traveling on a broke college student budget

EUROPE ON A BUDGET

Living in Singapore has made me realize that I took the cheap tickets for flights/trains/coach rides for granted. Europe is so darn easy to travel, where you can find yourself in a new city or country in a few hours. To all my friends, who are planning to travel soon or study abroad within Europe, here are tips and tricks I have learned from my experiences.

FLIGHTS

• SkyScanner

  • Use the “everywhere” feature if you don’t know where to spend a long weekend. SkyScanner will select destinations that are the most affordable and accessible.

  • Select the “Cheapest Month” or “Cheapest Day” to find the best dates to fly!

• Google Flights

  • Once again, don’t include a destination and see what affordable options you can find!

  • Use their price alerts to track fluctuations of prices! And Google Flights will typically mention if certain prices are cheaper than typical dates.

• Scott’s Cheap Flights

  • Sign up for their email list for cheap flights! Always nice to dream about where you could go or just be spontaneous and book a ticket!

Tips:

• Always search for tickets under “incognito mode” because they can track your cookies, and sometimes, prices will be a bit more expensive due to that.

• Fly cheap and into the cheapest city - not your exact intended destination!

• Use price fare to stalk prices!

• Search for tickets on holidays such as Christmas or Cyber Monday!

• Book long layovers! With particular airlines, they’ll let you extend layovers, which give you an opportunity to explore a new city!

Often times, I choose my destinations based on the price of the ticket, which is why I love Google Flights. Some of my best steals include a $400 round trip ticket from Seattle to Auckland, NZ and $450 for flights from Seattle - London - Amsterdam - Copenhagen - Seattle!

TRANSPORTATION WITHIN EUROPE:

• FlixBus

• BlaBlaCar

• Budget Airlines

• Eurail Pass

I am a huge advocate for Flixbus. For me, if I know that I can get to my destination in one piece with an affordable mode of transportation, I have absolutely no complaints for comfort. In the past, I have taken 8 hour overnight coach rides from one country to another that resulted in spending 20 euros vs. spending 100 euros for a flight. I also found Flixbus to be appealing because I did not have to arrive 2 hours early at the airport nor did I have to worry about extra baggage fees.

BlaBlaCar is essentially a carpool service. The app will connect you with other drivers and passengers heading to the similar destination and the cost is shared. It is an affordable option, but at times, it was difficult to communicate with language barriers. From the few times I used BlaBlaCar, I spent 5 euros for a shared car ride versus 30+ euros for a train ticket.

There are so many budget airlines including RyanAir, WOW, EasyJet, etc. They may not be the most comfortable plane rides, but you get to your destination! Do be careful about the size of your bag and be aware of baggage policies/additional fees!

If you're planning to backpack around Europe, look into the Eurail Pass. It's basically an all-in-one train ticket. Super flexible when you decide to go from one city to the next!

HOUSING

As a solo traveler, I’m a huge advocate for hostels because you save $ and it’s an easier way to meet new people and other solo travelers as well! Prices can range from 10 to 30 euros for a bed in a dorm-style room. Typically, there are social events each night and there are just so many opportunities to meet new people (ex. at the bar, game nights, pub crawl, etc.) From my own experience, I have made a lot of my good friends from all over the world through my hostel.

Tips:

• Use Hostelworld to check reviews, ratings, and the many option! However, book directly from the hostel’s website to avoid processing fees through Hostelworld!

• Always consider location when choosing your housing accommodation (unless public transportation is reliable). Keep in mind the places you want to visit and things you want to do. Then, choose a location that will make the most sense for the activities you have in mind!

A few of my favorite hostels:

• Mosquito Hostel in Krakow, Poland

  • They provided free breakfast and dinner! Only 10 euros per night. Super social environment and the hostel itself is a bit more intimate so a perfect stop to meet new people, especially when solo traveling.

  • Old Prague Hostel in Prague, Czech Republic

  • Party Hostels in Budapest

ACTIVITIES

• Free Walking Tours (perfect way to initially familiarize yourself with a new city and to meet new people!)

• Ask for recommendations by the staff at your hostel, etc. I find word of mouth to be the best way to navigate what to do, what to see, where to eat, etc!

• Consider whether it makes sense to use public transportation or whether you’ll be walking around. If so, it may make sense to purchase a day or 3-day pass for public transportation rather than purchasing individual tickets.

• Receive discount passes from many European tourist offices.

• Create your own pub crawl.

• Find parks and gardens to visit and have a picnic.

  • Favorite activity: purchasing cheap beers at a mini-mart, sitting by a river, and people watching!

• Flea markets/Food Halls/Farmer Markets

• Budget how much money you’re spending on food by eating smart!

• Bookmark restaurants, landmarks, tourist spots, etc. on Google Maps! When wandering around town, you may find yourself near an attraction and that makes it easy to get some context of what is surrounding you.

Be open-minded and ready for detours and unexpected events!

MONEY

• Use your credit card in order to avoid transaction fees.

• Be careful with withdrawing cash from random ATMs because they tend to charge ridiculous fees. From experience, I find ATMs from actual banks to be more reliable.

• Always carry some cash because some places will not accept card.

If money is a huge concern, reconsider the location you plan to travel. Large cities in Europe such as London and Paris tend to be popular destinations, however, definitely more expensive. I loved exploring Central Europe and found things to be much more affordable.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Purchase a SIM card once you arrive to Europe. They can be inexpensive and phone service/data will be more efficient than sticking with your phone plan from the US. You can find SIM cards at electronic stores around town, grocery stores, or at the airport.

• Be aware of pickpocketing! Always keep an eye on your belongings. Walk with confidence and don’t make it completely obvious that you’re a tourist. I also think that if you’re conscious of pickpocketing, you will be completely fine! Just be careful.

 And with that, those are all the tips and tricks I can think of. Traveling can be more affordable than you anticipate if you plan smart and make the right choices in terms of how you spend your money. Feel free to reach out if you ever need any advice! :)