Europe- Footloose and fancy FREE?

Yes, but Nate - you have the opportunity to go for NINE WEEKS! You have until May to make and save more money. Start skimping on your own college budget right now. Sell everything you no longer need on Craigslist. Find those odd jobs around campus that can add a few schekels to the travel fund.

You won't soon have the opportunity to travel for such an extended amount of time. Make the most of it!

You do mean 2,200 each. And do you mean dollars or euros?
Thats about 1500 euros. I will assume each.
So you need hotel( hostel with your budget really) and food.
Nine weeks is 63 days. That comes to about 25 euros a day.
I really don't think this is reasonable. You are college students YOU do the math.
Go for a shorter trip, about half the time, with a budget of about 50 euros a day you may scrape by,, just barely, eating alot of bread and sausage.
Really, get more money. This is budget is unrealistic 25 euros a day for food, lodging and attractions( plus you would still need to pay for local buses/ metros etc.

PS I DID travel for a couple of months with a friend in Europe when I was young. We did cheap, but even 25 years ago we wouldn't have gone with that budget.

PS I do want to encourage you, so, I encourage you to take a 30 day trip and be able to eat each day. LOL

You're probably asking the wrong people. I suggest you check with the "Let's Go" crowd; their books and website are aimed more at young people. In most of Europe you'd be lucky to stay in a hostel for $25 USD, although that does usually include a meager breakfast. Look at eastern Europe. Consider camping. There are campgrounds all over Europe. Be prepared to do a lot of walking in towns and cities.

You say "We all really NEED to do this." Not true. You all really WANT to do this. First of all, 9 weeks is far too long when you have so little money. BTW, please clarify as to the $2200. I hope you mean each! Since you are not leaving until May, you have 4 months to add some money to the pot. Otherwise, no matter how you scrimp while travelling, you simply will NOT have enough to pay for hostels, food, drinks, entrance fees, public transport in cities & towns, a soft drink or a bottle of juice when you are expiring from thirst, a box of Bandaids for the cut finger, etc., etc.

Anyone who tells you "You can do this", which is what you want to hear, is doing you a disservice. Lots of people travel cheaply, including myself, but it takes a lot more money than you say you will have to do so.

Yes, I mean $2,200 each. Thanks for your honesty everyone...it looks like we've got a little money to scrape together. Wish us luck!

Three years ago, my junior year of college, I spent 5 weeks in Western Europe, with a $1,400 budget after air and train. We did London, Ireland, Spain, France, Switz, Austria, Italy, and Greece and the exchange rate was $1.25 to €1. Unfortunatly, it's gotten a lot worse, but I think with some careful planning you could do it on $3,000. We used the Let's Go and Lonely Planet books for all of our accomodation and restaurant recommendations (on the rare occasion that we ate out.)

We were able to do it so cheaply because we had reserved each hostel in advance, knew exactly what each night would cost, and budgeted about USD$10/day for food. I travelled with 3 others and most places we could reserve a private quad for less than what a bed in a larger dorm would cost.

We ate out VERY rarely - almost always shopped at a local grocery store and cooked at the hostel. Pastries for breakfast, sandwiches and fruit for picnics, pasta for dinner. Cont.

We rarely used public transport - walked almost everywhere (I wore a pedometer for fun, and we clocked 20 miles one day in Paris), and instead of paying €€€ to tour the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Colosseum, etc. we decided ahead of time what was really important to us, saw those, and spent a large majority of the time just "experiencing" the cities.

My fondest memories aren't of the Vatican Museum or Louvre, but the people we met, picnics on the Champs du Mars at 10 p.m., getting lost in Venice, and hiking through Killarney National Park in the pouring rain - all practically free!!! And I agree, you need to do this :)

If you haven't decided where you want to go yet, the southern countries tend to be cheaper than northern Europe. Some of our cheapest hostels were in Ireland, Spain, France, Austria, and Greece. If you want any hostel recommendations, let me know!

Hello Nate. You are wise to ask for advice. I suggest plan to be in Europe for a total of 30 days.
Plan to have extra money that you could spend. Most Americans, on their first trip to Europe, spend more money there than they thought they would spend.
As a general strategy for your trip, I suggest :
plan your schedule around good hostels that are at good locations. Some of those hostels are : Jugendherberge Stahleck, located in a castle at Bacharach in GERMANY (Rhine River). Ostello 5-Terre at Manarola (in the Cinque Terre)in Liguria in ITALY.
And a hotel that is similar to a hostel : Institute St. Sebastian in Salzburg AUSTRIA. Get reservations for all of those places, immediately, after you acquire your airline tickets. Information on those places is in the travel guide book "Rick Steves' BEST OF EUROPE". I recoomend plan your trip in Europe by using that book. And also read some parts of the LET'S GO books to learn about cheapest places for food, and directions to hostels.

Nate, I guess you want to do sightseeing in several countries in Europe. I suggest do not go to Greece in this trip. Greece is too far away from the other countries. And traveling across Greece in trains is not satisfactory.

Thank you very much for all your advice everyone. It is definitely being taken to heart, so keep the tips a'comin'!

I realise that many respondents want you to be more careful and conservative with your planning, but I say go for it,with some changes. I too needed to do this 25 years ago, and I did it. I may not have paid to get into everything that is considered a must see, but I fell in love with a continent and have been back many times when I could pay to see the expensive places.

Suggestions:

1. Reverse the trip, London costs a fortune and you don't want to overspend early in the trip.

2. Remember that a eurail pass is not valid in the UK, and their trains are the most expensive for buying walk-up tickets.

3. Don't spend $1075 on a two-month eurail youth pass, I assume you are under 26, instead take a bicycle with you and plan a cycling tour. You can easily camp doing this, and will meet many people, especially locals who will welcome you to pitch a tent in the corner of their field. There are many great cycling paths and tours, especially along rivers and canals. Cont'd

Cont'd.

1. I am sure you have had contact with people from Europe visiting the US, exchange students, or have distant relatives that you may somehow be able to contact. No matter how loose the connection, it is time to make it a bit tighter, even if just for a night. Contact these people, my father had business associates that offered me rooms because they had kids my age and wanted to help.

2. Eat at farmers markets, local bakeries, and grocery stores. And camping in a field often get you an invite to breakfast.

3. By saving on the eurail, you will now have $3200 each. It will cost some to take the bicycle on the plane, and you may want to buy a train ticket for a long distance, but you will have money.

Finally, remember most of us were in your shoes at some point, but we are now your parents age. Somehow being a little more cautious, planning, and conservative comes with age. I stay at the Hampton Inn now, instead of the back of a pick-up. Go for it while you can!

You can save the most money by eating from the Grocery store. We eat better and cheaper by getting most of our food at local markets. Get bread rolls, meat, cheese, mustard-in-a-tube, drinks and some chocolate at the store, then head to a park for a picnic. 100 grams each of meat and cheese is plenty for two people, maybe enough for three.

You can save more money by camping. Camping is widely available and inexpensive. Although we've stayed in a combination of hostels, pensions, and hotels, this is definitely a consideration for our next trip.

I like the idea of biking. At your age it will make the trip more fun, memorable and affordable.

You should look at leasing a car, not sure if it will work crossing the channel or if their minimum age requirement will work for you. With five people, driving was way cheaper than rail and leasing was a fraction of renting.

The best thing is, everything you do to save money will also make you less of a "tourist".

Another thing you might consider:

WWOOFing. You volunteer on a farm (with locations all over Europe) in exchange for food and accommodation. While you will not get paid, it would alleviate some of the strain on your budget. You would also get the chance to live, work and make friends with a famliy giving you an excellent insight into their culture.

I did this is Italy last summer and it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life.
Here's the website: http://www.wwoof.org/

You will need to pay a small 25$ fee to have access to a very long list of farms that are in need of volunteers.

Another suggestion: wwwcouchsurfing.com. This would cut down on boarding costs. I have many friends who use this site religiously.

Do not put yourself in the position of ill health. Make sure you have enough funds to cover unexpected emergencies. Network, meet new people and you will be suprised at their hospitality.

I understand when you say you NEED to go. I wish you luck!

I suggest also ask questions at other websites : www.Frommers.com (Travel Talk). And www.lonelyplanet.com (Thorn Tree).

Whatever you do, do NOT shorten your trip! This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and you shouldn't miss a minute of it. You have enough time to make some great decisions. For instance, flying into and out of Dublin and taking Ryanair or easyjet to the continent can significantly decrease your overseas travel costs. Also, getting all of your Euros when you see a good rate, i.e. before the summer rate increase, will put you on a European budget instead of an American one. That will help, too. There are lots of good suggestions posted above; just be creative, think outside the box, explore all possibilities. But GO! Just let us know how it all went when you get back! I just wish it was me!

Since you are students you can take advantage of many hosting organizations which accept travelers for overnight stays.
Try these: place2stay.net
servas.org
hospex.org.pl
globalfreeloaders.com
globetrotters.co.uk
web.interhome.com
hostexchange.org
Next best suggestion is to stay in hostels:
hiayh.org

iyhf.org

hostelworld.com
hostels.com
hostelz.com
hiayh.org

I have stayed in hosting homes in 15 countries and in hostels in 12 countries. Avoid hotels if you are such a tight budget. Buy groceries and snack instead of splurging in restaurants.

Nate,

I think you are on the wrong board. $2200 each is not enough for Western Europe.
There is a web site called couchsurfing.com which it will allow you to find free staying in other people houses.
BTW, I am not affiliated with this site, i'm just trying to help this young guy.
As somebody else you can try camping, or hostels, but for 3 of you, since you have to pay per bed, it might not be cheaper in a hostel. You can try a private room in a hostel.
$25 per day for a room doens't sound real.It's hard to find even a hostel at that price in Western Europe. I would suggest to wait to save some more money, then go. You don't NEED to do this trip.

The USD = .5797 Euros today. Your $2200. USD is worth approximately 1,496 Euros. That is equal to 23.75 Euros per day. In my opinion you do not have nearly enough for 9 weeks (63 days).

I am planning a trip as well, only I have jjust 2 weeks. Look on hostelworld.com and sta travel.com.
If they have a branch(usually in major cities) visit them. I wasn't sure how much i''d need for 2 weeks for everything, I set a minimum of 2000 US, including travel through STA. They do budget travel for college and non students. I plan on booking hostels ahead of time, if you are travelling with others you can get a cheaper room for 4. I have just been trying to work as much as I can with a crazy school demand and save up for a nice budget trip.
That will help stretch your money, but I would think that is really stretching it, but I feel the same way too- I HAVE to take this trip!
BTW keep in touch, I'll be out in may as well.

Thanks for your tips, pointers, and suggestions, everyone! They have definitely been helpful, as well as eye-opening.

this is a "you can do it" story. 2 years ago, a budy and I both 20 years old did a Euro trip for a month. 2 weeks was a tour in england and 2 weeks was on our own in Belgium and Holland. Halfway through the tour, we missed the tour bus and had to spend $150 each on train tickets to meet them. Problem was, my friend left his money belt on the bus and we were $20 short. went to the atm and all 3 of my cards were declined. We spent 8 hrs trying to beg for money until finally we got a hold of our tour guide. He wired us some money to catch them but we had to pay it back. Since we were poor students, we had no room for error and we didnt have enough money to last to the end of our trip. The guide, who lived in Amsterdam, let us stay with him. The 1st 2 days in Amsterdam we stayed at his apartment, then he left us with the key to his house while he went sailing. For 3 days we had a home to ourselves in Amserdam for free.We had only $5 bewteen us when we got home. You can do it! anyone can!

I say to go for it, you only live once. I do suggest like others that you do some intense research. You will need some true alternative travelling strategies to make it, ones that typically are not found on this board. Camping, Student housing, even crashing with new found friends will stretch the dollar. Street food and Grocery stores are cheap, a bottle of wine from a discount store in a park is just as good as a high price glass of wine at a sidewalk cafe. You may have to forgo some of the major (and expensive) sights for minor and free. Also heed the advice to get out of England as quick as possible, you could blow your whole budget there in a week.

Is it worth staying in England long enough to see Stonehenge?

Personally, I think there are dozens of more interesting things to see in England than Stonehenge. If you want to see ancient rocks - go to Avebury. Quieter, bigger, and you're free to roam around. Stonehenge is roped off and there isn't much to see besides a circle of stones. However, a lot of people like to see it just because it's so famous and to say "I was there".

Yes, England is expensive, but it can be done just as cheaply as the other countries if you plan well ahead. I stayed in a hostel in London for £11/night and ate on £10/day. Use National Express or Megabus instead of National Rail. Walk a lot. London has something that no other city in Europe has - FREE MUSEUMS. Take advantage of them. I adore England and it can be done cheaply. I hope you've gone to the library or bookstore and browsed through Let's Go for cheap accomodation options! That was our bible when we backpacked a few years ago.

Nate, I understand that this is a trip of a lifetime. But you need more money. Europe is expensive and getting more so. London/England is one of the most expensive cities/countries in the world right now. I would not spend much time there. Get a job, do something to get as much money together as possible. Stay at hostels, cook at the hostels etc. Have a lot of fun. I do not know what your credit card situation is like, but you may want to get one or have your parents get one in case you need it for something. I am not condoning credit cards for college students but you may need one. Have a great time. -Kim

Jennifer how in goodness sake did you eat on 10 pounds a day,, that is amazing, on the other hand I have a feeling that enough food for you would not be enough food for a young man who most likely is at least 5 inches taller and 50-70 lbs heavier then you! LOL I have two teen boys and they eat more then I ever had or did.

I do remember eating a 30 cent packages of instant noodles and calling it a meal when I was a young girl living on my own, so I guess 10 pounds might be enough for a young thing to survive on. LOL

Nate , I do think the hostelling is a great idea, and as Jennifer pointed out, bus (while slower) is cheaper then train.

Haha, actually it wasn't so bad! Sainsbury's in the morning - pastries and milk for £1.50! Cornish pasties or pre-made sandwiches for lunch, plus a bag of crisps and some fruit, and for dinner try Wetherspoons pubs - 2 meals for £7 or Stockpot near Piccadilly. And of course, I had to have a pudding for dessert on occasion...
Nate - picnics are the secret to traveling cheaply. You can eat quite well for around £3/person if you go to Tesco or Sainsburys. Of course, this also applies in any other town - my most memorable meals consisted of a baguette, cheese, ham, fruit, and pastry on the bank of the Seine. All for about €3/person if you're sharing with someone else!

Something to consider: "I am concerned about sending people to Europe with too much confidence and not enough money." (Rick Steves, ETBD). And this was said way before you had to come up with $150 to buy 100 euros.

[ED: Rick's office considers $100 per person per day not including any transportation on land, sea or air and not including shopping to be rock-bottom travel costs for anywhere in Western Europe.]

Check out www.couchsurfing.com This is an internet community of travelers that agree to host/be hosted around the world. The group is composed of people of all ages and interests, although probably dominated by 20- and 30-somethings. You will need to all join. You can try to set up places to stay before you travel or as you go (most hostels have computers to use). Hosting, etc. is at each person's discretion and availability. A lot of folks won't know very far in advance if they have a couch available or can host. It is free, but I am sure hosts appreciate help with groceries if you share a dinner or perhaps an evening out. If you mix couch surfing with hostels, you might be able to make it. Plan on picnicing or cooking for yourself. See if you can earn a few more $$ before you go!!

Nate, tell us about your adventures (saga) in Europe, after you come back to the U.S.A. People who spend very litle money each day travelling in Europe are likely to have unique experiences. (Rick Steves' first trip to Europe was a "Europe through the gutter" experience. Your "Europe through the gutter" experience will be different than his. And you might experience good luck : a European person might give you a good place to sleep, for free, or in exchange for a little work).

...Recently Rick Steves said his first trip to Europe (when he was 18, and he had a small amount of money) was his best trip in Europe.

I'll DEFINITELY report back after our adventure this summer, and let you all know how it went. Our departure date is quickly approaching, and I believe we're going to buy our rail passes tonight. I'll report back frequently with updates on our status!

one thing no one mentions here if you are dead set against shortening your trip is to travel in countries where your dollar goes further; I say go east young man. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey all are wonderful travel destinations for much less money than London or Germany. Save that for when you don't have to worry. I did the poor college trip in the 70's and I wouldn't trade those memories for the world, but now that I am older it was a drag not being able to eat out, go to a club or stay in a clean place because we were so broke. Hostels, camping, etc are the way to go.

Difficult...especially if you throw the U.K. into the mix. Spend more time in Eastern European countries and stretch that $2200 further.

You're young - get out there and meet people who'll offer to save your dropping $20/night on a hostel bed and will let you couch surf at their place. If not, consider approaching hostel management about a free bed in exchange for a couple hours cleaning rooms. I met lots of travellers in Australia and New Zealand who had no legal work permits, but did this successfully in many towns and rarely paid for a bed.

Find hostels that include breakfast in the price and load up on food. Get takeout from ethnic (chinese, indian, etc.) restaurants in un-touristy neighborhoods. Eat pub grub if you can skip the temptation to blow cash on beer (FYI: Europeans who shout you a round of beers generally expect you to shout a round back).

Worry MORE about finding a job in this crappy U.S. economy when you get back from Europe! Worry less about the trip!

-I slept at airports' benches..IT"S FREE..saves me about 200usd
-maybe you should consider bringing dried food(noodles,jerky,granola bars,etc)..which i did on my trip
it will definitely save you some money
- I also did not pay for some of my bus rides in rome(about 5 or so euros) _ or train ride from the airport to the city(about 20 euros).. I was lucky that i didn;t get caught..
hope that helps...

Yes, I would suggest a job for extra money. I understand what you say when you say that you need to go. Most young Americans (if not all)would benefit from travel abroad.
I first went to Europe for 7 weeks about 12 years ago with $3500 total (train, plane, food, youth hostel) Although it was not quite as expensive as it is now, it was tight. It was undoubtly the best time of my life. We stayed at youth hostels, the salvation army, friends homes, and in people's homes in Eastern Europe (they find you at the train station). I would suggest looking for YH with breakfast included and eat at the grocery-YH have 'furnished' kitchens. We ate a lot of lunch meat! I agree with having a credit card back up..my brand new back back ripped and I had to get a new one while I was there..SKIP ENGLAND-go when you have more money you will enjoy it more without worrying. There is so much to see in Eastern E without the cost.

Take what you think you'll need with you like tooth paste (1 sm tube lasts me 1 month), soap (3 oz. should be enough), skip contacts--wear glasses (less hassle/cost), we carried granola bars with us so we didn't become tempted to eat more expensive convience products..this all adds up in more Euros for something more important like addmission to something spectacular...also, most of my best memories are from things that were free...
I bet too if you tried you could "find" money in your everyday activities--like stop eating/drinking out, don't buy anything that isn't absolutely necessary, do you really need cable or a home phone (if you have a cell). I 'found' several hundred a month by re-eval the things I buy on a daily/monthly basis (cancelled cable, home phone, and internet). It all adds up to more travel per year and I enjoy the traveling more than I ever enjoyed the other things I "gave up".
Hope this helps or at least is food for thought! Have an awesome time!!

Just a quick update...our plane tickets and train tickets are purchased. Into London on May 16th and out of Frankfurt on July 24th. (I know, England is very expensive, and we won't be there long.) We decided the global pass would suit us best for what we intend to do, and we are all still in the process of holding down our second jobs on top of full time school work. It's going to be hard, but we're going to do it. We have been studying hard and are doing our best to educate ourselves on smart budget travel. Once this trip is over, (assuming everything goes well...) does anyone thing it would make for interesting reading? I'm thinking about writing a book once we return. Whether it be focused on suuuper-budget travel, or just about our adventures, I'm certain I'll have a story or two to share...

Of course, post your travel adventures here. I'm looking forward to it. No X or R rated stuff, OK! Keep it for the book. And when you get back, you'll be the budget travel expert.