How to Save For a Trip to Europe

Europe is no doubt one of the most expensive places to travel to. The huge cost of living and sky-high hotel rates in capital cities like Paris and London makes it a pricey destination for travelers.

However, this doesn’t mean you can’t walk Europe on a budget. Here are trusted tips to help you save your pounds on your next trip to any part of Europe.

How to save For a Trip to Europe

• Work Hard, Play Hard

Whether you’re someone who travels for fun, or fresh out of college, you will need to save quite a bit of money for your journey. Of course, you can try to save money through discounts or life hacks like searching for better deals by hiding your IP with a VPN; some businesses inflate prices based on your location after all. There are simpler ways to go around Europe without touching your life’s savings (A friend of mine told me of a woman who spent only $700 during her 3 months in Europe, eating only rice and sleeping in train stations to save some cash). Must be really tough for the poor woman but I assume of course that you don’t plan to travel like that. Do you?

Now that you are all set, let’s get to work. Try some side hustles (check out these extra ways to make money while doing your day job), pick up extra shifts or ask your boss for work on extra projects or overtime.

• Accrue Those Travel Points

Collecting travel points is one of the best ways on how to save money for travel. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t advise this if you encounter difficulty with paying your credit card bills per month. But if you are able to responsibly pay off your debt every month, you can not only get points from bonus sign up programs, but you can also collect points for each dollar spent.

In Europe, Point collecting is gold! Almost every hotel in the cities of Europe use travel reward programs. Popular cities like Stockholm, Paris, London and Berlin are home to some of the best hotels in the world, all of which accept points as payment methods.

Are you are looking for flights from Dubai? Read Travelstat guide on cheap Flights to Dubai

• Know Where to Get the Best Deal

Transportation throughout Europe can rip your bank account in half. That is why it is very economical to know where you can find the best deal. Of course, you may not love the bumpy ride or get as much leg room as you want, but it’s Europe, who wouldn’t still love it!

• Megabus
• Wanderu
• Booking.com
• Hostelbookers
• Hostel World
• Skyscanner
• Ryanair
• Vueling
• Rome2Rio
• Airbnb
• Hoteltonight

• Invest in the Right Luggage

We all had wish at some point in our lives to travel with an old Louis Vuitton trunk filled with every sort of apparel, trinkets and you know other wild things (winks). Bad news, hard luggage is a lot harder to travel with. Most times, it weighs more, hard to control in rough streets and it can become a real struggle to pack the right amount of clothes.

If you’re traveling for a not so long period of time, consider a carry-on bag. It will save you a lot of baggage fees. Plus, you will not be responsible for too many items. If you’re traveling for a long amount of time, think about a backpack! They’re easier to take around (even through multiple types of terrain), can be inexpensive and don’t weigh as much. Here are some quick places where you can purchase a backpack:

• Osprey Packs
• Gregory Mountain Products
• REI
• Backpacks by Deuter

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• Consider Some of the More Affordable Countries

Yes! You heard me right. Do you know a trip to Budapest cost less than $25 per day? Are you aware that the accommodation in Prague is really cheap? There are hundreds of countries in Europe (especially Eastern Europe), that is budget friendly. Some very popular, inexpensive countries include Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Turkey, Croatia, Herzegovina, Spain, Hungary, Czechia, Poland, Romania and Bosnia.

So do a quick pitstop in Paris and be adventurous enough to check out London for a night or two. But spend some significant time in these countries if you want to save for a trip to Europe.

• Prepare to Save Money When You Arrive

I recommend you keep a low budget while traveling (if you’re not able to spend a certain amount of cash beforehand). That sounds real difficult (I know) considering the amount of new experiences; food, sites and people you want to try. However, a disciplined follow-up of these tips helps you save money on the road!

• Travel with cheap flights in off-season (or totally avoid traveling to Europe in the summer time) or taking expensive Flight Routes
• Try out the local transport or walk
• Have breakfast, lunch or dinner at the local restaurant and split entrees with your traveling companion or make a friend over there.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol
• Purchase a local Phone and SIM card instead of paying for data
• Use Uber or Lyft instead of a taxi
• To save one night of accommodation, Travel by night on a train
• Stay in a hostel or Couchsurf
• Make money on the road by sharing your experience on Youtube, your blog(if you run any) or with Grabr
• Avoid the temptation of staying  in the center of the city when looking for accommodation.