In the summer of 2016, I packed my bag and left to fulfil a dream. A dream that all of us see: Backpacking solo across Europe. I spent a month traveling to 10 cities across Europe on a budget and I can say it was the best decision of my life.
I traveled to Paris, Munich, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, and Budapest.
Ever since then I get asked how much did I shell out on this adventure? For Indians, this always has been an expensive dream and that’s why most of us never end up doing it.
Let me tell you how I traveled for a month under 1000 euros (80,000 rupees).
Yes, people, it can be that cheap, you just have to make smart choices. Also, a quick reminder that I was a student when I did this, so you can trust me. Working hasn’t changed things much, I still travel the same way and have wonderful experiences to talk about. So are you all ready? Can I hear a hell yeah? Allez, let’s GO!
I will divide the sections into, Transport, Stay and food. These are the these main areas where major expense on your travel and I am here to help you reduce this expense to the maximum.
How Can I Travel for Cheap in Europe?
Europe is connected with the best means of transportation and it doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. The three major ways are Airways, roadways and trains. If you are travelling with your friends, renting a car is also a good option. Here are the details
Airways
There are multiple budget airlines available in Europe that can help you travel for under 30 euros one way. I have flown for as cheap and 9 euros and I know people who have done it for 4 euros.
Ryanair: Extremely cheap flights but you need to pay for baggage (6 euros for cabin bag). The rules changed last year but I guess 6 euros is not a lot!
Volotea: free cabin bag but paid checked in bag at 9 euros for 20 kilos.
EasyJet: free cabin bag but paid checked in baggage.
How to make sure you find the best deal?
• Always check their “promotion/offers” page where you can find the cheapest flights on certain days.
• Never travel on a Friday night or a Sunday evening. That’s when the prices are the highest.
• Plan ahead! The best is 3 months in advance. You have enough time to book rest of the stuff once you know where you’ll be at what date.
• Look out for Volotea’s 1 Euro offer. They have it quite often and come on, you will be flying for effing 80 rupees. That’s like 8 vadapavs, 4 pani puris and cheaper than your checked in luggage!
• There are other airlines that fly through Europe and they all have offers coming up once every 6 months. For e.g. AirFrance has an offer at the moment for flights under 50 euros. Not bad!
• To view all your flights together you can use, Skyscanner or Kayak.
Tips to Remember before you hit the book button
1) I use third party websites as a reference to see which company is offering me the cheapest flight. Then, I book it through the website directly. It’s much safer and in case you want to cancel a non refundable ticket, this assures you get back your taxes. Hey, that's not a complete loss of your money!
2) Most of the budget airlines go to budget airports. What are these you ask me? They are situated far away from the city and you have shuttle busses that cost 10-15 euros to get you into the city. But if you just paid 5 euros to fly, it’s still a good deal I'd say!
3) In case your flight gets cancelled or delayed for more than 3 hours, the EU law states you can file a case and claim a refund up to 600 euros. There are many third party websites that do it happily for you but not for free obviously. They charge 150 euros and you end up with 450 euros. And yes, it has been tried and tested by yours truly!
Roadways
Roadways in Europe are impeccable and the long distance roadtrips can be extremely comfortable. Although going solo on a roadtrip can get a little out of budget, if you are travelling with friends, renting a car together can be a great idea. If not, read on for details on buses.
Another European find is the BlaBla Car. Basically carpooling and super cheap. Check it out here. I love the name though!
Buses:
Once again, you have multiple choices of buses depending on the country you'll be travelling to/from. Some of my favorites are
1) Flixbus (Europe)
2) Eurolines (Europe)
3) OuiBus (Western Europe)
4) DB Bahn (Germany and Scandinavia)
5) LEO Express (Czech. Plus it’s also a train service. So make sure what are you using)
6) RegioJet (Czech and Slovakia)
How to get the best deal?
• Flixbus has a pass called Interflix, of 5 tickets for 100 euros. Use it for countries that have tickets higher than 20 euros.
• All your tickets in Eastern Europe will be under 10 euros. And they stay the same all around the year. So chill!
• Flixbus and OuiBus usually have offers for 5 euros per ticket quite often. Have a look for these.They are all extremely comfortable, so go take those long journey tickets.
Railway
Trains are the most expensive way to travel in Western Europe. They cost a lot more and save a couple of hours on your journey compared to the bus. I prefer not to take them unless necessary or in case they are the cheapest option.
You can always book the Interrail Pass. Interrail is THE pass for your European train travel. Turn into Simran or Raj and travel “avec classe”!!
They have
1) Europe Pass
2) One country pass.
How Does the Interrail Pass Work?
You will have a set number of travel days and you can use them all consecutively or on different days. E.g. you get a month’s pass for Europe travel. You would have 10 travel days in it. So each time you take a train, you spend a day. So you can take a single train or multiple trains within 24 hours and it counts as a day!
Almost all the train companies around Europe are included in this, so hop-on hop-off as you want!
You have a special pass for Switzerland but I suggest if you plan to travel within Switzerland, go for this. Everything else is extremely expensive in Swiss, so let me help you save on transportation.
Other train companies are that can be used are
1) SNCF (France)
2) OuiGO (France)
3) DB Bahn (Germany)
4) Scandinavia has special night trains that are the cheaper comparatively
5) LEO Express (Eastern Europe)
Interrail is your best option to travel by train. But all the train companies release their tickets 3 months in advance exactly at 12 am. That's the time they are the cheapest. So get going!
In total I spend exactly 196 Euros on a return journey from Poitiers, France!
By now I hope you are an expert on cheap tickets! You know all my tricks. Use them wisely!Let's get to the next part.
Where Should You Stay on Your Budget Trip?
Hostels
I am a worshipper of hostels. That’s the only way I want to travel and staying at any other place is an insult to my backpack. Hostels in Europe are the best thing you’ll ever experience. I made lifelong friends in those dormitories filled with strangers. I spend my days traveling with them and I felt my heart break each time I had to let go of them.
The best place to book a hostel is hosterworld.com. I use this website exclusively to book my hostels. Hostels have private rooms, mixed dormitories, and male/ female dormitories, you all know the drill. You book the one you feel comfortable in.
How to get the best deals?
• Check for what’s included in the prices. Some hostels do not include breakfast.
• Always check the hostels' website separately and compare where you have a better/cheaper deal. They have free breakfast if you book directly! Breakfast might not seem like a big deal but mind me, when you are traveling on a budget, you just saved a minimum of 5 euros! That adds up my love!
• Always read the review before booking a bed. This is a life saver hack.
• Make the flexible booking to give you extra room in case you end up meeting someone and your plan changes. Wink Wink.
• If you don’t mind the mixed rooms, they are the cheapest one. I have booked beds in the mixed room on multiple occasions and I have never had any problems.
The unspoken rule of hostels are same across the globe. Don’t be a schmuck when you are sharing the room with multiple people. Respect them and their privacy. Just behave with basic human decency and you’ll be alright!
Plus Hostels have many offers on tours around the city with better deals. Be it a free walking tour, a biking tour, the palace tour or your good old PUB Crawl, they've got you covered.
Couchsurfing
You can also couch surf, check out the website here. Tried and tested! Love it. For those of you unaware of this, it’s an international platform where you stay with the stranger at their place and sleep on their couch/floor/extra bedroom for free.
You return the favour by taking a small souvenir for your guest and by hosting other people from around the world . For gift ideas, You can take chocolates, wine or just cook for them. It’s a lovely way to meet people!
Airbnb
The most boring place to live if you are traveling alone. Ok, I am biased. Not sorry about it. lol! You might have great hosts but it cannot be compared to the life of a hostel. It's great when you travelling with a group as you end up paying lesser.
I spend exactly 300 euros for my stay of 1 month. Which is literally nothing and plus this includes 2 Scandinavian countries.
You want a pro tip to save even more money?
Travel at night!!!!! You save a nights rent! And plus you also save a day. So it’s two birds with one stone. Awesome!
How Could You Experience the European Cuisine on a Budget?
You are traveling to all these exotic countries and now you want to experience the culture and have fun. You know what? All that money you just saved with your cheap travel and hostels? Go spend the rest of it, baby! Well, don’t act stupid and eat a 25 Euro meal.
Western Europe is expensive in terms of food.
• Approximately five Euros breakfast
• If you eat in a fast food joint or on the street, you spend approximately eight to ten Euros
• A meal in the restaurant is 15 euros minimum
Eastern Europe, on the other hand, is cheap. So I went a little crazy in Poland and ended up eating 6 meals a day! Trust me on this, Polish food is amazing!
• Approximately three Euros for breakfast
• If you eat in a fast food joint or on the street, you spend approximately five to six Euros
• A meal in the restaurant is approximately 10 euros.
Choose prudently!!! Lol. I am not saying don’t experience the food, but make wiser choices. I preferred spending my money on experiences and maybe one or two good meals in every city.
Plus if you have breakfast at the hostel, you’ve already saved money. Backpackers usually make a sandwich from the breakfast buffet for lunch. More money saved!All hostels have a kitchen. Backpackers cook! More moneyyyyyyyyy baby!
You have a lot do in Europe. I couldn’t get enough of the museums, the Palaces and the cities in general. The nightlife is great too and you don’t want to miss this. I had a heartfelt experience and did everything I wanted to do. Go on the free walking tours, learn about the city (you have to tip the guide so don’t skip this part), fall in love with this culture, make friends, talk to strangers, let the world teach you things and go back with great stories! These things cost nothing!I have shared all my knowledge about my travels around Europe and I hope they help you achieve your dream. Please let me know if you want to know more things like these in the comments below! Love Ya!
P.S : This does not include your flight tickets from your home country. You will have to add them to your budget separately.
P.P.S Add a little extra money for your adventures in Amsterdam! You do not want to miss it!
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