6 week Europe trip, 65 Euros per day?

I feel like the title is possible.

I plan on doing a Europe trip this summer/fall with a friend. I've been doing research, and I've found that many suggest 80-100 Euros per day, but I feel that 65e can be done. Although I have done one RTW trip and know how easy it is to spend quickly.

A rough budget Per Day:

15e for Lodging (Ok, yeah, it will be more expensive in some places, but free in others*)
20e for Food (Redbull and beef jerky is all I need to exist)
20e for BOOZE (I enjoy adult beverages. As well as the club scene occasionally*)
10e for Misc. (Random 10e for museum entrance or bus/taxi/ferry ticket)

Good things:
Plane tickets to and from US/Europe are already taken care of.
We know a few contacts in a few countries that we can sponge off of.

Budget side notes:
(*We know a couple people that can help, but were also considering the "couchsurfing")
(*20e for booze calculated daily is helpful because we won't drink every night...probably)

The reason for the budget stretch is why you would guess. It's hard to save up alot of money with the economy being what it is etc. So the trip must be done on a limited budget. The end result: I'm trying to see if it's possible to show up with ~3000 Euros and tour Europe for 5-6 weeks..

So i'm prepared to hear a thousand responses telling me that it's impossible, but I'm looking for more of why 65e is unrealistic if you feel that. I do hope to hear a few votes of confidence that 65e per day is do-able.

Thank you for any input and help!!

hi TKolb325

Actually I agree with you that it should be possible to travel on this budget, I sometimes feel like I am the only one who feels like that but I have to tell you, it is not always going to be easy. Just some sidenotes:

Lodging: For places where you do not have free accommodation already check some hostel websites before to find their rates, I don´t know what your traveldates are but during high season it will not be easy to find them for 15 euro, think closer to 20. I am a big fan of couchsurfing. Although I have not done it myself (have had no reason for it yet) I know people who did and I heard it is a great experience, you don´t only save on accommodation costs but food as well since you can cook in the house and you are with a person who knows the city and can show you the best and cheapest places.

food: If you really live on Red bull and beef jerkey calculate a higher amount cause Red Bull is ridiculously overpriced in western europe countries (2-3 euro for a small can) and beef jerkey is not as popular as in the US, I know that a bag of 100 gr costs 5 euro in Holland and they only sell it in one supermarket But to be serious, 20 euro is a good amount, you won´t be able to eat out but you can get your diner at wok-restaurants and pizza places etc. Or just buy some bread and cheese/meat at supermarket and enjoy

Booze: Keep in mind that in the big cities in western Europe you will almost always have to pay entrance for a club, this varies from 5 tot 15 euro for most clubs I have been to. For example in Barcelona, I easily spend 50-70 euro on a night of clubbing and then I already drank something at home. Be warned...

misc: Did you also count travelling between different countries/cities in this? because then it is not enough. Especially in western Europe travelling with bus/train/taxi etc is quite expensive, for example from Holland to Paris by train (about 3 hours) will be at least 50 euro and prob. even more, Southern countries are a bit cheaper, eastern countries the cheapest.

Save money by visiting some eastern Europe countries because they are usually cheaper then the west and south. When going out for a drink/diner/dance move away from big attractions, walk into the little sidestreets to find typical restaurants for that country/city and you will usually find it is cheaper there and often better quality/atmosphere as well.

Make sure that you have some extra money available on your account in case you are not able to stay within your budget, but in the end I think you should be able to.

Hope it helps

OHannemarie
-snip

Moderator comment: please see Forum Rules

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please.Link to Forum Rules added. ]

It can be done, but this budget won't get you very far. For instance:

• You won't find accommodation a place like Amsterdam for less than €35. That's for a bed in a large dorm, during a fri/sat/sun night
• A beer in Amsterdam may set you back as much as €5. That's a simple, normal beer, to be had on a terrace. Maybe I should add that you can get one for €0.60 in a supermarket Anything fancier than beer will be much more expensive
• Club fees in Amsterdam start at €20. Once inside, a beer will be more than the above €5
• €20 for food is reasonable

In view of what you seem to have in mind for your trip, I really think that €80 per day is the very least you need. But I should stress that it greatly depends on where you go, as Eastern Europe is a LOT cheaper, while Amsterdam, Paris, Rome and Barcelona are MUCH more expensive than average.

Hi Bentivogli (and TKolb325)

Just want to add that it really depends on where you go in Amsterdam. As I said in my first piece you should go a little outside of the main tourist area. Not that far but just go into the less luxourious looking places and you will find that it is a lot cheaper.

When you ask around for parties you will find very cool underground parties as well that have non or lower entrance fees and offer beer from 2 and wine from 3 euro. Just ask around in hostel / bar / smaller clothing shops (such as skateshops and boutiques) they usually have good information on where to go!

I think the couchsurfing is a good option if you want to visit Amsterdam because it is quite popular in Holland, I have been looking at the website (www.couchsurfing.com) like 2 weeks ago and did not see many free couches on offer in Amsterdam but plenty in smaller cities around it (like haarlem, leiden etc. all within 30 min by train)

OHannemarie
(Oh-Holidays)

After the first week in September, when the kids are back at school, accommodation will be cheaper and there will be less tourists about. hostelworld is good for cheap accommodation. There are a number of cheap airlines in Europe for getting around, which you can book in an internet cafe though you will have to print off etickets, and with Ryanair, boarding passes. Beware of lots of extra add ons in the final total. Supermarkets for your booze. Watch out for pick-pockets anywhere in Europe but notably at tourist sites and anywhere crowded.

Do have an emergency credit card, even if you have to take it out before you leave home. If you don't need it, you can always cut it up when you get back home.

Next week, I've got a nice single room in a 4 star hotel on the Costa Brava (Lloret) for 22 euros a night. I got it on the combinedhotels site. It pays to shop around.

Quoting TKolb325

15e for Lodging(Ok, yeah, it will be more expensive in some places, but free in others*)

Sounds like you'll need a lot of couchsurfing to make an arithmetic mean of €15 per day. A decade ago, some of the cheaper hostels might have worked out that cheap (when priced in the old currencies) - I'm sure that I stayed in Gent for the equivalent of £7 per night - but you'd be very lucky to get by on that now.

Thank you so much for the feedback guys!

Yeah, these responses are about what I expected. 65e is definately a conservative estimate, but the feedback given has been what I need to adjust the estimate. I plan to write a more detailed response later, I just wanted to say thanks to all that has replied so far.

Keep the advice coming!