Europe by car in 4 months

10 euro per day for food has me gobsmacked! You say you don't drink, which I presume means alcoholic beverages. Coffee? Do you drink coffee? What will you have for breakfast ... a pastry and coffee like most Italians? Or a cheap piece of bread and some water? I would really like to know in detail how you will nourish yourself for 4 months on 10 euro a day. This knowledge would certainly make my European travels less costly.

I have a really small appetite! I usually have coffee and toast for breakfast, a snack at lunch (fruit or vegetable usually), and then pasta for dinner. I've been spending around 35 euro a week on food in Florence.

I leased a car, but with a family of five - so it only roughly relates to your trip. Get a manual transmission diesel car. You will save a lot on fuel over the course of your trip.

I can't see 10 euro a day for food as a reasonable option when you're on the road. I think you should plan a minimum of 25 (most travelers would want double that or more) even if you're getting food from grocery stores. Will you go out for drinks in the evening? Have you budgeted separately for that?

Similarly, unless you are just skipping sights in favor of other things, ten a day is pretty low. If you want to budget tightly, look through your route for sights you would like to visit, check to see the admission price and add it up. I visit more sights now than I used to because I normally cut a swath through a particular region and don't have enough years to ensure I'll be back to this particular town or city. What used to be okay, but less than must-see, sights are more likely to be on my list now - so I'm budgeting more for sights (25 to 50 a day, depending on where I'm at).

Since you are driving, budget for parking - especially if you're planning budget accommodations.

I'll address the food and the entertainment fee. One of my few travel mates eats like you, so I'll think like her. As you are renting a car, you can buy in bulk; i.e., loaf of bread, box of pasta, etc. Yes, you can eat for $10.00 per day (That's $300.00 per month…that's a really decent budget, IMO. BTW, I'm using dollars because I'm too lazy to look up the value of the Euro today, but I know it has been diving. I suggest having some type of packable cooler for the car to preserve your food when the car becomes really hot. Entertainment, yes, you can get by on $10.00 per day as you are a nature person rather than a museum person. I'm a people watcher and architecture person, so I am easily entertained on the cheap. Personally, I would rather take public transit than to sleep on someone's couch, but my body is getting older… Have a fun trip!

I hope you are in compliance with Schengen regulations.

Zoe,
The poster says "I've been living in Florence since the start of the year", so I assume she is a legal resident of Italy, not a tourist from outside the EU, and so the 90 day Schengen area limit will not apply.
Mary, if you are currently in Italy as a non-EU tourist since the start of the year, you have used up half your 90 days already.

I did lease a car on my own for multiple months and had a great time doing it. But it surprises me that the car is the only item you plan to spend money on. I've only slept in a car three times in my life, as a last resort when I couldn't find a room or was stuck in a highway traffic jam, but it was really quite satisfactory to wake up without having a bill to pay. Gas will be a significant budget item to cross several countries. www.viamichelin.com will estimate both gas usage and road tolls or show you routes without tolls.

Some camping areas also have cabins available, but they probably cost more than 15 euro, since they sleep more than one person. That page also has some links about buying and reselling camper vans.

Rick has always advised not to skimp on the sightseeing budget, considering that you traveled a long way to see history and art unique to those regions. Your budget is an average budget, so some days you can spend more and other days less.

Zoe and Chris,
I have a stay permit for Italy that allows me to travel in Italy and other schengen countries until May 27th. After that I will have 90 days. I am studying at a University in England starting September 9th so I'm hoping my visa for that comes through in time. Otherwise I plan to return my car and travel to Ireland or Turkey. Thank you for the reminder though!

I would love to read a travel diary if you wrote one during the trip! Do you have a blog? We have rented cars in Europe but usually just use the excellent trains and public transport like the locals do. There are traffic problems in many cities and they make you pay to bring a car into some cities., Also there is a parking hell situation- parking is limited and expensive. Petrol is pricey. You'll find the expense and hassle is more frustrating than fun. I'd just get a Eurail pass and use local transport. Driving is not going to save you any money. It is going to cost a lot more money. I would never sleep in a car- our family prefers luxury hotels and first class travel. Goodness, 10 euro a day for food. We spend more than that for breakfast! Each! 10 euro for attractions means you best look for freebies.

mary,

I'm impressed that you can manage on €10 a day for food. That wouldn't even cover lunch for me. I can't comment on Couch Surfing or Air BNB as I've never used them, but €15 per day for Hostels seems a bit low. I've stayed in Hostels in several places in Europe, and even for a dorm room the cost has been higher than that.

I have a stay permit for Italy that allows me to travel in Italy and
other schengen countries until May 27th. After that I will have 90
days.

Are you sure you can combine visas that way? That doesn't match my understanding ... I'm sure that you have checked...