Europe String

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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What do you want from a wine for your Thanksgiving dinner? It should be approachable, easy on the palette. It should pair well with turkey and all your fixings. It should be cheap, but not taste like it. Even if you’re not a wine aficionado, you want something that at least won’t be noticed. At best, it brings the whole meal together.
Of course there are the standbys: Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Chardonnay. But here are some wines you might not have considered:
Your Red Wine:
Beaujolais Nouveau: This wine is bottled on Nov 3 and shipped …read more

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Have you seen this? The tourism boards for Amsterdam, Antwerp, Valencia, Vienna and Zurich got together and hired a marketing team to promote their cities. Instead of producing some glossy video with voice overs by William Shatner, they decided to go the other way. Way the other way. Instead they came up with this… a mockumentary about a “the first female polygamist” who has 5 husbands, in 5 cities (guess which ones).

My favorite part? The guy on the bear skin rug.
Seriously though, if I didn’t tell you this was done by a tourism board, …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.

Since Iceland’s financial collapse*, everyone in the travel world has jumped on the “you gotta go to Iceland” bandwagon. But how cheap is Iceland, really?
Probably not as much as you’d think. Since Icelandic currency dive-bombed in September, it’s remained at 129 Icelandic krónur to 1 US dollar. That’s about a 50% discount.  Good, but does it warrant a mass exodus to the land of ice and fire?
Well, it depends.
Have …read more

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When I traveled to the major cities in Europe, one thing remained constant– the availability of high priced restaurants.  If you’re trying to cut down your travel budget, here are some tips to enjoy local cuisine and not break the bank.
Eat how the locals eat
Just like at home, exotic dishes tend to be more expensive.  In Europe, the cheapest meals will be the ones that are traditional and widely available.  In France, this means a shot of espresso is 1 euro.  A Starbucks coffee will be 2-3 euros.  In Spain, tapas– the small dishes you order at a cafe or …read more

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Last week I offered a free copy of Europe on a Shoestring for one lucky commenter.  I thought it would be a fun way to kick things off, and it was great to see everyone’s comments (38 total for a first post, not bad!).
Today I’m very pleased to announce that Ruthe won the book, and will getting it in mail shortly.  Let’s all congratulation Ruthe, and wish her the best of luck on her European travels!
Congrats Ruthe!
What do you guys think?  Should we do more of these types of contests on EuropeString.com?

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The parents of this little girl answered the question with: everywhere.

If you’re curious about the little girl, Mozart (the online name her mom uses for her), you can read the family website, detailing their multi-year journey at SoulTravelers3.

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Have you ever wanted to cycle through France? How about hike in Austria? REI offers award winning tours through these areas, but at a steep cost—over $3000 pp for most 8-10 day trips. But do you really need a tour guide?
Here’s a cheaper alternative…
Use their trip itinerary to plan your trip, but travel independently. You can still see the same sites, but travel for much less. Below is an example– I went through the entire trip and priced it. Feel free to steal this trip and modify it to your need or check …read more

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A friend of the family recently said to me, “I would love to do what you do, but you know me, I’m not much of a budget traveler.”  I’ve been trying to figure out what that person meant and the word “budget” has been stuck in my head. Did they mean they don’t like to save money? That they like to haphazardly run around on vacation with a trail of 20 dollar bills fluttering in the breeze behind them as they rush from one over-priced resort to the next? Then it hit me. By budget, they meant …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.

What’s the most expensive part of getting to Europe? Plunking down a cool grand to fly there. That is, until this week, when prices started hovering in the $400-$600 range.
That bears repeating. You can now fly roundtrip to Europe for under $600 from most major US hubs.  (Can I get a woo hoo?)
That’s enough savings to pay for a hostel for a month. Or it’s enough to cover flying to 3-6 …read more

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