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How Can You Travel to Europe on a Budget?

Don’t have much money but want to travel in Europe? Here’s how.

Backpacker walking beach

Many people enjoy traveling. Unfortunately, it can be an incredibly pricey hobby. Just one short trip to a tropical island might cost you thousands of dollars and require months of careful planning and preparations. But what if you want to travel the world without being forced to rob a bank?

In that case, you can always travel to Europe on a budget, and this article should help you do just that. Here, you will find a list of helpful tips, including flying with budget airlines, using public transport, preparing your own food, choosing cheap and free tourist attractions, and finding the best deals in hostels. Check it out!

Find the Best Accommodation

If you are traveling Europe on a strict budget, you might have to stay in a hostel or even pitch a tent at a campsite instead of booking a hotel room. Hostels are a great option for budget travelers, as they tend to be cheaper than hotels and often include breakfast in the price. Of course, hostels might not be the most comfortable places, but they are definitely an affordable option for travelers going to Europe.

Camping is another great way to save money when travelling Europe if you do not mind roughing it. The best places to camp are national parks and private campsites, where you can pitch a tent for a small fee or even free of charge. And if you want to save even more money, you can simply look at some used campers from Oaktree Motorhomes and go on a road trip across Europe.

Fly With Budget Airlines

Choosing to fly with budget airlines is a great way to save money on plane tickets. The first step is finding the right budget airline for you. In the past, people had to worry about paying for food and drinks on budget flights, but many airlines offer free snacks and drinks these days. In addition to that, you can look for discount codes for airlines. This will make your plane tickets even cheaper! Here is a list of the best budget airlines in Europe!

  • Ryanair. Ryanair offers affordable flights to more than a hundred destinations in Europe from airports in Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. You can choose from a wide selection of travel packages that include certain amenities. For example, the Ryanair Plus package includes free checked bags and reserved seats.
  • EasyJet. EasyJet flies to a number of European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Greece, among others. It works the same as Ryanair – you buy cheap tickets and then pay for additional baggage or seat reservation.
  • Vueling Airlines. Vueling Airlines offers reasonable flight prices to European destinations. Their most popular travel packages include free luggage allowance of up to twenty-five kilograms and seat reservation.

Use Public Transport

Riding public transport in Europe is really affordable. You will be able to get around much more easily without a car and save a lot of money. Buses are a great option for shorter distances. For longer distances like from one country to another, trains are the better option.

You can purchase tickets for local buses and trains online. For long-distance journeys like flights and train rides between countries in Europe, book your tickets in advance, as they tend to sell out quickly during peak seasons.

Preparing Your Own Food

Eating out at restaurants can be expensive when traveling to Europe, as many restaurants charge tourists a premium price for food and drinks. Eating at home can save you a lot of money. It is also healthier because you do not have to worry about consuming too much salt and unhealthy fats from restaurant meals.

If you enjoy cooking your own meals, you can visit any supermarket and buy fresh ingredients for an affordable price. Most stores sell pre-made salads that you can take home and eat later.

If you will be staying in a hostel or renting an apartment on your trip, look for the ones with kitchen facilities in rooms. That way, you will be able to prepare your own food instead of buying ready-made meals in the grocery store.

Choosing Cheap and Free Tourist Attractions

Traveling to Europe on a budget does not mean that you have to skip out on tourist attractions. There are plenty of things to do that will not cost you a dime. For example, you can spend an afternoon walking around the streets of Paris admiring the city’s architecture. Many people also enjoy strolling through parks, such as Hyde Park in London.

In addition to that, you may be able to visit many museums for free all across Europe. Some museums have days where admission is free for everyone, while others offer free entry for students.

In Conclusion

What we wanted to say in this article is that traveling to Europe on a budget does not mean that you have to be miserable. There are plenty of things that you can do to save some money during your trip, such as using public transport, preparing your own food, choosing cheap and free tourist attractions, finding the best deals on hotels, or choosing camping.

With these things in mind, you will find that traveling Europe on a budget is absolutely possible. We hope that you enjoy your trip – and have fun!

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  • Ted November 15, 2021, 5:51 am

    Agreed, going from place to place and hitting all the “spots” is asking for trouble and an empty wallet. Instead, find an apartment share by asking locals and spend a month or more in a town. You end up not being a tourist and the prices go way down. For instance: I spent over 2 months in Pamplona. My apartment share cost me 220 Euros. I shopped at the markets rather than the supermarkets and enjoyed an entire San Fermin Festival for less than $200, was able to visit a number of very nice small towns in the Basque Country (via buses) plus made some friends whom I am still in touch with.

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    • VBJ November 15, 2021, 11:05 am

      Honestly, I don’t think most people want to travel cheaply. It takes work and effort … far easier to just spend money haha.

      Thanks for sharing these tips. They’re good ones.

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