Feel like leaving town, especially when the semester is over? So you want to travel to Europe for a nice vacation; however, you have a problem: you don't have a lot of cash. This is the same situation in which many students find themselves. It is possible to travel to Europe inexpensively and comfortably.
It starts with purchasing your plane ticket. In order to get a cheap fare, do the following things:
1). buy the ticket in advance
2). travel during the middle of the week (e.g. Wednesday) instead of during the weekends
3). be aware of what other airlines are asking for similar tickets and compare prices
4). if possible, travel during the off season
Get a good travel agent or if you are familiar with international travel arrangements, you can call the airlines. In addition, preview travel is a good resource that enables one to ascertain the price of tickets on flights which originate from the United States.
Next, one has to be concerned about accomodation. If you are like me and like long vacations (at least a few weeks), unless you are well-off financially, hostelling is a good idea. Hostels are dormitory-style accomodations which youths frequent. People of any age can stay at hostels . To find out more about them and how they operate, visit The Internet Guide to Hostelling, or Hostels of Europe. By the way, when going to Europe in the summer, please make your reservations in advance. Since many students are not at school during this time and utilize hostels, finding accomodation when you get there can be difficult.
Once you have a place to stay, you need to get around. Forget taxis! They are too expensive. Subways, trains, and trams are the cheapest ways to get around. Public transportation in Europe is clean, on time, and inexpensive. Many countries offer passes for a day, a few days, a month, etc. When going to different European countries, get a Eurail pass if you plan on being there for at least 3 weeks. More information about this can be found at Eurotrip. Some trains (e.g. Eurostar and Thalys) offer great discounts to those between the ages of 12 and 25.
That'll do it for now. Other money-saving tips will be provided based on my experiences from this summer's trip.
Bagpacking
click on the icon for info on my most recent trip to Portugal & Spain
A few pics of Europe
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