It's hard to generalize about what you're likely to spend
travelling around Europe. Some countries - Norway, Switzerland and
the UK - are among the priciest places to be in the world, while in
others you can live like a lord on next to nothing - Turkey, for
example. The collapse of the eastern European economy means that
many of the countries there appear very inexpensive if you're
coming from the west. However, the absorption of a number of the
previously inexpensive countries of southern Europe into the EU
means their costs are becoming much more in tune with the European
mainstream.
Accommodation will be the largest single cost, and can
really determine where you decide to travel. For example, it's hard
to find a double hotel room anywhere in Scandinavia - perhaps the
most expensive part of the Continent - for much under £40/$65 a
night, whereas in most parts of southern Europe, and even in
France, you might be paying under half that on average. Everywhere,
though, even in Scandinavia, there is some form of bottom-line
accommodation available, and there's always a youth hostel on hand.
In general, reckon on a minimum budget of around £10/$15 a night
per person in most parts of Europe.
Food and drink costs also vary wildly, although again in
most parts of Europe you can assume that a restaurant meal will
cost on average £5-10/$8-15 a head, with prices at the top end of
the scale in Scandinavia, at the bottom end in eastern and southern
Europe. Transport costs are something you can pin down more
exactly if you have a rail pass or are renting a car. Nowhere,
though, are transport costs a major burden, except perhaps in
Britain where public transport is less heavily subsidized than
elsewhere. Local city transport, too, is usually good, clean and
efficient, and is normally fairly cheap, even in the pricier
countries of northern Europe. It's hard to pinpoint an average
daily budget for touring the Continent, but a bottom-line survival
figure - camping, self-catering, hitching, etc - might be around
£15/$25 a day per person; building in an investment for a rail
pass, staying in hostels and eating out occasionally would bring
this up to perhaps £20/$30 a day; while staying in private rooms or
hotels and eating out once a day would mean a personal daily budget
of at least £25/$40. Obviously in the more expensive countries of
northern Europe you might be spending more than this, but on a wide
tour this would be balanced out by spending less in southern and
eastern Europe, where everything is that much cheaper.
When and where you are travelling also makes a difference.
Accommodation rates tend to go up across the board in July and
August, when everyone is on vacation - although paradoxically there
are good deals in Scandinavia during these months. Also bear in
mind that in capital cities and major resorts in the peak season
everything will be a grade more expensive than anywhere else,
especially if you're there when something special is going on, for
example in Munich during the Beer Festival, Pamplona for the
running of the bulls, Siena during the Palio. These are, in any
case, times when you will be lucky to find a room at all without
having booked.
As for ways of cutting costs , there are plenty. It
makes sense, obviously, to spend less on transport by investing in
some kind of rail pass, and if you're renting a car to do so for a
week or more, thereby qualifying for cheaper rates. Always try to
plan in advance. Although it's good to be flexible, buying one-off
rail tickets and renting cars by the day can add a huge amount to
your travel budget. The most obvious way to save on accommodation
is to use hostels and/or camp; you can also save by planning to
make some of your longer trips at night, when the cost of a
couchette may undercut the cost of a night's accommodation. It's
best not to be too spartan when it comes to food costs, but doing a
certain amount of self-catering, especially at lunchtime when it's
just as easy (and probably nicer) to have a picnic lunch rather
than eat in a restaurant or café, will save money. Bear in mind,
also, that if you're a student an ISIC card is well worth
investing in. It can get you reduced (usually 50 percent, sometimes
free) entry to museums and other sights - costs which can eat their
way into your budget alarmingly if you're doing a lot of
sightseeing - as well as qualifying you for other discounts in
certain cities; it can also save you money on some transport costs,
notably ferries, and especially if you are over 26. For Americans
there's also a health benefit, providing up to $3000 in emergency
medical coverage and $100 a day for 60 days in hospital, plus a
24-hour hotline to call in the event of a medical, legal or
financial emergency. If you are not a student but under 26, the
Go-25 Card (or FIYTO) costs the same as the ISIC and can in
some countries give much the same sort of reductions. Teachers
qualify for the International Teacher Identity Card ,
offering similar discounts. All these cards are available from
youth travel specialists such as Council Travel, STA, Usit and
Travel CUTS. Basically, it's worth flashing one or the other at
every opportunity to see what you can get.