Costs, expenses, and the budget of your trip can affect your overall travel experience. To make the most out of Europe you need to plan, plan and plan beforehand. As this may seem tedious or you don’t know where to start, we have put together this blog post to aid first time travelers or even returning travelers with a cost-effective guide to Europe. The guide will look into the different types of travel styles you can take, some tips for saving your money, and an overall look into accommodation, food and transport for Europe.

Traveling styles:

Depending on your personal preference, how you want to experience Europe, and how much money you are willing to save for your travels, there are a few different travel styles you can adopt:

The ‘Backpacker Style’ is fairly common with first time travelers or those on a tight budget. Typical daily costs for this travel lifestyle average at 45-70 euros a day. This style takes the approach of staying in hostels, eating low-priced meals, or making your own food from a grocery shop. You go out drinking during happy hour only or buy alcohol from the local store. For sightseeing and entertainment, you will seek out free options or take advantage of exploring sights yourself. For the backpacker style, you will travel modestly but make the most out of your experience by choosing less expensive options.

The ‘Budget Conscious Style’ is more popular with returning travelers or those on a humbler budget but are still conscious of choosing affordable options. Typical daily costs for this travel lifestyle average at 80-200 euros a day. This style takes an approach of staying in budget hotels, affordable rental apartments, or private hostel rooms. Traveling with others will lower the per person costs if you choose to share rooms and is often a good way to save a little bit of money. For this travel style, you don’t mind paying for entertainment or sightseeing, and you may eat a combination of cheaper takeout meals or eat out at cost friendly restaurants.

The ‘Greater Budget Style’ is common with those that have been saving for their travels for a while, maybe a little older than the typical traveler and would prefer to experience Europe by eating out at restaurants and visiting established attractions that usually require entry fees. Typical daily costs for this travel lifestyle average at 150-300 euros a day. This style takes an approach of staying in nice but not luxury apartments and hotels, happy to eat out whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner and wanting to spend a little extra on tourist attractions to fully immerse yourself in the culture.

Accommodation:

Wondering about the different prices of hostels, apartments, or hotels as well as where to look and how to book can be extremely daunting without any insight. However, you’re in luck as hostels in Europe are traditionally the cheapest option when it comes to accommodation. European hostels typically average at 22 euros a night. If you’re wanting to explore something different or choose an even cheaper option, then using ‘Trusted Housesitters’ may be for you, you can save money by looking after different animals for a period of time while staying in that home. If hostels aren’t appealing for you, then Airbnb may be your new best friend, Airbnb prices usually average at 50-150 euros a night and you can often score a great location. Many popular travelers offer discounts or money off your first bookings for Airbnb and so if you’re struggling to find space in a hostel this may be your next alternative. If you prefer to stay in hotels, then hotels.com is a largely recommended site by travelers to find great budget hotel rooms for your trip. Typically, this is more expensive than other accommodation types, averaging at 40-200 euros depending on your location and party size.

Food:

For the budget traveler, your daily food budget will be anywhere from 20-55 euros. For those adopting the backpacker style, you’ll mostly be eating the free hostel breakfast and making homemade meals and snacks from the grocery store. When staying in apartments it makes sense to cook from groceries because of the kitchens, and it works out to be a lot cheaper. A good-sized grocery shop could cost 25 euros for the week, giving you 3 meals a day unless you choose to eat out. At the middle to high range budgets, you can choose to eat out more regularly, takeaway restaurants are typically 8-12 euros for a meal, affordable restaurants can be 15-25 euros for a meal, and you will need to encounter for a few snacks throughout your busy day!

Public Transport:

From subways, buses, trains and trams, European public transportation is considered excellent in most popular cities and is usually affordable too! Most cities are walkable, and it is encouraged to walk the majority of the time to fully immerse yourself in the culture of the city’s streets, stumbling on places you may not have found otherwise. However, sometimes public transport may be a better use of your time and your energy. Most cities sell a range of tickets and travel passes (i.e. single tickets, 1/3/5/7 day passes or even monthly passes) which is certainly useful for cities you may be staying a little longer in. Below is a run-down of transport prices for some of the more popular European destinations:

• London Tube (Oyster Card): 4 euros off-peak single fare or 14 euros all-day
• Paris Métro: 16 euros for 10 one-way tickets
• Amsterdam (Tram): 20 euros for 72 hours of unlimited travel
• Budapest (Bus and Subway): 17 euros for 72 hours of unlimited travel
• Prague: 1.60 euros for a single tram ticket
• Barcelona (Metro): 1.40 euros for a single ticket on the metro

Additionally, Uber is available in most cities and is fairly affordable for shorter distances.

Bringing Your Phone To Europe:

As well as all these spending costs, your phone’s service provider loves to catch you out with huge roaming fees just to add to your travel expenses. You shouldn’t have to consider leaving your phone at home, it’s key to stay connected with your family, send updates to friends, and picture your amazing travelling moments. Having your phone on you also allows you to book things like accommodation, restaurants, and transport, but how do you get around the daunting roaming charges?

We’ve got you covered, use your phone abroad with our Dataroam SIM cards, offering lightning-fast data, cost effective deals and fitting most devices! No registration needed, no contracts required, simply buy online ready for your trip.

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