Europe String

“I couldn’t sleep! The bar next door played really loud music until the wee hours of the morning!”
“The toilet was co-ed!”
“None of them could even speak English!”
“The service was atrocious”
“They only gave us bread and coffee for breakfast!”
They do not even stop at that. Some even go on a full-scale vitriolic rant about a certain hostel, budget airline and/or, even, a country.
Well, boo f**king hoo! When traveling on a budget, you need to be realistic. If you are going to pay peanuts, you can’t expect more than what a bag of peanuts is …read more

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Guest Blogger: Abby Yao is a Filipina postgraduate student in London preparing her dissertation on women and diaspora. Diagnosed with travel addiction, she also exhibits symptoms such as the persistent urge to blog about everything from pop culture to fine art, for which there is no cure.
On the last Bank Holiday weekend of the year, hundreds of thousands of Londoners flock to the streets of Notting Hill for Europe’s largest street party. West London is transported to the West Indies by parades of Mas bands and samba schools, splashing colour on the rows of white flats in the area. Sound …read more

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The French Riviera is one of those places where you can make your champagne wishes and caviar dreams come true.
Not exactly the kind of description which shouts budget traveling, isn’t it?
Well, you need not scratch it off your list just yet. There are still some places in this fashionable resort which you, dear one with limited finances, can afford to stay and enjoy.

Rather than look for a place in Monte Carlo, Cannes or Saint Tropez, consider staying in nearby Nice. It’s not cheap but it’s cheapER AND is also a great destination in itself.
Budget Accommodations:  Check out Gites de France for …read more

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Looks a lot like Paris hired Santa this year as one of the most expensive cities in the world seem to be in the spirit of giving.
For the summer, Paris let people use 14,100 bikes for free.
And now that it is close to Autumn, Lynn of the Paris Traveler has informed us that Paris now has FREE PARKING, as well!!!
“There are 145,000 paid parking spaces in the City of Lights, but during this month 123,000 of them are free, and best of all, you’ll actually be able to find one!”
For the complete details, read this page. And while you …read more

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It’s a shop organized by people who are against capitalism and consumerism. Umsonstladens are open to everyone – rich and poor. Rather than throw things away, people go there and give away functional and portable items which others may still find use for. And, at the same time, people who find themselves in NEED of something are welcome to the shop to take what they need for FREE.
One man’s garbage = another man’s treasure at it’s finest.
Now… should you find yourself in Germany and perhaps have forgotten something which you really need to use while you are traveling, you …read more

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Apparently, Ikea is more than just the H&M of furniture in Norway. Ikea stores are actually a part of Norway’s must-sees.
I may be too late with this news… but Ikea is (or has) temporarily turning one of its stores in Norway into a hostel. 30 shoppers will be picked for a chance to stay at the Ikea shop for a night, have some Kotbullar (Swedish meatballs) and get cozy wearing Ikea bathrobes. Yes, all that for FREE.
They better be free… I mean, who would pay to stay inside an Ikea store for the night, right?
Anyway… as I mentioned, this may …read more

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This is for our readers in the US who are planning their European sojourn.
If you do not have the time nor the energy to plan your trip, you may want to consider one of Sophisticated Traveler, Inc.’s Independent Travel Packages. I swear, they have one of the cheapest travel packages I have EVER seen.
As an example…
A travel package to Budapest (Hungary) will only cost you from US$1288, if you are coming from Philadelphia. For other US city origin, cost is as follows: US$1310 – Boston/JFK/Newark, US$1316 – Atlanta, US$1318 – DC, US$1445 – Chicago/Houston, US$1498 – LA and …read more

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GOOD is when you have finally saved up enough for your dream to travel to Europe. Yes, even if it’s on a tight budget.
It’s even BETTER if you do get a great travel deal.
But, if you get a freebie, that is the BEST.
Complimentary… gratis et amore… handout… free…
Whichever way it may be labeled, this will be music to every budget travelers’ ears.
Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross surely got it right when they said that the best things in life are free.
And below are just some of the best of the BEST when it comes to traveling on a shoestring which …read more

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Whether you want to take a stand about the LGBT equality issue or you just want to see the festivities that happen during the Gay Pride parade, you can try and coincide your trip with the schedule of Pride events in the following European cities:

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For Mother’s day, I went up…

up…

and away!

What about you? How did you celebrate Mother’s Day? 

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