first time going.
will be staying with family in one country and they'll be taking me around europe (GB, Italy, Spain, Germany, Swiss, Austria, France) for 2 weeks. transportation and lodging is pretty much paid for.
so the only thing i'll be spending money on is food and shopping.
how much should i bring? would US$100/day be sufficient?
Thanks in advance for help and replies.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the reply. I'll probably be doing some light shopping, i guess somewhere in between walmart and high-end. My relative will actually be driving us to nearby countries so i don't think taxi/bus/rail passes are needed. Though i'll be definitely be chipping in for gas.
we'll probably have one nice dinner in every country. My girlfriend and I will be splitting our expenses down the middle when it comes to food and any extra lodging we may need. shopping will be separate, however. I'm only interested in taking many pictures but will be buying a few souvenirs along the way.
shameless bump. sorry
I think Steve pretty much covered it. You'll spend as much money as you spend (not very helpful, I know.) Certain countries such as GB and 'Swiss' are more expensive than Spain or Germany, so expect to spend more there. London has the advantage of a lot more free museums. In Rome, most of the churches are free while the museums aren't. In Florence, almost everywhere charges at least a small admittance fee. So it varies depending on what you want to see/do.
Cities are more expensive than the countryside, so if your family is driving you around and you stay off the beaten path, you could probably do it on $100/day for two. If you're in a city such as Rome or Paris that you don't want to drive around in, you'll have to figure parking costs plus any public transportation you use while in the city.
Lunch is cheaper than dinner, so it works well to have a bigger lunch and not buy dinner or buy something at a store and have a picnic. Of course, traveling with family, you might have less say in the matter.
General rule of thumb: pack half of what you think you need and twice as much cash. :-)
well we'll be hitting up all the major cities in the countried i listed, since it's my first time going. just trying to check out as many places as possible now so when i come back, i can go to the places I really liked and take the time to explore.
i've decided to bring around $2000 with me. $1500 in cash and then bring my credit card with me.
thanks for the replies!
rdzeey, do not bring cash. Bring an ATM card and withdraw cash every 3 or 4 days . Carrying large sums of cash is not smart.
If you feel you need to bring cash bring 100 euros or GBP ( depending one where you are starting) just to start with.
Don't bring Amercian money( changing cash is not great, rates will be bad, and small places just won't take it) . Don't bring travelers checks ( unless you like hassles, fees and stress)
Assume there is only one of you. $100 should be plenty. Would suggest taking $300 in cash and have an ATM card and credit card. You will have to pay bank charges but you don't want a lot of cash on you. Travel checks are less and less being used.
Dean
