Europe Travel Budget and Alcohol

Hi,
I am brand spankin' new here and still exploring the threads, so my question may have been answered already (sorry). Anyways, I am planning a backpacking trip to Europe next Spring-Early Summer and I am trying to figure how much I need to save. I am thinking of shooting for 90-100 dollars a day, since that seems to be the current suggestions (I will buy a Eurail pass for travel between cities.) What I am wondering about these suggestions of $90-100 is if people are including alcohol in this amount? Obviously this wouldn't cover heavy drinking, but I could see where a couple of drinks with dinner could be worked in. I don't really like alcohol (insert appropriate gasps here!) and I can't imagine drinking after a day of schelping around in the heat. I actually dropped out of a wine tasting class during my summer abroad in Italy becuase of this So, could I shave some off this budget b/c of my aversion to alcohol? Thanks! I look forward to haunting the forums in the coming months.

On a EUR100/day budget, you should be able to buy a drink every so often.

If you are very budget-conscious, you should be able to get by on a lower daily budget, btw. EUR80 is still reasonable, although you won't be able to party much if at all.

Another thing that could save you money: buying a EUrail pass is not always a good idea. It depends on the amount of travelling you want to do, and the countries you are going to visit.

I am traveling San Francisco - London - Brussels - Amsterdam - Zurich - Paris - San Francisco in 10 days.

Does it make sense for me to buy the Eurail pass? I'll use it only thrice i.e. 1) Brussels - Amsterdam 2) Amsterdam - Zurich 3) Zurich - Paris, because Eurail, as far as I know, does not take you from London to Brussels.

The price for daytime train from Amsterdam to Zurich is exorbitant!! What are the different ways I can travel from Amsterdam to Zurich? I don't want to fly because I want to enjoy the natural beauty.

Can I rent a car? I'll rent it at Amsterdam and return in Zurich. Is this possible?

Thanks,
Prem

Quoting ultimate1

I am traveling San Francisco - London - Brussels - Amsterdam - Zurich - Paris - San Francisco in 10 days.

Does it make sense for me to buy the Eurail pass? I'll use it only thrice i.e. 1) Brussels - Amsterdam 2) Amsterdam - Zurich 3) Zurich - Paris, because Eurail, as far as I know, does not take you from London to Brussels.

London to Brussels: You get a big discount for the Eurostar train with a Eurail pass, provided you book in advance. See the Eurostar website.
Brussels to Amsterdam: Should be around 40 EUR by train. Bus might be a cheaper option, see www.eurolines.com
Amsterdam-Zurich: I get a guesstimate of 160 EUR from jizdenka.cz, but I suppose the actual price will be higher.
Zurich-Paris: should be around 70 EUR according to jizdenka.cz, but I think it is going to be more like 110 EUR. www.voyages-sncf.com lets me buy Zurich-Paris for 101-160 EUR, depending upon the connection.

The price for daytime train from Amsterdam to Zurich is exorbitant!! What are the different ways I can travel from Amsterdam to Zurich? I don't want to fly because I want to enjoy the natural beauty.

What did you expect? Amsterdam-Zurich is not exactly short. Plus the best connection is IIRC a deluxe nighttrain where special prices apply.

Considering the distance I strongly suggest you look at flight tickets. See www.skyscanner.net

Alternatively there are some tricks that involve special discounted tickets from the Deutsche Bahn website, but for this I would need to know the exact day you plan to travel from Amsterdam to Zurich.

Can I rent a car? I'll rent it at Amsterdam and return in Zurich. Is this possible?

International drop-off fees are very steep. It would be cheaper to take the train.

I am sure you'll be able to do the math now.

[ Edit: Edited on 16-Jun-2009, at 15:33 by t_maia ]