I can’t afford it, it’s too expensive

Nothing ticks me off more than hearing the above. Traveling abroad does not have to be expensive, if one knows what to do. I spent a month in Europe during the 2009 summer. My TOTAL costs (excluding gifts) came to $3,300 … compare this to the $4,000 that a colleague spent on taking her family (hubby and two kiddies) to Disney for A WEEK!

FINDING AN AFFORDABLE TICKET
I use BookingBuddy and my last ticket cost me $492 (it went down to $366, three weeks after I made my purchase, but s*** happens!). In order to get the best price, I suggest that you start well in advance (at least 4 months). Type in your destination, as well as your point of departure. Use several of the search engines on BookingBuddy (I have found ATI, Airfare.com and Tripadvisor to be the best). Record the prices and dates. Repeat this process EVERY day for several weeks. You will develop a “feel” for what prices are. Sometimes you may have to fly into a city that is not your final destination, and take a bus/train from there. I have found that it is least expensive to fly into German cities. Once you get used to this, you will develop a feel for prices, and, when the right time comes, you will hit: “Buy this ticket” and you would have completed the first step … on your way to Europe (or wherever you select to go). Watch out for some sharks out there, promising you the cheapest ticket. Example: I am planning my trip for May 2010 and am looking for a ticket ex Pitt to Zurich. The cheapest I can find so far, is $653 (not cheap enough for me!) I noticed a search engine meant only for students, Studentuniverse.com. I thought, what the heck, let’s see if this would work for the students (ONLY students are allowed to purchase through this engine). Surprise, surprise, the ticket that would cost me $653 through BookingBuddy will cost $960 through Studentuniverse.com. A whopping $300 more … buyer beware, Studentuniverse.com SUCKS!

WHERE DO I STAY?
Refer to the post entitled Hostel Living

WHAT ABOUT FOOD AND DRINK?

Food in Europe can be very, very cheap, if you picnic. I do it all the time. Go to one of the many markets, buy bread, cold cuts, cheese, tomatoes and a bottle of wine for less than $10 (and this is enough for two people). I do not drink beer in the US, but it is all I drink in Europe (and of course, wine) as the beer is so SUPERIOR to the horse p*** that we get in America. Buy your beer from a local store for less than a dollar. Just look at the bakeries … we simply do not have those in America … and in Europe one finds them in every little village, around every corner!

If you want to go to bars and do shots, you are going to pay … through the a**! But, once in a while, I will go to a restaurant, order a bottle of wine … that’s how I “treat” myself. It is more important for me to travel and enjoy, than dropping $100 on a meal. And, picnicking is fun and everyone does it … the best picnic I have ever had was in a CEMETERY in Berlin (we did not know it was a cemetery … an incredible park-like setting, lake, benches, you name it).

OTHER COSTS
Traveling by train/bus/plane can take a big chunk out of your budget if you don’t know what you are doing. Ryanair, Germanwings, edreams and Skyscanner offer bargain fares. Traveling by bus or train is inexpensive too (travel second class). Using the latter modes of transportation is fun too, as one can enjoy the scenery. If you would ever travel through Austria, use the train, I have never experienced such a beautiful country!

WHAT DO I TAKE?
A lot of people use humungous back packs … I don’t. I take a suitcase (with wheels) and a smaller back pack. In my back pack you will find a large Tupperware container with a small cutting board, serrated knife, cup, table cloth, paper towels.

Another buyer beware: Eastpak SUCKS BIG time too! My suitcase (once again) broke in Europe. I went to this store and this lady swore by Eastpak products, even a 30-year warranty (“keep your receipt,” she told me). I paid a LOT of money for this wonder bag (I must admit, I liked the design). Well, ten days later it (literally) started coming apart at the seams … first in one spot, and a week later there was a second hole. Bearing in mind what the saleslady told me, I contacted Eastpak when I got back to the States. Cut a long story short, I mailed the damn bag to Washington State, and got it back eventually … just to notice that they have simply patched it. I called them, gave them a piece of my mind. It became clear that the bag was made in China (minimum wage, sweat factories, etc., you know what I am talking about). Am I going to worry about it? No ways! What can I say about a company that outsource jobs, pay workers a starving wage and show huge profits … company greed as per Wall Street … isn’t that what got us in this economic mess? Thus: EASTPAK SUCKS AND DO NOT BUY THEIR PRODUCTS AS THEIR WARRANTIES ARE WORTHLESS!

HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE TALKING? HOW LONG SHOULD I GO FOR?
I travel for at least a month and I recommend that you do not go for any period less than 3 weeks and at $100/day (all inclusive) you can live like royalty. Thus for a month long journey, we are talking $3,600 … INCLUDING airfare. I would not recommend that you budget for less than $50/day … you can do it, but it will be tough. let me illustrate: Hostel $15, Food and drink $20. That will leave you with $15 to get into museums, travel, etc. But, it CAN be done!