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, would you have guessed? And this is why I love Europe. They are insane.

The site, coolcapitals.com also has 48 hour guides to each city, city overviews, deals and a contest to win flight and 4 nights hotel to one of these fine cities.

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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 you always wanted to go to Iceland?  Then this is a great time to do it.

More interested in other parts in Europe?  Then you might want to stick with your plans.

Even with a 50% decrease in the exchange rate, prices aren’t as low as you’d think, because Iceland has been historically more expensive than other European destinations.  With these reduced rates most hostels are charging at minimum $20 a night in the capital of city Reykjavik, with prices as high as $50 for a private room. Hotels start at $40 with more options in the $75- $100 range. So it’s a qualified bargain–for Iceland, this is a great deal.  Of course, airfare costs remain the same, but on a seven day trip, you could easily shave off $200-300.

This Week’s Iceland Deals:

• Iceland Air is offering roundtrip air plus 2 nights accommodation starting at $479 pp.

Note: Before you book– be sure to check the dates.  Iceland’s weather is mild during the winter but they only have 4-6 hours sunlight.

Can’t find the deal you need for your trip?  Send me a twitter @europestring and I’ll put my industry contacts to work.  Know about a great deal I haven’t mentioned?  Tell me, and it could end up here in next week’s This Just In.

*(The good news is that Iceland seems to be getting the financial help they need.)

Creative Commons Pic by Daveness 98

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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 bar, are often eaten as an inexpensive lunch.  In Croatia, a hamburger might set you back $7 but a traditional spit roasted dish is only a few bucks.

Supplement your meals with local markets

Not every meal needs to be eaten at a sit down restaurant.  For a quick lunch on the go, visit the market for fresh bread (a baguette is about 1 euro and huge), and whatever local cheeses, meats, pates, fruit, or olives that are available.  For 2-3 euros you can snack on a sumptuous assortment of local fare.

Try to find accommodation with a kitchen, if you can

Many hostels have kitchens, but you can also rent a furnished flat for the week, at the same price as most hotels.  The advantage is that you can cook many of your meals and still sample the local food.  Buy fresh pasta in Italy or a bottle of wine in France or German sausage or even salted fish in Sweden.  You’ll get to enjoy new dishes (don’t be afraid to ask how to prepare things– most butchers will happily give advice) and save a little on the way.

Skip the pricey items

When you do eat out, here are some higher priced items you can easily avoid.  Soda is usually twice as expensive as wine or beer.  Bottle water is too.  Instead ask for tap water and get it for free.  Don’t need the bread they serve before the meal?  Ask them not to bring it– if they charge for it (you’ll be surprised how often they do).  If you’re not too hungry, share an entree with a friend or order a couple of appetizers together (bonus tip: eat inside instead of on the patio to save a bit more–they charge more for patio seating, typically).

Find the Menu of the Day

This is called many different things depending on country, but set menu meals are typically much cheaper than a la carte.  Most will have a 3 course meal, with 2-3 choices for each course.  Find the most crowded place possible (a sign the food is good) and make sure they have a sign outside with their set menu.  Some of the best meals I’ve had in Europe have been menu del dia (as they say in Spain).

Ask!

After you get there, ask people where the best, affordable place is to eat.  You’ll be surprised at the hidden away places that have amazing food and cheap prices.  Plus it’s a great conversation starter, if you’ll looking to meet new people too!

Blow the budget (at least once)

If you have a dream to eat a particular dish or visit a world famous restaurant– do it!  Just plan this into your budget, and by being smart and eating cheaply, you can still have that gourmet experience.

What tips do you use to save on your food costs when traveling?

Creative Commons Pics:

Albany Tim, Joi, Son of Groucho, James Temple, Juan Pol

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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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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 out REI Adventures for more ideas.

Provence Cycle (8 day trip)

From the website: “Provence - the name itself signifies much that is desirable in life: beauty, art, fine food and wine, and an irresistible joie de vivre. If your travel revelries revolve around A Year in Provence, our eight-day trip captures the very best of the fantasy. “

What they don’t tell you.  With a good map and a little internet research (for this article it took me less than an hour to research) and you can recreate this entire trip.  These aren’t hidden areas of France.  Every place on the trip is easily google-mapped, located on a major road and sometimes is a famous area (one part traces part of the Tour de France).

Notes: REI doesn’t include airfare or lunches in the price.  I have included only what REI includes, to give a fair comparison.  I have purposefully NOT picked the absolute cheapest hotels.  Some of these places are very nice, so there is room for further discount, but I wanted to show the savings even if you splurge a little.

Day 1

Fly into Charles de Gaulle airport and take the train to Orange, France.

Here are three options for hotel:

• L’herbier d’Orange 18.33 Euros/night for a private
• Hotel Le Louvre 39.50 Euros/night for a private
• Villa de l’Arc 92.50 Euros/night for a private

Day 2

Enjoy breakfast (10 Euros) then start cycling towards Bédoin.  Stop and spend the night at the gorgeous Château de Mazan ($118/night).  Enjoy dinner at your budget (15-35 Euros).

Day 3

In the morning, ride down to the market for breakfast (10 Euros) and start riding towards Mont Ventoux.  After summiting return to Bédoin for another night and dinner.  Château de Mazan ($118/night).  Enjoy dinner at your budget (15-35 Euros).

Day 4

Enjoy breakfast (10 Euros).  Then head out to the Dentelles de Montmirail, stopping in Séguret and continuing on to Vaison la Romaine. Stay at the amazing Château Le Martinet (56 Euro/night). Enjoy dinner at your budget (15-35 Euros).

Day 5

Enjoy breakfast (10 Euros).  Pick your own route, as you explore the neighboring area. Return to the Château Le Martinet (56 Euros/night).  REI does not include dinner for this night.

 Day 6

Enjoy breakfast (10 Euros).  Head into the Drôme Provençal.   Continue to the Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux.  Stay in a deluxe single room at the L’Esplan.  Enjoy dinner at your budget (15-35 Euros).

Day 7

Enjoy breakfast (10 Euros).  Head to the village of Grignan (tour the historic Château de Sévigné is desired).  Ride through the country side.  Stay next door to the castle at La Bastide De Grignan (65 Euros/night). Enjoy dinner at your budget (15-35 Euros).

Day 8

Heading out.  Enjoy breakfast (10 Euros).   Head back to the airport or onto further travel.

Totals

Hotel and meals $600-800.

Flying with your bike, renting one or buying one in France $100-$400.

REI’s price:  $3499

Our price:   $1000 

Go ahead, try it.  I bet you could save even more with a little research and depending on the time of year.

Did you like this idea?  Go steal more ideas from REI Adventures here.  (Just don’t tell them I sent you).

Creative Commons Pic by Nicephore

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The reality? Not even close. When I talk about budget travel, it means getting the most out of your travel. It can mean traveling outside your comfort zone, pushing yourself a little, but isn’t that what travel is all about? Here are 5 ways budget travel can improve your trip, no matter where you go.

1. Most locals can’t afford what the tourists pay. For example, if you go to Venice and spend $300 a night, you’re not seeing Venice, you’re seeing high end luxury. If that’s your deal, then go for it, but don’t confuse it with experiencing authentic Venician life.

2. Independent travel lets you experience more culture. There are some excellent tour guides out there. But for the most part, that package deal to wine country in Italy is going to more fluff for the buck. Calculate the prices of hotel, sightseeing and food and chances are you can do the same trip at a fraction of the cost and sans the annoying tour guide with an umbrella.  The other bonus?  Removing the middleman means more access and time to explore.

3. It’s not all backpacks and dingy hostels. Hostels are cheap. But it’s not the only option. For example in Paris, many city dwellers are opening B&Bs to combat the shortage of hotel space in the city. For the same or a little more, you can stay in a stylish Parisian home with breakfast included.

4. Cheaper travel is usually slower. And that’s a good thing. Trust me, after your first whirlwind European tour, where you do 8 cities in 12 days, you’ll know what I mean. The best part of traveling is getting to see places—not just whizzing by from the top of a double decker bus.

5. Sometimes the best part of your trip is when you’re nowhere. You’re off the guidebook, off the tourist path and then you see it. The perfect little café, where you spend the most memorable few hours of your trip, chatting away with locals over vino or a pint.

Like anything there are degrees of budget travel.  Sure there are folks that can make it for months on a $10/day.  For others, budget means spending no more than $40 a night at a hotel.  In the end, it’s the same concepts: independent travel, going slow, skipping the high priced tourist areas and clearing the way so you can have exactly the kind of trip you always imagined.

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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 cities once you’re there. Or enough for a 20 country Eurorail pass. If you’re traveling on a budget, this is a huge savings, one that you definitely won’t see everyday.

Grete Bigert from Scandia World Travel says, “These airfares are the lowest we have seen in quite a few years, in spite of the fuel surcharges”. Her company is offering a spring sale for $423 plus tax for LAX-Copenhagen with either SAS, AirFrance, Delta, Northwest, British Airways or Continental.

British Airways has also announced a 3 day sale to many European destinations that start at $200 (plus taxes/fees and excluding the week of Christmas).

Could we be entering a new era of truly cheap flights to Europe? Or is this a one time event? One thing is for sure, if you’re planning a trip soon, now is a very good time to fly.

How To Book Your Flight:

Scandia World Travel

British Airways 3 Day Sale

Travel Zoo European Fares

Can’t find the deal you need for your trip?  Send me a twitter @europestring and I’ll put my industry contacts to work.  Know about a great deal I haven’t mentioned?  Tell me, and it could end up here in next week’s This Just In.

Creative Commons Photo by Chunyang

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This summer I fell in love with Europe all over again. Since I first visited Barcelona, five years ago, I’ve had a crush on all things European. So when the opportunity to write for a Europe on a budget blog arose, I leapt at the chance. Luckily for me, it’s not just any site, but EuropeString.com, one of the top 50 travel blogs according to the latest T List. Luckily for you, it’s about to get even better.

We’ve made some changes around here, you’ll notice the new logo and colors, but we’re just getting started. What I’m really excited about, is the chance to share everything I know and everything that I can find about traveling in Europe, having an amazing trip and doing it all on a shoestring. This goes beyond generic advice about using hostels or getting a cheap flight. It’s about getting more out of your trip, discovering creative ways to stretch your budget and finding your own personal Pastel de Nata moment.

And I will be your guide. My name is Christine Gilbert. I am a full time traveler, writer and photographer, who most recently lived in Madrid, Spain. I also blog at my personal site Almost Fearless where I talk about the process of going from a Fortune 500 corporate manager to a freewheeling travel writer and vagabond. If you ever want to contact me, give me feedback (good or bad) or just say hello, you can reach me at christine.gilbert@gmail.com

Let’s Get Things Started Right

So in the spirit of a fresh start and new beginnings, I’m giving away a copy of Lonely Planet’s Europe on a ShoeString. All you have to do is comment on this post and you’re automatically entered. On 11/15/08 I will randomly pick a winner from those people who commented. How sweet is that!

So go, comment, and get a free guidebook. And welcome to the new EuropeString.com!

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Ibis has nearly 700 properties in about 20 European countries. They have a loyalty card program and a permanent “special offers” page on their website. A quick check of room prices found for a 2-night October weekend stay in Berlin, prices ranged from 49 EUR - 99 EUR a night; they have 10 hotels in Berlin. That same weekend in Vienna would cost between 64 EUR and 72 EUR in one of their 3 hotels.

easyJet, easyCruise and easyHotel; the easy empire is spreading. For a great price, you’ll get a teeny tiny room, private bathroom, no housekeeping and one towel per person. However, prices are great - especially considering most of the hotels are in excellent city center locations. Book ahead though, I’ve tried on a couple of occasions to get a room at one of these, and haven’t been able to. And even though their website seems to offer lots of cities; they are partnered with Octopus Travel and you’ll get booted to their website if there isn’t an easyHotel in your select city; or one available for your chosen dates.

The UK unfortunately is one of the priciest countries to visit, but you may be able to cut your sleeping costs by checking in to Premiere Inn. They have more than 500 properties in Britain, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Our October weekend in Blackpool would be 154 GBP, while staying in London Kensington would cost 214 GBP.

Have you tried any of these, or a different, European chain hotel? Please share your experience!

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