When thinking about or planning a trip to Europe, you may be in doubt. With the euro worth almost five reais, is it possible to travel cheap to Europe?
We always love traveling to Europe, but we ended up postponing our trips to the old continent for a few years. In 2020, even with the euro soaring, we decided to make a travel itinerary in Spain and Portugal and try to save as much as possible to compensate for this loss generated by the unfavorable exchange rate.
After the trip, we can say that it is possible to save, and we will share some tips. Of course, Europe will never be a cheap trip, but you can make economical options that will weigh less on your budget.
Save on airfare
And you might ask me, “how can you save anyway?” Airfare is a problem, and every time we decide to travel to Europe, it’s an odyssey spending month digging for the best prices.
Choose the cheapest countries.
Some countries in Europe are much cheaper than others. So, it might be a good idea to pick one of them to put in your script.
A trip to Europe is all about dreams, but if your budget is tight, you need to carefully consider the places you’re going to choose.
Our goal was to make a roadmap to Spain and Greece, but we exchanged Greece for Portugal due to the euro’s rise.
Portugal is considered one of the cheapest countries in Europe,
Travel at the best time
July and August are considered the worst months to travel to Europe. At least if the criterion is economy. During these months, everything is more expensive, from airfare to accommodation.
As these are high season months in Europe, it is necessary to book everything in advance. The most cost-effective accommodations sell out quickly.
But we have to confess that we love traveling in the summer, so we’ve already traveled in July, and we love it. But, unfortunately, those who study or have children also don’t have many alternatives.
Alternative hosting
Accommodation expenses are the main cost of a trip to Europe, even more than airfare (in longer trips).
Therefore, it is vital to pay close attention to this item. It will represent the most significant savings on your trip.
hostels
- We don’t stay in hostels (or hostels) anymore. There are still options to stay in private rooms in hostels, but in this case, prices are usually similar to hotels.
- Staying in shared rooms stayed in my past because I have difficulty sleeping with the in and out of hostel rooms.
Save on the International Internet Chip
To access the internet abroad during your trip, you have three options.
The cheapest option would be to live only looking for places with free wi-fi, but let’s face it. Cell phones help a lot when traveling, and it’s essential to stay connected at all times. Accessing maps, looking up places to eat, looking for tips on tours, accessing Waze, all this requires a cell phone with internet.
Travel Insurance
It is well known that to travel to Europe, you must have taken out travel insurance with a minimum amount of €30,000.00.
This is a requirement to enter the countries that are part of the Schengen Treaty.
The only countries in the European Union that are not part of the Treaty are Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland, and Great Britain.
If you do not have Schengen Treaty insurance for other European Union countries, you may be barred from entering Europe.
Use Low-Cost Airlines
Traveling around Europe can be pretty cheap. From bus and train can be types of travel most common, but for distances slightly more prominent, it contemplates an airline ticket.
- Comparing prices and surprisingly, often traveling by air can be cheaper than traveling by train.
- That’s because some low-cost airlines, the famous low-cost airlines, work with meager prices. It is possible to find prices from €20.00.
- Traveling between islands in Europe is also worth consulting.
- We traveled from Barcelona to the Balearic Islands by Vueling, one of those cheap companies. Between Ibiza and Majorca, two islands about 2 hours away by boat, the plane trip by Vueling was cheaper than traveling by boat.
- Another very famous company is Ryanair, which we also used on this last trip to Europe.
Save on food
We are always very thrifty on meals while traveling. In general, there is only one meal: either lunch or dinner. And the other one is just a snack.
If you adopt this scheme, try to prioritize lunch, which usually has better prices than dinner. That’s because it’s more common for Europeans to go out to dinner. This way, restaurants are more relaxed at lunchtime and more prone to promotions.
Transport and Car Rental
In larger cities, such as Lisbon, Barcelona, Paris or Rome, renting a car is unnecessary. Instead, use and abuse public transport.
Car rental
On our last two trips to Europe, we did road trips, and we loved it. For this, car rental is essential. you can book a Manchester airport taxi.
But beware of prices well below the competition and confirm the rental company’s rating.
Cars in poor condition, huge waiting lines, and poor service can result from very cheap prices.
Use cash
Spending on a credit card can be expensive. Card operators work at higher rates than exchange bureaus. And they often charge a double conversion.
That is, you purchase euros. The credit card converts from euro to dollar and then from dollar to real. It is in this double conversion that we can lose out.
You remember that every transaction in foreign currency is subject to IOF – the Tax on Financial Transactions. For cash transactions, this rate is 1.1 (no matter what currency you purchase), and for credit cards, this rate rises to 6.38%. In other words, the difference is enormous and impacts a lot for high operations.
To leave Manchester with euros, also avoid the exchange offices at airports, which charge the worst rates. Instead, search on sites like the Best Exchange to see which agencies have the most advantageous rates.
