Europe String

This edition of Europe String’s weekly round up is brought to you by the letter D and G.  As in Doing Good– and that’s exactly what Passports with Purpose is doing this year.  If you haven’t already seen this, go check it out.  Over 50 bloggers donated $100+ gifts to be raffled off at $10 a ticket, and all proceeds go to Heifer International, a charity that works on eliminating hunger worldwide.  I donated a pretty cool REI backpack and travel towel, but there are so many amazing prizes, you’ll just have to go look and see.

European Destinations

Ahhh… a hot sauna in Europe.  What could be better?  Viator Travel blog runs down the best spots to get your steam on.

Wishing I was in Italy for Christmas…  Culinary Diva describes the sumptuous feast and her attempts to keep up!

Hmm, I also wish I was in Munich, Germany for the Christkindlmarkt (annual Christmas Market).  Looks chilly but fun.

When I was in Madrid, I had such a hard time partying– they don’t start until 1 AM!  But if you want to be cool in Madrid, you gotta know not just where to go, but when.

Thinking of moving abroad?  Check out what an apartment in Prague looks like.  Love, love, love those views!

Travel Tips

Want to ski Europe this winter?  Um, me too.  So, here’s some great tips on how to do it for less.

Coming soon… low fare alerts for over 500 airlines– FINALLY in one place.  Why you should use Fare Compare from Budget Travel.

Is your travel pro a thief?  Here’s how to know from Elliott.org.  (Yikes!  One person stole $75K before they were caught

Budget Deals

Fares to Europe, continue to be super low.  How long will this last?   Well, I’m starting to get an itchy trigger finger, and may purchase my ticket in the next few weeks.

Next round up: December 28th.  Submit an article.

Photos:
Italian Christmas Kitchen

Finish Sauna

Switzerland Ski

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This time of year, across the blogosphere, everyone’s trying to outdo each other with Top 10 Lists of stuff you’re supposed to buy.
This year, we’re telling you what not to buy.  Here are the Top 10 things I hope no one gets me for Christmas:
1. Binoculars. I’ve seen this one a few lists, and unless your planning on bird watching in Europe, I can’t fathom why you’d need them. Do you use them at home to look at stuff? Get by perfectly well without it? Then you won’t need them.

A better option: A multi-day city pass that …read more

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I’ve been working on my Christmas Travel Wish List.  I would like one Paris, a bit of Iceland and a few Eastern Europe please.  This week, everyone else, has been super busy writing about Europe.  Go figure.  Here’s the best of the best for this week’s Europe on a Budget Round Up.

European Destinations
Brussels is not THAT boring.  Hasn’t anyone seen the movie En Bruges?  (Now that city… ) Europe A La Carte apologies for Trip Advisor’s conclusion that Brussels is the most boring city in Europe.
Rain, rain, everywhere, but not a drop to drink.  Budget Travel covers the latest floods …read more

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As this year comes to a close, I’ve started dreaming about the next big trip around Europe…  Where will it be?  Back through France, Italy, or Spain?  Or somewhere new like Norway or Finland.  If you’re anything like me, then you already have a dream list of places in Europe you’d like to go (did I hear someone say everywhere?) and I want to hear about it.
I did a small poll on twitter and here’s the responses:  40% France, 30% Italy and 20% UK.
Clearly this doesn’t cover everyone’s plans so I’d like open it here.
-Where are you planning on going …read more

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Yes, more free stuff, read on for more….
This summer, when I was living in Madrid, my husband contracted Mumps. An unusual affliction, and before we knew what it could be, we were both panicked at what the softball sized lumps on his jaw could be. We both spoke a little Spanish, enough to do almost everything we needed in daily life. This wasn’t daily life. Suddenly I was presented with medical vocabulary I had never heard or studied before. What’s the word for swollen? Or allergies? Or insurance card?
At almost the same time, …read more

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It’s December already! This month we’re starting something new here at the ol’ Europe on a Budget factory… a weekly round up of the best posts from around the web: European Destinations, Travel Tips, and Budget Deals– and a few extra things I thought you might like. And while the holiday spirit is upon us, I’ve included a way for you to submit posts for next week’s round up at the end of this post. So go, write something brilliant, then tell us about it.
European Destinations
End of the Parisian café? Let’s hope not: Au Revoir, …read more

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This Just In is a new weekly column at EuropeString.com featuring the week’s best European travel deals. Have something to share? Leave a comment or Twitter @europestring.
We didn’t have a column last week, for the US holiday (plus I was on the road traveling)– so this week’s column is extra special.  It’s something that I wish someone had thought of years ago.  Imagine this scenario:

You want to spend sometime in Europe.
You don’t have a fixed date or a fixed city.
You just want to find the cheapest flight over there, and then you can travel around and come home.
Maybe …read more

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Today, we have an interview with Craig Martin, author of the new ebook Travelling Europe.  Craig gave me an advance copy his book–which is full of advice of how to research better, travel smarter and spend less.  I loved it.  It gives practical, real world advice on how to travel Europe on a budget, and who would know better than Craig and his wife Linda, who have been traveling full time for almost 3 years.  Craig and Linda also host the Indie Travel Podcast, covering everything you need to know on independent travel.  This week they featured a podcast on …read more

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There are big, thick books on this subject, full of precise advice with lots of destination information.  But the truth is, there are just 5 very simple things you can do to drastically cut your travel costs.  When you’re on the road, you start figuring these things out, as your euros start dwindling and you wonder what happened to your well laid plains.  Here’s what you do:
 1.  Don’t move around a lot.  When most people budget they account for flight, food and accommodations.  But hopping from city to city, even on low cost public transportation, can eat into your budget …read more

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Hostel: A type of hotel that typically offers super cheap rates, by creating rooms with dorm bunk beds, instead of private rooms.

The question of whether or not to use hostels when traveling is a highly debated one.  I know before I used them regularly in Europe, I couldn’t imagine being comfortable sharing my personal space like that.  While hostels are definitely not for everyone (having a laid back personality is a good starting point), here are some things you might not know about the hosteling world.
Hostels are not just for kids. There are people of all ages at …read more

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