estimating costs for a trip

Depends on where you are going as different cities have different prices. Are you going to stay in one place a while or hop around the country a lot? I would recommend staying in apts. as much as possible. I don't find buying food in Germany to be any more expensive than in the states. Restaurants are also similar though you wont get bottomless cups of coffee or softdrink refills here.

Many small towns are very reasonable, but you can find cheap, comfortable lodgings in big cities too.

Hi Jerry,
Here's a link to a previous discussion posted by Kent--it has good info about budget planning.

Kent's post about Budget Planning

This may be helpful too for looking at train fares, travel distances, etc.:
Itinerary Planning

Thanks for that quick reply, Jo. Actually, we will be in western Germany a while visiting, and then take a short tour with a tour company between Bremen and Bremerhaven (that includes 3 nights lodging and meals), and then travel to Dresden and do a bit of research in eastern Germany and over into the Czech Republic. We stay in B&Bs/zimmers often and enjoy that. I found a 7 day German Rail Pass (2nd class) for 250 euros so I figured we would use that to go long distances and buy point to point if we needed or ride buses. We may rent a car for two weeks too so we can see small villages I want to visit. The trip actually is a month of sabbatical and two weeks of vacation so it will be a mix of both but I have to lay out the sabbatical part of it for my church council. Thanks.

Jerry if you are a minister and church is paying for your trip, isn't there a "sister" church you could write to and see if they can put you up in there parish house at least for part of the trip?? Seems "free" would be a great price.

Our ministers rarely stay in hotels on church business , we just sent our Youth Paster down to States last year and he was billeted out( with his wife also) , they did need a few nights hotel, but by billeting he kept costs low.

Check out some of the posts from Lee about train travel. A lot of it you can get quite reasonably if you use the Länder tickets or specials and it will almost always be cheaper than a car. Gas is running about $6 a gallon right now I think. Almost all towns are connected with trains and/or buses at the minimum.

As per the link above from Kent I find that the figure of 150 a day to be real helpful in planning, don't want to underestimate the cost. Also keep in mind some countries will charge a deposit to your credit card when renting a car which can tie up your credit, happened to me on a recent trip to Israel. Have a good trip!

Rick updated his Europe trip cost estimate in his book Europe Through the Back Door 2009. As a rough rule of thumb only, and under specifically defined circumstances, Rick estimates that a couple can travel comfortably in Europe for a month for about $185/day (total, not per person), not including airfare. He also said that "students or rock-bottom budget travelers" can do it for about $100/day, but in his opinion the $100/day requires staying in a hostel dorm bed or a bed in a private home.Note to Jerry: Rick's estimates were intended to apply to different circumstances than your trip, so they are offered here only as general information and not in answer to your question in the original post.

Jerry, one quick question before I comment on this. Do you speak any German? Do you like traditional German cuisine? Last November, I spent 13 nights in Germany, traveling single, and I spent an average of €51 per day, €31 for accommodations and €20 for meals. That's about $66 at $1.29/EUR. However, for finding accommodations that inexpensively, speaking some German helps. Eating pork costs less than eating beef.

Hi again all. Got sidetracked with two funerals and the beginning of Lent. Now, Lee, yes we love German food and we enjoy staying in zimmers. I think we can converse in German if we need to although it will be rough. I would welcome any advice you may give to travel in Germany. Thanks.

If you have to stay in large cities, saving money on accommodations will be more difficult, but if you can stay in small towns, nearly every town in Germany has their own website, www.[townname].de. On it they will have a list of accommodations and many of those places will have websites or email addresses. The least expensive ones will be listed under Ferienwohnungen (vacation apartments) or Privatzimmer (rooms in a private home).

I would try to figure out where you will be going and reserve in advance. That way you can be assured of the most economical place. If you just come into town and go to the tourist office or look on your own, you cannot be assured of getting the best price.

Try to figure out menus. There are often times light, less expensive items on the menu, but the names are not familiar to Americans, so we pass them by in favor of the known but more expensive dishes. Many Germans still have their main meal at noon and then just an openfaced sandwich (Belegtes Brot) for their evening meal. Sausage dishes are usually inexpensive. Look for Stammer Max (ham and eggs on toast). Particularly in the south, you will often find Käsespätzle, made with little dumplings, Allgäuer cheese (like Swiss), and fried onions. I would suggest you get a copy of Marling's Menu Master in German (I think Amazon carries it). It describes a lot of dishes and translates terms.