 05-14-2005, 06:02 PM

If you play an instrument you could make some money that way. Guitar, Flute, Violin, Drums, or whatever. Anytime you are waiting on a train just break it out and you might make a couple of dollars just by playing.

**TimmyJames1976** · 05-14-2005, 07:14 PM

yeah, that is going to be tough. Your $200 usd will turn into about $150 euros after the exchange rate and fees. That is not going to get you far. I would say it is time to cut corners. Do what foo said, return things you don't need. And downgrading your hostel stay may not be a bad idea either. Beggers can't be choosers.

**simply_angelic** · 05-15-2005, 04:34 AM

wow yeah......29 days in europe on about 250 euros....that's 8.6 euro's a day.....which can be done but, there wont be much paid entrance w/in this sight seeing.....Oh dear, yeah I'd say take back some of the unnecessary clothes. When you're not 100% annorexic, I would say to try and eat at buffets and bring a big purse

if you know what I mean... and while you're there stuff yourself so full you wont want food for the rest of the day.

My brother went to scotland last year on a rugby trip & there was this breakfast that they set out for their team when they arrived and my brother and his friends just filled their backpacks with the stuff, as they were the first to arrive. Not very honest i know, but they didnt have to buy any food for the rest of the trip, all they had to get were condiments...

.Also, if you're already a big eater like me, i would try to cut down on what you eat while at home now so that you're used to small rations for the trip and your stomach is sufficiently smaller. It's ten times harder to deny the urge to buy food when your stomach is shouting out that there's lotsa room for more! Make sure you bring vitamins if you dont think you'll get 100% of your nutrients throughout the trip....

Other than that, I dunno. Good luck!!

Jaimie7777 · 05-15-2005, 05:40 AM

I'm going returning today. I think I went crazy with the clothes shopping, And I tried some of the stuff back on and it looks NAFF, lol
So backy to the storey it goesy, lol
Well this will certainly be an adventure, thats for sure.
I'm keeping my hostel reservations, they may not be the cheapest but I get free Breakfast and most places are fully booked by now for next week.
Thanks for all advice guys

**ajb3000** · 05-15-2005, 08:10 AM

simply_angelic, it's €150, not €250, so in fact he only has just over €5 per day, which would barely pay for a meal at McDonalds.

A day ticket on the London Underground costs the equivalent of €7.60.

Jaimie7777 · 05-15-2005, 09:08 AM

Uhm I'm a girl

I think, haha

Just got back from the stores and returned the cutest jacket and skirt and this gorgeous top. I figure I'm backpacking, no need to look ritzy haha
And I was checking a receipt and I was double billed for 2 items and so I got my money back there as well.
I am trying to not use credit cards, I am going to Law School next year and do not need additional debt.
So I should have an extra couple hundred dollars.
I should really return all the gifts I bought for my cousins, I mean who needs a fance dart board and stuff? Man, I would if I didn't think it would make me look bad lol.
9 days I will be in London staying at family, hopefully will get a ride into the west end and then I'll coach it or tube it to Stonehenge.
I am a british citizen and haven't even been there.
I live in Florida now and haven't been to Disney World so I guess that says alot.

Well wish me luck, I leave on Tuesday for the trip of a lifetime!!

**Tadpole** · 05-15-2005, 01:26 PM

Good Luck!

Keep us posted on your experinces and how your budgeted budget traveling goes!

**simply_angelic** · 05-15-2005, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ajb3000@May 15 2005, 11:09 AM
simply_angelic, it's €150, not €250, so in fact he only has just over €5 per day, which would barely pay for a meal at McDonalds.

A day ticket on the London Underground costs the equivalent of €7.60.

nah she said she'd have another 150 to add to the 200 making a grand total of 350 and im just doing this off the top of my head, but i assumed w/ the conversion it would be around 250....

good luck though jamie!!!! you're going to have a blast!!!

foofiter · 05-15-2005, 07:10 PM

Good luck! Take the credit card just in case of emergency! I was REALLY glad I had mine last year...

Happy Trails!

foofiter

Corporal Canuck · 05-16-2005, 06:20 AM

student id can save you a few euro at museums, monuments, and anything remotely educational. it doesn't seem like much, but it adds up if you're a museum fiend like me. Best of luck!!!

**butterj** · 05-16-2005, 01:14 PM

I met a group of lads from the UK they only had 5 Euro a day each but there was 3 of them so they bought bread and cheese bewteen them, they were a really nice bunch and had a great laugh but i would never atempt to do it on that little on my own it is much harder. I on the other hand spent nearly 4000 Euro in 2 months, i was on my own and do tend to drink alot.

Take back everything you can and beg anyone you can fore some money before you go, and you may want to walk places to avoid local transport costs, you may also meet intresting people on the way and see places you would have missed if on the bus.