Daily Budget

I can't comment on a budget for camping. But $920, for a round trip ticket from the Midwest to Amsterdam, in summer? That's much less than I'd expect it to be, so I'd grab it as soon as you are sure of your dates.

Remember you can't just drop anchor somewhere and camp - you will need to use official camping sites.

Is that $150/day for the 2 of you supposed to also include the cost of your rental car and your daily fuel costs in addition to 3 meals a day, snacks, drinks (alcohol, coffees, soft drinks), admissions and camp site fees? Where else are you planning on going during that 3 week period? Any cities included in there, or just more rural areas where you can find camp sites? $150 USD is not a whole lot of Euro for 2 depending on what countries you are going to be visiting. No one can ever predict airfares, particularly a year in advance. But as of today, if you got quoted $920 for a roundtrip ticket from the midwest to AMS during peak summer season, that's a fair price for now. It's a roll of the dice - could go up or down at any point over the next 300+ days depending on any number of things.

No, I wasn't including the car rental or fuel in that daily allowence. We hope to drive down through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and throughout France. We will probably be staying in smaller towns. Would like to take some day trips to the major cities, but have no desire to stay overnight in them. Thanks for the info everyone :)

I find that the cost of beer at meals has gone up considerably in the last 5 years. Other than that, I don't find my overall cost to have changed in that time. As for your expenses, that depends on factors that only you know. I can tell you what I would spend, my way, but that might not be typical for you. Are you going to be doing a lot of driving all over the place? Then fuel might be a significant cost. Are you going to spend a lot of time in major cities? That seems a little inconsistent with camping. Cities seem to require you to see more fee-charging venues. I tend to stay in smaller towns and visit natural sites without fees, so I don't spend a lot on admission costs. I tend to stay in a lot of simple, traditional accommodations, with breakfast provided. That keeps my food cost down considerably. Starting with a big breakfast, I find I spend about €20/day/person, including drinks and tips. If you fix breakfast where you camp, grocery costs will be minimal. Meals will be more expensive in big cities, especially at nice restaurants. I think the more you plan your itinerary and prearrange were you will stay and what you will see, the better you can predict and control expenses. Attractions usually have admission fees posted online. You can get rental car costs from websites. ViaMichelin has estimates of fuel cost between points depending on the price of gas and the type of car.

As others have said, that airfare seems great to me. As far as $150.00 a day sounds very good as you are not including fuel and car in that price. Don't know cost of camping, but if you cook breakfast and pack a lunch, food costs will be minimal if you don't splurge on high end restaurants, wine, beer. I would get a bottle of wine and cheese to have at campsite in evening to cut costs. As far as renting car, would suggest you not rent until leave Amsterdam, no need to have it there.

Where do you plan to end your trip? Do you plan to return to Amsterdam? Renting in one country and returning in another will cost you a large drop off fee. Gas/diesel is expensive and there are tolls roads and additional driving costs in some countries. That airfare seems reasonable, but as mentioned it is subject to go up or down in the lengthy time between now and when you plan to go. As for camping, I have never done that. I will assume that you should make reservations in advance during that time of year. Have you looked into campgrounds in the locations you plan to travel to? That might help clarify the costs of camping.

Budget is hard to figure out for anyone else. If you are cooking breakfast and dinner at the campsite, and packing a lunch, meals can be very cheap. Last month I fed my family in Rome, Florence, and Paris on about 50 euros a day for four including snacks, wine, and paper products by cooking in the apartment. We ate very well, lamb, rabbit, pork loin, quail, frog legs, local vegis, and fantastic cheese. If we had gone for soup, pasta, beans and rice, it could have been much cheaper. We spent another 15 to 30 euros per day for four on ice cream, water, and pastries. The days we ate out on the other hand, dinner cost a minimum of 40 euros for dinner and lunch out cost a minimum of 25 euros in the cities. In The Cinque Terre, lunch only cost us about 20 euros and the gelato was much cheaper. I don't know what campsites cost, but I bet a good guide book will give you an idea.

Allison, Hello from across the river in Minneapolis :) A cheap meal & no drink is roughly $15pp. Drinks add a lot to the price. Groceries are about 30% more than you're used to here in the US, except for meat, which is double what you're used to. You can do the math there. Admissions vary too much for any of us to judge your budget. You can see fantastic free stuff all day, or spend $150 on admissions in a day, or anywhere in between. It just depends on what you want. If you have a soft spot in your heart for camping, go ahead and do it, but if you're just assuming it is the cheapest option, it may not be. A youth hostel with breakfast as part of the price might be a better deal and be a lot more convenient to see cities & towns than sleeping in a campground. You won't want to be driving in & out of cities. It's just too much hassle to avoid getting lost and finding a place to park. Going city to city is best done by train or bus. If I were you, I would plan your itinerary to have city stops and rural stops distinctly separate. Do public transport for the urban portions and consider the car rental for the rural portion and don't intermingle the two any more than you have to. Our family of five spends roughly $300/day while in Europe, and that includes all lodging, food, ground transport and admissions - everything except airfare. We're a little on the thrifty side, but we see and do a lot as well.

I think you're treading on dangerous ground with that budget. On the face, it seems okay. We figure two hundred bucks a day, fifty of which is car-related. We've seen the stuff that has admission fees long ago, but spend more or supper than most - - it probably averages out. So far, so good. Go back and read what Nigel wrote. The camping places are virtually all commercial, unlike the US nationa parks, and are generally located in rural areas (beaches, etc) far from the city centers. I've never pitched a tent, but we sometimes stay in camping areas in the cabins - - thus I've a rough idea of what the tent sites cost. Oddly, they're only a little less expensive than a budget hotel within a city. The plot thickens. You've got to stay (say) an hour from the city, drive in and then drive back out - - or scurry through the city so you can move on to the next place for the night. In the first case, you're going to up your gas bill. In both cases, it's going to take you a couple of days to see an area where you could have done it one day had you stayed in the city - - in other words, for a town you could have seen it for two hundred bucks, but it's going to cost you four hundred.

Another issue which might concern you is what to do with your stuff. You might be concerned with leaving it unattended in the campground during the day. Alternatively, you might be concerned with leaving it exposed in the car all day since you can't hide it and your luggage in a small trunk. Essentially, if you're looking for the cheapest way to do something, you missed the boat. If you just want to camp an not see as much, you've got almost enough money.

Not sure why people find it necessary to be rude on here. It was an honest simple question. No need to bite my head off. In regards to camping we enjoy camping and would prefer it over hostels, not really about saving money. I was reading the website and tips from the author here and based on what he was saying about budgets is how I came up with $150. We prefer smaller towns, so probably won't be spending a lot of time in big cities and when we do we will use public transportation. Thank you too those people who provided responses. If a family of 5 can budget on $300/day I think we can also manage on under 200/day.

'Why would people even think 150.00 a day for two is doable.' Because we've done it, year in and year out for the last ten years. And the ten years before that it was less, and the ten before that even less, and .... And unless she did if before we were married, my wife has never stayed in a european hostel. If Allison isn't going to not spend a lot of time in big cities, she's got it made. And, just to be clear, our two hundred a day average (which includes the car stuff) has no trouble including a few days in either Paris, London, or Rome - - leave places like that out and the cost goes way down.

Allison asked if $150 for two was doable for food, admissions and camping, NOT plane tickets, car rental, and gas. Having just come back from three weeks of budget travel, I'd say it certainly is, particularly if camping includes cooking on site. We are just back from a budget like this for four: 100 euros per day apartment rental (estimating a hair high) 70 euros per day food including snacks and wine 60 euros per day tickets (using passes etc)
16 euros local transport Total: 246 per day for four or roughly 62 per day each. We were in Paris, Rome, Florence, and London on a budget like this. No problem. We ate well and had a great time. Train and other city to city transport not included.

I just got back from taking my girl scouts to Europe for 2 weeks. I told them to budget on airfare plus $200/day plus shopping money. The final spread sheet shows that was a very accurate budget. The $200/day inlcuded average $75/nite for hotel, 5 train rides(some long ones), taxis, buses, food, entertainment, admission fees, etc. We did many touristy things like museums, gondola rides, cooking class in florence, gelato twice a day and ate out most meals other than included breakfasts.
Buy the air plane ticket. I wish I had been prepated to buy my sooner. We paid $1700 to travel June 8-22 this past year.

I think your budget is doable, although tight. But one thing people haven't mentioned is that costs vary significantly depending on what country you're in. Some countries - and even areas within countries - are significantly cheaper than others. In Western Europe, Scandanavia is expensive, as is Switzerland and the UK/Ireland. Followed next by most major cities in the rest of Europe, with some exceptions (Berlin is cheaper than anywhere else I've been). So if you have a tight budget, I'd try to avoid some of the most expensive countries/cities or at least have strategies for lowering costs in those places. Secondly, I'd do some research on European camping. It's not neccessarily like camping in the U.S., although this too varies by country. Most campgrounds in Germany are large and packed in and full of older people who live in the campground for the summer. If you're picturing pristine nature and isolation, you're going to have a hard time finding that in Germany, although it may be possible in other countries. You've got a long time to plan, so buy a couple of camping-specific guides to Europe. Also keep in mind that camping may not be cheaper per night than staying at a hostel or even a budget hotel in some places. Camp if you enjoy sleeping in a tent, but as a money-saving option I don't think it offers significant savings.

You should have a look at the Lonely Planet travel forums. They are geared more toward the backpacker/camper traveler . . . Thorntree, if I remember right. Also, just in case it got lost in the shuffle - check the drop-off cost for the car. It can be hundreds of dollars.

Allison I know this is a question you didn't ask, but thought it was important to bring up. You mentioned you wanted to drive from Amsterdam through Germany, then Italy, and all over France. Check out ViaMichelin.com or other European websites to determine the number of hours it will take to get from one place to another. Do not go by the number of miles as this will mislead you. As you already know, European roads are not like the ones in the US, especially if you are going to rural areas. I think you will find that you are spending most of your time on the road. I always think that the concept that Europe is small doesn't really translate to travel time whether, plane, train or car. Good luck! Bobbie

@Paul - I think you missed where her $150 budget was to include camping (or other lodging if they can't camp). I have no idea how much camping costs, but I think that is why so many people feel the budget is low.

Several brands of budget hotels/motels have been developed in Western Europe that can be nearly as cheap as campgrounds and usually more convenient for cities. I am familiar with those operated by the huge Accor chain. Their Etap brand offers spartan but efficient rooms for as little as $50 altlhough rising quickly depending on location and date. The Formule or F1 brand resembles motels, often with automated check-in. They can be even cheaper. Many of these locations will be on the outskirts of town and cities, but that means parking will be easy or even free, a significant cost factor. Accor covers Europe (indeed the world) www.accorhotel.com&#59; it takes a little patience to navigate that rather clunky website. A search will turn up several competitors.