You Can Afford European Travel
European travel can be surprisingly affordable. It just takes planning. With the Euro currently worth about $1.11, expenses there are on par with expenses in the United States. The cost of getting there (i.e., airfare) is what drives up your budget. One of the first things I do when I start planning a trip to Europe is to set up my budget. My approach is simple. The following are my basic guidelines:
- Airfare – For budget purposes, I usually assume $1,000 per person for flights to and from Europe (coach). You can find flights for less than this but this is a good starting point. My approach for researching flights can help you keep more of your money for experiencing Europe rather than on getting there.
- Sleeping – My baseline for accommodations for two (my husband and me) is $120 per night. You will find that big cities and big tourist areas will cost more than this but smaller towns and rural stays will cost less. You can stay in a 3-star hotels with good reviews for this rate; many include breakfast which also keeps food costs down. Farm stays and B&B’s are other alternatives that can keep your sleeping costs down.
- Rental Car – Cost is totally dependent on how many days you are planning to have a car. Most rental cars in Europe are manual (i.e., stick shift). You will pay a premium for an automatic transmission but they are available if you book ahead. Rates are similar to the U.S. but you may have to purchase insurance which adds to this cost.
- Gas/Tolls – Fuel in Europe is sold by the liter and costs about three times what it does in the U.S. You can save some money by renting a car that uses diesel fuel (these are common). Tolls are prevalent and expensive. If you are covering long distances, you can easily rack up $40 per day in tolls.
- Food – You have a lot of flexibility here but can get by with $50 per person per day (if breakfast is included in your room rate). Some strategies for maxing out your food budget include having picnic lunches and taking advantage of prix fixe menus. In France, our normal dinner tab was about $75 for two.
- Attractions – Museums are usually around $15-20 per person. If you are going to be in a city for several days, you can save money with city passes which allow you entry to multiple attractions for a heavily discounted rate. Experiences like boat tours or gondola rides to Alpine mountain tops will cost more but vary widely.
- Shopping – This is totally up to you. We like to go to open air markets, flea markets and the like. You may be more comfortable in the local department store. Our souvenirs tend to be small so that they fit in our luggage and tend to be items we will use on the trip. One of my favorites is an antique corkscrew that we found in Provence.
Here is a sample budget worksheet. If you have basic Excel skills you can set this up for yourself. The top part represents your total budget. Some of the line items as noted are bringing actuals up from sections below. These are simple formulas to insert as is the formula to use the exchange rate at the top in calculations in those detail areas.