When I was in middle and high school, my friends and I always dreamed of road-tripping across Europe. I ended up doing a solo backpacking trip across Europe in 2011. Here are some of the ways I saved up the money and cut costs:
Working
I worked two jobs while attending college in the evening. I also picked up side jobs house-sitting which brought in an extra couple hundred dollars a month.
Airfare
I bought my plane ticket several months in advance, spent a few days comparing prices, and seeing which European city would be the cheapest for me to fly into. I found that I could fly from Alaska-Minneapolis-Amsterdam-Berlin for $800 round trip. That’s funny, because I’m pretty sure it’s more expensive to fly round trip from Alaska to Minneapolis.
Off Season
In order to save on lodging, I traveled from February to mid-April. Hostels were considerably cheaper during these months than any time after mid-April. The semi-cold weather didn’t bother me. After all, I’m from Alaska. Italy was as hot as 70 degrees in March. For lodging, I spent anywhere from $10/night (Prague) to $25/night (Rome, Paris).
HostelWorld.com
HostelWorld was awesome for picking out hostels. I made sure my hostel had decent reviews, was close to the train station/city center, was cheap, and included at least breakfast and Internet. Please go through the reviews though, you don’t want to go too cheap and wind up covered in bed bugs.
Buy Gear on Sale
I bought my backpack from REI.com when they had their Black Friday deals, bought my Smart Wool clothing, shoes, and so forth during a Black Friday sale in town, and bought my other knick-knacks (money belt, soap to wash your clothes in sinks, travel clothes line) from RickSteves.com when he had a sale as well.
Food
I always made sure my lodging provided at least one meal a day. Other foods I would buy from grocery marts and sidewalk sales. Don’t get me wrong, I did splurge every once in a while on fine European dining, but it saved to not eat in a restaurant for every meal.
Train Travel
Buy a Eurrail Pass. I bought a Global Pass which allowed me 15 days of unlimited travel during a two-month period.
Walk!
In almost every city, I made sure to get a hostel near the city center and sites. I walked almost everywhere and only took the bus or subway a handful of times. I think you gain a greater appreciation and really see the city better on the two-legged express anyways.
Entry Fees
I remember that I happened to be in Paris on the one day of the month the Louvre and Notre Dame were free. Buy a combo pass when you get to Rome for access to all the ruins. Inquire about youth discounts!
Overall, I spent less than $3,000 total on my two-and-a-half month-long backpacking trip around Europe. I’m glad I found a way to make it affordable and doable because it was a trip of a lifetime I will never forget!
